Under Her Wing

Chapters

Chapter 2 - Recovery and Answers
Chapter 4 - A Humble Wonderbolt and an Awkward Dinner
Chapter 5 - A Hero's Welcome and Unwelcome Memories
Chapter 6 - A Visit from Discord
Chapter 7 - Troubling Thoughts
Chapter 8 - A Nightmarish Night
Chapter 9 - An Apple a Day
Chapter 10 - Loyalty Replaced
Chpater 11 - A Thrilling Visit and a Discorded Discourse
Chapter 12 - Princess Twilight Joins the Cause and Quality Time
Chapter 13 - One Fine Meal, Mixed Memories and an Evening with the King
Chapter 14 - A Night Journey, New Friends and Heavy Thoughts
Chapter 15 - A Sad Departure, a Happy Event and a Shocking Disclosure
Chapter 16 - A Mother's Thoughts and a Pony Where it Counts
Chapter 17 - A Map Problem
Chapter 18 - Restoring Harmony and Facing the Night
Chapter 19 – The Trial of Starlight Glimmer
Chapter 20 - A Midsummer Night's Wedding
Chapter 21 – Wedding Gifts and The Best Gift of All
Chapter 1 - Dashing into Action
Chapter 3 - A Visit from Dad and the Power Over the Press

Chapter 2 - Recovery and Answers

Rainbow Dash felt like she was swimming in darkness, but slowly became aware of muffled voices. She moved towards them like a beacon as she recalled a crash and her mind quickly categorized the four types of crashes a retired Wonderbolt had once described to her:

Your friends gather around you and have a laugh at your expense while you dust yourself off.
Your friends and family gather around your hospital bed and have a laugh at your expense, but it's an awkward, uncomfortable laugh as they know it could have been much worse.
You wake in a hospital bed and your immediate family is at the far end of the room talking in whispers with the doctors.
They gather what's left of you and put you in a pine box.

As her awareness grew stronger she was relieved to hear a number of voices surrounding her. Sounds like a Category Two. She felt great relief, and as if breaking the surface of the dark waters she was in, she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Is her face going to stay like that?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"Hey, Doc! She's wakin' up!" Apple Jewel said urgently and several medical ponies approached.

Rainbow's eyes focused and she looked around then focused on herself, finding she was wearing a medical gown and her lower right leg was in a cast, but surprisingly nothing else appeared broken. Around her were the concerned faces of her best friends and vases of flowers all around, except for the huge flower containing a bouquet of vases. Ah, Discord sending his regards she chuckled inwardly.

"The kid!" Rainbow shouted in alarm, finally recalling why she had crashed.

"Relax, Dashie," Pinkie reassured her with a smile. "She's fine, just a few bumps and bruises."

Rainbow leaned back on her bed. "That was waaay too close."

Pinkie came over and gave Rainbow a gentle nuzzle to her cheek, each in turn doing the same.

"We watched the crash on the recording crystal thingy that Twilight put on your helmet. Rainbow, that was super spectacular!" Pinkie said, hopping excitedly in place.

Rarity approached and used her magic to adjust the bedspread so it wasn't bunched up. "Rainbow, darling, I am quite in awe of your exploits. That was breathtaking!"

“That was so brave of you, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said softly, shuffling her hooves nervously as her eyes darted around. "We were all so worried about you."

"Thanks guys," Rainbow Dash said. "It means a lot to me not waking up alone among strangers here. And where is 'here' for that matter?" Rainbow looked around at the unfamiliar hospital and noticed her bed was actually a proper human sized hospital bed.

One of the doctors strode forward, a gray stallion with glasses. He looked over the charts. "You are at Canterlot Royal Hospital. I am Doctor Gray. You've had quite a serious crash, Miss Dash."

"Yeah, that's the truth, doc. So how bad was it? I thought it would be far worse than this," Rainbow asked, moving her arms and wiggling her fingers. They were sore and bruised, but worked. She moved her legs and wiggled her toes. Everything was attached and moving.

The pony doctor paused, looking down his spectacles at her. "Young lady, when they brought you in here, everything from your ribcage down was broken. Fortunately for you the best doctors in Equestria are here and the only medical team on the planet qualified to do emergency treatment on humans."

Using his magic, Doctor Gray materialized the x-rays and all those present gave horrified gasps. “Miraculously your organs weren't seriously damaged and there appears to be no damage to your brain or nervous system. Your skeleton absorbed the majority of the impact, and what internal bruising you do have will heal well enough on its own.”

The x-rays vanished and he resumed his story. “Your skeleton on the other hoof kept our team busy for several hours doing nothing but casting bone fusion spells while going over human skeletal anatomy charts to make sure everything was being put together correctly. Right now magic is the only thing holding your jigsaw puzzle of a skeleton together. The royal sisters themselves came to assist us. We used far more healing magic than is customary when treating broken bones, but the princesses authorized us to do whatever was necessary to stabilize you."

Rainbow took a moment to absorb it all. "That's great and all, doc, but when does that come off?" she asked gesturing to the cast.

Dr. Gray sighed and face-hoofed. "Miss Dash, you very nearly died and if not for our help you'd have been in a body cast for months and would have required more months of physical therapy before you could even walk again."

Rainbow lay back on her bed and pondered that. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Doc. Not very grateful of me. Thank you."

"Now," Dr. Gray continued, a shadow of a smile forming, "that being said, we've magically accelerated the healing of your bones, but due to the sheer amount of damage we couldn't push it too far. I'd give it three weeks for the cast to come off and then you may engage in normal activity. I'd wait an additional month before you try anything strenuous."

Rainbow sat bolt upright to protest, but the pain that shot through her at the sudden movement silenced her complaints and apparently it was plainly written on her face.

"Do you see what I mean?" the doctor asked smugly.

"Yeah," she grunted a bit as she lay back down. "Ow. So much ow."

The doctor levitated over a set of crutches. "If you're feeling up to it, you are welcome to try these."

Rainbow Dash didn't need to be asked twice. "Yeah, I've had enough laying down." Shrugging off the pain, she was quickly up on the crutches and began hobbling around.

"Do take it easy. Just because you can move around isn't license to overexert yourself," the doctor warned.

Rainbow Dash returned to the bed and sat down. "This isn't the first time I've had a broken leg, doc. If you're going to be a daredevil flyer you're going to be hurt now and then. Oh, my wing suit. Did it survive?"

"No, we had to cut it off of you."

Dash hung her head, as if losing a dear friend. "Aw man, that really was my lucky suit. I wore that when I BASE jumped off the top of Canterlot Mountain and winged it all the way to Ponyville," she recalled with a smile.

Dr. Gray looked over Rainbow's medical chart, made some notations to it and put it back. "I must say, it is always a big event when one of the royal sisters visits the hospital, but for all three of them to show up showed this was a matter of national importance. It was also fascinating to watch them work. One must wonder what the full limit of their powers are. It must be beyond imagining. That being said, I was quite amazed by your own magic, young lady. I had no idea it was even possible for humans to get cutie marks."

Rainbow smiled and proudly patted her backside through her gown. "Heh, so far the one and only one to do so."

There was a timid knock on the door and she turned to see a young pony standing there. It was filly she had rescued.

"Kid!" Rainbow exclaimed, a smile coming to her face.

"Rainbow Dash!" the filly replied, rushing up to her as she reared up and hugged her middle.

"Argh! Gently, gently," she grunted.

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash," the filly said, releasing her and stepping back, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry I almost got you killed! Thank you for saving me."

Rainbow looked down and the filly was so emotional she was trembling. From the corner of her eye she noticed the doctor usher her friends out of the room so they could have some privacy. She reached down and stroked the filly's mane. "You're welcome, kid. Hey, what's your name?"

"I-I'm Scootaloo."

"You're welcome, Scootaloo. Hey, doing the impossible is what awesome fliers like me do. Glad to help," Rainbow said with a smile.

"But you could've been killed! It was all my fault."

"Could have but wasn't, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it and you shouldn't either. But I gotta ask, what happened up there? How'd you fall off the cloud?"

Scootaloo ducked her head a bit as she remembered. "I got so caught up in being up so high that I was trying to fly and I managed to get a little lift but I was so focused I lost track of where the cloud was and I wasn't able to keep in the air and I called to the others for help but they couldn't hear me because of the noise from the wind."

Rainbow knew she was going to have words with the Wonderbolts who organized that outing--hopefully it wouldn't end with her punching somepony in the face.

Tears were streaming down Scootaloo's face as she looked up at Dash, admiring. "That was the most amazing thing ever! I was sure I was gonna die, but there you were, flying towards me to save me, my guardian angel." She choked up as she relived the moment, leaning forward and this time very gently resting her head against her hero. Rainbow patted Scootaloo's head.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry," Scootaloo whispered, then began sobbing.

Rainbow hugged the little pony gently to her and let her cry, then she took Scootaloo's hooves in her hands. "Scootaloo, look at me," she said as she gave the foal's hooves a gentle squeeze. Scootaloo looked up with a tear stained face.

"I forgive you," Rainbow said softly, but that only caused the foal to cry harder and bury her face against Dash's chest. Rainbow again wrapped her arm around the crying child. It took several minutes for the filly to regain her composure and Rainbow smiled down at her as the hug ended. "Feel better, squirt?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo said, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. You're just amazing."

Rainbow heard the sound of hooves at the door and looked up and she had to fight the urge to stand. "Lady Golden Meadow!"

The light brown unicorn mare smiled wide with pride and she had a few tears in her own eyes. "Rainbow Dash, it has been a while, hasn't it? I am so proud of you."

Scootaloo looked between the two, clearly confused. "Rainbow Dash, you know her?"

"Hey, I spent seven years at Her Lady of the Blessed Cutie Mark Orphanage."

Scootaloo's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open as Lady Golden Meadow came up beside Scootaloo and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"You were one of us?" Scootaloo mumbled at Rainbow.

"Yeah, good old Cloudsburg," Rainbow said with a smile. "Forever in the literal shadow of Cloudsdale directly above us, envying the pegasi that could fly up there whenever they wanted. "

"Yeah, I know all about that," Scootaloo said and buzzed her useless wings. "Were you raised by ponies?"

Rainbow nodded and smiled. "They made me the awesome mare I am today."

"I think this shows that it was time well spent," a male voice said at the door.

"Dad!" Rainbow shouted in excitement, wincing in pain.

The blue, rainbow-maned pegasus rushed over and sat beside her, holding her hand in his hooves. "Rainbow, I have never been prouder of you, and that's saying something. You just never cease to amaze me."

Rainbow Dash beamed with pride. "Thanks Dad. That means a lot to me. Oh hey, Scootaloo. Meet the most awesome dad in the world, Fullbright Dash."

Fullbright reached down and rubbed the filly's mane. "Hey Scootaloo. Nice to meet you!" he said with a smile.

"But I nearly got her killed," Scootaloo protested.

"But she didn't die. So no worries, kid."

"This would be a lot easier if you two were mad at me."

Rainbow Dash laughed and rubbed Scootaloo's head again. "No such luck, kiddo. You're forgiven and you're gonna like it."

Chapter 4 - A Humble Wonderbolt and an Awkward Dinner

Chapter 4 - A Humble Wonderbolt and An Awkward Dinner

The next day, late in the evening Rainbow tried to read but was too distracted, watching the clock. She would be discharged the following day and it couldn't come fast enough.

"Knock, knock," a familiar female voice called from the doorway.

“Hey, Spitfire.” Rainbow said with a smile.

The Wonderbolt leader was there in full dress uniform. She smiled as she approached the hospital bed. “Hi, Rainbow. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m okay. A bit racked up but the doc says I’ll be fine in about a month or so.”

“I’m very glad to hear that. I’ve just come from another meeting with the princesses.”

“Ouch. How’d that go?”

“I won’t lie, it was pretty bad. Obviously they’re not very happy that the Wonderbolts nearly killed their friend who's an Element of Harmony and on top of that nearly killing an orphan filly as well. The downside of being the big boss is that I’m ultimately the one who has to answer for the big screw ups.”

Rainbow nodded. “The princesses told me what happened. The ponies who were supposed to be flying couldn’t be bothered.”

Spitfire sighed and hung her head. “Yeah, they totally dropped the ball. I can’t make any excuses for that. I’m told the Wonderbolts have you to thank for this not ending up in the papers. We owe you a big one, Rainbow. They would've had a field day with this.”

“Well, if it had ended the other way, there’d be Tartarus to pay.”

Spitfire shuddered. “Princess Nightmare said something about an ancient pegasi punishment called ‘The Burden’ that hasn’t been used since our tribal times—she wanted to bring it back just for this. I could only imagine what she’d do if anypony had died. I was also told that when Princess Nightmare asked for suggestions for punishments you only asked for community service rather than the more extreme things Princess Nightmare wanted. You could’ve ended their careers before they even started, but you let them slide.”

“Well, we all make mistakes and as this was a ‘live and learn’ kind of one, I can look past that. If Scootaloo died, then I’d be right there next to the princess demanding their heads on pikes.”

Spitfire nodded. “They showed me that recording of your fall. I gotta say, that was an amazing rescue, Rainbow. I've never seen anything like it. I don’t know much about those parachutes, but trusting your life to a little piece of fabric while falling at that speed takes a lot of guts.”

“Well, until I find a way to get wings, I'll have to make do with the silk.”

They both chuckled.

“Hey, Rainbow, I’m apologizing for the Wonderbots collectively, but how do you want to handle the others? Do you want me to bring them all in here to apologize to you, or each group of three at a time?”

Rainbow thought about it for a little bit. “Well, I’m sure they’re feeling the heat too right now, so they all know they royally screwed up. What you guys really need to do is apologize to Scootaloo. She got the raw deal here and she’s the one who’s owed the bigger apology. Some ‘biggest fan’ treatment for Scootaloo from the proper Wonderbolts and I’ll consider that apology enough.”

“Oh yeah. Consider it done. The princess has Soarin, Fleetfoot and I, the crew you went up with and those who shirked their duty all in Canterlot to hold judgement. We're all grounded at the moment, so as soon as things are clear we’ll take care of that. Thank you, Rainbow. You’re a pal.”

“Hey, no problem. I'm repaying the favor for when you saved Dad's skin during his big crash. Just be more careful next time. I might not be there to save the day,” Rainbow said with a smile.

The next day Dr. Gray wanted to move Rainbow Dash to a suite at Canterlot castle, as all that she needed now was rest. While the princesses had offered to let her stay at the castle for the full recovery time, Rainbow wanted to recuperate back in Ponyville and the princesses honored her wishes. Before returning to Ponyville, this arrangement finally gave Rainbow the opportunity to meet up with her father and his mystery mare.

Rainbow sat in the dim restaurant, trying to sit as comfortably as possible with her leg in a cast. It was a place she ate at when she could, but discreetly so as not to startle her friends. It was The Fang and Claw, Canterlot's one and only carnivore restaurant. The place was at the back of a dark alley, no signs anywhere, just a burly griffin doorman. They had a wide selection of dishes for griffins, humans and those ponies with carnivore palettes to choose from, from non-sentient Equestrian animals to meats imported from the human world. Her mouth watered at the thought of enjoying a 24 oz. ribeye steak.

The message from her dad had said to meet them there at six and she waited with growing anticipation. Anytime she'd see patrons moving around inside she'd look up to see who was there in the gloom. Finally she caught sight of a familiar rainbow mane, and beside him a griffin—not just any griffin, but one she was well acquainted with.

"Gilda," she muttered.

The two made their way to the table and Fullbright very gently hugged his daughter.

"Hi, honey. Thanks for meeting us."

"Sure, no problem, Dad," Rainbow said in a neutral voice as she made eye contact with Gilda, who averted her eyes.

"Hey, Rainbow," Gilda mumbled.

"Hey, Gilda," Rainbow replied as they all took seats and a tense silence fell over the table as three sets of eyes shifted back and forth.

A griffin waiter arrived and smiled as he offered menus. "Ah, Mister Dash, Miss Dash and Miss Deathwing. So good to see you all again."

There was a mumbled response from the three as they then made their drink orders and the waiter left.

Rainbow was the first to break the silence. "Deathwing? What happened to Dunkleberger?"

Instantly a claw clasped over her mouth. "It can be Deathwing if people who know different keep their trap shut."

Rainbow pushed the claw away with a laugh and the tension at the table let up just a bit as the others joined in. She took a deep breath and looked from Gilda to her dad. "Okay, let's just get this out of the way now. Dad, why are you here with Gilda?"

"We were worried when we got the message from the princess that you had been injured," Fullbright said.

"Dad, you know what I mean."

Fullbright put his hooves on the table. "Okay. She's the star of an aerial performance team I'm putting together. We met in Las Pegasus and she was between jobs and I was still in a funk from losing my spot on the Wonderbolts. I'd had an idea for a while to start my own air show and a chance meeting with Gilda was the motivation I needed to get my tail in gear and live my dream."

Rainbow sat back, closed her eyes and pondered that. Gilda looked a bit miffed, but her ire seemed directed at Fullbright. Rainbow looked to Gilda and smiled. "How are you enjoying flying with Dad? That must be fun. I remember when he'd fly with me when I'd skydive and hang glide."

"It's great, Rainbow. I've learned a lot from Red," Gilda said.

"Red?"

"That's a nickname I gave him the day we met. Long story," Gilda nervously replied and a heavy silence hung over the table.

The server brought their drinks and a basket of complimentary bacon. The silence remained, except for the soft crunch of the bacon. Fullbright took up the conversation, trying to lighten the mood as he began telling funny stories of his Wonderbolts days. Rainbow watched her dad and Gilda closely, noticing how Gilda would periodically lean against him. When he'd see his daughter watching, he'd suddenly appear embarrassed and scoot a little away from Gilda. Gilda on the other hoof seemed oblivious—she would lean on him and put her claws on him, far more than 'just friends' would.

During another pause, Gilda cleared her throat and shifted in her seat a bit before she finally looked Rainbow in the eye. "Rainbow, I'm sorry about what happened in Ponyville. I was a huge jerk."

"Yes, you were, but I was one too," Rainbow replied with a sigh. "I shouldn't have let it end like that. You're my oldest friend. I should’ve tried to patch things up."

Rainbow noted that her dad put a hoof on Gilda's arm and rubbed it gently. No no no, my dad and Gilda aren't a couple. This is just Discord playing a prank and I'm going to punch him when I see him next!

Gilda nudged Fullbright with an elbow, the annoyed look having returned. "Just tell her, Red. She knows. You can see it on her face."

Fullbright met his daughter's gaze. "Rainbow, Gilda and I are in love."

Rainbow, who had been sipping her drink, coughed and had to cover her mouth to prevent the spit-take. Even though she suspected, it didn't prepare her to hear her father say it.

As she was coughing on her drink, Fullbright made a nervous laugh. "She took that better than I expected."

Gilda nodded. "She didn't try to stab me with her steak knife. So far so good."

When Rainbow recovered, she wiped her hands and mouth with her napkin while just silently staring at Gilda and her father. Then she leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. "I think I'm still in the hospital. I have a head injury and I'm delirious."

Her father frowned and pulled her hands away from her face. "Rainbow, stop being silly. Is it really that hard to deal with?"

"Dad, Gilda's my age! Is this some kind of mid-life crisis thing?"

"No! If I was just looking for younger mares I'd have been hitting on your friends in Ponyville the first day I met them."

"What? Dad, ewww."

Fullbright took a moment to collect himself. "Rainbow, the point is, I didn't set out to meet any mares. I'd lost things that meant a lot to me: your mom and my career as a Wonderbolt. When I was out in Las Pegasus, I thought there was nothing that could fill the void, but then I met Gilda. She'd lost a lot too and was looking for meaning and purpose for her life." Fullbright smiled at Gilda as he continued. "I found out she was the griffin that you'd made friends with, so I wanted to help her out and we had common ground over flying, plus she was interested in my idea of an air show. It was all business at first, but after a few months of working together every day, it just bloomed into something more."

Rainbow just remained silent as she stared at them, then turned to Gilda. "Anything you want to add?"

"Nope. Red said it all a lot better than I could," Gilda replied.

Rainbow leaned forward over the table until she was almost face to face with Gilda. "Look me in the eye and tell me you're not doing this just to get back at me over what happened in Ponyville."

"I—Love—Him, Dash," Gilda growled back, keeping her eyes locked on Rainbow's.

Rainbow leaned back in her seat, her shoulders slumped, as Gilda looked back at her, blushing slightly and averting her eyes again.

"I'm not joking about this, Rainbow," Gilda said softly. "I've never felt this way about a guy before, griffin or pony. We really want you to be okay with this."

Fullbright took Rainbow's hands between his hooves and met her gaze. "Rainbow, if you're worried that I'm forgetting about your mom, it isn't like that. You and I will always love her and she'll always be a part of us, but she's gone and honestly I'm not ready to spend the rest of my life with nothing but the memories of her to keep me company."

The three sat in silence until the food arrived and each began eating, lost in their thoughts. Rainbow enjoyed her steak, as she knew she would. Gilda was tearing through her rack of babyback ribs like a true predator while her dad was having salad with chicken. Rainbow looked at her dad and then to Gilda, both of whom just stared blankly at their food as they ate. She knew it was her response that had put the dark mood over the table.

"So, tell me about this air show you two are putting together," Rainbow asked, and immediately saw the two brighten up.

Their excitement was certainly genuine, at times even talking over each other as they explained what they were doing. It seemed to her to be part aerial stunt show and, to avoid too many comparisons to the Wonderbolts, it would also be a historical airshow with reenactments of famous air battles, jousting and fliers in historical costumes and armor. A taste of older times. By the time they were done, Rainbow herself felt a bit excited at what the show could be like.

"Wow, that's quite a spectacle you'll be putting on," Rainbow said. "You know, if you're looking for historical costumes, my friend Rarity recently put together a bunch of period Wonderbolt costumes to help me learn the history of the group for the Wonderbolts test."

Gilda looked at her quizzically, her head turning that way dogs do when they're confused. "You—you tried out for the Wonderbolts?"

"Sure. I've dreamed of being a Wonderbolt since I was a filly. Didn't you wonder what a human was doing at flight camp?"

"But—but..."

"Well, Wonderbolts Auxiliary is the only thing wingles like me can hope to get into."

"Wingles?" Gilda asked, clearly perplexed.

Fullbright gave a single small laugh. "Wingles is a derisive term for the wingless. Ah yes, flight camp. For your brief stay before you were ejected for fighting," Fullbright said, giving his daughter a disapproving stare a moment before he broke into a smile.

"Hey, those colts had it coming for picking on Fluttershy! And they had it coming again for picking on Gilda."

Fullbright laughed a bit and continued. "We were planning on stopping by Ponyville at some point. Maybe we could talk to your friend. You really have some big friends, with the favor of Celestia, Luna and even Nightmare Moon. And you’re friends with the Princess of Friendship and pals with a famous fashion designer and two super-models.”

Rainbow grinned at that last one. “Well, she is one, but Apple Jewel wouldn’t call herself a super-model and Fluttershy just dabbles; she's got her hooves full taking care of her animals, working on the weather team and singing.”

Gilda looked up and nodded. “I need to go back there and make my peace and apologize to your friend Fluttershy.”

Rainbow nodded gravely, then smiled. “Expect panic and suspicion at first, then Pinkie will throw you a party, then all’s forgiven.”

Gilda looked up at her in surprise. “Just like that?”

“Just like that. Ponyville’s a crazy town. They’re quick to judge, but also quick to apologize or forgive,” Rainbow replied with a reassuring smile.

Fullbright put a hoof on his daughter’s hand and smiled. “Once you’re back and recovered a bit we’ll swing by to visit and set things right.”

Rainbow leaned back and smiled. She lifted her arms to put them behind her head, but the pain reminded her that would be a bad idea and she lowered them back to the table. “I think I know Pinkie Pie well enough to say that she'll be super-duper excited at the thought of your return.”

Author's Note

Equines can safely eat meat. I checked.

Chapter 5 - A Hero's Welcome and Unwelcome Memories

Bliss! Rainbow Dash was finally free to return to Ponyville; her friends were all there to join her in Canterlot. The princesses had arranged for air passage via Celestia's flagship the Solaris—the largest airship in the world—waiting at the docks. It seemed like such overkill, but Rarity had insisted that it was the height of rudeness to refuse a gift, especially when it was from a princess showing her favor.

Rainbow relaxed and looked at the ground far below as they passed over it. The thrill-seeking part of her brain tried to convince her to do a skydive from the ship while the self-preservation part, now in the form of Dr. Gray's voice, warned her not to.

She leaned on the rail and again enjoyed the view—she’d make the jump when she was recovered. Her eyes came to rest on the large marble structure at the base of the mountain that housed the Equestria/Earth Portal and Visitors’ Center. She’d land on the roof, maybe a holiday themed jump with an Equestrian flag and smoke canisters attached to her rig to make it a bigger show. Rainbow grinned, thinking she'd better get permission this time.

Fun! When they arrived in Ponyville, it was a hero’s welcome. The whole town had come out to celebrate Rainbow’s heroic rescue, a far cry from her first visit to Ponyville…

Rainbow Dash was still fuming over her treatment from the residents of Ponyville. As soon as she had entered town to buy supplies and get directions, there was panic in the streets as doors and windows were slammed shut and locked; frightened parents grabbed their foals and fled at her presence. She had only decided to come through Ponyvile to visit her friend Fluttershy.

Once she set up camp in the forest outside of town she tried to sleep, but was still too upset. As Rainbow lay awake, staring at the inside of her tent, she became aware of voices nearby. They spoke in hushed tones at first, but as they neared they got more distinct. From what she could hear, they were suspicious of the "hoo-man" that had terrorized their town and had come into the forest to investigate. She found it amusing after a time, their thinking she was perhaps a creature of the forest itself. Even more oddly, she was astonished when one of them broke into song about the destruction the evil human would bring to Ponyville.

"Okay, that's it," Rainbow said, then projected her voice. "I can totally hear you guys out there! Nice song, by the way. Out of curiosity, do you even know what nukes and Ebola are? And even if I had them, which I don't, what makes you think I'd use them in your town?"

She heard them speaking together in hushed tones before the reply.

"Well, maybe we don't know," one of them said, "but that’s just the sort of thing a hoo-man might say. We've heard all about your ways over on Otherside."

"On Otherside? For your information I was born and raised here in Equestria. Raised by ponies, I might add." Another hushed conversation followed and after a minute Rainbow got tired of waiting for them to reply. "Look, I just came to town to buy supplies and find out if you knew where my friend Fluttershy lives, but you made it perfectly clear that outsiders aren't welcome here so you can just pack up your unwelcome wagon and go home. I'll be out of here in the morning and away from your stupid town so just leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep."

More hushed conversation ensued, then unexpectedly there was a collective scream and panic.

"Oh come on! You can survive with me here in the forest for just one night," Rainbow grumbled.

"Rainbow Dash, helllllllp!" a desperate voice shouted, followed moments later by guttural growls and howling. In an instant Rainbow was on her feet and out of her tent. She grabbed her hiking stick and ran in the direction of the voices. Soon she found a pink Earth pony, an orange Earth pony and a white unicorn cornered by half a dozen timber wolves.

Without hesitating she laid into the timber wolves with her own timber, quickly smashing the creatures to kindling, and when they started to reform she would grab the pieces and toss them around; other parts she'd break over her knee. Soon the disembodied pieces began moving away of their own accord, just to escape her.

When the danger had passed, Rainbow turned to the ponies, who seemed just as afraid of her as they had been of the timber wolves. They stared at each other for a few moments, then the ponies bolted.

"Worst birthday ever," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she watched them scurry off. She returned to her tent, finally got back into her sleeping bag and had nearly dozed off when something strange occurred to her. "How did she know my name?"

When Rainbow woke the next morning she exited her tent and yawned as she stretched. It was then she noticed she wasn't in the forest anymore. She glanced behind her—her tent was still there, but she and her tent were now inside a large open structure surrounded by over a hundred cheerful ponies. On the wall was a huge banner that read 'Happy Birthday' and written under it using what looked like icing were the words, 'Welcome to Ponyville.'

The pink pony from the night before rushed up to her, put a party hat on her head and hugged her. The pony then sat in front of her, soon joined by the other two from the night before. The pink one looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "We're so super sorry about last night, Dashie. All of Ponyville was mean to you, but you didn't hesitate to help us when we were in danger."

The orange pony came up and removed the white velvet Stetson she wore over a perfectly coiffed mane; she fiddled with it nervously in her hooves, hesitating to make eye contact with the human. "I'm sorry too. It was wrong of us to think ill of ya, when ya hadn't even said or done nothin' to give us cause for alarm."

The elegant white unicorn approached—she didn't hesitate to make eye contact, but her look was humble and contrite. "I ask your pardon as well, Rainbow darling, for our deplorable behavior and we hope that you can forgive three foolish and ungrateful ponies."

The pink pony looked up, her eyes wide and pleading. "So what do ya say, Rainbow Dash? Will you give Ponyville a second chance to make a good first impression?"

Rainbow thought for a few moments, then smiled. "Sure, why not. My dad always told me life's too short to hold a grudge."

"Woohoo! Let's get this party started!" the pink pony shouted. Balloons and confetti rained down as music started playing and ponies began laughing and dancing.

When the sun began to set the party finally started winding down. It had been the best, most amazing party Rainbow had ever experienced, and it had all been for her. One thing bothered her still and she had to ask.

"So, Pinkie Pie, how did you know my name?" Rainbow asked.

Pinkie opened her mouth, raised a hoof and inhaled to speak, then seemed to get stuck there for a few moments. After several more false starts she just shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno. You just looked like a Rainbow Dash," Pinkie replied with a smile.

Chapter 6 - A Visit from Discord

Princess Twilight had insisted Rainbow spend the first three weeks of recuperation at her castle so she'd have the castle staff to see to her needs and be closer to the hospital if there were a problem. Rainbow didn't want to impose, but when Twilight threatened to make it a royal decree she agreed. Her friends were all there and made sure she was comfortable and everything was within easy reach.

"Guys, you really don't have to fuss over me like this,” Rainbow said. "I'm going to be fine. This will be, well, like a very uncomfortable three week vacation.”

Her friends all stopped what they were doing and gathered around her. Apple Jewel gave her an annoyed look. "Rainbow Dash, ya just don't get it, do ya? Ya nearly died! We were all shook up deep by that and none of us is ready to lose anypony close to us like that. Yer like a sister to each of us."

Rainbow welcomed the gentle group hug and returned it with equal affection. "I was an only foal, so you don't know how much it means to me to have you all as sisters."

"We just want to make sure your recovery goes okay, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, giving Rainbow a gentle boop on the nose with her hoof.
"Your stunts make us a bit scared, but we'll always support you and cheer you on."

"Chillax, guys. The Rainbow will be dashing again before you know it!" she said with a confidant smile.

Once she was settled in and comfortable, her friends left her to enjoy some peace and quiet. She began reading. Then a flash of light announced another visitor, one she'd been expecting for a while.

"Hey, Discord," Rainbow said with a sigh and put the book aside.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash," Discord said, floating over to her.

"Thanks for the vases. That was a nice touch."

"Thank you. I know you're fond of visual gags. Soooo, how are you feeling?" he asked. While his true motives tended to be hard to read, it seemed his concern was genuine.

"I've been better. The doctor basically said my skeleton’s held together with magic duct tape, so I have to wait for the natural healing to catch up to what the magic's done, but other than that I'm just dandy."

Discord seemed to be missing the usual snark and smugness he normally sported and Rainbow found it curious. "What's wrong, Discord? I thought you'd have enjoyed all this. Isn't this chaos?"

He looked genuinely offended. "Rainbow Dash! While I love chaos, there are different types. When I came to Ponyville the first time, did I hurt anypony? No. I just messed with their realities. Any pillaging or murders? No."

"Okay, okay—relax, dude. Chill. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

He sighed and relaxed. "I'm just getting used to the notion of friendship and then you almost die! The thought of one of you dying is deeply troubling. I'm not sure how to deal with that, not without doing drastic reality-altering things that none of you would approve of."

"Discord—warning you now, don't do anything to mess with anything."

"Well, I've messed things up enough, before you were even born. I feel this was my fault."

"How could you do anything back then? You were turned to stone," Rainbow asked, looking at him curiously.

"I still had some power," he held up a mirror so Rainbow Dash could see her reflection and pointed to it. "That is all my fault."

"Discord, you didn't cause my accident. It was some stupid lazy Wonderbolts. Like you said, that wasn't your type of chaos. Even if you were somehow accidentally responsible, I know you didn't intend for me or Scootaloo to get hurt, so forget about it. It’s all water under the bridge."

It seemed like he was going to say more but appeared troubled, then he simply shook his head and vanished.

After a short nap, Rainbow lay back on her oversized version of Rarity's fainting couch and enjoyed her advance copy of Daring Do and The Star of the Badlands that Celestia had gotten for her. Twilight sat on a cushion nearby, reading three books levitated in front of her, astonishingly going left to right rather than reading one page of each at a time. Rainbow couldn't imagine how Twilight could meaningfully follow them reading in that fashion--she wasn't the only one who felt Twilight should have been named the Princess of Books.

Spike appeared, pushing a small cart with a teapot and cookies on it. "Can I get you anything, Rainbow Dash? More tea? Hungry? Want me to fluff your pillow?"

"Spike, I'm fine," Rainbow said, patting him on the back. "I'm not helpless, I just have to take it easy."

"I know you're going to be fine, but I just want to make sure you're okay and I don't want anything to happen to you... at the castle, here, at the castle," he stammered nervously.

Rainbow leaned over and picked up Spike, setting him on the couch beside her and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Relax, little dude. I'm going to be fine."

He leaned against her and she felt a single stifled sob from him. He quickly regained his composure and looked up and smiled. "I know you'll be fine. You're Rainbow Dash. You do the impossible every day!"

"You bet," she said, then leaned over to whisper in what she assumed to be his ear. "Love you too, little bro."

Spike smiled back, returning the hug. When it appeared Spike was content to stay there beside her, she resumed reading with one hand while the other arm remained around the little dragon. Discord's words came back to her as she read and she glanced over to Twilight, who now had four books hovering in front of her.

"Hey, Twilight?"

"Yes, Rainbow?" Twilight replied, not turning away from her books.

"How much do you know about Discord?"

The four books closed with a sharp snap and Twilight turned to look at her.

"Did he say or do something that I need to know about?" she asked, her face turning to a frown.

"No. Nothing like that, I think. He stopped by earlier and he said something along the lines of the accident being his fault."

"He's responsible for your accident?!" Twilight asked, her voice raising.

"No! Not like that."

Twilight's ire quickly cooled. "What do you mean then?"

"He said it was all his fault, but it was somehow because of something he did before I was born. How could his doing something before I was born cause the accident? He said that when he was stone he still had a tiny bit of power."

Twilight pondered Discord's words. "Fluttershy told us that his developing a conscience was going to be painful and at times unpleasant for him and for us. And this looks like one of those times."

"What is it with these ancient dudes like Discord and the princesses? Can't they just say what they mean instead of always being vague and mysterious?"

Twilight cringed at the princesses being referred to as 'ancient dudes', but let it pass. "They've been around a long time and have seen what harm can come from giving too much information. We just have to hope that the ages they've lived have given them wisdom."

"Discord's as old as if not older than the princesses and he's just now learning wisdom."

"I didn't say it was a flawless system, but given the peace and prosperity of Equestria, I'd say they have a good track record."

"Granted."

Twilight put her books aside, approaching Rainbow and putting a hoof on her hand. "Whatever he's hiding, it’s bothering him enough to admit he's wronged you in some strange way. Which I have to admit is a remarkable emotional progression for him. You'll just have to be patient."

"So I just gotta sit around and wonder about what he was saying and wait for him to man up and spill the beans."

Twilight smiled. "Or pony up. Exactly." Her attention turned from Rainbow to Spike, who had fallen asleep while still remaining snuggled up against Rainbow. Twilight's horn lit up to move the little dragon. "I'm sorry about that, Rainbow. He was worried sick about you while you were in the hospital."

"It’s okay, Twilight, just let him sleep. I don't mind."

A sadness come over Twilight's face as she looked at Spike. "When we came back from the Crystal Empire that first time, after Sombra's dark magic had shown him his worst fear, it was over a week before I could get him to sleep in his own bed again."

Rainbow ran a hand over his scaly head. "I'm in the same boat with Spike. Abandonment issues really stink."

Twilight gave her a kindly nuzzle, careful not to wake Spike. "Don't worry, Rainbow. We're not going anywhere either."

"I know, Twilight, but it's still good to hear you say it," Rainbow said with a smile. "Hey, got that recording of my fall? It seems everypony's seen it but me."

"Rainbow, you lived it. Why do you want see it again?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"It all happened too fast to even remember what happened."

Twilight paused, clearly pondering Rainbow's request, but she nodded her head and sat on the floor beside Rainbow and her horn glowed, a red crystal materialized, the one that Rainbow kept on her helmet to magically record her flying. She felt some alarm when she saw the crystal had been broken and a few small bits were missing.

"Whoa, how hard did I hit the ground?" she asked, looking at the crystal.

"Forgive me, but I'm muting the audio just before you hit. I've heard it once and never want to hear a sound like that again as long as I live," Twilight said.

"Was it really that bad?"

Twilight shuddered at the memory. "Imagine the sound of Bulk Biceps sitting on a bag of pretzels."

"Eww."

"Exactly."

Twilight began the playback and projected it into the air, creating a nearly 3-D rendering around them of the fall. It was difficult to understand the chatter between her and Pinkie due to the noise of the wind, but "Twitchy tail!" was all too clear.

Rainbow scrutinized her own timing, smiling as she couldn't find fault with it. Her mind added a heavy metal soundtrack to go with her high speed fall. She began to notice the rainbow light effect around the crystal.

"Twilight, what's with the rainbowy stuff? I thought that was me getting ready to black out from the g-forces."

Twilight paused the recording and looked to Rainbow with a small smile.

"Celestia believes that you were somehow tapping into your natural magic to give yourself a speed boost. I've calculated the term—" she said before cut off by an excited Rainbow.

"I can give myself magical speed boosts?!" Rainbow whispered in awe.

"It's theoretically possible."

"Dude, you gotta teach me how to do that! This is one of the best days ever!"

Twilight chuckled. "Of course, Rainbow," she replied with a smile and resumed the recording.

Rainbow watched, curious to see her own reactions to what was happening. She could see she was utterly determined to succeed. She found herself getting tense as she got closer and closer to Scootaloo, now watching the ground more than the filly.

"Yes!" she shouted when she saw herself catching Scootaloo, then covered her mouth hoping she hadn't woken Spike. "In your face, death," she whispered victoriously.

She felt a rush of anxiety as the parachute opened and began slowing their descent, but not nearly enough. She looked away and Twilight cut the audio a moment before they hit.

Twilight put a hoof on her hand comfortingly. "The crystal broke and the recording ended there."

Rainbow nodded and wiped her brow, not realizing she had been sweating. "That was intense, but awesome!"

Twilight chuckled a bit and smiled. "It was amazingly brave, Rainbow."

Chapter 7 - Troubling Thoughts

Rainbow's life fell into a routine over the following weeks. She spent most of the day in Twilight's library reading and listening to music when Twilight wasn't studying. Spike and the castle staff constantly checked on her to make sure she didn't need anything. Nurse Redheart visited each afternoon to make sure her recovery was on schedule, and one day a week Dr. Gray was flown in from Canterlot to check on her. Then there were the daily visits from the spa twins for massages, to which Rarity or Apple Jewel would selflessly volunteer to join her for moral support. Twice a week her friends would gather and they'd have a slumber party at the castle to keep her company.

The biggest problem with recovering was all the freebies—the residents of Ponyville would cook and bake for her and Pinkie Pie kept up a constant supply of sugary treats. Rainbow worried that by the time she could get out and about she'd weigh 500 pounds. Rainbow used her downtime to write to her father; in his replies he continued to expound on his ideas for the show, but didn't say anything about Gilda beyond purely professional terms.

Rainbow wished she could be more supportive, but it was still too big a hurdle. She knew they wanted her approval, but she just couldn't yet. The best she could offer them right now was lack of opposition.

"And I said, 'Oatmeal? Are you crazy?'" Pinkie said as she and her friends burst into laughter.

Rainbow laughed, and was glad her recovery was far enough along that laughing no longer hurt—a very important factor when being friends with Pinkie Pie. They were all gathered on a pile of cushions in the library for a slumber party and as she got closer to getting her cast off the mood had lightened each week as the shock of her accident faded from everypony's mind.

As much as she was enjoying the slumber party, there was something troubling her.

"Rainbow Dash, there's something troubling you." Pinkie said, having glanced up and raised a hoof to point over her head.

"What?" Rainbow said. "No. What makes you say that?"

"It was in the sentence ab—" then Pinkie seemed to catch herself. She made a scrunchy face and glanced about nervously a few moments, then smiled. "I mean, it just seems something's really bothering you."

Rainbow studied her friend for a minute; there always seemed to be more to her than she admitted. "Okay, yeah. Maybe there is a tiny little huge gigantic thing."

All her friends looked to her expectantly. They had at times kept secrets from each other and it always, always ended in misunderstandings and hurt feelings.

Rainbow sighed and leaned back. "My dad's visiting next week."

There was silence for a few moments as her friends looked to her and then to each other.

"And that's troubling in what way, if you don't mind my asking?" Fluttershy asked. "Every other time you couldn't wait for him to visit."

"Well, he's putting together a historical themed airshow and I told him about those great Wonderbolt costumes Rarity made. He'll want to take a look at them if you still have them."

"I would be delighted to show him my work, Rainbow—I still have them in storage. Is that what was troubling you?" Rarity asked quizzically.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and took the plunge. "And Gilda is the star of the show and she's coming here with him." Her words caused a few gasps from her assembled friends. "Pinkie, can you see it in your heart to throw her another welcome to Ponyville party?"

"Sure, Rainbow! It would be my pleasure," PInkie replied with a big smile.

Fluttershy looked surprised, then her brow furrowed a tiny bit, which for her was the equivalent of anger.

Rainbow had expected this. "Fluttershy, I know she yelled at you, but can you be cool with her visiting? I met her and Dad in Canterlot. She's changed and wanted to come here to apologize to you."

"How do you know she's really changed?" Fluttershy asked, brow still furrowed.

Rainbow sighed again, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Because she and Dad are in love."

Apple Jewel just looked to her shocked friends and then to Rainbow. "Never woulda expected that in a million years."

Fluttershy's eyebrows now rose to their highest; she only managed a surprised squeak.

"Tell me about it," Rainbow said with a weary smile. "I figured you guys would learn soon enough, so best to just get it all out of the way now."

"How long have they been together,?" Rarity inquired.

"Not too long, I think. Dad would’ve said something the last time we met up if her or the air show were really serious at the time."

Rarity quietly nodded as she rubbed her chin with a hoof, her eyes looking off into the distance. "Interesting," she said with her sly smile, then her attention returned to the matter at hoof. "I'll need to do some research on historical griffin fashion and armor styles. That won't be a problem. I'll have some preliminary sketches ready for them when they arrive."

"Cool. Thank you," Rainbow said.

"You are quite welcome. What are your feelings on this, if you don't mind my asking?"

Rainbow straightened out then jumped up on her feet, starting to pace around the room awkwardly on her crutches. "It blew my mind! I mean, my old buddy from Flight Camp and my dad? It freaked me out at first. But they'll keep going along whether I approve or not, so I'm going to just have to learn to accept it. Gilda's my oldest friend, my first friend. I know we had a falling out, but deep down I know I can trust her with my dad. And I can trust Dad that he's not just out chasing younger tail. From what he said, this is his first relationship since Mom died. It's two people I've known a long time and care a lot about. I mean, better Dad date somepony I know rather than a stranger, right?"

"Do you think they'll get married?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow's eyes went wide and she flopped down on the cushions and stared at the ceiling. "Oof, don't even say that! It's hard enough dealing with them dating. I'm not ready to deal with the thought of them getting married."

"That would make Gilda your stepmom!" Pinkie said excitedly.

Rainbow pulled a pillow over her head. "Thanks for reminding me," she groaned.

"You're quite welcome," Pinkie said with a smile.

"I wonder if they'll have children," Fluttershy wondered.

"How can they have kids? He's a pony, she's a griffin. They're totally different species," Rainbow asked, her voice muffled from under the pillow.

Twilight cleared her throat to get Rainbow's attention. "The hybrid offspring of a griffin and a pony is called a hippogriff. The front half is eagle and the back half is pony."

Fluttershy instantly perked up. "Ooh, that sounds so adorable!"

"You would know that, Twilight," Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes as she emerged from under the pillow.

"I just happen to be very well read," Twilight replied, ignoring Rainbow's sarcasm as she levitated a book off a nearby shelf, opening it to the middle and passed it to Rainbow Dash.

"You're fretting too much, Rainbow darling. They are still just dating, after all," Rarity said comfortingly. "Be patient and see how things develop, and if their relationship becomes more serious then sit down and talk with your father and share your concerns."

After the group hug that followed, the mood turned lighter and the slumber party resumed. Makeovers, truth or dare, and scary stories followed.

Chapter 8 - A Nightmarish Night

Rainbow Dash found herself outside her father's home. She could hear strange noises inside and opened the door. Inside was all kinds of commotion with little hippogriffs running around her father and Gilda, who were both holding eggs with diapers on. Gilda's belly was big with another batch of young.

"Rainbow, good. You're here…" her haggard father said and handed her the eggs he was holding as he rushed off.

The little ones running around all gathered around her, jumping up and down.

"What's going on?" she asked Gilda. In response, Gilda pounced and pinned her to the floor with her claws.

"Dad, help!" she pleaded.

"Sorry, Rainbow," he replied. “The little ones are hungry and need to be fed." Just then one of the eggs hatched and Fullbright picked up a little Hippogriff that had a rainbow mane. “Well, hello there. I think I’ll name you Rainbow Dash, in memory of your late sister.”

Gilda opened her beak and lunged for Rainbow's throat. Rainbow screamed and everything froze. The scene began to fade and she soon found herself standing in an ethereal landscape. A dark cloud with slitted teal eyes materialized in front of her.

"Princess Nightmare?" she asked, looking at the strange form. "What's going on?"

"You were having a nightmare, Rainbow Dash. I have been observing your dreams and those of the filly, Scootaloo, since the incident, to help you both in case either of you were haunted by the event. This dream is... not the sort I was expecting, but I felt you would not wish to follow it along to the point of being torn asunder and devoured by your siblings."

Rainbow looked over herself to make sure everything was still there. "Yeah, thank you. I really appreciate that. Sorry to waste your time—just a stupid dream. I’ve been to Otherside and met up with my bio-mom and met my half brothers and sisters and they didn’t try to eat me."

Nightmare fully materialized and walked over to her, wearing a sympathetic look, very uncharacteristic to see from the princess. "Rainbow Dash, Gilda’s love for your father is true as is her love for you. They both know you are hurting because of this and it grieves them.”

“Why can’t I just accept it and move on? What’s wrong with me?”

Nightmare Moon looked gravely at her. “For few others would I make such an offer, but to you I owe my life and my freedom. If you wish it I can smite their dreams. I can poison their feelings with suspicion and fear and destroy their love."

“What? No! I want them to be happy together!” Rainbow Dash winced, finally able to say it out loud. “Okay, you got me.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and looked the princess in the eye. “I want Dad and Gilda to be happy together." She took another deep breath and steeled herself.

“Even if it means they get married and start a family.”

Nightmare looked at her and smiled. “Was that so difficult?”

“Yes, very. But thank you, Princess.”

“You are quite welcome, Rainbow Dash. Not bad for an ‘ancient dude’ if I may say so.”

Rainbow chuckled a bit. "Let me guess, Twilight told you about that?"

"Yes. Her friendship reports are quite entertaining," Nightmare Moon replied with a smile.

It seemed odd to Rainbow that the princess seemed much more relaxed and upbeat in the dream world than her usually stoic and angry waking world appearance. "Oh—hey, Princess? How is Scootaloo doing? Are her dreams okay?"

The princess nodded to Rainbow. "Her dreams start with the fall, but they all end with a heroic last second rescue by you. She will recover from these events and they will not scar her as it would have others."

"That's good. The last thing she needs is more to go wrong in her life."

Nightmare Moon looked thoughtful for a few moments and then smiled. "If I may make a suggestion, friend Rainbow, some correspondence with her would do her well."

"Yeah, I can do that. I've been doing a lot of letter writing while laid up at the castle."

"Excellent. If you will forgive me, other ponies are out there, tormented by bad dreams and nightmares. Time to rescue the innocent and make the guilty suffer!" she said with fiendish glee as she vanished.

Chapter 9 - An Apple a Day

When her three weeks were finally up, Dr. Gray used his magic to carefully split the cast and inspected her leg closely.

"Gently put weight on it," he said, his horn glowing as he watched carefully. Rainbow had the unsettling notion that he was looking at her bones.

"First things first, doc," she said and then quickly bent over and began scratching her leg. "Ooooh, that feels so good. I hate wearing casts." Once that was taken care of she gingerly stood and put weight on her leg.

"So far so good," he said, continuing to examine her leg. "Walk on it."

Rainbow did so; she could feel the difference in the muscle tone with her other leg, even above the overall loss of tone due to her three weeks of inactivity.

"Now remember, young lady, just because your cast is off does not mean you are fully recovered," Dr. Gray advised. "You may engage in low impact activities. You may walk for exercise, but no jogging, running or bike riding. Be careful to avoid strain on your pelvis and lower back, so no heavy lifting. I'd give it another two weeks before you can begin moderate lower body exercise and at four weeks you can resume your normal high risk activities. Right now you can exercise your upper body by way of chin-ups and hand weights, but again, be careful and don't overdo it."

"Right, got it, doc. Oh man, you really take for granted how good it is to be able to just walk around."

"Count your blessings, young lady. You were the closest to the expression 'break every bone in their body' that I'd ever seen on anypony still breathing. Don't take chances. I've seen pegasi try flying too soon after major wing injuries and it never ends well."

"I appreciate the warning, doc. I'm just not used to this much inactivity. It's driving me nuts! I need to be out and doing things, but luckily for everypony I'm not stupid enough to risk making this worse. I'll survive this even if it kills me."

"Yes, that's the spirit," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

~~~

Hey Dad,

Just dropping a line to let you know the cast is off and I'm mostly mobile again,

the doc says I still need to take it easy for a while before I get back to my usual

crazy stuff. Rarity said she can show you the Wonderbolt costumes and she'll have

some griffin stuff sketched for you two to take a look at. Dad, I've had a lot of time

to think about you and Gilda and while it probably would have been better to tell you

two in person, I felt it was best to just say it now so you didn't have to fret about it

while you were heading to town. I'm okay with you and Gilda as a couple. I can't

wait to see you again.

Love,

Rainbow

Rainbow Dash looked over the letter and then sealed it and took another sheet of paper and started a letter to Scootaloo.

Hey Scootaloo!

I hope you're doing good and recovered from the fall. I thought I'd send a letter to see

how you're doing. I know what it’s like being different there; hopefully the other kids

haven't been teasing you too much. As for me, the cast is finally off and I can start

doing stuff again, but I have to take it easy the next few weeks and then I can go back

to my wild and crazy, normal self.

Rainbow Dash

Once Derpy had picked up the mail, and with final hugs for Spike and Twilight, Rainbow Dash savored walking out of Twilight's castle. She wanted to run and jump, climb on stuff and then jump off it to celebrate the cast coming off, but she had to resist. Rainbow walked through town, stopping periodically to greet ponies and then to her next highest priority: Chunky's Burger Barn, the place that had the best hay-burgers and hay-fries in Equestria. All the gourmet food she'd been eating at the castle had been nice and all, but she needed real food in her system again.

After the restorative tonic of fast food she resumed her walk, just enjoying the freedom of movement again. She headed to the outskirts of town, looking at the expansive apple orchards of Sweet Apple Acres in the distance. Soon she approached the big red barn and heard somepony call out her name.

"Rainbow, sugar!"

Rainbow Dash turned in time to see a huge orange mare gallop over to her. Ma Apple had visited her a number of times at the castle, always with apple goodies in tow.

"Hi, Ma," Rainbow said as the big mare gently hugged her.

"So good to see you on yer hooves again, Rainbow sugar."

"Yeah, it feels good to be up and around. Three weeks of just laying around was enough. I still have to go easy for another month, but then I'm good to go again."

Ma Apple put her large hooves on Rainbow's shoulders and looked her in the eye, Ma Apple was an Appaloosan Clydesdale and the only equine in Ponyville tall enough to do so. "Don't do nothin' foolish, girl. Listen to that doctor and take care—you don't wanna break anythin' else. AJ told me how broke up you were at first. That just gave me the waking shivers, hon."

"I appreciate the concern, ma'am. It's really been nice to know so many ponies care about me."

Ma Apple gave her a kindly smile. "Yer like family, Rainbow sugar, and family is everything to an Apple."

A new voice spoke up and she turned to see Big Macintosh and Pa Apple coming up. Their large size and deep red coats made them look almost like twins at a distance

"Howdy, Miss Dash," Big Mac said with a big smile when he saw her. Big Macintosh was a pony of few words.

"Hey, Big Mac. Good to see you guys again. Everything going good here on the farm, Pa?"

"Eyup," Pa Apple replied. Big Mac’s father was a pony of even fewer words.

As big as Big Mac and Pa Apple were, Ma Apple towered over both of them.

Rainbow gave each a hug in turn, then the Apples led her back to the farmhouse and insisted she stay for dinner. It was a familiar invitation—in her early wandering days, Rainbow normally did odd jobs to earn bits as she backpacked her way across Equestria. When she had come to Ponyville, her start in town had been rocky but that had quickly changed and the Apples had told her they could use her help during harvest, so she'd stayed around. Ma Apple had taken an almost maternal concern for her, and after the fall harvest was over she always found more work for her to do. With winter coming, Ma didn't want Rainbow wandering Equestria in the snow and ice, so she convinced her to winter in Ponyville.

Rainbow stayed on, getting so attached to the town that by the time Ma Apple couldn't find any other excuses to keep her around, she wasn't sure she wanted to leave. When Rainbow had finally thought about maybe starting her trek again, the Summer Sun Celebration was coming up. When she found out that Celestia herself was going to be there, she had to stay for that—and when a certain purple unicorn with a baby dragon in tow showed up to organize things, well, her world was turned upside down but in a good way.

Dinner was excellent and they talked and laughed the whole time. When the food was done and night had fallen, Ma and Pa Apple put young Apple Bloom, her little sister Candy Apple and their visiting cousin Babs to bed. Pa Apple brought out a bottle of the good stuff for the grown-ups to celebrate Rainbow's rescue and her recovery. Rainbow smiled, as you could judge your standing with the Apple clan by what they served for very special occasions; the fact that Pa Apple was pouring out shots of the 1000-bits-a-bottle Celestia's Special Reserve 20-year-old Zap Apple sippin' whisky, they considered her efforts worthy of the highest honor.

She held up the shot glass and eyed its contents—the liquid even poured out in colored layers. She'd only had the chance to taste this rare drink a handful of times in the last five years; when they'd defeated Nightmare Moon, defeated Discord, at the royal wedding, at Twilight's coronation and to celebrate Tirek's defeat.

"Rainbow, if you'd do the honors," Pa Apple said, holding up a box of matches.

Rainbow gladly took it and withdrew a single wooden match and lit it, then touched it to each of the shots. A faint rainbow flame erupted from each glass and they waited until tiny sparks began to shoot out of the flames—the signal it was ready to drink. Ma and Pa Apple, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Apple Jewel all raised their glasses and looked to Rainbow as she herself raised her glass.

Ma Apple smiled and she had a tear in her eye as she made the toast. "Rainbow sugar, a toast in honor of your heroics and bravery. And bless you for lovin' we ponyfolk enough to risk yer life for us and to be ready to die to save one of us. Not just this time, but all the times ya done so."

Each leaned forward and blew out the flame and downed their shots, then Pa filled up the glasses again. It was good, so good. It went down smooth and it somehow flowed into a pony's own innate magic. She watched as the cutie marks of the Apples began to glow and she looked down and could see hers glowing through her jeans. She personally would call it liquid friendship, as a few shots of this would have Sombra, Tirek and Nightmare Moon all hugging and saying "I love you, man!”

The Apples’ distillery was only a very small part of the Apple family's holdings, and even their "common" product was exceptional; when it came to Celestia's Special Reserve, they only made one barrel a year. When each batch was properly aged, the first case was always sent to Princess Celestia to thank her for giving the family the land and she in turn had shared that with the Canterlot elite. That practice had led to its popularity and great value, allowing her to bless them a second time—and while Celestia got a whole case the nobles had to go on a waiting list for single bottles.

The next thing Rainbow was aware of was the aroma of apple fritters. She opened her eyes and rubbed her pounding head a bit, but one of the other good things about that particular whisky was that it left only a mild hangover. She closed her eyes and snuggled up against the soft furry red thing she'd been cuddling all night. A moment later her eyes snapped open in alarm. She sat up, releasing Big Mac's right foreleg, as he had fallen asleep in the rocking chair next to the sofa. She recalled the previous year's New Year’s Eve party at the farm and the Apples' attempt to get an inebriated Big Mac up a flight of stairs; the only thing funnier was when a tipsy Twilight Sparkle tried to use her magic to “help”.

She rubbed her eyes and realized a foal was sitting on the floor in front of her.

“Hi, Miss Rainbow!” the little unicorn said happily.

“Hey, Candy,” Rainbow replied, leaning down to pat her head.

“Ya almost ready for lunch? Granny Smith’s got everythin’ cookin’!” she said excitedly.

Rainbow rubbed her chin, looking carefully at the little pony. “Hmm, I think I’m hungry for… candy!” she said and reached for the filly.

The little pony gave a happy squeal and ran out of the room, giggling all the way, Rainbow close behind.

“Eee, Granny! Rainbow wants to gobble me up!” she giggled. Rainbow Dash picked up the little pony and playfully chomped at her mane.

Granny Smith turned and pointed her mixing spoon at Rainbow. “Now Rainbow Dash, eatin’ her up will spoil yer appetite.”

Rainbow held up the little pony and smiled, took a seat at the table and put Candy on her lap. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Nothing beats Granny Smith's home cooking.”

Granny Smith turned and smiled. “You sleep okay, Rainbow? Five shots o’ that stuff was enough to knock Big Macintosh on his behind.”

“I’m okay, just a little headache. I’ve had worse hangovers.”

“Hopefully you still got an appetite. You stayin’ fer lunch?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, ma'am.”

“Now that’s what I like ta hear!”

While waiting for the others to finish their chores, Rainbow kept Candy company so Granny could work without the little filly underhoof.

Rainbow found it amusing that the Apples had a baby unicorn. Candy Apple had been named for her dark red coat and, while unicorns normally had horns the same color as their coats, Candy's was white. So her body was the candy apple and her horn was the stick. Rainbow mused it would be interesting in years to come to see how the Apples adapted their “no magic” policy when Candy grew up.

Again the food was amazing, as it always was at Sweet Apple Acres—good food, good company and good times. She hated to leave.

Chapter 10 - Loyalty Replaced

After the goodbyes and hugs, she finally set off to her own place, a human-sized house on the outskirts of Ponyville, supplied by the princesses for being on call 24/7 as an Element of Harmony, along with a generous stipend. Life was good.

She found some large packages on her kitchen table, on top of which was a note.

Hi Rainbow!

After the crash I went back and found your parachutes and had them sent to Otherside to be mended and inspected and the girls and I chipped in and got you a new wingsuit in your custom colors. Hope you like it!

Pinkie

Rainbow sat and unpacked the suit and the parachutes, finding everything good as new. She really did have the best friends in the world. However, having been around everypony for the last three weeks just made her own home feel so empty.

“Maybe I should get a pet,” she mused.

The next few days turned into a routine of walking and light upper body exercise as she began retoning her body in preparation for her full recovery. When Derpy delivered the mail, she was delighted to see a letter from Scootaloo, in addition to a separate letter from Lady Golden Meadow. She opened Scootaloo's letter first as she sat at her kitchen table and had lunch.

Rainbow Dash!

I'm so glad you're getting better, I've been really worried about you. Thanks again for saving me. I was really surprised when Lady Golden Meadow said you didn't want attention for your awesome rescue. Why? I was ready to tell everypony how awesome you are! I’ve been reading up on you and your friends and you’re all so amazing! I hope one day I can be a great hero like you.

Scootaloo

Rainbow smiled as she read the letter; it was good to know she had made a big difference to somepony. Then she read the letter from Lady Golden Meadow.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

You should have seen Scootaloo's eyes light up when she got your letter! We had been afraid that she would be embarrassed by the events of the fall, but it seems quite the opposite. She wants everypony to know about your bravery. Rarely have I seen such a turnaround in the emotional state of a filly. I think you have a fan for life! I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if we came to visit? She still is concerned about you, despite your assurances that you're recovering fine. She's worried you were more injured than you let on. It would mean a lot to her if she could see you in person.

Sincerely,

Lady Golden Meadow

With the letters taken care of, Rainbow went to her couch to lie down and rest. She took the damaged recording crystal from her pocket and set it on her coffee table. “Play,” she said as she turned onto her side to watch as the room lit up to replay the jump. It was still intense to watch, and this time she let it play to the end. With a shudder she realized Twilight had been right—the sound of her impact did indeed sound like Bulk Biceps sitting on a bag of pretzels. “Stop,” she said and light faded from the crystal. Rainbow reached for a small wooden box on the table and opened it to reveal the crystal recordings of her favorite dives. She gave the damaged crystal a place of honor in front of all the others.

The next morning, Rainbow mentioned the letters as she and her friends were enjoying a pancake breakfast at Twilight's castle.

Twilight looked up from her pancakes, a thoughtful look on her face. "Rainbow, why don't you ask them to stay overnight? They can stay here at the castle. They'd probably enjoy getting the royal treatment. Oh, I know! Invite them to stay over the weekend."

"Are you sure, Twilight? You just had me underhoof for three whole weeks," Rainbow said.

"I'm quite sure, Rainbow. It's nice having guests, and after you had left the staff admitted to me that they enjoyed having something more to do than just looking after my and Spike's little needs. It's only the 'noble' and official guests that I don't like around, acting like they're so special and entitled. And besides, they're friends of yours."

"Cool, I'm sure they'd like that. Come to think of it, when I was at the orphanage I can't recall Lady Golden Meadow ever taking a vacation."

Rarity chuckled and smiled. "Sounds like a spa visit is in order for the diligent matron."

Now Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, I seriously doubt she's ever treated herself to anything like that. She was certainly dedicated to her job, and to us."

"We'll do everything we can to make her visit feel super happy special for her and Scootaloo," Pinkie Pie assured her with a big smile.

After the breakfast they moved to the map room and each took her place on their thrones. Twilight began going over her plans for summits to renew and strengthen ties between the major cities of Equestria, and even more ambitious plans to reach out to other races that bordered Equestria. Rainbow wasn't listening with full attention, as another issue had been at the back of her mind since the accident.

"Earth to Rainbow," Pinkie Pie said, giggling.

"Huh, what? Sorry," Rainbow said, returning to the moment.

"Is something bothering you, Rainbow?" Twilight asked with concern.

"Well, sorta. Since I'm still wracked-up and out of action for a few weeks, what happens if duty calls?"

"If trouble calls you're gonna follow the doctor's orders and stay safe," Apple Jewel said, making it clear she meant every word.

Twilight looked thoughtful for a few moments, pondering the topic. "I'm not sure what we can do about that, Rainbow. I see what you're getting at though. Even though we don't physically have the elements anymore, we have them in spirit, working together as a team where each element is needed."

Rainbow sat back and pondered Twilight's words, then another thought came in. "Hey, where's Discord?"

The others looked around, confused by the abrupt topic shift. Discord suddenly appeared in the room; he was patting down his ears, which were smoking, and spoke with a hurt tone, "My ears were burning, so I guessed somepony must have been talking about me. Ladies, a pancake breakfast and you didn't invite lil ol' me?"

"You were invited," Fluttershy mumbled.

Discord produced a daily planner made of clay tablets and paged through it, each page crumbling to dust as he did so. "Oh, so I was. And I had a whole monologue about how I question if we're really friends and that would have hopefully guilted you all into some kind of friendship mis-adventure."

"Cadance and I had enough of your friendship mis-adventures," Twilight grumbled.

"Oh Twilight, years from now you'll look back on getting attacked and nearly devoured by a tatzlewurm and laugh."

"It wasn't funny, Discord, and never will be!" Twilight said in annoyance.

While it was always amusing to watch Discord and Twilight butt heads, Rainbow had a serious reason to want him here. "Hey, everypony chill out. Discord, you're probably wondering why I called you here."

Discord whirled around and was suddenly dressed as Sherlock Holmes. "Is it because you know somepony in this room is the murderer?" he said with a dramatic flourish.

"Nooo. What's your second guess?"

"Well, nothing as interesting as my first one," Discord said as his costume vanished.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and prepared herself for the storm that was soon to follow. "Discord, I hereby give you temporary promotion to Element of Loyalty."

The room went deathly quiet. Pinkie Pie dropped a pin. Discord removed his ears, shook the soot off them and reattached them.

"Did you just say..." he muttered.

"Are you cuh-razy?!" Twilight demanded.

"Hear me out," Rainbow said to her agitated friends—well, except Fluttershy who looked utterly delighted. The others grumbled but settled down. "Look at it this way. I think we're all agreed that Discord's made a real change for the better after the whole Tirek thing, and we're all trying to trust him, but it's only ever going to be tiny little things we'll trust him with and our friendship will always be guarded. Let's face it, at some point we're gonna have to take a leap of faith and trust him with something big. I don't want to believe that Harmony spared him and went to all this trouble only to use him as a pawn against Tirek and then just throw him away. I want to believe that he's got some greater destiny like we do."

Discord snapped his fingers and turned into his stallion form. He whirled around and his coat turned cyan blue and cardboard cutout wings appeared on his back and he wore a rainbow afro wig.

"I'm the new Rainbow Dash!" he said, which just annoyed the others more, but not as much as it bothered Rainbow.

"Discord!" she shouted, startling everypony. "I'm going to bat for you, and you need to take this seriously."

The smile left Discord's face and he returned to his basic pony form. "Sorry."

"Are you up to this, Discord? Can I trust you with something this important? This isn't a joke or a game. This is as serious as it gets."

"Sure, easy peasy."

Rainbow got face to face with him. "Look me in the eye and say you will do your duty as Element of Loyalty."

Discord was clearly startled, not thinking she truly was serious. He gulped nervously, suddenly put on the spot.

"Well, Discord, you always question our feelings and motives. Time to put up or shut up."

He seemed like his mind was a million miles away—and with him that might literally have been true—but then he snapped back to himself, leaned forward and looked Rainbow Dash in the eye. "I accept the duty of Element of Loyalty. I'll even Pinkie promise as my word doesn't mean much. Cross my heart—"

Rainbow interrupted him. "No. Don't Pinkie promise. Just give me your word, Discord, and I'll consider that good enough."

The only time she had ever seen him more surprised was when Tirek had betrayed him. He was silent for a few moments. "I give you my word of honor."

"Good enough for me," Rainbow said with a smile.

Suddenly a flash of light radiated from Rainbow's throne. The image of her mark on the back of the seat was glowing; a copy of the image slowly rose from the throne and glided over to Discord and took a place on his flank, replacing his tornado cutie mark.

Rainbow was just as incredulous as the others in the room.

"What just happened?" Pinkie finally asked.

Twilight stepped up to Discord, her horn glowing, examining the mark. "I think Harmony is actually letting Discord sit in as Element of Loyalty."

Rarity rubbed her temples. "Well, Harmony better be quite certain about this."

Twilight looked to Discord, her features impossible to read--annoyance, indifference, acceptance, happiness or maybe a bit of each.

Fluttershy had the biggest smile and was trying to hold back tears of joy. "Discord, I think I speak for all of us... don't screw this up! We're giving you a big chance!"

Discord had remained silent for the most part, still astonished by this unexpected turn of events. He switched to his normal form and the mark vanished, but when he returned to pony form it was visible. "I don't know what to say."

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Just be awesome, since you're standing in for me."

Chpater 11 - A Thrilling Visit and a Discorded Discourse

Chapter 11 – A Thrilling Visit and a Discorded Discourse

A week later Rainbow stood at the train station, waiting on the platform. Ponies began to disembark the train and she heard her name shouted.

"Rainbow!" Scootaloo exclaimed, rushing up to her.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow replied with equal enthusiasm as she picked her up and hugged her.

Moments later, Lady Golden Meadow arrived, a bit winded trying to keep up with Scootaloo. Now that Rainbow was recovered she could greet Lady Golden Meadow the way she had been taught when she was young. She smiled and did a curtsy.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Lady Golden Meadow and Scootaloo," she said with a smile.

The matron smiled when she saw that Rainbow had remembered her manners. "We're pleased to be here, Rainbow Dash."

"Thank you so much for having us visit, Rainbow!" Scootaloo said excitedly as she hugged her hero again.

Rainbow put Scootalo on her shoulders and the matron smiled up at Rainbow; there was such joy and pride in her eyes.

"Rainbow, thank you for the kind invitation. I must say it was a nice and welcome surprise. Your friend Princess Twilight is most kind," Lady Golden Meadow said in delight.

Rainbow crouched down, still balancing Scootaloo on her shoulders, so she could hug the matron. "You're welcome and thanks for coming along. The porters will send the luggage to the castle. We'll get you settled in and then if you feel up to it after your trip we can start having fun. Twilight's an awesome friend and she loves visitors."

The matron hugged her back. "It’s all so different from the time when I knew you. You don't know how happy I am to hear of all the great things you've done here, Rainbow. You've grown up so much."

"Hey, I owe a lot of that to you. You could've just treated me like an alien freak like most other ponies did, but you didn't." Rainbow gestured around to Ponyville. "Everything I've accomplished is due in part to you, so this is my way of saying thanks."

The matron sniffled and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. "Thank you, Rainbow. My job feels thankless at times. It does feel nice to be appreciated now and then."

"Hey, it’s the least I could do for the pony who did the impossible."

Rainbow suddenly remembered that she still was carrying Scootaloo on her shoulders. "Oh hey—sorry Scootaloo. Didn't mean to go all sentimental there. Let me show you guys around town."

As the tour progressed, Rainbow told them various things about Ponyville; it seemed everything of note was related to some battle or disaster. "Come to think of it, Twilight’s brought more chaos to Ponyville than Discord has. It was a sleepy little town where nothing ever happened before she got here. Now the town's unofficial nickname is 'Panicville.'"

It didn't take long before they got to the castle and both her guests stopped in awe.

"Yep, welcome to the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow said.

"It's amazing!" Scootaloo said, bouncing on Rainbow's shoulders in excitement.

"And you two get the royal treatment while you're here."

The two royal guards out front nodded as she and the others passed. The doors opened and inside was a huge crowd of ponies.

"Welcome to Ponyville!" the crowd shouted and balloons and confetti showered them.

"Did I forget to mention the surprise party?" Rainbow said with a laugh.

The two newcomers were overwhelmed as seemingly all of Ponyville greeted them and when the princess of friendship approached they both bowed.

"Thank you for your great generosity, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Lady Golden Meadow said.

"Please, no bowing. No need to be so formal here. We're all glad you could make it. Rainbow was looking forward to you both being here. I hope we live up to your expectations."

Scootaloo's eyes were wide with excitement and she wore a smile almost too big for her face. "It's already the second most incredible day of my life, Princess!"

Twilight smiled warmly at the little pony. "Well, we'll do our best to make your every day here one of the most incredible days of your life."

Lady Golden Meadow was a rather reserved upper class mare, so she stayed at the back of the crowd, mostly in the company of Rarity and Apple Jewel. Scootaloo however loved being the center of attention and that smile hadn't left her face the whole time.

Rainbow waited until the initial introductions were done and the whole of Ponyville had met her before she led Scootaloo away from the main party and brought her into the throne room. Scootaloo’s face lit up when she recognized Rainbow’s friends she’d met in passing in the hospital.

"Everypony, meet my friend Scootaloo!" she said as she brought her forward.

There were hugs and warm greetings from her friends and Scootaloo didn't seem alarmed by the presence of Discord.

"Scoot, this is Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Jewel's sister Apple Bloom," Rainbow said as the two stepped forward.

"Hi, Scootaloo! It's great to meet you," Sweetie Belle said with great enthusiasm as she hugged Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom just looked curiously at Scootaloo for a few moments. "We've met before," she said.

The room went quiet and all eyes turned to her.

"When did you meet Scootaloo before, Apple Bloom?" Rainbow asked.

"It was in Canterlot, in the sculpture garden on the day Mr. Discord escaped that first time. Me and Sweetie Belle were there on a fieldtrip and we met some other foals that were on a trip there too and we got to talkin' and for some reason we got into a misunderstadin' of some sort and next thing I know the three of us are in a tussle before Miss Cheerilee had to break up the fight. After all the crazy stuff started happenin’ later, I ain’t surprised that y’all don’t remember."

Scootaloo's eyes went wide in astonishment. "Oooh, I do remember that! We were on a class trip from the orphanage. Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I don't recall what we fought about, but I'm sorry for fighting."

Apple Bloom hugged her. "It’s okay, I'm sorry too. Nothin' to worry about."

Sweetie Belle joined the hug and smiled. "I'm sorry too," she added with a cute squeak in her voice.

"What a small world," Scootaloo said as the three remained in a hug.

Rainbow glaced over to Discord to see him with a blank look on his face and a hand over his mouth as if he had been shocked by some revelation. He sank into one of the thrones and just stared at the three foals. Scootaloo began retelling the others about the plunge and Rainbow's heroic rescue while Rainbow kept glancing over at Discord, who remained quiet and thoughtful. Twilight had apparently picked up on it as well, and after Scootaloo's story she suggested to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle that they introduce her to the other foals at the party. The three rushed off laughing and smiling, and when they were gone Twilight closed the door.

While she was normally annoyed by him, Twilight's look showed concern this time. "Discord, are you okay? Do you remember them from that day?"

He was silent for a while, just staring at the door they had gone through. "Not until just now. I felt conflict, chaos and discord near me at the time, but at the time I didn't know or care what had set me free, but now it's plain as day. The three of them did it. What are the odds that the ponies that freed me would be sisters to two of you and the third a friend of Rainbow's? It can't be chance, can it? Is fate mocking me... or is it giving me a chance to make amends?"

"Can't fate do both?" Pinkie offered with uncertainty.

Discord made a small smile. "I suppose it can," he replied, then vanished.

Twilight made a growl of frustration at his sudden departure then everyone turned to Fluttershy and she shrank under their scrutiny.

“I-I promised him that I wouldn’t say what’s wrong," Fluttershy said. "I can only say that it’s not something bad, sort of.”

Rainbow frowned. “That isn’t very reassuring.”

“It’s about a bad thing he did in the past, and he’s starting to see the consequences on a personal level. That’s all I can say and please don’t ask me to say anything more,” Fluttershy said, her voice getting softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

“He already told me about that, but he won’t say what he did to change what,” Rainbow said.

“I know,” Fluttershy whispered.

Rainbow sighed and hugged her friend. “Sorry, Fluttershy. I'm not mad at you, just at Discord. I know you’re trying to help him."

"He's just very confused and uncertain right now."

Apple Jewel just gave an annoyed grunt. "If that varmint understood friendship, he'd know that this is just the time that you go to your friends for help."

"He really is trying, Apple Jewel. He really is."

"I know, I know. It just is frustratin' that he's always runnin' off. If he wants ta get things off of his chest he needs to just sit down with us and talk."

"I'm doing my best, girls," Fluttershy pleaded and broke down into tears.

The others gathered around her in a group hug.

"I'm sorry too, Fluttershy," Apple Jewel said.

'I-I know you mean well, but you really do have to be patient with him. He'll tell when he's ready."

While they were pondering these things, they heard a loud cheer and the volume of the merriment increased from the other room. Curious, they exited the throne room.

"Dad! Gilda!" Rainbow exclaimed and made her way through the crowd and hugged her father.

"Hey, honey. Sorry to drop in unannounced, but our work in Canterlot was done earlier than expected."

Rainbow hugged Gilda as well and smiled. "Good to see you again, Gilda."

"Yeah, you too, Dash," Gilda said, with a note of pleasant surprise.

Pinkie Pie rushed through the crowd and a moment later a giant banner unfurled: Welcome back to Ponyville, Gilda! We're glad you're not a big mean meanie pants anymore!

Since the party had already been in full force when she arrived, Gilda was able to bypass the whole hard feelings thing. She was hugged by most of Ponyville, which was quite awkward for her, judging by her face.

The crowd suddenly parted, and there stood Fluttershy. She and Gilda eyed each other like it was a wild west showdown. The crowd went silent as they approached, Fluttershy’s glare meeting Gilda’s scowl. They stopped when they were face to face.

“Hello Gilda,” Fluttershy growled.

“Fluttershy,” Gilda replied with an equal growl.

Fluttershy suddenly rushed forward and hugged the grumpy griffin and making a cute “squee!”

“Welcome back, Gilda. All’s forgiven and I think it’s so wonderful that you and Mr. Dash are a couple. You’re so cute together!”

The crowd relaxed and the party resumed. Eventually Rainbow was able to get her dad and Gilda away from the crowd.

"So was that a warm enough welcome for you, Gilda?" Rainbow asked with a laugh.

The disheveled griffin did her best to quickly groom herself to make herself more presentable. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting a welcome as enthusiastic as that."

"Well, when this town throws a party, they go all in."

Fullbright looked up at his daughter with a smile and hugged her again. "That last letter meant a lot to us, Rainbow. It took a big weight off our minds."

Gilda hugged her as well, which surprised Rainbow. "We really appreciate it, Dash. You know I'm not good expressing myself, so thank you."

"Hey, it’s okay. Your happiness is all that matters to me."

Her father took her hands in his hooves and looked up at her with a smile. "Rainbow, when we have some time later there's some stuff we want to talk about with you,"

"Sure, but by the look of the party it may be a while," she said with a laugh.

As the party wore on, she noticed her dad looking around the crowd, like he was searching for something.

"Looking for somepony, Dad?" Rainbow asked.

Fullbright nodded. "Yeah, I was hoping to meet Discord."

Rainbow did a double take. "You want to meet him?"

"Sure. I've wanted to meet him ever since he first escaped."

On cue, Discord suddenly appeared beside them, causing Fullbright to cry out in alarm.

"Oh, I just happened to be passing by and heard somepony wanted to meet little ol' me," Discord said with a big smile. He snapped his fingers and was suddenly wearing oversized sunglasses, a white feather boa and in his mouth was a long black cigarette holder with an unlit cigarette in it. Around them appeared a bunch of pony photographers taking pictures. Discord posed a few times, then he snapped his fingers and the photographers vanished. "I vant to be alone," he said in a huff.

Rainbow just rolled her eyes and looked to her dad with a wry smile. "Still looking forward to meeting him?"

"Moreso," he replied with a laugh.

Discord snapped his fingers and his outfit vanished. He looked from Rainbow to Fullbright with a smile. "The resemblance is uncanny. Surely you must be Rainbow's father."

"I am her father, and don't call me Shirley."

Rainbow made a snort of laughter, shocked that her dad would make that joke with Discord .

Discord, for his part was taken aback, unaccustomed to ponies joking around with him. He smiled widely and looked to Rainbow. "I see where you get your sense of humor."

Rainbow relaxed as her dad laughed.

"It's a real pleasure to get to meet you face to face, Discord," Fullbright said, extending his hoof. Discord gave a look of surprise as he shook it.

"I have to ask, why? Most would prefer to go their entire lives without ever meeting me."

Fullbright took a deep breath. "During my misspent youth at the University of Canterlot, where my majors were flying, drinking and mares, in that order, I did occasionally attend classes, and history was the only one that held my interest; I have to admit, you were always an interesting aberration to the pristine and orderly land of Equestria. I had the notion that you were an engine of societal change. You were needed just as much as the Elements of Harmony."

Fullbright paused and when Discord gave no indication as to the accuracy of his theory, he continued.

"If a system runs too long without adjustments then complacency and ennui cause it to decay. There needs to be something to shake things up now and then and you are that necessary force. Are you familiar with the human comedy troupe Monty Python?"

"I memorized their entire body of work."

"Okay then, my belief is that you are Equestria's version of Confuse-A-Cat, or Confuse-A-Pony in this case. You shock us with your craziness for a little while and then get put back in your box. That’s why you come and go from history instead of staying around. I would go so far as to say that those times you fought the princesses and Elements of Harmony, you intended to lose. Your task had been completed.”

Rainbow was surprised in that Discord seemed to be genuinely pondering her father’s words rather than just brushing it off like most conversations ponies had with him. Discord snapped his fingers and a graduation cap appeared on Fullbright’s head.

“Very observant, Fullbright Dash. If I took over the world and threw everypony into a maelstrom of permanent chaos, they would eventually adapt to it. The system I used to destroy order would become the new order and I would become the establishment. So chaos becomes order and order becomes the new chaos. I would become the new Celestia and Celestia the new Discord. If that isn’t the stuff of nightmares, I don’t know what is,” Discord said, shuddering at the thought.

Fullbright did a triumphant hoof pump. "But that still leaves the question of what has changed? You’ve stuck around far longer than you usually do. What does it all mean?”

“I wish I knew. I'm still struggling to understand that question,” Discord admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now indulge my curiosity. I'm surprised you're familiar with Monty Python. It seems too 'human' for most ponies to really understand."

Fullbright laughed. "It was part of Rainbow's human cultural education that my wife and I wanted her to have. Azalea tried to teach Rainbow about politics and history, but I've always been of the opinion that if you want to understand a culture, you need to understand what makes them laugh," he laughed again. "That poor mare, she endured so much for us."

Rainbow laughed too. "At least with Python she could get a few of the jokes. Not like that Three Stooges film festival we went to."

Fullbright laughed harder as Rainbow excused herself, letting Fullbright and Discord resume their discussion. She found Pinkie Pie and hugged her.

"Pinkie, thanks for the awesome party. You made everypony feel welcome. I owe you big time," she said with heartfelt gratitude.

Pinkie giggled and hugged her back. "It's okay, Rainbow. Nothing makes me happier than making others happy. When Fluttershy and Gilda can be at the same party and both are having a good time, then I know I did my job right."

Rainbow tracked down the other guests and found Lady Golden Meadow in another room, having tea with Rarity and Apple Jewel; Scootaloo played with the other fillies in the little group of friends consisting of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon and Diamond Rich. At least Scootaloo wouldn't feel too out of place as a blank-flank as among the five of them—only Silver Spoon had her cutie mark.

Rainbow mingled for a while, just savoring the general joy of the celebration. However, when she saw her father and Gilda begin dancing she felt a stab of anxiety, and it wasn't just because Gilda rivaled Twilight for the title of worst dancer in Equestria. She recalled her father’s words about how they wanted to talk to her about something. Her mind leaped to a likely conclusion: Marriage.

She had to sit and ponder the implications of that.

Eventually Fullbright came up to Rainbow and sat beside her. "Thank you for introducing us, Rainbow."

"You're welcome, Dad. Discord can be weird sometimes, I wasn't sure he could keep it together long enough to have an actual conversation."

"It was so odd, talking to someone who's virtually a force of nature. Are you two friends?"

That made Rainbow pause. "Uh, well, I'm not really sure. I guess, sorta. He's not making it easy."

Fullbright shook his head. "Honey, you certainly have an interesting group of friends."

"Oh, speaking of interesting friends, you should meet Zecora. She's a zebra alchemist who lives in the Everfree Forest."

Fullbright looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin with a hoof. "Zecora, you say? Ages ago I met a zebra alchemist named Zecora. She had a mystical spiral cutie mark and talked in rhyme."

“Yeah, that's her. She had a rhyming accident a year ago, so she just talks normally now."

Fullbright gave his daughter a skeptical look. “How exactly does one have a ‘rhyming accident’?"

“Twilight and Apple Jewel went to visit her and she started a rhyme about 'ponies of purple and orange' and got stuck because she couldn’t think of a rhyme for either. Twilight, being a huge nerd, was eventually able to come up with ‘burple’ and ‘sporange’, which are actual words, but too much time had passed and the context for them just didn’t work. It wasn’t pretty. On the other hoof, she's a lot more informative now that she doesn't have to limit herself to things that rhyme."

Author's Note

Youtube Monty Python-Confuse-A-Cat sketch

Chapter 12 - Princess Twilight Joins the Cause and Quality Time

By 10 p.m. most of the guests had already left, so Rainbow and her friends said their goodbyes while Apple Jewel and her little sisters gave her hugs before they left. Rarity had a sleepy Sweetie Belle across her back.

After a bit more searching, Rainbow found Twilight chatting with Lady Golden Meadow and Scootaloo.

"Hey, sorry," Rainbow started, "I wasn't expecting Dad and Gilda to show up and got sidetracked. Hope you don't mind."

Scootaloo was laying on a cushion beside Lady Golden Meadow, fighting to stay awake. She looked up at Rainbow with a big, tired smile. "It's okay, Rainbow. I think this was the funnest day of my life."

Lady Golden Meadow smiled and ran a hoof over Scootaloo's mane. "It's getting late—already well past your bed time, little one."

"Nooo," Scootaloo groaned sleepily. She rolled over and her legs flailed weakly. "Too tired to walk. Carry me, Rainbow."

Rainbow laughed and picked up Scootaloo. "Lucky for you I'm a sucker for ponies in distress."

Scootaloo rested her head on Rainbow's shoulder and wrapped her forelegs around her neck as Rainbow led the way through the castle's dark and cavernous halls to the sleeping wing.

Twilight used magic to unlock the huge, ornate and gold gilt door. "Scootaloo, welcome to the royal suite. This is the room that Celestia uses when she visits."

Scootaloo roused herself from her near-slumber to look around. "Wooooow," she said, looking at the large, magnificently decorated room. Rainbow sat on the side of the bed and tried to move Scootaloo, but she was reluctant to release Rainbow. The little pony mumbled sleepy protests and finally gave in when Rainbow put her under the covers and tucked her in.

"Goodnight, Scootaloo," Rainbow said softly. "Sorry we didn't get much time to hang out. We'll remedy that tomorrow. Sleep tight, kiddo."

Scootaloo leaned up and hugged her again. "Goodnight Rainbow, Princess Twilight and Lady Golden Meadow."

They all said their goodnights and headed for the door when Rainbow paused and saw Scootaloo looking around. She walked back over and then knelt down and looked under the bed. "No monsters there." She went to the closet and opened it up and looked around. "Nothing in here either." Rainbow then went to the window and looked up at the full moon. "And don't worry," she said, gesturing to the moon. "Nightmare Moon is watching over your sleep, so you'll be fine. If any monsters try anything funny, me and my friends will kick their butts from here to Tartarus."

"Thank you, Rainbow," Scootaloo said sheepishly and smiled as she relaxed and closed her eyes.

Rainbow quietly closed the door and joined the others as they walked down the hall.

Lady Golden Meadow smiled up at Rainbow. "That was very nice of you. You don't know what it means to a pony like her to have someone to trust and believe in."

Rainbow smiled back. "Well, you did your share of monster patrol for me and so did Dad. It's the least I could do to protect the next generation from under-the-bed monsters."

Twilight was silent with surprise at the implications, then she smiled. "The fearless and awesome Rainbow Dash was afraid of monsters under her bed?"

"Yeah," Rainbow grumbled.

"That was nothing compared to Rainbow's fear of clowns," Lady Golden Meadow added with a smile.

"Ugh. Who isn't terrified of clowns?" Rainbow said with a shudder.

Shortly the three ended up in the dining room for late tea. Twilight put her tea down, smiled and looked to Lady Golden Meadow. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Lady Golden Meadow gave a start. "I beg your pardon, princess?"

"I've inferred from your body language when talking to me that there's something you wanted to discuss but were finding it difficult to bring it up, probably due to the social setting."

Lady Golden Meadow lowered her head and sighed. "Am I that transparent?"

"I don't mind, really. As a princess I have a responsibility to help however I can."

The matron's horn glowed and a stack of papers appeared in the air. "For years I have been trying to get somepony to consider revisions to the Orphan's Charter of 401. However, my superiors have felt that if nothing's broken it doesn't need fixing; the problem is that it is broken, and has been for centuries. The wording and procedures are horribly out of date."

"Things seemed to go well when I was there," Rainbow said.

"Yes, because the rules governing the whole system are so old and broken that each orphanage pretty much runs itself by its own rules. It's only a matter of time before things catch up to us. The charter really needs a comprehensive overhaul and modernization of the entire system. The old system is just too old."

"How old and outdated?" Twilight asked.

"Old enough that the charter states that foals should be segregated by tribe and within that segregation there should be a separation based on whether their parents were of the same tribe, so they can be kept away from the 'mongrel' foals of mixed parentage."

Both Twilight and Rainbow were silent as they pondered that. Twilight took the documents in her magic and she began reading them. "I didn't think there were still government or civil offices running under rules from those times."

"We aren't a high profile or prestigious area, so we tend to get overlooked. The movers and shakers of government see no opportunity for advancement there."

Rainbow and the matron silently drank their tea as Twilight reviewed the documents. Several minutes later Twilight did a spit-take.

"Listen to this!" Twilight exclaimed, "'If the charge, be they donkey, mule, griffin or any other lesser race, where possible they are to be put to work. If sufficiently pleasing in manner and look, they may be sent to the noble houses to work as servants. But have care that they are not too comely, lest they tempt the noble youth of the household into fornication and pollute the noble bloodline with their inferior line. Those of ugly countenance can be sent to the fields and mines, where their ugliness might not offend the eye."

Twilight put the documents down. "Okay, you've convinced me. I will finish reading it tonight and write up my recommendations. It will be in Celestia's hooves by breakfast tomorrow."

The matron just stared silently at Twilight for a few moments. Rainbow couldn't recall ever seeing her speechless before.

"Princess, I'm honored that you would take this matter so seriously!" the matron said, a smile breaking out. "I've been trying for years to get somepony to notice."

"It’s my pleasure. I'm a pony who prefers dealing in absolutes, and while I love being the Princess of Friendship, it can be a frustratingly abstract calling at times. I relish a chance to deal with a tangible issue that can be studied and dealt with within the framework of our government."

Rainbow stayed a while longer, listening to them further discuss the issue. She wasn't sure if she was more sleepy or bored, but she said her goodnights and headed out. Twilight insisted she stay in one of the suites for the night; Rainbow gratefully dragged herself to a guest room and with thoughts of Twilight's droning on about "the legal ramifications" and such she was quickly asleep.

Book Bound, Twilight's chamberlain, awakened Rainbow the next morning. He informed her that Princess Twlight and Lady Golden Meadow had been summoned to Canterlot to discuss "the issue they had informed her about."

Rainbow went down to breakfast, finding Scootaloo already enjoying her royal breakfast.

"Hey, Dash!" she said excitedly, looking up from her heap of pancakes.

The moment Rainbow was seated beside her, the servants brought piles of food for her as well. "Sleep good last night, Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, that was probably the best sleep I ever had," she said, shoveling more pancakes into her mouth.

"Yeah, Twilight likes to give all her guests the royal treatment. So, it looks like it’s just you and me until the others get back. We can meet up with Dad and Gilda later too. They wanted to check out some of Rarity's stuff. The Apples said yesterday that we're to come over for dinner. I hope you like apples," Rainbow said with a laugh. "Then after dinner it's open mic night at Sugarcube Corner, so I'll do a few songs. Maybe you and I can just hang out in Ponyville until Lady Golden Meadow and Twilight get back. You didn't really get a chance to see the town since almost everypony was already at the party when you guys got here."

Scootaloo looked up excitedly, smiling wide. “Sure! That sounds great! It doesn’t matter where we go. I’m just glad to get to hang out with you!"

Rainbow quickly realized that she hadn't been exaggerating. When they got to the market area it seemed to her that Scootaloo was utterly fascinated just wandering around the stalls. The little pony looked curiously at everything, watching the craftsponies making things and others buying and selling. To Rainbow it seemed like her excitement was akin to being at an amusement park.

"Hey, Big Mac!" Rainbow said as she approached the red stallion selling apples and apple accessories.

Big Mac smiled widely when he saw her. "Howdy, Miss Dash, and howdy to you too, Miss Scootaloo."

"H-hello," Scootaloo mumbled nervously.

"Business going good?" Rainbow asked, checking out the apples and trying not to smile as she noticed Scootaloo ducking behind her.

"Eyup. Oh, Ma said ta tell ya that you're ta invite your pa and Miss Gilda over ta dinner too."

"Oh, cool. That'll be fun. I hope AJ's already warned everypony that Gilda's kinda gruff and abrasive."

"Eyup," he said with a chuckle.

"Awesome. Looking forward to it."

"You goin' to be playin' tonight at Sugarcube Corner?"

"Yeah, just got to decide on what to play."

Big Mac just smiled. "Can't go wrong with Elvis."

Rainbow laughed and gave Big Mac a playful punch on the shoulder. "You country boys always stick together."

"Eyup."

After she had bought apples for herself and Scootaloo they continued on their journey.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow. "What's an Elvis?"

"He was a human singer who played country/rock kinda music. Elvis was hugely popular back in the day. Fortunately his stuff works good with acoustic guitar and the meaning of his music’s universal enough that ponies can enjoy it without knowing much human history or culture."

"You can play guitar too?" Scootaloo asked in wonder.

"Yeah, but I just do covers of existing songs. I haven't had much luck with writing them."

"Wow, I can't wait to hear you play!" Scootaloo said excitedly as she jumped around beside Rainbow Dash as they resumed their walk in the market.

"I'm surprised you're so excited about all this. This is all kinda boring normal stuff.”

"Normal for you maybe, but not for me. I don't know how it was when you were at the orphanage, but we only ever go places in groups and we're not allowed to wander off and can't go anywhere or do anything without one of the staff always watching over us like a hawk. This is a chance to just walk and look around like a normal pony for once."

Rainbow made a sad smile. "Yeah, I do recall what it was like." Rainbow stopped and rubbed her chin. "Let's see, what else wasn't fun because we always had to be in big groups? Oh, I know!"

Shortly they were taking their seats in the movie theater to watch Daring Do and the Griffin's Goblet, in 3-D. Scootaloo was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement, beside her a tub of popcorn and a large soda.

"Thanks, Rainbow. You're the best," the little pony whispered as the previews started.

Rainbow chuckled as a few times during the movie she'd have popcorn rain down on her when Scootaloo would be surprised by the action. Rainbow noted that most of the time the action had Scootaloo literally on the edge of her seat. When the show finally ended and the lights came on, Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow with a huge smile and leaned over and hugged her.

"That was amazing!" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, the actress isn't as cool as the real Daring Do, but she's good enough."

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow in silent awe. "You met Daring Do?"

"Sure. My friends and I helped her out once."

Scootaloo just continued to gawk at her in amazement.

"The next stop is Sugarcube Corner."

Shortly they arrived and Pinkie Pie greeted them in her own frothy fashion when they entered. "Dashie! Scootaloo! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! What can I get you?"

Rainbow led Scootaloo to a table. "How about milkshakes, Scootaloo?"

"Oh, I've heard about those!" Scootaloo said, looking around and trying to take in the whole place at once. "Sure. Can I have a chocolate one?"

Pinkie froze and her mouth dropped open. "You've never had a milkshake?" she asked in astonishment.

"Uh, no," Scootaloo muttered nervously.

Pinkie suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. "This can't be just any old milkshake! Your first milkshake has to be something extra super-duper special!" Pinkie Pie dashed across the room and leaped over the counter, causing Mr. and Mrs. Cake to dive for cover. Pinkie rushed into the back and moments later the sounds of heavy industrial machinery and weird science fiction noises could be heard coming from the back room, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Cake to just stare and shrug their shoulders as to what was going on back there.

Shortly the door to the back opened and a mysterious mist flowed out as Pinkie, wearing a welders mask and heavy gloves, pushed a cart with an ornate silver lid on it. When she got to the table, Rainbow instinctively tensed and leaned back as Pinkie reached to remove the lid. Pinkie pulled back the lid to reveal—a completely ordinary looking milkshake. She put it on the table in front of Scootaloo and smiled.

"Enjoy! The usual, Rainbow?" she asked.

"Yeah," she replied, not taking her eyes off Scootaloo's milkshake. She was certain there had to be some sort of surprise to it.

Scootaloo tasted it and then she froze; she remained motionless for several seconds, then took another taste. Her mouth dropped open and her jaw moved like she was trying to speak and tears began welling up in her eyes.

Rainbow looked at her in alarm. "Scootaloo? Are you okay?"

Scootaloo looked to Rainbow and then to Pinkie Pie. "That is... the best thing I have ever tasted in my whole life..."

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie shouted and began doing a victory dance, ending by pulling out her party cannon and shooting confetti across the room.

After the milkshakes, they resumed their tour of Ponyville. Rainbow was just thinking about lunch when shadows passed over and moments later Fullbright and Gilda landed beside them.

"Rainbow!" Fullbright said, giving her a hug. He ruffled Scootaloo's mane with a hoof. "Hey, Scootaloo."

"Hello, Mr. Dash," she said in surprise, looking up at Gilda, feeling very small and vulnerable beside the dangerous predator.

Rainbow saw the brewing problem and spoke up. "Hey, Scootaloo, I don't know if you two were introduced at the party last night. This is Gilda Dun-" her father cleared his throat. "Deathwing," Rainbow continued, rolling her eyes. "She's an old friend of mine and she and Dad are dating. Gilda, this is my pal, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo just continued looking at the griffin. Soon Gilda appeared uneasy under her gaze.

"You griffins are sooo cool!" Scootaloo finally said with a smile.

Gilda relaxed and smiled. "Hey, thanks kid."

Rainbow relaxed as well. "So Dad, what have you two been up to?"

"Rarity was showing us her historical costumes and her ideas for other things," Fullbright said. "That took quite a while. She's a true professional."

"Yeah, I've been trapped in her shop on more than one occasion. Luckily for me, being human, she can't use me for practice for most of her outfits. So I only get stuck there when she's making things specifically for me."

Gilda looked around and sniffed the air. "Hey, Red and I were gonna get something to eat. You two wanna come with us?"

"Sure, we were just looking ourselves."

Rainbow followed along, listening to Fullbright and Gilda talking about the air show. It felt odd to her to see her dad with a female beside him again—a female who wasn't her mom. She had to remind herself that he was happy, and that's the only thing that should matter.

They settled on an outdoor cafe for lunch and the whole time Scootaloo, apparently finding the griffin to be infinitely fascinating, ignored her own meal and just watched Gilda eat.

Finally Gilda had enough of the staring. "Kid, you're freakin' me out."

"I thought griffins only ate meat," Scootaloo replied.

"We do, usually, but we can eat rabbit food like you ponies. Still, we prefer meat," she said, then got a mischievous gleam in her eye and leaned forward till she was face to face with Scootaloo. "In the old days griffins used to hunt ponies for food," then snapped at her. Scootaloo gave a squeak and clung to Rainbow. Gilda just laughed.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, Gilda."

Scootaloo quickly recovered and tried to play it cool. "I wasn't—wasn't scared. I knew that."

Rainbow laughed and gave Scootaloo a reassuring hug. "Hey, you two are invited to go with us to dinner at the Apples' place tonight."

"Sorry hon," Fullbright said. "Gilda and I have to be in Canterlot tonight to meet with an investor."

"Aw! You just got here."

"We'll be back tomorrow. Besides, this is Scootaloo's time to spend with her hero. We've been trying to stay out of your mane—we can get all caught up when she's back home."

Her father had been looking at her when he said that, but Rainbow had glanced over at Scootaloo to see the look of sadness that came over her at his words, but the filly quickly covered it.

"I don't mind, sir, really," Scootaloo assured him.

"Nonsense. This trip is for you and the matron to relax and enjoy Ponyville. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She and Twilight got summoned to Canterlot to meet with Celestia," Rainbow said. "Something about revamping the orphanage system. I swear, that mare doesn't have an off switch. She's always on the job."

"The princess or the matron?"

"Both, actually."

As they were eating, one of Twilight's guard approached the table. "Lady Dash, a letter from Princess Twilight," he said, holding out the scroll sealed with a wax seal in the shape of a T.

"Thanks, Gary," she said as she opened it up and began reading. "The matron's on her way back by train, but Twilight will be staying in Canterlot to visit with her folks and will be back tomorrow."

Rainbow relaxed and let Scootaloo lead the conversation and the little filly seemed endlessly curious about Fullbright, the Wonderbolts, Gilda and griffins. Her father soaked in the attention as he recalled the good old days of the Wonderbolts, but a pained look marked his face when Scootaloo asked about why he had left.

"There was a bad crash, Scootaloo," Fullbright sighed. "I was second in command of the Wonderbolts, being personally groomed to replace Captain Rolling Thunder, who was looking to retire. Just a year or two more and I'd be leading the Wonderbolts." He spoke wistfully, closing his eyes and smiling, savoring the memory of the time. The smile faded and he opened his eyes and resumed his story. "Then the accident happened. During a big airshow in Canterlot, a new recruit named Aurora Skies was having her first public performance. She had amazing flying skills but lacked the confidence and temperament for the pressure of the job. She panicked, broke formation and collided with me at high speed, smashing my right wing to Tartarus."

Fullbright paused, falling silent and looking off into the distance for a few moments.

Rainbow put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Smashed" had been an understatement. She had been in the crowd watching the air show when the accident happened and it was one of the most terrifying moments of her life, watching him spiraling out of control.

"Luckily, my wingmare—another new recruit named Spitfire—was able to pull me out of my high speed death spiral and get me safely to the ground. Ironically, it was her quick thinking and calmness under pressure during that crisis that put her on the fast track to becoming my replacement."

Fullbright unfurled his wings, the right wing constructed differently than the left. "Let me tell you, a word you never want to hear from a doctor is 'bifurcated'. The doctors had to do some seriously experimental stuff to it, both scientific and magical, to get it working again. Even after all the surgery and reconstruction they still weren't sure I'd fly, but I beat the odds and was able to take to the air. It was a bittersweet victory; I could fly, but I'd never be a professional flier again. My career as a Wonderbolt was over, along with my dream of being captain. But as they say, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If I couldn't be captain of the Wonderbolts, I decided to start my own airshow."

Scootaloo sat back and looked apologetically at Fullbright. "Sorry to bring up all those bad memories, Mr. Dash."

He gave her an understanding smile. "It’s okay, Scootaloo. Gotta take the good with the bad. I had a heck of a fun ride with the Wonderbolts while it lasted."

"What happened to Aurora Skies?"

"She was knocked out by the collision and crash landed. It was pretty bad. I was lucky to fly again; she was lucky too and was eventually able to walk again."

"Would you ever forgive her for that?"

"Already have, ages ago."

"Really?"

Fullbright nodded. "Yeah. Not much point in holding a grudge, is there? It wouldn't make me a Wonderbolt again. It would be like carrying a big rock on my back for no reason other than to just spite myself. When Rainbow was growing up I kept having to tell her that life was too short to hold a grudge and I admit it was tough to practice what I preached at times, but I'm a better stallion for it. I've seen others crash out of the Wonderbolts. Some couldn't deal with it and more or less self-destructed."

"Wow, this conversation got really dark," Rainbow said, looking at the others who were all looking down, lost in their thoughts.

Fullbright smiled and sipped his drink. "Every day has a dark time, but the light always comes to drive away the darkness. It all comes down to which part of the day you want to focus on."

The distant whistle of the train interrupted their conversation.

"Sounds like our ride," Fullbright said.

They made their way to the train station as the train approached and Rainbow hugged her dad and Gilda.

"Dad, what was it you wanted to talk about at the party?" Rainbow asked.

Fullbright smiled. "It can wait until we get back."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine."

Fullbright laughed and they exchanged goodbyes. As he and Gilda got on the train, Rainbow spotted the matron exiting the train. She seemed in a daze with a wistful smile on her face.

"Ma'am?" Rainbow asked hesitantly as she look at Lady Golden Meadow.

The matron appeared to wake from her daydream and looked to Rainbow and then to Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, dear, I now know how you felt meeting your hero, Rainbow Dash."

She didn't say much as they met up with Rarity at the spa, and only when she began to relax did she finally open up. "I-I got to meet Celestia. Celestia! The ruler of our land for a thousand years! And she knew my name! I got to talk shop with her—to have lunch with her—to idly chat over tea! With Celestia!" The matron said in awe, holding up her trembling hooves to show her excitement. "She who was there when we were nothing but quarreling tribes, there for the founding of our nation!"

Rarity smiled at the matron from her mud bath. "Yes, the princess can certainly make that impression on a pony. I too was quite in awe during our first meeting."

"Awe is the only way to describe it! She has always been my hero, but I had long ago given up the hope of ever meeting her.”

Rainbow kicked back and sunk into her mud bath up to her chin, enjoying seeing the normally reserved matron fangirling over meeting the princess. Rainbow looked over to Scootaloo, who was in a mud bath with a mud pack on her face and cucumber slices over her eyes. "How you holdin' up, Scoot?"

"I could get used to this," Scootaoo replied with a smile.

Rainbow laughed.

“Rainbow darling, I just do not understand why you and the others don’t join Apple Jewel and I on our weekly spa visit. This place is simply divine,” Rarity said with a contented sigh.

The matron looked to Rainbow, despite having cucumber slices over her eyes. "Please forgive my running off during my vacation like that, Rainbow. And I truly am sorry for bringing up business. I know it must seem like I was just taking advantage of your connection to Princess Twilight to advance my own agenda.”

Rainbow smiled and relaxed as she lay in the mud. "It’s totally okay, ma'am. I know your heart's in the right place and you're totally dedicated to the orphanage. I would've been more surprised if you'd been able to go a few days without putting the needs of the place over your own."

"Thank you for understanding. I really do appreciate being invited to get away for a little bit," the matron replied with a smile.

"Hey, you earned it. You're invited to dinner with us at the Apples' farm tonight and I'll be doing some songs at Sugarcube Corner later on."

"Can we go see the Tree of Harmony while we're here?" Scootaloo asked, looking up at Rainbow hopefully.

Rainbow looked at her in surprise. "How'd you know about that? We haven't really publicized its existence."

"I've read a lot about you and your friends and the Elements of Harmony. I was hoping to see it."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Everfree Forest can be very dangerous, even during the day. And Princess Nightmare Moon has basically claimed it for herself as her private retreat. She's fixing up the old castle there and doesn't like ponies wandering around her stomping grounds."

"No," the matron said with a gentle finality that would have made Fluttershy proud. "Scootaloo, I know you'd like to see it, but really I cannot have you in any danger. You are my responsibility and I can't take any risks with you in my care."

Scootaloo made a sad sigh and slumped back down into the mud. "Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Relax, Scootaloo. When you're older I can take you to see it," Rainbow reassured her.

"Really?" Scootaloo said with a little smile.

"Sure. Hey, Rarity, how'd the visit with Dad and Gilda go?"

"It went marvelously, Rainbow darling. Though I must admit Gilda hated standing still while I took measurements and tried things on her, even more than you. But it went well—it's nice to have a new challenge to try to style. They were quite impressed with my work and we hammered out some preliminary details for our business arrangement."

After massages, time in the sauna and mud baths, Rainbow, Scootaloo and the matron headed to Sweet Apple Acres, taking the scenic route so Rainbow could show them more of the glories of Ponyville.

Scootaloo looked on in wonder at it all, still apparently amazed by everything in and around the town. "Oooh, is that the Everfree Forest?"

"Yeah, the big path in is Nightmare's Path," Rainbow said. "The princess is trying to tame the forest, but it's been growing wild for a thousand years, so it may take her a while."

Chapter 13 - One Fine Meal, Mixed Memories and an Evening with the King

Rainbow led them to the farm and now Scootaloo's attention was fixed on the seeming endless sea of apple trees before them.

"Holy moley, that's a lot of apple trees!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Yeah, business has been booming for the Apples the last few years and they've expanded quite a bit," Rainbow said.

"This is all so different than Cloudsburg. There's so much... nature, out here.”

"It did take some getting used to at first. But then again, in Cloudsburg we didn't have monsters smashing through town or eating all the buildings or blowing things up. This place gets pretty crazy at times."

"Rainbow!" a voice called.

They looked to the farmhouse and saw a giant mare heading towards them.

"She's huge," Scootaloo muttered, hiding behind Rainbow.

"Heh, yeah. That's Big Macintosh's mom, Ma Apple. Don't worry, she's nice."

"I'm surprised we didn't see her at the party,” the matron observed. “She would quite literally stand out in a crowd.”

"Ma's a bit self-conscious about her size when meeting strangers, so she sometimes skips social gatherings," Rainbow said quietly.

Ma Apple smiled as she approached and gave Rainbow a hug and smiled down at Scootaloo and gently patted her mane. "Howdy, Rainbow sugar, Scootaloo, and you too Lady Golden Meadow. We're so glad y'all could make it ta dinner."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Ma," Rainbow replied, returning the hug with great affection.

The matron smiled up at Ma Apple and extended her hoof. "Thank you for inviting Scootaloo and I to join you for dinner."

Ma Apple took her hoof and shook it vigorously. Rainbow had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. "We couldn't have old and new friends of Rainbow in town without havin' 'em over ta say howdy!"

Rainbow smiled. "There are two words that can describe the Apple family: apples and hospitality. They're experts in both."

"Thank you kindly, Rainbow sugar," Ma Apple said with a smile as she waved them toward the farmhouse.

The guests followed Ma Apple into the house and to the dining room. There was the usual family at the house along with a few other visiting relations. Introductions passed back and forth as everypony took their seats. They all joined hooves as Pa said grace and Rainbow somewhat shyly held Big Mac's hoof in her hand as she sat beside him.

Once the meal began the conversation was friendly and casual, the visiting Apples sharing details of other parts of the clan. Rainbow kept an eye on Scootaloo to see how she was holding up. Her own first dinner at the Apples' had been good, but they had asked her about herself and she'd ended up spilling her heart to them and had unburdened herself of a lifetime of hurt. That experience had helped her bond with the family, but she wasn't sure it would work with everypony, especially one as young as Scootaloo. She just hoped nopony would ask about her past.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters, Scootaloo?" young Candy Apple asked.

The table fell silent as Scootaloo blinked in surprise. "What? No. None that I know about."

"But how don't ya know?"

Ma Apple intervened. "Candy, honey, remember that talk we had before Miss Scootaloo arrived?"

"Um... oh, yes. Oh! Oh, I'm sorry miss Scootaloo. Mama told me not to be nosey."

"It's okay. No harm done," Scootaloo lied.

Rainbow quickly changed gears to jumpstart the conversation again. "So, Applejack," she said, drawing out the name, as she knew calling her by her birth name annoyed her. "How's the modeling business going?"

Apple Jewel glared at Rainbow but began sharing her stories of the world of high fashion. Scootaloo leaned forward in her seat, listening intently to her tales. When the food and AJ's stories were over, Rainbow leaned back in her chair, completely stuffed, and soon Scootaloo mirrored her; even the matron looked like she had eaten too much.

Granny Smith looked over the table of stuffed ponies and saw that it was good. "Did ya'll have enough to eat? There's still plenty of leftovers."

There was a collective groan from the table. It was unlikely anypony could have fit any more food in themselves without injury.

Scootaloo looked up from her plate and smiled. "That was the first home cooked meal I had since I was little. Thank you, ma'am. That was amazing."

"You're quite welcome, young'un," Granny Smith said proudly.

Rainbow looked at the clock and realized the time. "I hate to eat and run—or waddle slowly at this point. But we need to be at Sugarcube Corner soon for music night."

"Oh, where does the time go? Ya'll better run along!"

Shortly after the goodbyes and hugs for her and Scootaloo, the group including her, Scootaloo, the matron, AJ and Big Mac—their little sisters riding on their backs—began heading to Ponyville.

Rainbow had Scootaloo on her shoulders as they walked along and the sun began to set. "Hey, I need to swing by my place to pick up my guitar. We'll meet up with you guys in a little bit."

As they headed toward her home, Rainbow felt drops of water landing on her head. She glanced up at the sky and saw no clouds, but then she felt Scootaloo's body shaking and the drops of water landing on her head grew more frequent. Rainbow glanced around to make sure nopony was around then sat down on a nearby bench and lifted Scootaloo off her shoulders, setting her on her lap.

The little pony looked up at her with wet eyes, struggling mightily to hold in her tears.

Rainbow smiled comfortingly. "It's okay, Scootaloo. I felt the same way after visiting the Apples the first time."

Scootaloo's defenses collapsed and she began sobbing. Rainbow pulled her into a tight hug.

"I know, Scootaloo. It feels so unfair. Some ponies have great big loving families and some of us have little or none. Please believe that they didn't mean to seem like they were rubbing it in. What they wanted was for you to feel at home and share their family with you for just a little while."

"How can there be families like that when my parents didn't want me?" the little pony sobbed.

"Come on, Scootaloo. You can't be sure why your folks let you go."

Scootaloo pushed herself away from Rainbow and looked up angrily. "I do know! They threw me away because I was broken! Threw me away like a piece of garbage..." She broke down again.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Scootaloo! You are more than just a pair of wings. You're not a broken piece of garbage!" she said sternly, then had a vivid flashback to her own foalhood and an almost identical exchange with her pony parents.

"Rainbow, you are not a piece of trash your human parents left behind!"

Rainbow felt herself get a little choked up for a moment and she smiled as she looked down at the crying pony on her lap and hugged her tight.

"Scootaloo, you are awesome. You can do the impossible. You can change the world. You just happen to have wings that aren't as awesome as the rest of you."

"But what good is a pegasus that can't fly?" she pleaded.

"Humans can't fly, but did I let that stop me from making an awesome rescue? Pegasi can do more than just fly. You've got brains and you've got heart. Unicorns and Earth ponies can't fly but they do awesome stuff all the time. You need to get it in your head that there's more to life than flying, though my friends would probably call me a hypocrite for saying that, seeing how flying-obsessed I am, but it's true. Instead of starting your day saying you can't fly, start your day saying that you are awesome and instead of spending that time moping, think about how to be awesome."

"That's easy to say," Scootaloo said, looking up at Rainbow.

"Yeah, it is. It may seem like empty words at first, but trust me it does work eventually. My folks believed in me and they turned an angry, lonely misfit human into an awesome hero, expert flying, Element of Harmony. Other ponies may try to hold you back and tell you that you're a fool for trying to be awesome, but the only one who can hold you back is you. They believed in me and I believe in you," Rainbow said, looking down at Scootaloo with a kindly smile.

The little pony met her gaze and cried harder as she clung to Rainbow, who tried to ignore it and kept talking. "When I was little I couldn't wait to grow up to be a pegasus and Wonderbolt just like Daddy. It broke my heart when I learned I would only grow up to be a human. Then later I wanted to be a rock star, but that didn't work out. Always have goals, Scootaloo. Have possible goals and don't be afraid to have some impossible ones, because you never know what can happen. When I was little the other foals used to tease me saying I'd never get a cutie mark, but I proved them all wrong!"

Scootaloo's mouth dropped open as she looked up at Rainbow. "You have a cutie mark?"

"Got it when I helped my pals beat Nightmare Moon. Forgive me for not showing it, but we humans are a bit more self-conscious about showing our flanks than ponies. Now, Scootaloo, I want to hear you say it."

"Say what?"

"Say 'I am Scootaloo and I am awesome. I am Scootaloo and I can do the impossible. I am Scootaloo and I can change the world.'"

Scootaloo sighed and looked down. "I am Scootaloo and I am awesome. I am Scootaloo and I can do the impossible. I am Scootaloo and I can change the world.”

"Close enough for now," Rainbow chuckled and hugged the little pony again, then put Scootaloo back on her shoulders as they resumed their journey.

After a minute Scootaloo spoke again. “I’m sorry about that, Rainbow.”

“Not a problem, Scoot. Hey, I’ve been there myself. We all have that moment sometime in our lives.”

"Thanks, Rainbow. You’re the best. Rainbow, how'd you end up growing up in Equestria rather than Otherside? If you don't mind my asking."

"Don't mind at all. My human parents’ families didn't approve of them being together, but they were convinced they were perfect for each other. So through some connection on Mom's side she got a job over here through the government and she and Dad came over. For a lot of humans Equestria seems at first like a utopian paradise, but it's difficult for humans—some basic stuff like physics and stuff like that are different here and it makes humans feel weird after they cross over, but that's something else.

"They wanted to start a family so they had me, but before I was even born their relationship began to fall apart. They realized that Equestria wasn't the paradise they'd hoped. Then I was born and they toughed it out for a while, but to make matters more complicated I had an unusually high amount of magic for a human kid born here. We humans born here have what's called 'a touch of magic'. To prospective human parents saying that a child has a touch of magic is like saying the child has a touch of leprosy. Eventually my human parents realized even having a baby wasn't going to keep them together. Mom's family was the snooty Canterlot type and their daughter having a baby with someone they considered a lowlife was unacceptable and put a ton of pressure on them to break up. So feeling trapped in every direction, they left me here, returned to Earth, broke up and went their separate ways. They were just totally unprepared for everything."

"Did you ever meet them?"

"Yeah. After I graduated I went over and found them. Mom's got a new family and I have some half-siblings: two little brothers and two little sisters; the oldest is about your age. My step-dad Chad's a nice guy. Meeting Mom was as difficult for me as it was for her. A lot of things to talk about, a lot of emotions to work through, but it was good. We made our peace and I can call her a friend. Now, meeting Dad, that was some of the most fun I've had in my life," Rainbow said with a smile. "Mom had expected to hear from me someday, but Dad never thought I'd ever look for him."

Rainbow stopped her narrative when they approached the house.

"Wow, is this place yours?" Scootaloo asked as Rainbow put her on the ground.

"Yeah, Casa Rainbow," she said, gesturing grandly as she opened the door and turned on the lights. "Sorry the place is such a mess. I don't usually have visitors."

Scootaloo looked around the messy living room. "You get to live like this? With nopony telling you to clean up?"

"Yep. This is my home and my castle. My rules."

Rainbow watched the little pony look around at the rack of guitars on the wall and then to the pictures around the room.

"Who are they?" Scootaloo asked, pointing to a group of pictures.

Rainbow came over and looked at the pictures of a variety of cyan blue ponies and other creatures.

"Oh, those are all me."

"You've been a pony?" Scootaloo asked, looking up at Rainbow with astonished eyes.

"Yeah, briefly. A while back, Twilight turned herself and the others into breezies for a little while. After that, she was curious about transformation magic. Being the mad scientist that she is, she asked if she could use me as a test subject. So I got turned into a pegasus, unicorn, earth pony, dragon and griffin."

"What was that like?" Scootaloo asked, her attention returning to the pictures.

Rainbow laughed. "Weird. Even though I had the forms, I didn't have their powers or abilities. It was just like wearing a pony shaped costume. Too bad—it would’ve been cool to fly or use magic."

"Are these your parents?" she asked, now pointing to a nearby picture frame containing a picture of a young human couple with a newborn and next to it the same couple, now older, standing with a teenage Rainbow.

"Yeah. Harry and Sue Tucker. That first picture was the day I was born and the second one was taken at the visitor's center on the human side of the portal. That was the first time they'd seen each other since they left Equestria."

Rainbow watched Scootaloo look at what was basically the course of her life in picture form. Pictures from the orphanage all the way through her time in Ponyville. She never noticed before—she didn’t smile much in her youth, but every picture taken since her arrival in Ponyville showed her smiling.

Rainbow pulled herself away from the trip down memory lane and looked over her guitars, pondering her choices, Scootaloo following her every move.

"Why do you have so many?" Scootaloo asked, watching Rainbow as she studied her guitars.

"You need different ones for different things. This is a small indoor gig so I go with an acoustic guitar," she said, then moved her finger along the rack, naming the brands. “Gibson, Taylor, Washburn, Takamine, Epiphone, Lakewood and Fender. Fender’s good, but better known for their electric guitars,” she said and walked past the rack to a battered old guitar case. “But the best acoustic guitar in the world is the Martin,” she said, opening the case and displaying the pristine guitar inside. She held it up proudly and attached the strap, slinging it across her back. “This belonged to my great grandfather over on the human side, Ezekiel Mason 'Zeke' Tucker. He was a traveling musician just like Dad."

Rainbow walked over to an electric guitar on a stand. "When there's an outdoor show I can be big and loud," she said with a big smile. “This is my custom Fender Stratocaster with the body shaped like my cutie mark.” She turned on the amp, turned it up all the way and began jamming. The pictures fell over and things shook off shelves as the whole house rocked with the booming bass.

"And that's how you rock out," Rainbow said proudly.

Scootaloo cupped her hooves to her ears. "Whaaat?" she shouted.

After Scootaloo regained her hearing, they began their journey to Ponyville.

"Do they actually play concerts that loud?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh yeah, at the Trottingham concerts. Once a year the heaviest heavy metal human and pony bands go head to head to see who deserves to be crowned the Elements of Metal. Last year it came down to pony band Chainsaw Gelding versus the human band Puking Soul."

"Ewww."

"Yeah, but man, it was loud and intense! It looked like the humies were gonna carry it, but then the lead singer of Chainsaw went on stage and... well, it was super gross, but it convinced the judges that they were the most metal band."

"I've never been to a concert for anything. Are they fun or just really loud?"

"Both. I'm well-connected, obviously, so I can get VIP passes to any show I want to see. I'm always there bright and early to help set up and do sound checks. I used to be a roadie for my bio dad's band. Then around late afternoon the bands stagger in all stinky and hungover and I get to hang out and jam with them before the show. It’s really cool."

“If it’s so loud how do you know if they’re any good?”

“That’s easy. If you can understand more than three words in the entire song, they’re not metal enough. Metal isn't for everypony. I know some ponies think I like loud music just to be obnoxious, but it’s not that at all. When you listen to regular music, you hear it with your ears and enjoy it with your brain. So most of your body misses out on the coolness. I like loud music because you feel it deep inside you; every part of you hears the music.”

"You said your human dad had a band. Is that why it was fun being with him?"

"Partly. He's just a cool, laid back guy. He and his band, the Casual Ramblers, they're country and light rock music."

"Are they good?"

"They're... okay," Rainbow said hesitantly. "They don't play concerts, just bars and clubs and little stuff like that.

Rainbow continued her story as they left and she started checking over the rest of her gear, which in this case was a variety of guitar picks in the palm of her hand, plastic, ceramic, kevlar, leather (don't tell the cows), and an old, very worn down silver quarter from the 1930's that her great grandfather had used as a pick. "Dad hardly ever was at his home—he pretty much spent all his time on the road, so in order to connect with him I went with him and his band. That was the birth of my love of music. Dad taught me to play guitar and I picked it up real fast. In a few months I was fronting for the band. There's nothing like being on stage. Everypony should be in a band once in their life."

"What was it like, traveling with him and all?"

"We were always crammed in his van going from gig to gig. We played some rough spots. I experienced many rites of passages common for humans—how to drive their van, ride a motorcycle, had my first beer, my first bar fight. All but the motorcycle part were in the same night when I had to drive the van to escape the rowdy drunken mob of bikers chasing us. They were persistent guys and I was driving that thing so fast I swear we spent more time in the air than on the road. Not bad considering I didn't have a driver’s license. It was totally cool," Rainbow said proudly, recalling the memory, but then realized something. "Oh yeah, but also totally illegal, so don't do that."

"If it was so good, why didn't you stay with him?"

A sadness came over Rainbow's face at the question. "I was starting to lose my magic. My rainbow was fading. It turns out I'm a blonde. I realized that if I stayed I could finally be in a place where I was 'normal'. Dad took me aside and said I needed to sit down and think about who and what I was. He told me I was welcome to stay with him, but he said that his life was a big long road to nowhere and that I shouldn't throw away my future to join him on the ride to the end. Mom had offered to let me stay with her as well, but her world's all about structure and order. Every detail about life and future planned out in exact detail. I'm more a random mare."

Rainbow brought her guitar around to her front and began warming up as they neared town, continuing her story as she did so. "I had to decide if I was Rainbow Dash or Rainbow Tucker. I talked to Mom about it too, and after a lot of thinking I realized that I was an Equestrian at heart and that I didn't want to lose my magic. It was who and what I was. So they went with me to the portal to see me off and got to meet my awesome pony dad. It had been more than six months since I'd seen him and as soon as I did I knew Equestria was where I was supposed to be."

"Are you ever going to meet them again?"

"One of these days. We write letters and send postcards. But yeah, I'll go back over and see them again sometime."

Scootaloo kept quiet for a minute but soon asked another question. “So what’s Otherside like, Rainbow?”

Rainbow laughed. “It’s strange—it’s sort of the same, but totally different. One of the first things you notice after going through is that there’s this weird stink everywhere and everything's covered with dirt and grime. And they love their high-tech gadgets, but they don’t work over here. And everything’s loud, but not in a cool way. The food tastes like somepony just mixed a bunch of chemicals together, at least that’s how it seemed to me. I guess if you grow up there you don’t even notice it.”

“Ewww, it sounds gross."

“Yeah, it kinda is. And lots of culture shock. Turns out I’m probably the only human that eats hayburgers. When I was eating at McBarn’s on the human side of the portal, the humans in the visitor's center food court looked at me like I was from another planet, which I guess I technically am. And that’s another thing, the humans thought it was hysterical when I'd call my hands hooves, my hair my mane and say stuff like ‘everypony’ and ‘anypony’.”

“What do they say instead?”

“Everyone and anyone.”

“Well, that’s not bad, actually."

“It’s also weird talking to the natives. Like, you call a human guy a stallion and it’s a compliment, but you call a human woman a mare it’s an insult! Their world makes no sense,” Rainbow said, laughing at the memories.

They finally arrived at Sugarcube Corner and Rainbow was glad that Scootaloo's mood had improved and she was smiling again. It was a good sized crowd and Fluttershy was on stage singing. They took their seats with the Apples and enjoyed the show. Rainbow put her guitar on her lap as she adjusted the strings, noticing that Scootaloo and Candy both looked at it with great curiosity.

When Fluttershy had finished her song, Rainbow took the stage, exchanging a hoof bump with her friend as she did so. "Hey fillies and gentlecolts! A good friend suggested that I play some Elvis," she said and small cheer went up from the crowd. She tuned up the guitar a few moments and began playing.

The crowd fell silent as she began singing Love Me Tender, so moved by her playing. She poured her heart into the music. While rocking out could be fun, there was something warm and intimate when she played to just a small group. She closed her eyes and let the music flow through her.

The cheering of the crowd snapped Rainbow back to the present. "Thanks, everypony. Glad you liked it," she said with a small bow as she returned to her seat.

Scootaloo looked up at her, humming the tune. "Rainbow, that was amazing!"

"Mighty fine playin', Miss Dash," Big Mac said with a smile.

"Thanks, dude. Good call on the Elvis."

When her second turn came up she got more into the music, standing as she led the crowd in her version of "Burning Love", taking advantage of the odd pony ability to instinctively know the lyrics of any song that was playing. After the song she took her seat amid the applause.

Scootaloo continued looking up at her in amazement. "Rainbow, you are the coolest anything that I ever met."

"Thanks, Scootaloo. It’s all part of the job," she replied proudly. "My singing voice could be more awesome though. Fluttershy has the voice of an angel while I have the voice of an angel that chain smokes cigars.”

Author's Note

The doomed love of Harry and Sue is inspired by the doomed love of this Harry and Sue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qYU9b5OF8M

A good visualization of Rockin' Rainbow would be to watch this animation-
http://joshng.deviantart.com/art/Rainbow-Rockin-Animation-521841679

While listening to this song-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8fBNYEeMUg

Chapter 14 - A Night Journey, New Friends and Heavy Thoughts

Chapter 14 - A Night Journey, New Friends and Heavy Thoughts.

After music time was over, most of the crowd remained and chatted while the foals went off to an adjoining room for snacks.

The matron smiled at Rainbow as she sipped her tea. "Rainbow, that was quite remarkable playing. I recall we tried to get you interested in music when you were little."

"Well, my dad on Otherside taught me and at first it was just a bonding thing, but when I saw him playing on stage it all just clicked. And he gave me this guitar. It's a family heirloom. Dad wanted me to keep the family's tradition of music alive."

When it got late the parents took their foals home and Rainbow, Scootaloo and the matron headed back to the castle. At the castle the matron turned in early, having spent a good part of the day in Canterlot with the princesses. Rainbow and Scootaloo ended up in the library, sitting on a pile of cushions. Scootaloo listened, enthralled, as Rainbow read to her. Shortly after she began, Spike took a seat nearby, reading on his own.

Rainbow stopped her story and looked to Spike. "Dude, you're not fooling anypony. Get over here. You totally want in on story time with Rainbow."

"I'm too old for that," he protested.

"Dude, centuries from now when you're a huge dragon in a dark cave lying awake on your treasure horde, unable to sleep, you'll wish you still had Rainbow around to read you a story."

Spike stared at his book for a few moments longer, then put it aside. "Okay, okay. Just don't tell Twilight."

Rainbow got comfortable and was surprised when both Spike and Scootaloo settled in against her. "How about a new story, a sort of improv story," she said, putting aside the Daring Do book.

"What kind of story?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.

"How about the amazingly awesome adventures of... the awesomely amazing pegasus Prism Flash and her adventures with her Horseville pals and how they stopped the Queen of the Night," Rainbow replied.

Spike giggled.

"It all began one normal, awesome day. Prism was leader of the local weather team and she'd been charged with making sure it was nice for when the Sun Queen arrived for a big holiday party. All of Horseville was busy, including Apple Apple, Pinky Piecrust, Fluttercry and Dramarity. They were all really super busy getting things ready and it was all crazy, so the Sun Queen sent her apprentice Twiglike Sprinkle and her assistant, Spork the dragon."

"Dude, seriously?" Spike grumbled.

"Just roll with it, trust me," she replied and continued her story, becoming more animated as she told it, occasionally stopping to make asides to her audience.

Rainbow leaned over toward Scootaloo. "It was a big secret that Spork actually had a huge crush on Dramarity," she said and the little pony giggled.

Spike made a sarcastic snort. "Was his crush anything like Prism's crush on Big Apple?"

Rainbow made a nervous laugh and grabbed a cushion and covered Spike's head with it. "Um, as I was saying, there she was, facing the deadly manticore! I punched, I mean, she punched the manticore right in the face! Which didn't make the manticore or Fluttercry very happy."

The kids followed her tale with rapt attention.

"When Prism went on ahead to make sure it was safe for the others, the Night Queen was there and she tempted Prism with her heart's desire to get her to betray her friends, offering to turn her into a..." Rainbow said and trailed off, not having intended to share as much as she had.

"Into a what?" Scootaloo asked.

"Into an alicorn," Spike said, coming to Rainbow's rescue.

"Yes, an alicorn! Thanks Spike," she said in relief and gave Spike a smile as she resumed her story, building up to the big finish at the castle ruins. "When the dust had settled, there stood Prism and her friends, standing victoriously over the unconscious bodies of the Moon Queen, Disco, Queen Bugaboo, King Sombrero and Tallwreck. Prism's awesomeness had unlocked the Elements of Awesomeness and together with her friends they had rescued Princess Woona."

The story had gone longer than she expected, she noticed Spike had fallen asleep and Scootaloo was almost there.

"When the battle was over, the others ran up to Prism and gave her a group hug," Rainbow said, her voice getting softer. "Prism had always kept other ponies at arm's length, 'cause deep down she was afraid of letting others get close to her—afraid if she did they'd leave her, like others had before, but the five friends she made that night stormed the fortress around her heart and became her best friends. The end," she said with a smile.

She picked up one with each arm and carried them out of the room. She put Spike to bed and tucked him in.

"Sleep tight, little bro," she said softly before she left the room.

When they got to Scootaloo's suite, Rainbow tucked her in then did a monster check. She looked back at Scootaloo and saw the filly just looking up at her, smiling, with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Rainbow,” Scootaloo said. “That was an awesome story."

Rainbow smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're welcome, kiddo. I hope you don't mind that I invited Spike along on that adventure. He forgets he's still a kid sometimes."

"I don't mind. I like Spike," she said sleepily, still looking up at Rainbow. Scootaloo sat up and hugged Rainbow. "Thanks for everything, Rainbow,"

"You're welcome. Sweet dreams, Scoot," she said, returning the hug before she left the room.

***

At the intersection the green '68 Mustang Fastback pulled up behind the black Dodge Charger that the killers drove. Rainbow's hands gripped the wheel tightly, waiting for them to make their move. The killers made a high speed break for it, pulling out into traffic. Rainbow put the car in gear and began a high speed pursuit through a faded cinematic 60's San Francisco.

She followed tenaciously, the Charger unable to shake her as they jumped hills and took a twisting and turning path through the city.

"You know what they call a Big Mac in France?" she heard Princess Nightmare ask.

Rainbow gave a start, turning to see an anthropomorphic Nightmare Moon, wearing a black suit, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Le Big Mac," she replied with a laugh. "Wrong movie, princess. This is Bullitt. Best chase ever filmed," Rainbow said the moment before the car crested the hill at high speed and went airborne, the Charger ahead of them.

"You humans dream so much more vividly than ponies," the princess observed, with what Rainbow thought was perhaps a hint of anxiety in her voice as they began a series of high speed jumps at each of the terraces along the long, steep hill, hot on the trail of the Charger. The Mustang bottomed out at the final jump at the bottom of the hill and then Rainbow turned a hard left at high speed. The only soundtrack to the chase was the loud squealing of tires and the roar of engines.

"So what brings you into the dream, princess?" Rainbow asked, keeping her eyes on the road as they followed the Charger onto the highway and began swerving in and out of both lanes trying to keep pace with the other car.

"You will forgive my intrusion into your dreams, friend Rainbow, but I felt you should be aware that Luna found Scootaloo wandering the Everfree Forest in the middle of the night, looking for the Tree of Harmony."

Rainbow lost control of the car and skidded into the dirt on the side of the road.

"She did what?!" Rainbow demanded.

"She wished to commune with the Tree."

"That's insane! What was she thinking? Is she okay?"

"She is unharmed and has been returned to Twilight's castle."

Rainbow put the car in gear, floored the gas and resumed her pursuit. She weaved in and out of traffic, including oncoming traffic, as she continued her chase.

"Thanks for telling me, princess. Oh man, only a crazy pony would go in the forest at night."

"Yes, not without her five friends,"

"Ouch. Okay, good point. But did she see the Tree?"

"Yes. Luna and I took her to see the Tree. Forgive me if I keep in confidence what her petition to the Tree was."

Rainbow finally cleared the traffic and it was now just her and the Charger. She began slamming into the side of it, trying to force it off the road.

"Gonna need to watch out, princess."

"For what?" Nightmare asked as a moment later the windshield was peppered with buckshot.

"They dare raise arms against the Queen of the Night?" she said in outrage and her horn lit up and she leaned out the window and a moment later the Charger exploded in a huge fireball.

Rainbow slammed on the brakes and the car went into a wild spin until it finally came to a stop after crossing both directions of traffic. The burning wreckage of the Charger rolled into a gas station down the road and that too exploded in a huge fireball.

Rainbow got out of the car and leaned against it, watching the conflagration in the distance. A somewhat shaken Nightmare Moon sat on the hood of the Mustang, watching the blaze as well.

"Thanks for looking after her, princess,” Rainbow said. “With me as her role model I guess I shouldn't be surprised she did that."

"Having heard her petition, I understand her reasoning. Speak with her tomorrow, friend Rainbow, and let us keep this in confidence between you, I, Luna and Scootaloo."

Rainbow nodded, turning back to her Mustang. "I will, princess," she replied, looking over the damage to her car. "We're gonna need a new set of wheels.”

Nightmare smiled and the world around them seemed to turn fluid. Rainbow found herself sitting in the backseat of a black 1999 BMW E38 753i. Looking around, she realized they were in Paris and in the distance French police cars were approaching.

The driver of the BMW turned to look at them. "Buckle up, ladies," Jason Statham said before he put the car in gear and floored it as the chase began.

"Ooh, good choice, princess," Rainbow said, a smile of anticipation forming.

Nightmare smiled back. "Yes. I find him strangely enticing."

"Yeah—he's pretty hot, for a human."

***

Rainbow dragged herself out of bed far earlier than normal, but she was a mare on a mission. When she sat down to breakfast at Twilight's castle, Lady Golden Meadow and Twilight discussed the overhaul of the orphanage system while Rainbow kept an eye on Scootaloo. When their eyes would meet, Scootaloo would look away with a childish "guilty secret" look. Rainbow didn't want to bring it up in front of Twilight or the matron, but she knew they'd need to talk about it. After breakfast they left the princess and matron to continue discussing their business and the two went for a walk around town. Rainbow took note of Scootaloo's unusual silence. She glanced around to make sure nopony was near.

"So, Scootaloo, Princess Nightmare told me about your little adventure last night," Rainbow started in.

That startled the little pony so much she stumbled. "She-she did?" Scootaloo responded in alarm.

"Yeah, but relax. She didn't say more than that you went to see the Tree of Harmony. If I'd known you were really that desperate to see it I would've taken you. It's a lot safer in daylight. So, what did you want to see the tree for?"

"It's kinda personal," the little pony hedged.

"You wanted answers, most likely. Did you get any from the Tree?"

"Sort of, but it wasn't a very helpful answer."

"Be glad you got any response. Usually it just sits there looking pretty."

"It said to just be patient."

"It actually spoke to you?" Rainbow asked in surprise.

"Not with words. It was more like it said them to my heart," Scootaloo replied.

"I hate having to be patient. That's never fun."

A cute squeaking voice called out to Scootaloo and they turned to see Sweetie Belle and her friends galloping their way—they explained they had an idea for a way to get their cutie marks and when Scootaloo asked if she could go, Rainbow just smiled and wished them luck.

Rainbow sighed as she watched them rush off. "I'm really going to miss you, Scootaloo."

"You two are like peas in a pod," the matron said, startling Rainbow. She came up beside Rainbow as they watched the kids run off.

"Yeah, she's a pretty cool kid," Rainbow said, still looking in Scootaloo’s direction.

"You two fit very well together," the matron said, ending with a pregnant pause.

It took Rainbow a few moments to realize what the matron was getting at, and then she turned in alarm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me, ma'am."

The matron smiled knowingly. "What did you foals call it, my 'orphan sense'? The special ability I have to find exceptional matches for families, foals and fillies."

"Hey, I'm not mom material," Rainbow protested.

"You know I have that ability—It's that ability that found you the right family. Do you trust me and my judgement, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, of course, but you gotta be wrong," Rainbow pleaded.

"Rainbow, all those years ago I didn't just look at Fullbright Dash's mane and decide that was good enough. When I look at ponies it's like looking at pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and I can see how those pieces fit together," she said and gestured to her cutie mark, which was a heart with four interlocking jigsaw puzzle pieces inside. "I could have made a fortune playing matchmaker to lonely ponies, but I chose a far more important calling. I put together families and I'd say from the way you turned out, I do a very good job," the matron said with a bit of pride.

"But I'm a wild mare living on pure adrenaline. I can't put on the brakes and be stuck at home raising a kid. What happens when Element business comes up?"

"Your friend Twilight raises a child while doing her duty as Princess of Friendship and Element of Magic. How does she balance it?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, but then closed it. "Okay, you got me there. It's not always easy for them. Sometimes Spike feels neglected when she gets too deep into her work."

"I would go so far as to say that a child can feel neglected even when they have their parents. Do Spike and Twilight reconcile when they do have those times?"

"Sure."

"Is Spike happy with the family he has?"

"Yep. He once went off to connect with other dragons—that was a total disaster as it turns out dragons are really huge jerks. I had to beat up a bunch of dragon punks when Twilight, Rarity and I had to get him out of there. After that, Spike basically embraced ponykind as his people rather than dragons. It was kind of sad in a way, but I know exactly why he made that choice, as I made it myself," Rainbow said with a sigh. "That's why he's my little bro. Two aliens in a world of ponies."

Lady Golden Meadow put a hoof on Rainbow's hand and gave her a kindly smile. "All I ask is that you give it some thought, Rainbow. I want the best for Scootaloo. I don't want her raised by ponies who will merely teach her to endure life with a disability. I want her raised by somepony who will inspire her to be a champion, even if she is never able to fly."

"Wow, that's some heavy stuff to think about."

"I know, and I do apologize for that," the matron said with a smile. "Still, I have a very strong feeling about this."

Author's Note

The chase scene from Bullit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31JgMAHVeg0
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9SZbrh_Tg

Chapter 15 - A Sad Departure, a Happy Event and a Shocking Disclosure

Rainbow eventually was able to track down Scootaloo in time for lunch. The little pony excitedly told her about the efforts of her and her new friends to get their cutie marks.

For the next few hours Rainbow and Scootaloo just hung out in town, Scootaloo often glancing at the clock as time ticked down for the arrival of the evening train that would take her and the matron back to Cloudsburg. Rainbow watched as Scootaloo visibly tensed when they heard the distant train whistle and the filly's shoulders slumped.

"Well, I guess this is it." Scootaloo said, all joy draining out of her.

Rainbow picked up Scootaloo, gave her a hug and put her on her shoulders as they headed for the train station. Once there they met up with the matron as well as Scootaloo's new friends to see them off. Rainbow put Scootaloo down and her friends gathered around her in a group hug. Rainbow hugged the matron.

"Thanks for everything, ma'am. You're a life saver," Rainbow said with emotion as the matron hugged back.

"You're welcome, Rainbow. I am so happy you're happy."

The train pulled into the station with a loud hiss and Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow, fighting back her tears. She rushed up and hugged Rainbow tightly.

"Thank you so much for letting us visit, Rainbow. It's been so amazing to get to hang out with you for a weekend. I'll really miss you!" Scootaloo said, sniffling.

Rainbow crouched down and hugged her back. "Hey, next time I'll have things planned better and maybe we'll actually get Lady Golden Meadow to really have a proper day off."

Scootaloo apparently didn't hear anything after "next time."

"I get to come back?!" Scootaloo shouted, bouncing and her wings flittering.

Rainbow was caught by surprise—she hadn't even realized she'd said it, but she quickly recovered. "Sure! An awesome hero like me has to keep an eye on her biggest fan."

The matron ushered the euphoric filly toward the train.

"Remember what I said, Scootaloo. Be awesome!" Rainbow said.

"I will, Rainbow!" Scootaloo said, waving wildly.

As the matron got on the train she stopped and looked at Rainbow with a smile. "Remember what I said, Rainbow."

Rainbow nodded back. "I will, ma'am."

Once on the train, Scootaloo appeared in a window, waved to Rainbow, and she waved back.

"She wasn't bad, for a pony," a gruff voice said from behind her.

"Gilda!" Rainbow said, hugging her friend.

"Hey, honey," Fullbright said, hugging his daughter tight.

"Hey, Dad. So, what did you guys want to talk about?"

Fullbright opened his mouth to reply but Gilda cut him off with a wing over his face.

"Food, then talk. I'm starving," she replied and her stomach rumbled for emphasis.

Fullbright nodded. "A hungry griffin is a cranky griffin. We'd better eat first."

Rainbow could only roll her eyes at her question going unanswered yet again. Shortly they were at a local restaurant eating at the table—or rather, Gilda was eating just about everything within arm's reach. Rainbow sat silently, lost in her thoughts.

"You miss her already, don't you?" Fullbright asked, looking up at his daughter with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a sigh. "To complicate matters, Lady Golden Meadow thinks Scootaloo and I are a good match and she wants me to consider adopting her."

Fullbright and Gilda looked to her with surprise, then Gilda resumed eating.

"What did you decide?" Fullbright asked.

"I told her I'd think about it."

"Good. She's a good mare and we owe her a lot, but don't let her pressure you into a decision that big. You need to be 110 percent sure before you commit. "

"Yeah, I don't want to just do it just out of pity. I need to be sure I'm ready”

“If you decide it’s the right choice, honey, you’d be an awesome mom.”

“Yeah, you’d probably do a good job and that would be good for me ‘cause we can share mom… stuff,” Gilda said between bites.

“But hey, enough about me. Will you two finally tell me what you wanted to tell me?"

Gilda looked up from her food and took one of Fullbright's hooves in her claws and they both looked to Rainbow. Fullbright led the way.

"Rainbow, this will be an odd question to ask, but, do we have your blessing to get married?"

Rainbow looked at them in surprise. "You even have to ask? Sure! I figured that's what you two wanted to talk about." Rainbow relaxed, now that the pressure was off. She saw her dad and Gilda relax as well. "So, when do you two plan to get hitched?" She noticed them both get a bit nervous.

"At the Summer Sun Celebration," Fullbright said.

Rainbow checked her mental calendar and something wasn't right. "But that's only two weeks away. What's the rush? Why are you having—" she said and stopped when they both looked away and fidgeted nervously in their seats. Then a possibility dawned on Rainbow. She leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. "You're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant," Gilda confirmed.

"You two have got to be kidding me! How far along are you?"

"About three weeks."

"How did this even happen?"

"Well, when a pony loves a griffin very much…" Fullbright began.

"Dad! Seriously, this isn't time for jokes."

"Sorry, Rainbow, but we had this discussion when you were younger. Ponies and other creatures of our world, well, spring's a very special time for us."

"Don't remind me, Dad. That discussion was one of the most awkward events of my life," she said, managing a bit of laughter.

"For me as well," he replied with a smile. "Are you mad at us?"

"Nah, just surprised. That's all."

"Not as surprised as we were," Fullbright said. "We thought hybrids were just a myth."

Rainbow nodded. "They're called hippogriffs. The front half is eagle and the back half is pony."

"How do you know about them?" Gilda asked in surprise.

"Twilight showed us something from a book that talked about them. She's got books on everything."

"Then we need to speak to Twilight," Fullbright said. "We have no idea what's in store."

After the restaurant they quickly made their way to the library of the Princess of Friendship. Twilight looked over her expansive collection as she combed it for references to hippogriffs. "Hmm, there really isn't much information beyond what I was able to show Rainbow and the others. Einhorn's Bestiary isn't wholly reliable, but there is enough empirical evidence to support his descriptions."

Shortly Spike let out a loud burp and a swirl of green smoke produced a scroll with Celestia's seal. "Ah, this should be interesting. If any pony alive knows anything about hippogriffs, it would be Celestia."

She opened the scroll and began reading:

Dear Twilight,

First, congratulations to the happy couple. It has been over 600 years since a hippogriff has been born in Equestria that I am aware of. Due to the enmity between our peoples over the centuries it is not surprising, but with the cooling of hostilities over the last few decades I expect to see more of them. That last hippogriff was Sir Surefeather Ramblestone—see enclosed picture. He was a true and loyal friend. His parents, a mare and griffin, were diplomats who took their diplomatic relations a little too far. I do not know if that will affect the appearance of the child.

Gestation was around eight months; the mother laid an egg. Even now I have no idea how that worked, but she laid a viable egg and it required about a month of incubation before it hatched. The hatchling was the normal size and weight for a foal and he had normal development. Hippogriffs can get cutie marks. He did marry and have children—they were normal ponies as the hybrid properties did not travel beyond him. Let me know if you require more assistance. I'm afraid you're in virtually uncharted territory, but I will do all I can to help.

Celestia

Twilight showed the picture to the others. It was a photograph of a very old oil painting depicting a hippogriff in Equestrian guard armor and holding a lance, standing in a heroic pose.

Fullbright relaxed a bit and comfortingly wrapped his forelegs around Gilda. "At least we know the child can be had safely."

"Yeah, but it'll be a freak," Gilda quipped.

Rainbow nudged Gilda and smiled. “Hey, it’ll be in good company. Dad knows all about raising misfits. So, what plans do you have for the wedding?”

“Well, we don’t have any plans," Fullbright said. "We don’t need much of a ceremony. You and I don’t have much family, Rainbow."

“I don’t have much,” Gilda said. “I’ve got a little family, but it’s mainly just my nutty grandpa.”

Fullbright looked to the others. “Really, we could do it right now,” he said, turning to Twilight. “Princess, you have the authority to do marriages. Rainbow can be the witness required by law.”

Twilight looked up in surprise. “Are you sure? I mean, I’ll gladly do it, but it seems rather lackluster. A wedding should be something special. Besides, our friends are great at things like this. They’d be heartbroken if Rainbow's father and Gilda had a wedding without letting them help. This is Ponyville after all—this town loves a party.”

The couple looked at each other and after a conversation that seemed to be expressed just in eyebrow movements they shrugged their shoulders.

“Well, we've been worried about how ponies would react to a pony and griffin getting married, but all right, maybe a just a small one," Fullbright said.

“Okay! We’ll need to assemble the troops,” Rainbow said with a smile.

Once Rainbow's friends had arrived, the nuptial couple just sat back and let the others work. Soon the small intimate wedding ballooned into a major event.

Spike belched up another letter and Twilight opened it and smiled. “Princess Celestia said she’d be willing to perform the wedding ceremony, since you wanted to have it on her day.”

“Celestia herself is performing our wedding,” Fullbright said in astonishment.

Pinkie Pie was unusually subdued as she looked over the notebook laid out in front of her. “Okay, this will be a bit unusual. There’s that thing with food for the griffins. We probably shouldn't use Fluttershy's bird friends for music as the griffins might mistake them for hors d'ouerves. Fluttershy, how are you going to be with serving meat at the wedding?”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and thought silently for a little while. “Some of my animal friends are carnivores. I know they’ll want meat, but please don’t serve anything still alive."

"Okay, that won't be a problem. I think that takes care of the big stuff," Pinkie said with relief.

"Only..." Rarity began. All turned to her. "There is one big problem," she said, holding up a book on griffin customs. "There is the hunt. That's a big part of the wedding ceremony."

"The hunt?" Fullbright asked.

"Yeah," Gilda began, nodding. "I've been to a few griffin weddings. There has to be a hunt. An animal's released and the couple have to hunt and kill it."

"No!" Fluttershy and Fullbright said adamantly.

"Rarity, what are the specific details of the hunt?" Twilight asked

Rarity turned to the book and read more. "A large animal of a type appropriate for the region, big enough for everyone in attendance to get a taste."

Rainbow looked to Pinkie, who was deep in thought. Pinkie suddenly lit up brightly with a big smile on her face. She rushed over to Twilight and whispered something in her ear.

"Sure, I could do that," Twilight replied. Pinkie rushed over to Fluttershy and whispered something to her.

Fluttershy relaxed and smiled. "Yes, that's a very good idea, Pinkie."

Pinkie looked to the rest. "That problem is solved. Let's hear it for loopholes!"

Fullbright looked to the others. "So? What did you decide?"

"Now, Mr. Dashie, it's no fun if I spoil the surprise! We've got the hunt covered. We'll have a large ‘animal’, she said, making air quotes with her hooves, "of a type appropriate for Ponyville ready for the wedding." She made a playful wink. "We'll have to check to see if we can get Gustave Le Grand to do the griffin catering too."

Fullbright turned to Rainbow and smiled. "Honey, since we'll be doing a proper wedding, I want you to be my best mare."

Rainbow was stunned for a moment and then smiled proudly. "Dad, it would be an honor."

The planning went on for a while longer. The couple decided to go with a small quickie wedding right there, so that it would be less awkward to explain the birth date/wedding date issue, but they'd still have the big official wedding in a few weeks. Twilight performed the ceremony with Rainbow and her friends as witnesses. After the congratulations and celebratory hugs, the couple declined the invitation to late night dinner and merrymaking and instead headed out make merry in their own way to celebrate.

After the ceremony Rainbow looked over the marriage certificate that Twilight had filled out and as she signed it as witness, she noticed that Twilight had backdated it three weeks for the sake of the baby.

Rainbow was still in a daze. Her dad was married again! And Gilda was her stepmother! It was surreal.

When all the celebrating was over, Rainbow walked back to her place. She stopped outside and looked at the dark house, feeling a sense of emptiness inside herself. After settling in on her couch she studied a collection of wedding and group pictures Pinkie had just given her, taken during Scootaloo's visit—strangely despite the fact Rainbow couldn’t recall Pinkie having a camera at any point during the wedding, and no time to develop them. She shuffled through the snapshots until she came to one that showed her with the little filly on her shoulders, her dad and Gilda in front of her.

"Like a family picture," she said out loud, then looked around suddenly, as if it was Lady Golden Meadow who'd said it. Rainbow studied the picture more closely. “I don’t remember us posing like this. Wait, this is a Pinkie Pie pic. Don’t think about it, Rainbow. Just don’t think about it…”

She used the frame from a picture of herself to frame the group picture and put it on a shelf—she'd soon need space for wedding pictures and then pictures of her new little sib. Rainbow had to sit down when that thought hit her—she was going to be a big sister! Her dad was going to be a dad again; Gilda was going to be a mom. That thought made Rainbow giggle—she was already Rainbow's step-mother, so that gave Rainbow license to call her "Mom" to annoy her.

Rainbow sat on the sofa with her great-grandfather's guitar, strumming softly, thinking about the future as she looked over the pictures and the empty space on the shelf for the ones that would soon be there. When she was ready for bed, she made her way upstairs and looked over her rooms, most just piled with her stuff. There was the exercise room, another set aside for her massive collection of vinyl records, while the others were just storage for junk. Any one of those would make a good room for Scootaloo; the thought made Rainbow smile when she realized she was already making room in her heart for the kid.

The next day Rainbow arrived at Twilight's castle and searched until she found Spike on a high balcony, sitting in a folding chair, holding a reflector as he tried to get a tan.

"Hey, Spikezilla! Just the dude I was looking for," Rainbow said as she sat on the railing opposite him, but not blocking the light.

Spike looked over the rims of his oversized sun glasses and smiled. “Sup’ Rainbow,” he replied, closing his eyes again and adjusting his reflector.

She hopped off the railing and leaned against it. “Got some serious stuff to ask you, dude. What did you think of Scootaloo?”

“I liked her. She was kinda like an orange and purple you.”

Rainbow laughed a bit. “Good. I was hoping she made a good impression. The reason I ask is that when Lady Golden Meadow was here, she said I should think about adopting her.”

Spike fumbled his reflector in surprise. “Holy guacamole! That’s big.”

“Yeah. We both thought of you when I said I wasn’t sure what it would be like for a single Element of Harmony to try to raise a kid. How do you and Twilight manage what you have?”

Spike relaxed and brought up his reflector again. “I dunno. We just know we can count on each other. I have Twilight and you guys and as Ma Apple constantly says, 'you can always count on yer Ponyville family' so we always have somepony to help us fix anything that goes wrong. Maybe I’m not the one to talk to about this because I have such a big family. Maybe you should talk to Rarity. She’d know more about stuff like this.”

“Really? I mean, they have their parents around.”

“Rainbow, count on your fingers how many times you’ve seen Rarity's parents in Ponyville."

Rainbow did a quick calculation and then ticked off the number on her fingers. “Four.”

“You’ve seen them here four times in the last few years.”

“Wow, I never really thought of it like that. Yeah, I should talk to her. Thanks dude, I owe you one,” she said, leaning down and putting her fist out.

Spike smiled and did a fist bump. “Hey, it’s the least I could do. Other dragons may love their gold and jewels, but you guys are my treasure.”

“Aww, that’s sweet, Spike," Rainbow said as she departed. She briefly visited Twilight in her library and told her about the suggestion of adoption and Twilight's reply had been confident and to the point. "Rainbow, I think you'd make a wonderful mother and role model for her."

Rainbow hesitated outside Carousel Boutique—of all her friends, Rarity was the one she was perhaps the least close to, and she could be very judgmental at times, yet of their little group, she in many ways was the most mature. Rainbow had taken a very roundabout way of getting here, visiting her other friends beforehoof.

***

Pinkie Pie: Dashie, I'm already planning the celebration!

Apple Jewel: Ma and I already talked about it and we both think it would do a world 'o good for both of ya.

Fluttershy: Adoption is a big step, Rainbow, but I’m sure you can handle it.

“Really? You think I have what it takes to be a mom?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy replied, with the slightest hesitation in her voice.

“Okay, out with it, Fluttershy. You have reservations.”

The shy pony tapped her hooves together self-consciously a few moments and took a sip of tea before she replied.

“Rainbow, you fight too much, drink too much and swear too much.”

“%$^&*#}@!”

Fluttershy gave her a stern look, holding her hooves over Angel’s ears while Harry the bear looked at her disapprovingly from over the rim of his tea cup.

Rainbow looked around and saw all the animals in the cottage staring in shock at her. “Okay, you got me on the last one.”

Fluttershy paused and thought silently for a few moments before she continued. "Rainbow, you are constantly testing your limits, taking greater and greater risks. For what? To one day find a risk too big and you die? Life isn't a race. The winner isn't the first one to reach the end. The winner's the one who makes the most of the journey to the end."

Rainbow sat quietly, absorbing what her friend had told her.

"I think taking care of Scootaloo would be the best thing in the world for you," Fluttershy continued. "It would give you a reason to think before you act. Taking care of her would force you to slow down and to stop and smell the roses. A chance to grow up and be mature and responsible."

"But that's the opposite of awesomeness!" Rainbow protested.

"Is your dad awesome?"

"Of course!"

"Is he mature and responsible?"

Rainbow wanted to protest, but she couldn't. She folded her arms and sulked. "Yes," she grumbled.

"See? You can be mature, responsible and awesome all at the same time. That's what she needs in her life, Rainbow, and you can be the pony to give her the life she wants and needs. If you need a different perspective on this, my therapist would be more than happy to talk to you."
***

That talk with Fluttershy had given her pause, but now she felt she was finally ready to face Rarity. She boldly approached and opened the door. Shortly Rainbow sat at tea, making polite small talk as the cultured unicorn poured some herbal tea.

“So what brings you here, Rainbow? You’re not usually one for casual chit-chat," Rarity observed.

“Well, it was suggested to me by Lady Golden Meadow that I adopt Scootaloo.”

Rarity’s eyebrows went up and she put down the teapot. “My word, that was rather presumptuous of her, was it not?”

“Well, sort of yes and no.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rarity asked quizzically.

“You know Pinkie-sense?”

“Of course.”

“Well, she has what we called Orphan-sense," Rainbow said. "It's this weird knack for finding the just-right fit for parents and kids. Heck, she managed to find a pony couple willing to adopt a human! She’s doing something right. She said Scootaloo and I were a good match, so now I’m doing some soul searching.”

“That is a momentous decision, to be sure. Pie?”

Rainbow quickly ducked in alarm, then turned to Rarity, who chuckled, levitating a slice of lemon pie in front of Rainbow. “Sorry, wrong type of pie.”

“So anyway, I was talking to Spike about how he and Twilight get along with the Harmony stuff happening. He said I should talk to you.”

Rarity gave Rainbow a curious look. “Really? Why would he think I’d know about that?”

“Well, he said that since your folks aren’t around much, you might know what’s it’s like to raise a kid and be an Element of Harmony.”

Rarity’s brow furrowed. "Hmm, yes. I will have to have a word with my dear Spikey-wikey about that.”

“Hey, he was just trying to help me out in a tough jam. He didn’t mean to gossip or anything," Rainbow said defensively, holding up her hands.

Rarity relaxed and nodded. “I know, Rainbow. And he is right in the sense that I do more to raise Sweetie Belle than my mother and father.”

“How do you handle it?”

Rarity took a sip of her tea. “It isn’t always easy. We are both a bit fragile at times, so things can get tense. I suppose the best way I could describe it is as a balance—I have to balance her, my career and my duties as the Element of Generosity. As you know, it does stress me out quite often. That spa is a godsend.”

“What I don’t understand is why you put up with it? Why don’t your folks do more to raise your sister? I mean, I know it’s none of my business and all, but still.”

Rarity appeared to be studying her teacup. “Rainbow, I appreciate your concern, but there are reasons for what they do.”

Rainbow gestured animatedly. “But they’re your parents! They have a job to do…” Rainbow began a run on sentence of what she perceived to be the responsibilities.

Rarity listened silently, stirring her tea the whole time, her head down and eyes closed. Rainbow was so lost in her tirade that it was only the high pitched chime of Rarity daintily tapping her teaspoon against her teacup that interrupted her.

“Rainbow, please. Remember that you are speaking about my parents,” she said softly.

Rainbow nodded and sighed. “Yeah, I'm sorry. Not my place to judge.”

“Precisely. I know and understand your reasons for why you feel so strongly about parental responsibility,” Rarity said, looking down at her teacup again.

“You’re doing a great job raising your sister, Rarity,” Rainbow said, picking up her cup and sipping her tea.

Rarity finally looked up and met her friend's gaze. “Rainbow… Sweetie Belle is my daughter.”

Chapter 16 - A Mother's Thoughts and a Pony Where it Counts

The teacup fell from Rainbow’s hand; it landed with a clatter on the table, the contents soaking into the tablecloth, Rainbow’s mind off-balance trying to process the startling revelation.

“B-but, your—your daughter? How can she be her age—at your age?” Rainbow stammered.

Rarity used her magic to put the teacup back on Rainbow’s saucer and then levitated a napkin to try to clean up the spilled tea. “I was thirteen when she was born.”

Rage suddenly filled Rainbow and she grabbed the biggest utensil on the table and held it like a dagger. “Tell me his name and I’ll kill him! Then magic him back to life and kill him again!”

Rarity used magic to gently take the pie server from Rainbow’s hand and she set it back on the table as she levitated the teapot over and refilled Rainbow’s cup. “Calm yourself, Rainbow, darling. I assure you that Sweetie Belle’s conception was, thankfully, not the result of violence or coercion by an older stallion. The father was a colt the same age as I. It was a ‘perfect storm’ as they say, of bad things all going wrong at the same time. Our families were close and we would often go vacationing together. The young gentlecolt and I had quite the crush on each other. It so happened we had both reached that certain age, and we were together at that special time of year when ponies—“

“Dad gave me the 'ponies in spring’ talk when I was younger,” Rainbow recalled with a shudder.

“I shall spare you the details then, but suffice it to say we were never given ‘the talk’ and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Our respective parents should have known better than to leave us unsupervised that long, especially at that time,” Rarity said with a hint of bitterness.

“Whoa, so they’re actually Sweetie’s grandparents. Does she know?”

“No, she does not. I will have to tell her eventually though, as she is troubled by their frequent absence.”

Rainbow tried to drink the tea but shook her head instead. “Sorry, I’m finding all this a bit hard to wrap my brain around.”

“Indeed. Mother and Father as well as Sweetie's father’s family were obviously quite shocked when they found out. We lived in Canterlot at the time and the colt’s family was very well-to-do. They paid us ‘hush money’ to move out of town. It turns out that this sort of thing happens often enough in Canterlot high society that they have a term for it—‘the four season sojourn.’” Rarity said and her shoulders slumped as she hung her head under the apparent weight of the memories. “The father's family made arrangements for us to live at a resort of sorts, in a secluded area in the west. This resort was accustomed to this sort of thing and if anything existed for the upper crust to treat embarrassing problems. So when the day came, Mother was there with me in the delivery room, holding my hoof as Sweetie Belle came into the world."

Rarity poured a fresh cup of tea for herself, stirring with a hint of agitation. "As I said, the doctors were accustomed to this sort of thing and discretion was their top priority. Without so much as batting an eye, they lied on Sweetie's birth certificate and listed my parents as her parents. I remained there with Mother while Father scouted around to find a new place for us to live. When I was recovered, we moved into our new home in Ponyville. Mother, Father and their two daughters.”

“What did the dad ever have to say about any of this?” Rainbow finally managed to ask.

“I haven’t seen or spoken to him since. We were told to never contact them under any circumstances.”

“Wow, harsh," Rainbow replied, sitting back, still trying to take it all in.

Rarity nodded and sipped her tea. “So you see, Rainbow, my mother and father are wonderful parents. When I got pregnant, they didn’t disown me or throw me out into the street. They gave up everything they had worked for—good jobs, a beautiful home—to spare me and our family from the shame and ridicule, which would have certainly followed us in Canterlot. They didn’t force me to give up my baby but raised her as their own. Now they feel that I’m old enough and mature enough to take up the job on my own and they’re right. It’s just a matter of finding the right way of explaining the truth to Sweetie. It is I... who am the... bad parent.”

Rarity sat quietly for a few moments and slumped to the table, her head resting on her folded forelegs as she began sobbing. Rainbow quickly got up and came around the table and wrapped her arms around her friend. Rarity turned and rested against Rainbow and cried; this was far longer than her normal histrionics and Rainbow knew it was the release of long-sealed emotions. When the tears finally passed, Rarity let go of Rainbow and sat back, picking up her napkin and wiping her eyes.

"I must look a fright," Rarity said apologetically, looking at the makeup smears on the napkin.

Under other circumstances, Rainbow would have found Rarity's current appearance comical, but not today. "Don't worry about it, Rarity. By the look of it, you needed to get that out of your system."

Rarity chuckled a bit. "Rainbow, you're the first pony I've told that, ever. Thank you. I've kept that secret bottled up inside me since I was thirteen."

"You're welcome. That's what friends are for. And don't worry, I won't say anything about it. I'm kinda surprised you could keep something that big a secret for so long," Rainbow said as she returned to her seat.

Rarity managed a small laugh. "I am a bit of a gossip, I know, but there are certain skeletons that ponies always want to keep buried. But getting back to your earlier question..." She produced a mirror and her makeup kit. "As I said before, the key to raising a child and being yourself is balance. You can't have everything your way all the time. You have to compromise to accommodate the child's wants and needs. You're very independent, Rainbow. You have to decide if you are flexible enough to let somepony else have their way at times."

"I don't think that will be the big problem. I guess I worry she'll hold me back."

"Your life is an adrenaline fueled thrill ride, but you can't have it both ways. It can't just be the Rainbow Dash show anymore. You have to make time for her needs. At times you'll have to put off thrills and adventure for things like parent/teacher conferences, days when she's sick, helping her with homework and things of that nature. It's not just you and your biggest fan; it will have to be you and your daughter," Rarity said and in astonishing time had given herself a complete makeover, returning to her normal immaculate self.

"Rarity, I'm home!" Sweetie Belle shouted happily as the door suddenly opened. The little pony galloped over and hugged Rarity. "Oh, hi Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow forced a welcome smile on her face, hoping she wasn't giving anything away. "Hey, Sweetie. How was school?"

"It was good! Oh, tea! Can I have some, Rarity?"

Rarity hugged Sweetie Belle tightly and looked down at her with a tender smile, putting a gentle hoof on the little pony's cheek. "Of course, Sweetie darling, but go wash up first."

They watched as Sweetie Belle ran off.

"Wow, so every day is a little twist of the knife for you," Rainbow said softly.

"Every day, looking her in the eye and lying to her," she replied and sat silent for a few moments. She looked to Rainbow. "Rainbow darling, I hate to be an impolite hostess, but if Sweetie and I could have some time by ourselves, perhaps now having told you the truth maybe I can at last tell her."

Rainbow smiled and got up from her seat. She came around and hugged her friend again. "No problem, Rarity. If you need a shoulder to cry on later, I'll be around."

"Thank you, Rainbow," she replied, returning the hug.

Rainbow walked around town in almost a daze, her mind still reeling from Rarity's revelation. The very word "family" had suddenly gotten very complicated in her mind.

"What is family?" she asked herself as she sat on a bench, watching the ponies go about their daily business. Rainbow saw the Cakes with their children; they managed a very successful business while raising twins and having Pinkie Pie under their roof, which must be a unique challenge all its own. She saw the Apples, Twilight and Spike, Derpy with Dr. Whooves and their daughter Dinky.

"Family are the ponies who love you, the ones who are there for you when you need them. The ones you're there for when they need you," she said with a smile.

“What’s on your mind, Rainbow sugar?” Ma Apple asked from behind her.

Rainbow gave a start of surprise as Ma Apple came around the front of the bench, little Candy Apple in tow. Rainbow scooted over as an invitation for her to sit, which she did.

“Hi, Miss Rainbow!” Candy said happily as she struggled to get onto the bench beside Rainbow. In one motion, Rainbow picked up Candy and put her on her lap.

“Hey Candy,” she said with a smile, hugging the little pony. “Yeah, I guess I got a lot on my mind,” she said and summarized her thoughts about families and her current dilemma.

Ma Apple put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Rainbow sugar, you're the very Element of Loyalty. What does that say about you? You are dependable and trustworthy and then some." A sadness seemed to come over her and the smile faded from her face. "Rainbow, Twilight showed me that recordin' of your fall. My heart was in my throat as I watched you chasin' after that little filly. No hesitation, no fear. The ground gettin' closer and closer and that didn't matter none to you. You were gonna save her no matter what. I truly believe that you woulda stayed with her to the end and gone right into the ground beside her if you couldn't save her." Ma Apple shuddered and wiped her tears away with a hoof. "Sorry, sugar."

Rainbow smiled and leaned against Ma Apple. "It's okay, Ma. I appreciate that you care. But being the Element of Loyalty’s cool and all for the short runs and rescues, but can I be this awesome to Scootaloo on a daily basis or would I get bored with the regular day to day stuff? That's what worries me. Can I be the perfect mom she needs?"

Ma Apple put a comforting foreleg around Rainbow. "Rainbow, did you expect your pony ma and pa to be perfect?"

"No, I guess not. They had no idea really what it was like, raising a human kid."

"But they did it anyway," Ma Apple said, finishing her thought. "They had love to give and a yearning in their heart to raise a filly. They knew they weren't gonna be perfect and they knew you weren't gonna be perfect, but despite all that y'all made yourselves a family. Rainbow, ya got a really big heart, one overflowin' with love, and now you're wonderin' if there's more than just loyalty you can offer a pony. And I'm sure Scootaloo would love to have you as her momma. She wouldn't care one bit that you ain't a pony. You'd be the most loyal and dependable momma any little pony could hope for and you'd have your great big Ponyville family to help ya too."

Rainbow looked to Candy Apple, who'd sat quietly on her lap, not wanting to interrupt the grown-up talk. "Candy, do you think I'd make a good mom?"

Candy reached up and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck in a hug. "Yes, Miss Rainbow."

Ma Apple laughed and smiled. "See, ya got the word of a genuine filly. If that ain't dependable, I don't know what is."

Rainbow smiled and looked to Candy. “So, I’d be a good mom even if I don’t look like a pony, with a cute little muzzle,” she said, and booped Candy on the nose with a finger. “Or cute pony ears?” she said, tickling Candy’s ears, causing the little pony to giggle.

“Silly Miss Rainbow, you are a pony!" Candy Apple said with a big smile. "’Cause you’re a pony where it counts," Candy said and put a little hoof over Rainbow’s heart.

"Aww, thanks Candy," Rainbow said with a smile and hugged the little pony again.

Ma Apple laughed. “Candy’s right, sugar. To Ponyville, you’re a brave and fearless, wingless, mostly bald pegasus who walks upright and likes to fall from high places.”

Rainbow smiled down at Candy. “Well, if I’m ever a mom, I hope I’m half as good a mom as your mom.”

Candy smiled up at Rainbow. "Now you just need a stallion to marry! Big Mac really likes y-" Candy said and was cut off by her mother's hoof over her mouth.

"Hush now, Candy. Rainbow has enough on her mind," she said, laughing nervously.

Rainbow was about to respond when something strange happened; her cutie mark began glowing and vibrating.

"What's that, sugar?" Ma Apple asked in surprise.

Rainbow looked down at her brightly glowing mark—bright enough that it could be seen through her jeans. "I don't know, but I got a feeling this is something big. Gotta dash!"

Chapter 17 - A Map Problem

At the castle, Rainbow found her friends gathered in the map room. A cluster of tiny cutie marks were hovering over a tiny town in the middle of nowhere—two rows of parallel buildings with a single building on the end. Rarity was quite beside herself, muttering about the summons being the Worst—Timing—Ever.

"Well, it looks like we've got a job to do," Rainbow said.

"We, but not you, sugar cube. Doctor's orders," AJ reminded her.

Rainbow sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Great, the first time the map thingy works and I miss out on all the fun!"

"Discord, get yourself in here!" Apple Jewel commanded and moments later he appeared, carrying luggage.

"Ladies, are we bound for adven—" he began and was cut off when he transformed, seemingly without intending to, to his pony form. "Whaaat the heck just happened?" he stammered, looking back at his glowing cutie mark. He closed his eyes and concentrated and began growing agitated. "I can't turn back to Discord... I'm stuck as a pony!"

Twilight looked him over and smiled smugly, perhaps appreciating seeing Discord at a disadvantage. "I'm guessing that since you chose to accept the duty of an Element of Harmony, you are in pony form until our work there is done, perhaps to discourage you from getting distracted or running off."

"B-but now my power is just that of a mere unicorn!" he lamented.

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity asked, indignant.

Rainbow did what she could to help as the group hastily prepared for the unexpected journey. Soon, they were all at the platform at the train station, waiting. She couldn't help but notice that Discord had an expression of dawning dread on his face, like a soldier about to see battle for the first time. "Relax, dude. You can do this. You got your friends with you. They have your back and you'll have theirs."

"How am I supposed to be an Element of Harmony? Or a friend?" he asked, looking up at her, genuine anxiety on his face.

She crouched down and put her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "It will come naturally to you, trust me. And remember, you're there in my place so be awesome and when in doubt just ask yourself what I’d do."

"I don't know if I can do this, Rainbow," he said in a whisper that only she could hear.

She gave him a kindly smile and did something she never thought she'd do—she hugged him. "We're your friends, Discord. You wanted to understand friendship and this is the way."

He was startled by the hug, not having received one from anypony but Fluttershy before. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash," he said sheepishly as he saw the others watching and giggling.

The train whistle interrupted the scene and after hugs all around, she watched her friends depart for adventure, leaving her behind. A bit frustrated, Rainbow headed to the castle and sat on her throne in the map room, staring at the map, and watched as the group of six cutie marks moved toward their goal. As time passed she paced—she tried to read, but her attention always returned to the map. She got the guitar that she kept stashed at the castle for music emergencies and began playing.

"Hey Rainbow," Spike said as he entered the room and stood on his toes to look at the map.

"Hey Spike," she replied, looking up briefly from her guitar.

"Did you need food or anything? I can get something for you."

"No, I'm good," she said quietly.

He hopped on his throne and just stared at the map. The only sound was Rainbow's guitar as time passed—she just played the melodies, not feeling up to singing the lyrics while watching the agonizing slowness of the tiny train as it moved with her friends on it.

"So this is what it's like for you when we're off on our crazy adventures?" Rainbow asked, looking over to the little dragon.

"Yeah, pretty much. Just sitting around and worrying that you guys are all okay," he replied with a strange sadness in his voice.

Rainbow got up from her throne and sat on Twilight's throne beside him. She reached down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, dude, they'll be okay." He turned his head to rest his cheek against her hand. Rainbow smiled, then leaned over and picked Spike up and put him on her lap and wrapped her arms around him. To her surprise he didn't protest. He just nestled in against her and joined her in staring at the map.

They sat for a while, lost in their thoughts until the sound of hoofsteps approaching caused them to look up as a large red stallion appeared at the door.

“Howdy, Miss Dash. Spike, mind if we join ya for a spell?” Big Mac asked. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were on his back, who both waved.

“No problem. The more the merrier,” Rainbow replied, swallowing her anxieties.

“Hi Rainbow! Hi Spike!” the girls called happily.

Upon seeing the fillies, Spike quickly leaped off Rainbow’s lap and tried to play it cool.

“Hey,” he replied, taking his seat on his throne.

Rainbow managed a chuckle at Spike's display. "Hi, girls," she replied with a smile.

Big Mac crouched down so the girls could leap to the floor. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rushed over to the map and examined it all the way around, then climbed onto their sister’s thrones and turned their attention to the map.

“So it’s like watching a movie, where you don’t really see what’s happening?" Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah, kinda,” Rainbow replied with a sigh.

The fillies stayed as focused for as long as was possible for them, about ten minutes. Shortly Spike gravitated over to where they were and soon the three of them were all sitting side by side on Rarity's throne, talking and giggling.

Big Mac sat beside Rainbow's throne and joined her in staring at the map, sighing as he watched. "Ain't right."

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"It ain't right that she's out there in danger. I should be the one. I'm the oldest. It's my duty to look after the younger ones," he said, staring intently at the map.

Rainbow gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Relax, big guy. AJ and the others can handle whatever problem they find there. She's not a foal anymore. We've handled all kinds of things as the Elements of Harmony."

Big Mac turned to look at her with unease in his eyes. "But that was always around here, on our home ground. Now they're far away with nopony around to help them if they're in trouble."

"Hey, if they're in real trouble there, I'll get my bat and put the 'harm' in Harmony and start busting some heads!"

Big Mac chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, and I'd be right there with you, stompin' them into the ground. But you're right. Gotta trust them that they'll be okay. I still ain't thrilled with Discord bein' there with 'em. I don't trust that snake."

"Eh, he's a nutjob, but I think this will be good. A bonding experience. He's actually stuck as a pony and only has unicorn powers during all this. So it'll be interesting to see if he can use his wits where his powers can't do the job."

Big Mac laughed now. "I wish I coulda seen that! Walkin' a mile in a pony's horseshoes likely'll do him some good."

Silence again descended on Rainbow and Big Mac, while the kids swapped funny stories about Twilight, Rarity and Apple Jewel. The castle staff brought in dinner.

There was a sense of tension when they saw the cutie marks reach their destination at the mystery town. Rainbow and Big Mac just sat and waited while the kids cheered when the servants brought them ice cream.

Big Mac sat at the edge of the map table, resting his hooves there. Rainbow began playing softly as the others looked on. Needing a pick-me-up, Rainbow began playing Pinkie Pie's smile song.

My name is Pinkie Pie

And I am here to say...

As time grew late, they all sat and stared at the map as silence reigned over the room. In time the three little ones, who once again sat together on Rarity's throne, had drifted off to sleep in an adorable little pile.

Rainbow sat and stared at the map, keeping her eyes on it as her eyelids began to droop and eventually close. She was gently awakened later by something and she opened an eye to find it was Big Macintosh putting a blanket on her, dragging it with his teeth.

"Hey, thanks dude," she said with a smile and gently leaned her head against his.

"My pleasure, Miss Dash," he replied softly, smiling.

Rainbow glanced over at the sleeping kids and saw he had put a blanket on them as well. She sat up and returned her attention to the map and stared at it until sleep overtook her again.

The next day, after breakfast, Big Macintosh took Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom off to school. With the fillies no longer present, Spike resumed his place on Rainbow's lap. Later Big Mac returned to join them by himself. The day dragged on with agonizing slowness as the three waited and waited. Day turned to night and their friends were still in that strange town in the middle of nowhere. Another night passed and still they were there. Spike slept, curled up on her lap. His sleep the night before had been peaceful, but this time his sleep was fitful and he would often end up clinging tightly to her.

"If they're still there at sunset, I'm getting my bat and getting on the next train," Rainbow muttered, looking down at Spike and running a hand over his head.

Big Mac nodded in response, staring gravely at the map. "You and me both, Miss Dash."

A cheer went up from the three when early afternoon came around and the group of cutie marks began moving back towards Ponyville.

"Ugh, finally!" Rainbow groaned.

"This should be an interesting story," Spike said in relief.

"Thank the Maker," Big Mac said with a relieved smile.

As the evening train arrived, Rainbow, Big Mac, Spike and the fillies were waiting at the station. When the ponies got off the train they all looked up with weary smiles.

The moment the passenger car door opened, Spike rushed up to Twilight and leaped into her embrace.

"Twilight!" he said in great relief and began crying.

She sat and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad to be home, Spike," she said softly and shed a few tears of her own.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted and rushed up and hugged her. The smile on Rarity's face was one of the happiest and most satisfied smiles Rainbow could ever remember seeing.

"Sweetie darling! It is so good to be home," she replied as she hugged Sweetie Belle.

"So what happened out there, guys?" Rainbow asked anxiously.

Twilight looked around hesitantly. "Let's go back to the castle first," she said and the group began walking before Rainbow could reply. Twilight even asked Big Mac to take the fillies back to the farm so they could have privacy, invoking 'super-secret Element of Harmony friendship business' reasons.

Once inside the servants spread out a sumptuous meal. Over dinner, Twilight and the others began explaining what had happened.

Rainbow listened speechless as they told of stolen cutie marks and a town of forced equality. Pinkie spoke in horror movie terms about the quality of the baked goods, while Discord had surprisingly little to say about anything, mostly just staring off into space. Rainbow could see her friends were shaken and troubled by what they had experienced and more troubled by the fact that this Starlight Glimmer pony had escaped. Her ire was up—she should have been there for her friends! She would have done something to save her friends from the hooves of that monster, but admirably it was apparently Discord who had saved the day.

Discord was reluctant to speak at first, but as the tale developed he found his usual stride. "So after the second night, when Starlight Glimmer dragged us out to see if she'd broken us, I realized what I had to do. I threw myself at her hooves, telling her I understood the value of equality. So when she was gloating at Twilight about her victory over one of her friends, I remembered what you said, Rainbow—ask myself what you would do. So I did it. When she wasn't looking I punched her as hard as I could."

Rainbow did a fist pump. "Yes!"

Discord managed a small laugh. "I was really weak, so she didn't drop, but she was staggered. I jumped on her and we're wrestling around on the ground for a bit, but I wasn't in any state to put up much of a fight. Still, it served its purpose. It revealed her as a hypocrite! In the fight her fake cutie mark was wiped away. When the community saw she wasn't practicing what she preached, there was a revolution and her whole scheme quickly unraveled. She tried to escape with our cutie marks, but our new friends saved the day and got them back for us."

Rainbow patted Discord on the back. "Good job, dude. I knew I could count on you."

"It was a terrifying, eye opening experience. So did I do my duty? Am I released from my promise?" he asked desperately.

Rainbow smiled and nodded, thinking back to a quote from Lord of the Rings. "I hold your oath fulfilled. Be at peace."

Discord's rainbow cutie mark began to glow and rose off of him then faded away to reveal his tornado cutie mark. The moment it was gone he transformed back into Discord. He began jumping around and laughing, reveling in having his body back.

The others laughed a bit at his antics and once they had shared their thoughts of the events the mood lightened. After a round of tea they all sat in light conversation, surprisingly Discord keeping quiet.

"Discord?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes?" he replied, looking down at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Your paw is shaking."

"My paw is shaking?" He asked curiously and looked down to see it quaking. "My paw is shaking. Why is my paw shaking?" he asked in alarm.

Rainbow watched as the shaking got worse and his breathing suddenly became more rapid.

"What's goin' on?" Apple Jewel asked. "Discord, is this another one o' your fake sickness things?" she asked skeptically.

"Is he having a heart attack?" Spike asked in alarm.

Discord collapsed to the floor, his breathing loud and fast, his limbs shaking. Rainbow and the others rushed to his side, Twilight issuing orders to the servants nearby.

Fluttershy stood and turned to the others, a stern look on her face. "No!," she said loudly, then turned back to Discord and sat beside him and took his paw in her hooves. "What you all need to do is step back, calm down, sit down and be quiet. Discord's having a panic attack."

"A-a panic attack?" Discord gasped.

Rainbow and the others followed Flutter's orders and moved back. Fluttershy smiled down at him and held his paw tightly. Discord's eyes were wide and his chest was heaving.

"Trust me, AJ, I've experienced enough panic to know it when I see it," Fluttershy said, then looked deeply into his eyes, like a kindly version of The Stare. "You're going to be okay, Discord. This is just temporary. You have to ride out the storm. Your friends are all here and we won't let anything happen to you. You just need to know this will pass and you'll soon be yourself again."

Rainbow found the whole situation unsettling. Discord was, as far as she understood, one of the most powerful beings in the world and here he was, flat on his back, going to pieces. What surprised her was that Fluttershy was totally calm, talking soothingly to him and holding his claw.

"Just breathe with me, Discord. Deep breath, Discord. Now breathe out," she repeated and he began breathing in sync with her. After about ten minutes his breathing was returning to normal and the shaking eventually stopped.

Discord put a hand tenderly on Fluttershy's cheek. "You are an angel, Fluttershy," he said with a weak smile.

She blushed and smiled at him. "Can you sit up?"

He struggled up into a sitting position and turned to look at the others in the room. He drew in a gasp and for a moment there seemed to be panic on his face again. He quickly snatched up Fluttershy and clutched her to his chest with both arms like she was a teddy bear.

"Discord?" she asked in concern.

"I'm okay," he said softly and looked down at Fluttershy. "I'm thousands of years old and that was the most terrifying experience of my entire life. Dear sweet Fluttershy, you are far stronger and braver than I ever imagined, having to face such things every day."

Just then the main door of the room opened and in walked Princess Celestia and Princess Nightmare Moon.

"Discord, what's wrong?" Celestia asked and rushed over to him.

"This had best not be a ruse, Discord," Nightmare warned.

Discord clutched Fluttershy tighter to himself as his breathing started getting more rapid.

Fluttershy glared at Twilight. "Twilight, this was the last thing he needed," she grumbled, then turned to the newly arrived princesses. "Princesses, I apologize for this, but you both need to leave the room right now. You're putting him danger of another panic attack.”

The princesses were surprised by being abruptly dismissed and they looked to each other. Celestia turned to leave, but Nightmare's pride put up a fight before a gentle touch of Celestia's wing on hers made her relent and they left the room without another word, Twilight following them out of the room.

It was close, but Fluttershy was able to talk him through it and his breathing again returned to normal, but he still kept Fluttershy clutched to himself. It took about half an hour until he was finally able to get back on his feet again. He took a few bracing deep breaths just to seemingly test his physical state, but he still held onto Fluttershy tightly; once assured of his stability, he sat back down.

"You can let them in," he said softly.

"Are you sure, Discord?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. I'm okay," he said wearily. "I'm sure they'll have something to say about all this."

Spike went to fetch the princesses while the others got a little closer.

"Is this a group hug situation?" Pinkie asked hesitantly.

Fluttershy thought for a few moments. "Maybe one at a time."

Rainbow watched as the others each took turns, giving him a gentle hug. He grew an extra arm to continue holding Fluttershy so he could return the hugs. As Rainbow observed him still clinging possessively to Fluttershy she realized she could name at least a dozen stallions in Ponyville who'd give their right hind leg to hold Fluttershy like that.

When Rainbow finally got her turn, she began to have an unpleasant realization. This was her fault. Discord had taken her place, plus the trauma. That plus her growing admiration for the trickster made hugging him easier.

Twilight returned with the princesses—Nightmare stayed back a bit but Celestia came over to Discord, sat beside him and hugged him, which surprised everypony, especially Discord.

"How are you feeling, Discord?" Celestia asked with a kindly smile.

"I've been better,” Discord said. “My word, that was the worst thing I've ever experienced. I thought Tirek stealing my powers was the worst, but here I didn't even have power over my own body! I was totally helpless. I guess now I really know what all of you feel about me—you had me totally at your mercy and you all protected me," he said with a smile as he looked at the ponies in the room.

Twilight gave him a hug. "We're your friends, Discord. As hard as it can be to be so at times."

"It was like being buried alive with a boulder on your chest while suffocating. Celestia, what happened to me? What did that witch do to me? I'm an immortal! What if she's permanently damaged me and I have to spend the rest of time afraid that something like that could happen again?" he asked desperately, looking pleadingly at her.

She moved a bit closer and unfolded a wing and wrapped it around him. "Discord, from what Twilight told me, I surmise that this was a one-time occurrence. While you were locked into pony form you were in a constant state of stress and anxiety and then there was the brain washing. You were able to cope with a pony's natural defenses but when you returned to your true form those defenses were gone and all the stress you'd been holding in caught up with you. Now back in your true form, your ways of processing stress and anxiety will return to normal."

He leaned against Celestia. "I hope so. I have never been so scared. I think that must be what dying feels like." He turned to look down at Fluttershy, whom he still held.

Fluttershy made a weary chuckle. "Welcome to my world," she said softly.

He gave Fluttershy a gentle hug. "Fluttershy, I admit I thought you the weakest pony, but you're the strongest. To face the day knowing something like that could happen and still having the courage to go out there and be part of the world when you could just hide away and cower in fear."

Fluttershy for her part had a big smile on her face, apparently happy he finally understood her. A silence descended on the room and Rainbow cleared her throat. She went over and sat before Discord. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Dude, I'm sorry,” Rainbow started. “This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked you to cover for me you wouldn't have had this attack."

"No. This was my fault. This was all my fault, Rainbow," Discord said softly, his voice trailing off. Then his voice grew more forceful, as if he’d made a decision. "Everything is my fault.”

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked.

Discord looked to Fluttershy, who was gently poking him.

"Discord, this probably isn't the right time," she warned.

"No, I need to say it now. Like Celestia said, my normal defenses aren't up yet and when they are it will be a lot harder to say this," Discord said and paused to meet Rainbow's gaze. "Rainbow, it's my fault you were born a human instead of a pony.”

There was a collective gasp of surprise from all but Fluttershy and the royal sisters.

"What? How?" Rainbow stammered in surprise.

Discord took a deep breath and held Fluttershy tightly to his chest. "Nightmare's first escape attempt nearly fifty years ago was my doing.”

“Your doing? You mean you wanted her to escape?”

“I still had a tiny bit of power,” Discord continued. “I couldn't escape by myself so I conspired with her to help Nightmare Moon escape on the condition she'd return the favor. I gave her the plan to trans-locate to the moon of the human world to escape her prison on our moon, and with my knowledge she burned a portal between our worlds. We thought we had it all figured out, but we didn't count on the protective wards Harmony had in place to keep Nightmare on the moon. They immediately banished her back there the moment she went through the portal."

"Sooo, what's all this to do with me?" Rainbow asked hesitantly.

"Rainbow, Nightmare Moon wasn't supposed to escape that first time. I knew the way things were supposed to go, but I didn't care. I changed them—I changed everything from that point on. My choice changed events big and small, events beyond counting. Among those things changed was preventing your pony parents from ever meeting. Rainbow, Fullbright Dash was supposed to be your biological father. Your mother, a mare named Firefly."

Rainbow stared at first, taking it all in. "So Dad really is my dad, sort of?"

"Yes."

Rainbow pondered that, then smiled. "That's cool. He didn’t even know I existed but he was still able to find me."

Celestia nodded and smiled. "Harmony still needed the Element of Loyalty. Discord had broken the future and Harmony did what it needed in order to bend things back into shape as best as could be done.”

Rainbow pondered this, then an unsettling thought occurred to her. She turned to Celestia, her face darker. "So, to become the Element of Loyalty, I needed to be in a certain place at a certain time. All the things that happened to this other Rainbow had to happen to me to make me the same as her?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes, Rainbow."

Rainbow closed her eyes and she let out a roar of rage that startled all in the room. "You're telling me that it was Harmony that made my parents abandon me in Equestria? Are you telling me that it was Harmony that left me to rot in that orphanage for seven years?" When her eyes opened, they were filled with rage and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "It was seven years in hell in that place! Seven years of feeling like a freak of nature, unwanted by everyone on both sides of the portal!"

Celestia was quite startled to be yelled at and Nightmare came to her defense. "Rainbow, Silence! Remember your place," Nightmare said indignantly.

That only spurred on Rainbow's rage. She turned suddenly and pointed an accusing finger at Nightmare. "Nightmare, shut the %^&* up! It was your sorry flank that caused all of this!"

Nightmare was on her hooves in an instant, the same anger in her eyes. "You dare address me in such a manner?!"

Rainbow began closing the space between them. "Yeah, I do dare and what are you gonna do about it?"

Nightmare was now literally sputtering in rage. “Foolish foal, you know the power I wield.”

Rainbow would not back down. "Come on, Moon-Butt! Throw down and gimme a reason to give you the beating I should have given you the first time we met!”

"Rainbow, silence!" Celestia shouted, loud enough to cause the entire castle to reverberate.

Rainbow turned her attention back to Celestia. "Did Harmony kill my mom so I could have the same childhood the real Rainbow was supposed to have?"

Celestia had no reply.

"Answer me, damn it!" Rainbow shouted and when she was met with continued silence she threw her hands up in frustration as she started to leave. "That's it. I'm done. I've had enough of ponies in my life.”

Discord gave a pained cry. "Even when I try to do the right thing I still spread chaos. It's all Starlight's fault. I know what I have to do," he growled as he put Fluttershy down.

"Discord, please don't hurt her!" Fluttershy pleaded desperately a moment before Discord vanished with a snap of his fingers. With his parting, Fluttershy broke down and began crying.

"So we were all manipulated to be here in Ponyville on that day," Twilight said, her voice filled with hurt and uncertainty as she looked to Celestia. "Our own choices in life have no meaning? Are we just marionettes dancing at the end of invisible strings and free will is just an illusion?"

The others called out to Rainbow, but she just put up her hand toward them without turning around. "Ponies can talk to the hand," she said. When she left the room she slammed the crystal door with enough force to crack it top to bottom.

Rainbow stormed through the dark streets of Ponyville and the few ponies that were out and about knew to stay out of her way as she headed home.

Her only companions that night were a guitar and a few bottles of beer. She wasn't really playing any particular tune. She stopped, got up and walked to the picture of herself as a pegaus, took it off the wall and brought it over to her coffee table and propped it up against the stack of well-worn Daring Do books piled there.

She resumed playing, feeling a pain in the pit of her being unlike anything she'd ever felt before, tears beginning to run down her cheeks as she played Ronnie James Dio's Rainbow in the Dark.

(Rainbow in the dark-Female cover on acoustic guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAjvPqak37c)

"I'm so sorry, Rainbow," Discord's voice said from somewhere.

Rainbow's head snapped up and she looked around, her eyes going to a far corner of the room. "Discord?"

A moment later he materialized.

"Why are you hanging out in my living room?" she asked, her tone neither angry or surprised.

"Sorry Rainbow. I swear I don't normally do this. I just got done dealing with Starlight."

"That doesn't answer my question."

He turned and began pacing. "I'm really, really sorry about all this, Rainbow. If I could go back and fix it I would, but that would create all kinds of new problems and disruptions to events and there's—"

"I forgive you," she said softly as she took a swig from her beer and resumed playing.

"But that's—"

"Dude, I forgive you," she said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Rainbow—" he started and then ducked as an empty beer bottle whizzed by his head and smashed against the wall.

She resumed playing; the tone of her music seemed to reflect her mood, becoming more rapid and angrier. "I really don't want to talk to anypony tonight, Discord. So please leave me alone."

"I was hoping maybe there's something I could do to help," he said meekly.

The music abruptly stopped. "You just don't get it, Discord. You've taken something from me and there's nothing you could ever say or do to make up for it and there's nothing I could do to you that would make things even, and even if there were some way I could equally hurt you, I wouldn't do it because I wouldn't want you to feel what I'm feeling right now. I'm letting you off the hook.” Rainbow looked over at Discord with weary eyes. “So please just leave me alone.” She turned away and resumed her playing.

"I don't understand," he confessed, looking at her with a pained look.

She sighed and looked up at him. "Since today is the day for talking plainly, I'll lay it out for you. When you first got free you turned us against each other and against our elements. It must have been hysterical seeing me running around flapping my arms, thinking I was a pegasus. Despite all that you did then, we gave you a second chance. What did you do with that second chance? You spit it back in our faces and joined your buddy Tirek!" She took a moment to calm herself. "When Twilight banished him back to Tartarus, have you ever wondered what stopped her from chaining you up right beside him?"

"I- I haven't," he stammered.

"She forgave you and trusted you—we all did. Now think about how good it feels to avoid being punished for your mistakes, for getting a second and even a third chance.”

"I am grateful," he muttered, a small smile forming.

"Good. Now think about how Starlight Glimmer feels right now," she replied softly, not looking up from her guitar.

Rainbow's words hit him like a cold hard slap to the face. He stood there in stunned silence as he finally began to understand.

"Goodnight, Discord," Rainbow said, not looking up at him.

"Rainbow, I—" he started but when she picked up another beer bottle to throw at him he bid a hasty retreat.

She played for a little while longer then put her guitar aside before she went outside and stood on her porch, looking to the dark eerie forest in the distance. She'd been playing the blame game until now, but it all came down to being a pawn of Harmony. Time to go to the source of it all. She went inside and grabbed the nearest guitar and headed out the door.

Chapter 18 - Restoring Harmony and Facing the Night

Chapter 18 – Restoring Harmony and Facing the Night

The Everfree Forest was strangely quiet that night. The creatures that dwelt there kept to themselves, lurking in the disturbing dark while magical torches lit up a well-worn path as Rainbow approached then extinguished themselves as she passed. Rainbow noticed a strange illumination in the distance, in the direction of the castle. Apparently she was expected.

When she arrived at the castle there were no lights on; the only illumination was the moon and the radiance from the Tree of Harmony in its cave. There was no sign of Princess Nightmare, which she was glad for. She knew there'd be Tartarus to pay for what she said earlier and was not looking forward to that reckoning.

Rainbow made her way into the ravine below the castle and approached the cave. The illumination was intense but she could vaguely make out a pony shaped form within the light. She wondered who would be in there. To her knowledge Harmony didn't take physical form.

As she approached the cave she lost track of the pony. As the illumination from the Tree of Harmony filled her awareness, she stepped into the cave, the illumination dimming to acceptable levels.

"Okay, you know why I'm here,” Rainbow led in. “I've cooled off a bit, so I can talk sensibly. Have you been manipulating me my whole life? Like Twilight said, are we just your puppets? Why did you make me human? You know I would’ve given anything to be a pony. I would’ve been an awesome pegasus. You trap me in this place where I'm forever surrounded by something I can never have. Always reminded I'll never have.” The sadness weighed on her and she sat on a rock before the Tree. "Did I ever have the chance to be anything else or was my life on rails to be what I am now? When I was over on the human side, did I even have a choice to stay or go, or did you already program me to return?"

Rainbow was not surprised to have her questions met with silence. She began playing her guitar, still struggling with her emotions, unsure of what kind of resolution or closure she hoped to achieve here.

She played for a while and glanced up at the Tree briefly. "So, let me guess, when Scootaloo was here she asked to stay in Ponyville, with me? No, don't bother answering. I already know the answer. I could see it in her eyes the night I told her that story. 'Please let me stay'. So, am I really a good match for her or is that another thing you're manipulating me to do? Did you twist Lady Golden Meadow's special talent to help convince me?" she said, with hurt in her voice.

"So many questions, Rainbow," a female voice said.

Rainbow felt a chill run through her. It was a voice she recognized, one she hadn't heard in years. She turned quickly to confirm her worst fear and instantly snapped back to the Tree. "That's low. Discord, if you're doing this, you really crossed a line."

She heard the soft hoofsteps approach and she didn't want to turn around again. She wanted the phantom to go away.

"Not even a greeting, Rainbow? Aren't you glad to see me?" the burgundy unicorn asked and put a hoof on Rainbow's hand.

Rainbow pulled away from the unicorn and stepped back. "You're not real. You're not my mom. My mom's dead.”

The pony stepped up to her and took Rainbow's hand between her hooves and held it gently as she looked up at Rainbow with a tender smile. "The last thing I felt was you holding my hoof."

Rainbow began to tremble and tears began to run down her cheeks.

"The last thing I heard was 'Goodbye, Mommy,’" she said softly.

Rainbow fell to her knees and embraced the pony and began sobbing. If this really was Discord's doing, she made a mental note to thank him before she killed him.

"Mom, why are you here?" Rainbow asked, not releasing the pony, never wanting to let go.

"You needed my help, honey. You're angry and you feel used and betrayed by all those around you. Everything you believe suddenly feels like a lie. I'm here to help you understand why things are the way they are. To understand who and what you are. It was felt that talking to a living pony might just feel like they're trying to manipulate, but having me here might add more weight to the truth."

"I don't understand any of what's going on, Mom. Who am I? What am I?" Rainbow sobbed.

Azalea Dash hugged Rainbow tightly and rested her head against her daughter's. "Rainbow, dearest, you feel trapped between two worlds and two natures. And in fact, that is more true than you know. Rainbow, when your human parents decided to have a child, they were so enchanted by Equestria, they decided they wanted their child to be a part of its future so they did something remarkable.”

The world around them began to change and they were inside a large tent. Rainbow saw her human parents in their early twenties, talking with several zebra, all alchemists by the look of it. Rainbow took note of a young mare with a mystical spiral cutie mark that was with them.

"Is that Zecora?" Rainbow asked in surprise.

"Indeed, just starting her apprenticeship in the craft."

The scene played out as her bio's explained their plan. They wanted to have a baby pony and to do so, what they planned was to use potions to transform themselves into ponies to conceive a child. When the potion wore off, her mother would carry the child to term as a human and right before delivery she'd take another potion and turn back to pony and give birth to a foal.

Rainbow was speechless by the revelation.

Azalea Dash gave a playful chuckle before she continued. "But wait, it gets even more amazing. Where did those pony forms they'd be using come from?"

The world around them changed again and Rainbow saw a teenage Fullbright Dash in the same tent talking with the same zebra. Fullbright was asking for a potion to help him overcome his fear of heights and when it was provided and he offered payment, the elder zebra instead of asking for bits asked for a feather and a lock of his rainbow mane, which he gladly provided. Then the scene changed again and she saw an unfamiliar pink pegasus mare asking for help in high altitude flight and the zebra again asked for a feather and lock of mane.

The world around them changed back to the time with Rainbow's biological parents and they watched the alchemist begin mixing several potions and Rainbow watched in amazement as the feathers and mane of her pony dad and the mare were used to make the transformation potions.

The scene shifted again to when the couple were alone and they consumed two of the potions. Rainbow's mouth dropped open in astonishment as she saw that her human father now wore Fullbright's body and her mother that of the pink mare.

"B-but... that means, Dad really, really is my dad!" Rainbow stammered in amazement.

Azalea smiled and hugged her daughter. "Rainbow, honey, you aren't just an imitation Rainbow Dash, shoved into a mold meant for another. You really and truly are the one and only Rainbow Dash. You are who you were always meant to be. That's why you have a pony's magic and a cutie mark. Discord accidentally prevented your original destiny, but destiny isn't easily thwarted, so it found another way for Fullbright and Firefly to have a foal, however, your mother chose not to use the second potion and gave birth to you as a human."

Rainbow hugged her mom tight and buried her face against the mare's chest and sobbed.

"Rainbow, Harmony didn't kill me. That was my time, and it still would have been my time even if I'd never met you and your father. The only difference would have been my dying alone in that hospital room. Firefly is still alive, so for you to become you it wouldn't have required the death of another. You've always had your freedom, Rainbow. You've met your biological parents—do you really believe they could have worked things out and been a happy couple?" Azalea asked as she lifted Rainbow's head up and wiped her tears away with a gentle hoof.

Rainbow gave a half-hearted laugh. "They'd have killed each other eventually. Never in a million years would they be happy together."

The world around them changed again and Rainbow now saw different paths her life could have taken in the human world. She saw herself as white trash living in a trailer park with a bunch of kids. She saw herself as a highly decorated Green Beret. As a gold medal wining Olympian. A champion UFC fighter. She saw herself on stage performing at a rock concert. She saw herself in an 8X8 cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit, her mane shaved off and covered with tattoos, awaiting her execution. The last one was her riding a Harley-Davidson through Death Valley, with a guitar strapped to her back, riding off into the sunset.

"Rainbow, you had your freedom the night of Nightmare's return. You had the freedom to join her."

"Yeah, but she admitted later that she lied to me and that she wouldn't have been able to turn me into a real pony."

"But you didn't know that at the time. I'm very proud of you, Rainbow," she said with a kind smile.

"Hey, it's what awesome heroes like me do for a living," Rainbow said proudly.

"Rainbow, your parents left you in Equestria because they understood you were more a part of this world than theirs. It was not an easy decision and one that still haunts them to this day, but your going to them, forgiving them, has eased that burden."

"So there was no manipulation?"

"Well, you and your friends were all nudged in certain directions. It wasn't mere chance that put you all in Ponyville at that time. Nothing forced you and your friends to follow Nightmare Moon into the Everfree Forest that night. There is destiny, but it has to be chosen. Let me ask you a question, Rainbow. If you had to choose between saving a pony's life or become a pony yourself, which would you choose?"

Rainbow gave her mom an annoyed look for even having to ask. "Saving a pony's life, of course."

"In a sense, Rainbow, that's what happened. While you lost something precious to you, another pony close to you would have lost so much more. You weren't the only one whose life was changed by Discord's action. The destinies of two entire planets were forever changed by his actions."

The world around them changed and they now were looking at Sweet Apple Acres and the Apple family was posing for a group picture. Rainbow smiled as she watched Ma Apple fussing over her brood to make sure they all looked good for the camera. As Rainbow watched the image changed, Ma and Pa Apple faded from the scene and moments later Candy Apple as well. Apple Jewel transformed from styled and hooficured to rough and casual, wearing her father's Stetson.

"What happened to them?" Rainbow asked in alarm.

"Rainbow, if things had gone the way they were supposed to, you would have been born a pegasus and the Apples would have suffered a terrible tragedy a few months after Apple Bloom was born. On a trip to the Badlands to visit relatives, your friend's parents would have perished in a flash flood and with their deaths. Candy is never born. So for some, Discord's meddling was a blessing in disguise."

Rainbow had to turn away from the image, too horrified and unsettled to even think of such a terrible event.

Her mother took her hand and smiled up at her with a kindly smile. "Rainbow, I know you're very fond of Mother Apple and I don't mind at all. In her heart you're like another daughter to her and for that I'm glad."

Rainbow sighed, "Yeah, she's really helped me through some rough spots."

Azalea leaned against Rainbow. "Has any of this helped, Rainbow honey?"

"Yeah, Mom. I think it has. Being an Element of Harmony is a big responsibility at times and sometimes I just don't understand what it all means."

There was silence for a little while as Rainbow enjoyed the comfort of her mother's presence after so long. Finally Azalea stirred.

"It's time, Rainbow. I need to be on my way," she said, resting her head against her daughter.

"No! Not again! Don't go!" Rainbow pleaded desperately, turning to face her mother.

"Sorry, honey. I could only visit a short time," she said as she hugged Rainbow. "Honey, as for Scootaloo, just trust your feelings. You understand what she's gone through and what she needs. And be kind to Starlight Glimmer. She needs your loyalty."

Rainbow wiped her eyes, watching her mother fade away. "Okay, Mom," she said softly, taking her mom's hoof in her hands and holding it until the mare had vanished completely.

Tears still streaming down her face, Rainbow waved her hand through the now-empty space where Azalea had stood. "Goodbye, Mommy," she whispered. She wiped her eyes and turned to the Tree of Harmony. "Thank you," she said with a smile. The tree began glowing and soon the radiance filled the room like it had when she first arrived.

Rainbow stirred—the first thing she realized was she was in a bed. Her first thought was another crash. She opened her eyes and the architecture of the room said this was Everfree Castle. She got up and stretched. She wasn't in chains so she approached the door and tried the handle. It opened and she stepped out into the hall.

"Lady Rainbow, good morning," a voice called to her. She turned to see a bat pony, Captain Grimdarke, Nightmare's captain of the guard.

"Hey, Grimmy. What's up?"

"Lady Rainbow, how in Tartarus did you manage to make her majesty that angry last night?" he asked in annoyance as he approached.

"I may have told her to 'shut the %^&* up' and called her 'Moon-Butt' and stuff," Rainbow replied sheepishly.

He gave a start of surprise and then face hoofed. "She has far more restraint than I ever imagined. She seems to have calmed down and she said I was to bring you when you had awakened."

Rainbow shrugged. "Time to face the music."

As they approached the throne room, Rainbow could hear the sound of someone casually picking the strings of a guitar. She suddenly realized her guitar was gone and she wracked her brain trying to remember which one she had grabbed when she left her house.

They entered the massive throne room and sitting on her throne was an anthropomorphic Nightmare Moon, in her armor, and in her hands was Rainbow's great grandfather's guitar, the princess experimentally playing it.

"Ah, Rainbow, I am so glad you could join us," the princess said coolly. "Guards, attendants, leave us. This is just between Lady Dash and I."

The guards and servants all bowed and quickly exited the room. The doors closed and Rainbow noted the silence spell that enveloped the room.

"This is a wondrous instrument, Rainbow," the princess said.

"Uh, yes, a very special instrument, princess," Rainbow said hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm 'princess' now, am I?"

"Look, princess, I'm sorry about last night. A lot was going wrong and stuff," Rainbow stammered, her eyes on the guitar rather than the princess.

Nightmare's horn glowed and a small circle appeared on the floor. "Rainbow, stand in that circle."

Rainbow hesitantly did so, not wanting to annoy the princess when she had a hostage.

"Rainbow, as your princess, I command you to be silent. Not one word until I have had my say."

Rainbow nodded.

Nightmare resumed playing. "I've done a bit of homework. This is a Martin Dreadnought. An original, made during a human era called 'The Great Depression'. One of only 91 made. Its kin are in museums or in the collections of the wealthy, but that doesn't even matter to you. Your loyalty to tradition is too great to part with such a treasure."

Rainbow watched as a variety of musical instruments appeared in the air. Most were archaic wind and string instruments.

"In ancient of days,” Nightmare continued, “when a minstrel played for my sister and I, if they had an interesting or magical instrument, I took it for my collection. Hmm, it has been a while since I made a new acquisition," she mused as the guitar took its place among the others.

Rainbow watched in silent anguish.

Nightmare glanced mockingly at Rainbow. "No, that wouldn't teach the lesson I want you to take from this," she said as she returned to her throne and the guitar floated over to her as the other instruments vanished.

She took the guitar on her lap and played a few notes. "Hmmm, it seems out of tune," she said and began turning one of the tuning keys on the head. She kept turning and turning the steel string began making distressed noises. Nightmare looked to Rainbow and watched her squirming. The string snapped like a shot. "Oh dear, that one was out of tune. What about the others?" she asked and she now grasped them in her magic and turned each of the five remaining keys at different speeds.

Rainbow writhed in agony as the strings snapped one by one.

"I am impressed, Rainbow. I didn't think you could shut up that long. Actually, you may say just one word so I know I didn't accidentally silence you magically."

"%^&*()#!"

"Ah, you can indeed talk. Well, remain silent. Your element is loyalty, the element I personally esteem above all others, yet you forget your place in the scheme of things," she said and a dagger appeared in her hand and she dangled the point menacingly over the body of the guitar.

"Rainbow..." she said and jabbed the point into the lacquer finish of the guitar. "Do not EVER speak to me in such a manner again!" She emphasized each word with a cut on the guitar. "I am an alicorn! I am a ruler here! The sun and moon move at my command! I am far more ancient and powerful than you can imagine! I am accustomed to being obeyed! I am due your respect!" she shouted at Rainbow. "If you will not respect my status and authority, then you will respect my power!"

Rainbow watched as Nightmare got up from her throne and approached her. She handed the guitar to her. The princess had carved a rough version of her lunar profile into its body.

Rainbow looked at the guitar, tears beginning to run down her face.

Nightmare’s anger began to ebb from her features. "Rainbow, despite all of this I do consider you a friend, and that's not a word I use casually. To me there is family, friends, and everything else. There was a time once when it would have been you rather than your guitar receiving that punishment. That is all I had to say, Rainbow. You may move and speak freely.

Rainbow held her tongue as she wiped her eyes as she looked over the defaced instrument.

"The silent treatment is it?" the princess asked in annoyance.

"If I said what I want to say right now it would only get me killed," Rainbow said coolly.

Nightmare gave a weary sigh. "I really am going soft," she grumbled. "As I said, I do think of you as a friend, so consider this your one and only warning.” Her horn glowed, the broken strings rejoined and the cuts in the guitar faded away, but now in the wood grain itself was the lunar profile.

Rainbow let out a long sigh of relief. "Thanks, princess," Rainbow said with a big smile as she hugged her guitar.

"Rainbow, disrespect me like that again and the guitar dies and I make you watch. Do you understand?" the princess stated gravely. "In the future, if you have a quarrel with me then let us speak in private, as friends would."

"Message received, loud and clear, Princess Nightmare," Rainbow said and bowed deeply.

Nightmare took on a small smile, but only a small one. "Excellent. You are dismissed. And do apologize to Celestia too."

"Will do, your highness," Rainbow replied with a smile and hugged Nightmare Moon.

The princess tensed awkwardly. "Rainbow, should I also mention that touching royalty is another thing you're not supposed to do?"

Rainbow wisely bid a hasty retreat before she became the first person killed by an Equestrian princess armed with a guitar. As she walked along the halls of the castle she heard the gallop of little hooves.

"Raaaaaaaiiiinnnnnbowwww!" Luna shouted as she approached.

The little princess came up beside her and looked up to her with a big smile as she hugged Rainbow.

Rainbow stopped and bowed. "Hello, your majesty," Rainbow said in a dignified manner without returning the hug.

Luna looked up at her strangely. "What's that about? No hug backs?"

"Princess Nightmare, let's say, made me scarily aware I wasn't showing proper respect to Equestria's princesses, so no first names and no touching royalty."

"She was pretty mad at you. Did you do something bad last night?" Luna asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Maybe calling her 'Moon-Butt' was out of line."

"You called her 'Moon-Butt'?" Luna asked in astonishment and began laughing so hard she fell over and was rolling on the floor.

Rainbow hoped she wasn't tempting fate by even talking about this to her. "So, she reminded me that I need to show respect."

When Luna finally regained her composure, she stood and wiped away the tears of laughter. "Well, those rules only apply to Moony," Luna said and turned her head up haughtily and spoke in a snooty accent. "I, Princess Luna, demand hugs in tribute from my loyal subjects and you have my princessy permission to call me Luna," she said with a big smile and hugged Rainbow, who now returned the hug with equal affection.

When the hug ended, Rainbow resumed walking while Luna hovered at eye level beside her to keep pace as Rainbow gave her an edited version of the events of the previous night.

"I'm sorry for Moony getting so mad at you, Rainbow. It wasn't a nice night for her either. She was helping your friends in their dreams and later that night she looked through the veil of time and space and saw what had changed for her, what was supposed to happen the night she returned. She wouldn't tell me what she saw, but it wasn't good," she said sadly, but then gave a bit of a smile. "But if what didn't happen was bad, then what did happen was good, right?"

"Right!" Rainbow replied with a confident smile. "She's got two awesome sisters that love her, a whole country that loves her and six of the best friends a princess could hope for. What more could a princess want?"

"Right!" Luna replied enthusiastically. "Rainbow, is Scootaloo coming back soon? It was nice to get to spend time with other fillies for a change."

"Yeah, she'll be back again, soon probably," Rainbow said with a smile.

"Oh good! I'd like to meet the friends she made in Ponyville. They sounded so nice. It gets lonely here at the castle."

"They don't let you have friends your own age?"

"Well, Tia feels the foals of the Canterlot nobility wouldn't be a good influence. Moony just calls the nobility and their offspring 'loathsome vermin', so they protect me from them by keeping everypony away. Maybe that's why when Moony and I were at the tree with Scootaloo it told us both to make some friends!"

Rainbow had sudden traumatic flashbacks to Nightmare Moon's first social visit to Ponyville during her first Nightmare Night a few years back and gave an involuntary shudder. Friendship and Harmony just didn't come naturally to Nightmare Moon for some reason.

Once she had said her final farewells to Captain Grimdarke and Princess Luna, Rainbow took the path out of Everfree. The constant gloom of the forest couldn't even bring down the good mood she had. She began to casually play her guitar as she walked, and as she neared the edge of the forest the world grew brighter.

When she finally escaped the gloom and stepped out into the sunshine-laden and gloriously colorful world of Equestria her fingers began playing a tune and a particular song leaped to mind. She began singing Johnny Nash’s classic I Can See Clearly Now.

(I Can See Clearly Now-female cover on acoustic guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tnn0AwEe3g )

She hadn’t gotten very far into the song when to her surprise another voice joined hers as she sang. It was Fluttershy. She turned and saw her friend fly up beside her. Then AJ and Twilight, with Spike riding on her back, came up beside her, also joining in the song. Next it was Rarity and Pinkie joining in. Rainbow was very startled when one more voice joined in—Celestia herself walked up beside the others. She'd never heard Celestia sing before, and the alicorn had an amazing voice. The voices now all joined together in perfect harmony. It was one of the most amazing musical experiences she’d ever had. Normally she’d act as backup for the spontaneous songs of her friends, but this was the first time she’d led a song.

When the song ended the others all stood together in front of Rainbow, all looking at her with big smiles.

Rainbow made a weary sigh. "I'm so sorry about last night. I was totally out of line to all of you, especially you, Princess Celestia. I hope you can all for—" That was as far as she got before she was enveloped in a big group hug, a hug that included Celestia.

"Thanks guys," Rainbow said as the hug ended and she wiped the happy tears from her eyes. "Princess, please forgive me for yelling at you like that," she said, bowing deeply to Celestia.

"Apology accepted, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said with a smile and hugged Rainbow again.

Rainbow turned to her assembled friends and sighed. "I'm also sorry about derailing things last night. You guys just had a long traumatic thing happen and you were just starting to unwind from that and then I go and turn it around and make it all about me. That was really selfish of me. I'm sorry."

Another group hug ensued.

Twilight looked up at her with a big smile. "It's okay, Rainbow. Yesterday was difficult for all of us. Princess Nightmare visited our dreams last night to help us cope with what happened."

Celestia nodded. "While she is quite adept at causing fear and trauma in the dream world, she is also good at defusing it, but I have asked a mental health professional to come to Ponyville to speak with all of you. I have also dispatched a mental health team to Equality to help those who were affected far deeper."

"What happened at the Tree, darling?" Rarity asked, walking up to Rainbow and putting a hoof on her hand.

"Yeah, did you see something? We were told something happened last night," Pinkie asked excitedly as she hopped around Rainbow.

Rainbow paused and thought about how much she should say; it was a deeply personal event, one she wasn't ready to talk about, but there was one thing that definitely they should know about.

"Well, it was some really personal stuff, but I got to see why I am what I am and it all makes sense now. There was something I need to tell you. The last that I was told before it was over was 'be kind to Starlight. She needs your loyalty.'"

The others looked to each other in surprise.

"Do we know anythin' about her? Is she gonna be like Discord, maybe another lost soul in need of findin'?" AJ asked as she looked to Celestia.

"Last night I searched the records of the School of Magic in Canterlot and could find no mention of her. I tried a few other sources but nopony has ever heard of her, yet she's somehow avoided all the normal magical training methods and appears to be completely self-taught," Celestia replied.

Fluttershy began pacing a bit, looking at the ground. "Oh, I wish Discord would come back. I hope he didn't do anything to her. Then I could stop worrying about her and him."

Twilight suddenly began gagging and a moment later she let out a loud burp that produced a swirl of green smoke that materialized into a scroll. "Ugh, bleh, yuck!" Twilight exclaimed, spitting, and wiping her tongue with her hooves to try to get rid of the taste.

Spike just laughed as he picked up the scroll and opened it. "It's from Discord!" Spike said and just as he was about to start reading it, Discord's own voice began to narrate the letter.

"Hello, my hopefully-still-friends. I saw last night how much I have changed. Fluttershy, your final words to me haunted me all night. Rainbow, your words stuck with me as well. A part of me wanted to make Starlight suffer like nopony had ever suffered before. I had at first thought of banishing her to a world where her alternate self had taken over Equestria and equalized it, and just leave her to the mercy of Empress Glimmer—that or I'd make her watch every episode of Gilligan's Island, including the TV movies or some other unspeakably cruel punishment, but I was reminded that I'm not who I used to be. Not long ago I was the bad guy who deserved a terrible fate, and found myself at the mercy of those I considered my enemies, and was shown mercy. So I'm leaving her to you. She'll be along in about a week. She's repeating her brainwashing message to herself over and over until she gets to Ponyville, so she's got a good incentive to get here quickly and I made her remove her own cutie mark. I leave it with you to do with as you see fit."

Twilight belched up another swirl of magic and it manifested as Starlight's jarred cutie mark.

Celestia approached the jar and levitated it to eye level, a look of horror spreading over her face as she examined it. "I-I haven't seen magic like this in centuries. She did this to each of you?" Celestia turned to the others and drew them to herself with her magic, extending her wings and engulfing the whole group in a big hug. "My friends, I am so grateful for all you do for us, for Equestria. The things you endure for us."

Once they resumed their journey toward Ponyville, Rainbow was left with a big question. "So what do we do with Starlight when she gets here?"

"She will be very weary from her journey, so let her rest. Notify me immediately and then we shall play it by ear. She likely will have an interesting tale to tell," Celestia replied as they returned to Ponyville.

***

Over the next few days things returned to normal and the mood brightened as the general excitement over the impending wedding and Summer Sun Celebration began to build, but Rainbow had other things on her mind. She had to make a decision in regard to Scootaloo.

Rainbow went for a walk, eventually making her way to a small hill that overlooked Ponyville. She sat under a tree and enjoyed the lovely panoramic view of the town. "Okay, brain, we're staying under this tree until we come to a decision about Scoot."

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree, recalling what her mother had said: ‘Just trust your feelings. You understand what she's gone through and what she needs.’ Rainbow visualized herself back in the orphanage, something that was more difficult than she expected, having constructed a substantial wall around that part of her life; she really didn't want to return to it. She pictured little Rainbow there, standing beside Scootaloo, and took a deep breath as she mentally returned to the worst of all times to be there—the days when prospective couples came to meet the kids.

Little Rainbow stood beside Scootaloo as pegasi couples looked over the pegasi fillies and colts, seeing their attitude change when they were told she couldn't fly. There'd be an awkward silence and they'd avoid eye contact and they'd move on to the kids that could fly, leaving Scootaloo feeling like she was defective and wishing she'd never been born, just like Rainbow herself felt every time she was passed over. Little Rainbow suddenly grew to adult Rainbow and picked up Scootaloo, hugged her and carried her out of there.

Rainbow stood and stretched. "Well, that was fast."

Once back home, Rainbow sat at her kitchen table as she wrote a letter.

"Dear Lady Golden Meadow,

Get the paperwork started and tell me what I need to do...

Once the letter was done and put in the mailbox, Rainbow again took a look over her place. Aside from being a huge mess, it needed space for a filly to grow. The problem was she had no idea even where to begin. She needed help.

"Have you ever cleaned this place, Rainbow?" Rarity asked, as she stepped carefully around the clutter of the living room. "And why is there broken glass in the wall?"

"Kinda. And the glass is from when I threw a beer bottle at Discord's head."

"Hmmm, understandable," Rarity mused as she continued her examination of the house.

"So Rarity, did you ever talk to Sweetie Belle about the stuff we talked about?"

Rarity stopped and turned to Rainbow with a smile. "Yes, Sweetie and I had a talk shortly after you left. Instead of feeling angry or betrayed, the little dear was utterly delighted to learn I was her mother—she could not have been happier. I let her decide if she wanted everypony to know about that, but she chose to let all think we were sisters, as she understood how awkward it would be for her grandparents and I, and she knew it could cause a scandal for me and my business. So she was willing to continue the ruse just to protect us. I truly am blessed with such a loving daughter! Thank you, Rainbow darling, for getting me to finally face the truth."

"Hey, glad to help," Rainbow said with a satisfied smile.

Rarity used her magic to levitate the clutter in the living room to reveal the layer of clutter underneath. "I must say I am impressed that you're doing this, Rainbow. You've matured quite a bit since we first met."

"Yeah, gotta grow up some time, I guess, and it does feel good to be there for her the way my folks were there for me."

Rarity began multi-tasking with her magic in a way few unicorns could. The door opened and Rarity began levitating stuff out the door.

"Whoa, hey!" Rainbow protested.

"Rainbow, this needs to be done!" Rarity proclaimed grandly.

For a moment Rainbow was afraid Rarity would break into song. "Rarity, just don't touch the guitars!"

Rarity went room to room, in a cleaning frenzy; it was a challenge for Rainbow not to meddle. She had to trust Rarity—she was a design professional, after all. In time other ponies showed up, apparently curious as to why stuff was piling up in front of her house. All knew to stay out of Rarity's way while she worked. Eventually Rainbow let anypony take what they wanted from the growing pile, as she knew if she didn't she'd just bring it all back inside when Rarity was done.

A few hours later, Rainbow faced her most challenging task.

"You've always been there for me. A true, true friend. It just doesn't seem right. Why do things like this have to happen? I never thought it would end like this… I'm sorry, I never thought I'd have to say goodbye,” Rainbow said, getting choked up at the thought of parting.

"Good heavens, Rainbow, it's just a liquor cabinet!" Rarity said in annoyance as she carefully levitated it onto the cart.

Rainbow stroked the cabinet affectionately, leaning against it. "'Just a liquor cabinet,' Don't listen to her. You are so much more than that.”

“And I thought Apple Jewel was dramatic over that apple tree we took to Appleloosa…”

"Relax, Rainbow," Berry Punch said. "I'll give it a good home."

"Yes, I'm sure you will, Berry,” Rainbow said. “Just be careful with that Naga Chili vodka."

After the extensive cleaning, Rarity was still "in the zone" and dragged Rainbow to Quills & Sofas to pick out a bedroom set for Scootaloo's room. At some point they had picked up Sweetie Belle, who offered suggestions.

They went to a variety of stores, gathering what they'd need. At a toy shop Rainbow stood in front of the ubiquitous Princess Collection. When she was a foal it was just Celestia toys; now the line had expanded to include the others, even Twilight. Sweetie Belle picked out one of each Princess for Scootaloo.

Rainbow, for her part, was enjoying the princess toys way too much. Since this was Twilight’s home town, they had what appeared to be every Twilight toy, knickknack and collectible that existed. Rainbow couldn’t help giggling as she looked over the Twilight merchandise, from tasteful to tacky, and couldn't resist buying some of it. But she got a sinister grin when she got to the Nightmare Moon plushes.

After they were done there, Rainbow treated Rarity and Sweetie Belle to dinner and they sat at the outdoor cafe waiting for their food. At the back of her mind there was something she didn't want to consider, but felt she should voice her concern.

"Maybe we're jumping the gun. What if they say no?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity looked to Rainbow with a smile, but then frowned. "Rainbow, darling, I cannot have a serious conversation with you while you are wearing that abomination on your head."

Rainbow smiled as she removed a purple baseball cap that had floppy wings on the sides and a short, stubby horn on the front, the rest dotted with Twilight's cutie mark. "But Rarity, this is official 'Princess Twilight Sparkle (TM)' merchandise endorsed by the princess herself!"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Yes, and be that as it may, while it is kind of the princesses to give the proceeds from their merchandise to charity, I do wish Twilight had consulted me before she endorsed them. That is an affront to all that is tasteful."

Rainbow laughed and put the hat in the bag. "But the T-shirt’s okay?"

Rarity sighed and nodded. "It is... endurable. Now, in regard to your question, I do not think you have anything to worry about, darling. The mare in charge of the orphanage herself is the one who suggested the idea. She would be in the best position to know of any problems that might get in the way and clear up said problems."

Rainbow thought on that for a few moments, then nodded. "True."

Rarity looked at her with a kindly smile. "I must say I am quite surprised at you having uncertainty like this, Rainbow."

"Well, it sort of takes me back to my days there. The most terrifying time in my entire life was after the matron told me that the Dashes wanted to adopt me—the weeks of waiting, worrying, wondering. What if somepony in the system said no? What if the Dashes suddenly died? What if they came to their senses and adopted a pony instead? What if they adopted me and changed their minds and sent me back? I hardly slept for weeks! And anytime the matron walked in my direction I was afraid it was to give me bad news. It was terrible. I know it seems cruel, but I asked the matron not to tell Scootaloo so she doesn't have to endure that too. Let it just be a nice surprise."

"Oh, I know!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed happily. "Get Princess Celestia to make it go faster! I'm sure she'd be glad to help!"

Rarity smiled at her daughter. "An excellent idea, Sweetie darling. I'm sure each of Equestria's princesses would be well inclined to put in a good word for you, Rainbow."

Rainbow nodded. That was very true. She had friends in high places. She hated to impose on that power, but this was important.

When Rainbow returned home she put her bags by the couch and sat and looked around. Rarity had done an amazing job. The place hadn't been this clean since it was first built. She had to think of some way to repay Rarity at some point for that.

Easing back on her couch, Rainbow just relaxed. The place felt empty. She smiled when she thought about the new family member that would fill it in the near future. It would take some adjustments, but they would be well worth it. Then her eyes went wide when she realized how early foals had to get up for school.

"Oof—okay, one big change. Guess I'm a morning pony now," she grumbled, thinking how she'd need to start adjusting her schedule to get up before Scootaloo to make breakfast and make sure she was ready for school.

"Wait, do I even know how to cook?" she suddenly asked herself.

She got up and went to her kitchen and looked in the cabinets and icebox. She didn't actually have "ingredients" with which to cook. She either ate out of a can, bag or got stuff to go. "Okay, that's another big change."

Ma Apple and Granny Smith both loved to cook and she knew they’d be glad to help teach her, though it would be more like Ma Apple giving a girlish squeal of delight at the thought of teaching her how to cook. Those were problems for future Rainbow—time for fun. She took the large Nightmare Moon plush out of her bag and put it on the end of the couch then put her feet up on it and laid back as she grabbed a Daring Do book from the now orderly arrangement of books on her coffee table and began reading.

Later that evening, Rainbow was washing dishes after her meal, also realizing this chore would no longer be a weekly event as it had been in the past and needed to get used to the idea of having to keep the place clean. Well, she could always hire a cleaning service to do it for her. As she finished up, she squeezed the water out of the small Nightmare Moon plush she’d used for a dish rag and rested it across the faucet to dry.

There was a knock on her door and she went to open it. Fullbright hugged Rainbow in greeting, leaving her looking surprised. "Dad! Come on in. What brings you here? I wasn't expecting you for another week. Where's Gilda?"

Fullbright gave her a big smile as he followed her inside. "Hi, Sweetheart. Gilda's in Griffinstone, breaking the news of the wedding to her family, and the fact she's pregnant. I offered to go with her, but she said it was better for my health if I wasn't anywhere near her family when she told them—she said something about them making wind chimes from my bones. I hope at least some of them will be willing to attend. That's sort of why I'm here. I thought I'd gotten used to being alone over the years since your mom passed and you moved out and I was cool with that, but since Gilda's come barreling into my life, I realized I don't like to be alone,” he said with an embarrassed laugh.

"Well, Dad, you're in luck. Thanks to my pal Rarity, I have a guest room again. You're welcome to stay with me until the wedding."

He hugged his daughter again. "Thanks, sweetheart. You're the best."

"Hungry, Dad? I can order something for you."

"No, I'm good," he said, looking around. "Well, this place is indeed suspiciously clean. What's the occasion?"

"I gave it a lot of thought and I decided to take the plunge and adopt Scootaloo."

He smiled widely, taking a seat on the sofa. "Honey, that's great news! That's a big responsibility, but I'm sure you'll do great. As I said before, you'll make an awesome mom."

Rainbow sat and leaned back on the Nightmare plush. "Dad, you do realize you'll be Scoot's grandfather?"

Fullbright made a painful wince. "Yeah, I forgot about that part."

They sat, both lost in their thoughts of the moment when Rainbow decided there was something that had to be said. "Hey, Dad, there's something I need to tell you. I learned something weird recently."

He looked to her curiously. "Sure, what's on your mind, honey?"

"I was shown some strange stuff when I was at the Tree of Harmony."

"What kind of stuff?" he asked, leaning toward her.

"Dad, do you remember a long time ago, visiting a zebra alchemist for a potion to overcome a fear of heights?"

Fullbright's mouth dropped open. "How could you even know about that, Rainbow?"

She smiled. "I was shown by—the Tree," she said. She figured that a week before his wedding he really didn't need to be told that his late wife's spirit had paid her a visit.

Fullbright laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I know that's strange, but I just didn't like heights back then."

"What? Oh, wait, that's not the weird thing. I was shown that in payment, the dude asked for a feather and a lock of mane. Here's the weird part. Did you ever wonder what he did with that stuff?"

"Well no, not until this very moment. Why do you ask?" he asked suspiciously.

"Years later, that guy used it to make some potions. Potions for a human guy named Harry Tucker."

He looked at her confused. "I don't really follow."

"My human folks wanted to have a baby pony so the alchemist made potions that turned them into ponies. My human dad used a potion that gave him your body and mom had one, made from a mare named Firefly."

"Wow, I really didn't think ahead when I left him that stuff," Fullbright said with a laugh.

Rainbow looked at her father strangely. He didn't seem to grasp what it all meant. She shared more details than she'd been given, but he still didn't seem to understand.

"Dad, don't you get it? You're my biological father. This changes everything!"

He gave her a kindly smile. "It changes nothing, Rainbow."

Rainbow stared silently at him, in surprise. "What? How can it not change everything? I'm your real daughter!"

He leaned forward and hugged her tightly. "Rainbow, sweetheart, the moment your mother and I adopted you, you became our real daughter. I understand why it means so much to you to learn this, but it truly doesn't change anything. I have loved you with all my heart from day one. For it to change something means I was holding something back," he said and looked her in the eye. "Rainbow, you have always been my precious little angel, and nothing will ever change that."

Rainbow hugged him, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

"Best dad ever," she whispered.

"I will, however, have a few words for Harry the next time I see him," Fullbright said with a laugh. "And remember, Rainbow, Harry may have been using a borrowed body, but he's still your father. He and your mother still created you, despite the method they chose. Don't take that away from them."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Dad. Strange, I thought you'd be furious at him for that."

Fullbright laughed again. "Rainbow, you were the result of that union. How could I ever be mad about that?" he said with a smile, pausing a moment before he continued. "Being a parent is an awesome responsibility, and it may challenge you at times. Some are up to the challenge and some aren’t."

"What if I'm not, Dad? What if I fail? What if I can't handle it, like they couldn't?"

"Now what were the first things your mother and I taught you, Rainbow?"

She smiled and leaned against her father and repeated them. "I am Rainbow Dash and I am awesome. I am Rainbow Dash and I can do the impossible. I am Rainbow Dash and I can change the world."

He hugged her again and looked at her with fatherly pride. "And look at you now, all grown up. You've become awesome. You've done the impossible and you've not only changed the world, you saved it. Best daughter ever.”

They talked late into the night and when Rainbow showed him to the guestroom she realized she needed to make the most of the next few days. For both of them, life was about to have some very big changes—him having a new wife and a child on the way and she adopting Scootaloo. Their times together as just father and daughter would be few and far between with all their other impending responsibilities.

***

"Rainbow, you're going to be late for school!" she heard her dad shout, tapping urgently on her bedroom door with his hoof.

"I'm up!" Rainbow shouted in alarm, instantly awake as she leaped out of bed and looked around in panic, suddenly confused why nothing was where it should be. Then her brain caught up with her body. "Oh, hardy har, Dad.” She rolled her eyes as she heard his laughter from the other side of the door.

"Breakfast is on the table. I made your favorite."

Her father had gone all out, making a plentiful meal of blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs and hay-bacon. He loaded up a plate for her and then sat and served himself.

"You've already made breakfast? But, it's got to be…" she said and trailed off, looking for her clock. "Nine in the morning."

"Honey, I got up at six and went grocery shopping."

"You're a wild man, Fullbright Dash," Rainbow said with a laugh. "Geez, who's even up at six?"

"Rainbow, you live in a community founded by farmers. They're up at dawn."

"Madness."

"So honey, what's on your agenda for today?"

"Well, the doc gave me a clean bill of health the other day. Apparently my already accelerated recovery was even farther along than it seemed, so he grudgingly gave me the go-ahead to resume my normal level of activity. Time for me to get back into proper shape."

"That's great, Rainbow. I need to get back into shape too. I'd started working out again when I got serious about the new airshow, but now that I'll have a newborn to chase around I will definitely need to bring my "A" game."

"Have you guys decided on a name yet?"

"Not yet. So far the one condition Gilda's mentioned is that Griffinstone has a curious naming custom that everypony has to have a name that starts with G."

"That is bizarre. Hey, after breakfast, I was gonna go for a run. Wanna come along?"

"Just try to keep up," he said with a confident smile.

"Come on, grandpa, lift those hooves!" Rainbow said with a laugh, stopping to take a drink from her water bottle as she waited for her dad to catch up.

When he finally reached her, he was breathing heavy, "How can you be—so fast with only—two legs?" he wheezed. Fullbright sat and took a drink from his water bottle as well. "Well, my flying is top notch, but maybe—I haven't been putting in as much—exercise for the rest of the body as I—should have."

After a short rest they resumed their run, going along the road that ran north out of town. Rainbow was looking down the road and noticed a lavender pony moving unsteadily in their direction. Shortly it toppled over and began struggling to get back up.

"Dad, pony in distress up ahead!" Rainbow shouted and leaned down like she was at the starting line of a race and bolted forward at a full speed run while her father flew on ahead. Her father helped the pony get up, but then she saw it push him away and continue shakily on its way.

As Rainbow approached she realized who the pony was: unicorn, the right coloration and most damning the equal sign cutie mark.

"Starlight Glimmer?" Rainbow asked as she stopped in front of the pony.

The pony looked up at her, surprised for a moment, but nodded and walked past her. Rainbow could hear the pony mumbling something incessantly as they walked; she guessed that was her brain-washing speech. Fullbright got a little ahead of Starlight and held out his water bottle to her and she just glanced at it and kept walking.

Rainbow and her father fell back in place behind Starlight.

"So what's all this about?" Fullbright asked.

"That's Starlight Glimmer. She ran a town and took away everypony's cutie marks and convinced everypony that they'd be happier without cutie marks making them all different. She felt everypony would be equal and happy without them."

"That sounds crazy."

"I know! If she'd spent even five minutes over on the human side, she'd know that not having cutie marks is not the source of peace and happiness. I mean, I admit, if they had cutie marks over there they'd just use it as an excuse to start a war over them. But anyway, Harmony sent Twilight and the others along to the town to set things right, but then she stole their cutie marks and held them prisoner and tried to brainwash them. What she didn't count on was Discord being there in disguise in my place as Element of Loyalty."

"Ooh," Fullbright said. "That couldn't have been pleasant when she found out."

"No. I've seen firsthoof what Discord can do when my friends and I tried to stop him after his escape, and he was just messing around then," Rainbow said, then turned to Starlight. "I know it seems really mean what he's doing to you now Starlight, but believe me, he's going very easy on you compared to what he could do. I mean, seriously, have you ever seen Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island? Now that’s torture."

Starlight continued on silently for a while, with Fullbright and Rainbow following close behind. Periodically Starlight would stop and sit to catch her breath, so weary that just walking was exhausting to her now.

"Starlight, want me to carry you?" Rainbow asked.

"No! I don't need your help, or anypony's help," she said tersely and struggled up onto her hooves and resumed walking.

"Look, I don't know what you're expecting in Ponyville, but it won't be as bad as you expect."

Starlight stopped and turned to Rainbow. "They destroyed everything! That community was everything to me. It was all I had! It's what gave my life meaning and it's all been destroyed.” She lowered her head, weariness entering her voice. “What does it matter what they do to me? They'll erase my life's work and probably me as well.”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nopony's getting erased. I'm the Element of Loyalty—if they try to erase you, they're only doing it over my dead body," Rainbow exclaimed with a sincerity that surprised her.

"What do you care what happens to your enemies?"

"Starlight, we're not your enemies!"

"They’re against everything I believe."

"But maybe everything you believe is just stupid and wrong, that's all," Rainbow said encouragingly.

Rainbow heard her dad face-hoof. "What my daughter is trying to say is that perhaps your ideology is flawed."

Starlight turned to retort, but suddenly realized what Fullbright said as she looked between pegasus and human. "Your daughter?"

"Long story," Rainbow said with a smile.

Starlight looked between them a bit more, then turned and resumed her journey.

"I can run ahead and get a pony with a cart to carry you the rest of the way, Starlight," Rainbow offered, walking backwards in front of Starlight so she could talk face to face.

"No! I don't need anypony's help," she insisted as she trudged on, still muttering her brainwashing message to herself. Eventually, Starlight stumbled and she lay on the ground a while.

"Need our—" Fullbright began but was cut off with another terse refusal from Starlight.

Rainbow offered her water bottle to Starlight but it was ignored. The two watched her struggle to stand. After a few attempts she just lay there, exhausted.

"Oh for crying out loud," Rainbow said and picked up Starlight.

"Hey, put me down!" she protested.

"Do you want to get to Ponyville or not?" Rainbow asked, glaring at her.

"Yes," she finally said.

"Finally! Sheesh!"

Fullbright passed his water bottle to Starlight and she chugged it down.

Rainbow adjusted Starlight's position a few times to make her as easy to carry as she could manage and began walking toward town. Now that Starlight no longer had to try to maintain a strong front she just lay limply in Rainbow's arms, still muttering the brain-washing mantra.

Rainbow looked around. "Come on, Discord! We're almost in Ponyville. Cut her some slack." When there was no relief for Starlight, Rainbow got an idea as a particularly appropriate song came to mind. She began singing Bill Wither’s classing song Lean On Me.

(Lean On Me-Female cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SmcQm_pGp8 )

As she sang she was surprised when spontaneous music began accompanying her singing and her father joined in. To her greater surprise, Starlight’s brainwashed mumbling began to change and she began to weakly sing along.

When the song ended, there was silence. When Starlight realized that, she began crying in relief.

Now that the situation was under control, Rainbow had time to think about things. This was the pony who had kidnapped her friends, stole their cutie marks and tried to brainwash them. She briefly felt anger, but it was hard to maintain that anger as she looked at the exhausted, defeated enemy in her arms. Discord had really done a number on her and he had gone easy on her.

She remembered what her mother had said. "Be kind to Starlight Glimmer. She needs your loyalty." Could she help turn an enemy away from the path of darkness? Discord and Nightmare Moon had shown that it was still possible to come back to the light, even for those who had traveled a long, long way down that path.

"We'll get you to the hospital, Starlight. They'll get you patched up. Then when you're recovered we'll get the others together and talk about what happened. But for now, just rest."

Starlight stirred. "No. I need to see Twilight. That first."

"But you're exhausted," Rainbow said.

"What does it matter? I want this all over with. There's nothing left," Starlight said wearily.

Rainbow gave Starlight a kindly smile. "When you get to Twilight, you won't be thrown in the dungeon or anything. It's not the end, Starlight. Maybe it will be a new beginning for you.”

"Don't expect the Spanish Inquisition," Fullbright added, causing Rainbow to snort in laughter.

After Starlight pondered that she looked up at Rainbow with a sneer. "They'll go easy on me if I tell them I give up everything I believe in in order to save my skin?"

"Hey, it won't be anything like that,” Rainbow countered. “You're not the first magic wielding psychopath who wanted to take over the world that we've locked horns with."

Starlight just glared at her.

"Okay, maybe that was the wrong choice of words. What's going to happen is you're going to have to explain yourself, a lot. Like, everything that led you to this. And not to add pressure or anything, but Celestia—sorry, Princess Celestia is probably going to be there. And if she's there, Princess Nightmare will likely be watching from the shadows."

Starlight seemed to somehow go even limper in her arms.

"Just relax, Starlight, it's going to be pretty low key. Above all else, be honest. With who's going to be there, they'll know if you're lying about anything."

Starlight lay silently in Rainbows arms as they continued on their journey. Eventually the pony looked up at her. "You said you are the Element of Loyalty? I've read about those. I thought they were a myth. But Harmony and the Elements are all real?"

"You bet. At Twilight's castle there's a magic map of Equestria that shows trouble spots and the first place it sent them was your town. So a higher power was watching you. Maybe it was watching out for you."

"Nopony cares what happens to me," she said sullenly.

"Hey, Dad and I just met you a few minutes a go, but we already care what happens to you."

"Friendship is nothing but lies and treachery."

"Dude, it's not like that at all! I mean, sometimes friends have a falling out, but that's natural. My friend Gilda—she's a griffin—was the first friend I had as a filly and we kinda drifted apart and when I met her again years later she was a total jerk and was really mean to my Ponyville friends, but now she's marrying my dad!"

Starlight looked up at her, clearly confused, then turned to Fullbright.

Fullbright smiled. "That's also a long story."

Starlight looked back to Rainbow. "You're like a walking, talking non sequitur."

"Ha! I know what that means," Rainbow laughed. "It shows how much time I spend around Twilight. Sort of learning by osmosis... wait. How did I know that? Twilight Sparkle, get out of my brain!" Rainbow exclaimed suddenly, then laughed again. "If you think I'm confusing, Starlight, just wait until you get to know Pinkie Pie."

"You just wouldn't understand what brought me to this," Starlight said sadly.

"Hey, if you want to swap sob stories, when I was less than a year old my human parents left me behind in a world of magical ponies while they returned to Otherside, and while I was rotting away in an orphanage I was twice passed over by human couples who wanted to adopt ponies instead of me so you can only imagine what that did to my feelings of self-worth. Life stinks sometimes, but hey, we can't let it define us."

Fullbright trotted up to Rainbow and looked up at her with sympathy. "You never told me about that, Rainbow."

"Yeah, that one cut a bit too deep to share before. Sorry, Dad," she said and turned her attention back to Starlight. "Anyway, I'd bet my tragic backstory could beat up yours. But as you can see, my sad story had a happy ending and yours can too, Starlight."

There was silence from all three now as they approached the town and they instantly drew a crowd. They could hear Starlight's name being muttered by all.

Rainbow sat on a bench and put Starlight down. "Okay, I need some volunteers," Rainbow said, looking at the crowd. A bunch raised their hooves.

"Derpy, I need you to go get AJ. Cloudkicker, go get Fluttershy. Bon Bon, go tell Twilight that Starlight's in town. Lyra, go get Pinkie Pie. Dr. Whooves, go get Rarity. We'll all be at the castle. Team Ponyville, go!"

The ponies all took off in different directions. Rainbow moved to pick up Starlight again but she held up a hoof to stop her.

"I appreciate you carrying me to town, but please, allow me the dignity of walking the last part on my own,” Starlight said.

"Sure thing, Starlight," she said as Fullbright appeared with another water bottle and offered it to her.

Starlight drank it eagerly. "Thank you," she said softly as she then climbed off the bench and stood unsteadily at first while she prepared herself for what was to come.

Chapter 19 – The Trial of Starlight Glimmer

The human and two ponies walked through town and the curious onlookers kept their distance as they passed. Rainbow felt a bit of deja vu at the whispers and suspicion in the eyes of the locals. Admittedly, in this case it was justified.

When they got to the castle the guards let them pass without so much as a second glance, but as they passed a guard turned and walked with them, eventually taking point and leading them to the map room.

When they went in, Twilight stood and looked gravely at them.

"Starlight," Twilight said coolly when they made eye contact.

"Twilight," was the equally cool reply.

Rainbow sat on her throne and Fullbright stayed with Starlight and talked quietly with her. Twilight just sat staring at Starlight, her hooves together. Rainbow could almost see the wheels of Twilight's mind turning.

"So, I sent word to the others so everypony should be here soon," Rainbow said and that seemed to wake Twilight from her thoughts.

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Rainbow," Twilight said, looking conflicted for a few moments and then managing a small smile. Twilight levitated over a cushion for Starlight to sit on. "I have informed Celestia that you've arrived, but I would guess that you're tired from your journey and you are welcome to a suite here at the castle to rest up before we begin resolving this issue."

"Thank you, but I've come too far to wait any longer. I need the matter settled."

Twilight nodded and sent a servant to fetch a tea pot and cups. When the servant returned a short time later, Twilight levitated the tray and she manifested a small wooden box. She approached Starlight, set the tray down and opened the box. From what Rainbow could see, it was just tea. Twilight poured out some hot water into the cup and mixed in just a pinch of the exotic tea, stirring it in, then offered it to Starlight.

"This is a special blend of tea given to me by Celestia. You'll find it very refreshing," Twilight said with a smile.

Starlight looked at it suspiciously for a few moments then took it in her hooves for an experimental sip. Her eyes suddenly went wide and she took a deeper sip and then finished it. Rainbow noted an instant improvement in Starlight's state. Her faded colors even seemed to brighten a bit.

"What is that?" Starlight asked in wonder.

"Celestia said it was an ancient restorative, very powerful and very rare."

"Thank you, Twilight," Starlight said meekly.

"You're welcome, Starlight," Twilight replied with a smile.

Shortly, Rainbow saw her friends begin to arrive. Each looked apprehensively at Starlight as they entered and took their seats. Soon the door opened and in walked Princess Celestia and with her Nightmare Moon.

Starlight lowered her head in despair as she saw the forces aligning against her. Fullbright came up to her and hugged her, which surprised her greatly, and began a hushed conversation with her. Rainbow smiled—Her dad's time in the Wonderbolts had given him a knack for awesome pep talks in tense situations.

Twilight's horn glowed and the map vanished. Celestia stood beside Twilight's throne while Nightmare circled predatorily in the shadows of the room. Without his characteristic fanfare, Discord suddenly materialized. Fluttershy let out a loud gasp of surprise and delight and rushed over and hugged him.

"Discord! I was so worried about you," she said, crying tears of joy.

He hugged her tightly, a sincere smile on his face. "I missed you too, dearest Fluttershy."

Rainbow looked to Starlight, who seemed utterly overwhelmed. Her dad continued to talk to her and encourage her.

Celestia looked to all the assembled and smiled. "So, now that we are all present we can begin. Twilight, I am giving you the responsibility of this tribunal."

Twilight looked panicked for a moment, but she got control of her emotions and nodded. "Yes, Celestia." Twilight took a few more moments to gather her thoughts before she began. "Starlight Glimmer, this is a royal tribunal due to the nature of what you've done and the magic you've displayed This seemed a matter above a normal jury trial. All present have been informed of what happened, so there is no need for a recap. Let's go right to the heart of the matter and ask you to explain your reasons for what you did—and I don't mean the ideology of your town. What I am looking for is your reasons for forming that ideology to begin with."

Starlight nodded and looked at all those assembled and began her explanation. They all listened intently as she spoke of a childhood betrayal that caused a catastrophic domino effect in her life. A life where there had seemingly never been anypony she could reliably turn to for support, eventually the lack of trust tainting her to the core.

Rainbow looked to the others, each considering Starlight’s words carefully except for Discord, who was reading something and would occasionally look up from it for a few moments, apparently making notations on his reading material as he listened.

As Rainbow listened to Starlight, her mind went back to her time at the Tree of Harmony. While her mother had shown her different paths her life could have taken, she realized she wasn’t shown any alternate paths in Equestria. What if she had never been adopted? What if she had never forgiven Ponyville for her treatment? What if she had never become friends with the others? What would she have become? A heart full of bitterness and resentment growing and blossoming into what? Into this? Using dark powers to settle the score with the world that had cast her aside?

Now a dark vision filled her mind, a vision more intense than a mere daydream. She saw herself sitting on the throne of a shattered Canterlot, her eyes glowing with the greenish black glow of corruption, a variety of magical talismans and weapons adorning her and her armor. Around her neck, wearing them as trophies, were three alicorn horns. She strode to the balcony and looked down at the dimensional portal where her armies comprised of all manner of foul creatures and horrors beyond imagining, pouring through the portal to lay waste to the human world. If not for the love of others, she would have become the destroyer.

Rainbow made a gasp and leaned forward suddenly, tears running down her cheeks.

“Rainbow, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked with concern.

“Whoa, sorry guys. I’m okay. Sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes. Discord had said that in another world, Starlight had set herself up as Empress of Equestria. Sometimes the choice between good and evil is balanced on a knife’s edge, and all it takes is just one little push in either direction to decide which way you fall. Rainbow looked to Princess Nightmare. Perceived betrayal in the past drove her to madness and nearly engulfed the world in eternal night. Now Starlight was balanced on that knife’s edge, her path about to be set.

As the proceedings progressed, she found herself a bit annoyed again that she hadn't been able to go along with her friends on their trip to Equality. They were a team and should have faced Starlight together so she could have been there to help the others. She didn't say anything as the others debated the issue, not having shared the same experiences.

As things were discussed back and forth, eventually Discord spoke. "My friends, as I had said before, I had changed things. And for better or worse, I changed Starlight's future as well," he said, holding up the papers he'd been reading. "I know what she would have done if she had escaped capture. What her revenge would have been. Starlight, with your permission, I would like to show them all the events of your past and, if you will forgive me, I want to show them what the future would have held.”

She nodded. "Yes, do whatever you must," she said with resignation.

"Thank you."

The room around them turned fluid and they soon all stood watching the life of little Starlight and her friend Sunburst. They watched as he seemingly turned his back on his shocked and betrayed friend. Things jumped forward to points in her life that showed her growing obsession with magic and Rainbow finally got to see the events of Equality first hand.

"Now, this is what was to come, but my actions changed and prevented these events. However, they are still relevant," Discord said.

They all watched as they were shown, with little context, Twilight, Spike and Starlight jumping through time to various alternate futures of Equestria, the general idea being that Starlight was trying to prevent the friendship of the elements, believing that just a few friends didn't have the power to change the world. They saw a world where the changelings had triumphed, where weird evil versions of AJ's cousins Flim and Flam had triumphed, where Sombra had triumphed as well as a world where Nightmare had triumphed.

Nightmare looked pained, having been given a glimpse of what might have been. Rainbow was shocked, seeing herself as Nightmare's captain of the guard and Rarity her chamberlain. The events where highly edited for some reason, but here and there she could see Cloudsdale in the distance and little ponies flying around, like it was flight camp. Then they came to a dead world, a final bad end for Equestria. It was there that Twilight gave an impassioned plea for Starlight to rethink her philosophy.

Perhaps Discord had plugged them all into the emotions of the moment, as Rainbow could see that all present were sharing the hurt, pain and hope of Twilight and Starlight. When the images faded, Starlight just began sobbing. Twilight got off her throne and went over to her and hugged her and she hugged back.

Celestia walked over and Starlight looked up at her in sorrowful remorse. Celestia smiled at her and joined in the hug. Rainbow looked to her friends, seeing each battling within themselves to forgive or not, then each in turn joining the hug. Even Discord joined in.

Rainbow got up and hugged Starlight as well. She looked around, but Nightmare had slipped out of the room at some point.

Twilight looked at Starlight and smiled. "Starlight Glimmer, will you let us be your friends, to help you to share what we've learned, to help you become so much more than you are now? You have such amazing potential."

She nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Twilight levitated the jar with Starlight's cutie mark and opened it, the magic swirled around and then launched itself at Starlight and rejoined with her. Starlight began crying harder, in joy at finally being made whole again.

Rainbow discreetly left the room, looking for Nightmare. She looked around and eventually found her sitting at an open window, a window that bizarrely showed a night sky featuring a full moon, despite it being daylight through the other windows.

Rainbow was shocked to see that the princess was crying.

"Princess Nightmare?" Rainbow asked hesitantly as she approached, wondering if she was taking her life in her hands by talking to her in this state.

Nightmare turned suddenly and hugged Rainbow and began sobbing. Rainbow wrapped her arms around the princess.

"What's wrong, Princess?" she asked in concern. The princess said nothing, just continuing to cry, but eventually she looked at Rainbow and then turned to a wisp of cloud and flew out the window and the skyscape returned to daylight.

"Well, that was weird," Rainbow said to herself as she returned to the map room to discover the group had already moved to the dining room and an improvised party, courtesy of Pinkie, was already in progress with several ponies from town present. As time went on, the party continued to expand, moving from the dining room to the ballroom, and more and more ponies showing up to celebrate Starlight's change of heart. It reminded Rainbow of her own welcome party.

The ponies of Ponyville were so in sync with each other that they just knew to go with the moment and celebrate. Starlight for her part seemed overwhelmed by it all—having gone from a world of fear, suspicion and mistrust to encountering an outpouring of love the likes of which she hadn't believed were possible.

Fullbright came up to Rainbow and put a hoof on her hand and looked up at her with a proud smile. "Honey, that was amazing. You and your friends do some mighty fine work."

"Hey Dad, that wasn't even our best work. I prefer the more physical stuff, like when I kicked that full sized dragon in the face!"

“You did what?!”

“Yeah, it wasn’t my brightest idea. And having to get rescued by Fluttershy was a real blow to my pride.”

"Still, it was nice to see you and your friends at work. Now I finally have some idea what it is you do, so I can answer ponies when they ask me what it is you do for a living," he said with a proud smile.

Starlight approached and both father and daughter smiled at her.

"Well, how are you feeling, Starlight?" Rainbow asked.

Starlight hugged Rainbow and Fullbright, then she looked up at Rainbow. "You had said it would be a new beginning and I didn't believe you. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem, Starlight,” Rainbow said. “You wanted a perfect town of friendship and equality. Well, Ponyville's likely the best example you're gonna find."

She nodded with a smile. "It will take some getting used to, being the student of Princess Twilight."

Rainbow gave a start—that decision must have happened after she left the room to chase after Nightmare. "Oh! Well, congratulations! Twilight will be a great teacher and we'll all help show you how awesome friendship can be!"

"It will take some time to learn to trust again, so I ask your patience," Starlight said sheepishly.

"Hey, no problem. Take all the time you need. We're all here for you."

She now shook her head. "I just don't understand this. I should have at best been banished or at worst taken Discord's place in the statue garden."

Celestia approached and smiled. "While I wish it were possible to help all who go astray, we are sometimes made aware of those in need of our help before it's too late. As it was with you. You had not yet reached the point of no return, Starlight, and you had the choice to accept our help or walk away."

"Thanks to Discord, I have a greater insight into what I am capable of. I’m not an evil pony, but I have within me the potential to be. I need to understand that part of me, to understand how to control it before it controls me."

"The journey of self-discovery is always a wonderful and terrible one, but it always bears fruit because there is always more to learn about ourselves," Celestia said, looking kindly at Starlight before giving her a hug.

The party continued growing and by evening it seemed all of Ponyville had gathered to celebrate. Twilight and the others had stepped back to let Starlight mingle on her own, to get to know the rest of the town.

Rainbow looked to Twilight and smiled. "Oh, our little Twilight’s growing up so fast! A student of her own now!" She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and the others laughed.

Twilight looked embarrassed. "Yeah, it is odd. It will be a learning experience for me too."

"We'll do all we can, Twilight, to help her along. We got your back," Rainbow said confidently.

"Darn straight," AJ said. "Ma's already invited her to dinner, and that's always a Ponyville tradition for newcomers."

"Ahem, not quite," an annoyed Discord said as he suddenly appeared. "I've lived here since Season Three and I haven't had dinner with the Apples yet.”

“Season?”

“Nevermind. Suffice it to say I haven’t graced your table.”

AJ nodded. "Yeah, that’s true. The truth is, Ma's still mighty sore at you for what ya did to her when you first showed up. Ma's special talent is hospitality and she loves her family more than anythin' and you turned her against her talent and against us. She said some mighty unkind things to all of us when she was under your power and she remembers every single cruel word she said. Now, Ma's all about forgivin' and forgettin' and the golden rule and such, but you really got under her skin and she's havin' a hard time forgivin'. At one time or another every single resident of Ponyville has been a guest at the table of the Apple family and that invitation is open to you. I just never said anythin' 'til now 'cause we were all afraid of what you'd do."

"But I've changed!'

"I know, Discord, but I still recall dinner at Fluttershy's."

"That was a long time ago."

"Look, I'll talk to Ma and see what she says, but understand this, Discord," she said and held up a hoof. "You know, this is a time I wish I had a hand instead of a hoof so I could help make a point," she said. "You get just—" she said and Discord snapped his fingers and AJ's hoof became a hand.

AJ gave a quick shriek of surprise, then spent a few moments trying to figure out how to operate a hand and eventually held up a single finger.

Rainbow had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. “Uh, wrong finger, AJ. This one,” Rainbow said and wiggled her pointing finger.

"Pardon," AJ said as she held up the correct finger. "You get just one chance at this, Discord. Ma can forgive you once, but not twice. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Apple Jewel."

"Good, now get this thing offa my hoof!"

Fluttershy smiled up at Discord and put a hoof on his hand. "Don't worry, Discord. I'll go with you. We'll show Ma Apple you're not a bad guy anymore and you'll make a good impression on the whole family."

Discord picked her up and hugged her tight. Rainbow sat and enjoyed the party as Starlight mingled with the whole population. The formerly friendless pony had now probably been hugged more in one night than all the rest of her life combined.

Rainbow played her emergency guitar, casually playing along with the record player that Pinkie also had stashed at the castle for music emergencies. He father sat by her side and together they quietly made up comical lyrics to the popular Equestrian songs Pinkie's machine was playing.

Eventually, Starlight made her way over to them and sat beside Rainbow, watching the ponies party.

"Liking Ponyville so far, Starlight?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes, very much so. I'm still overwhelmed! A part of me is afraid that I'll suddenly wake up in the tunnels where Discord found me and I'll discover this is all just a dream."

"Well, if it is a dream, maybe it's one of those prophetic ones, so come here anyway and you'll see it's all really like this."

Starlight just smiled and nodded, her attention drifting to Rainbow's guitar playing. To show off, Rainbow began playing complex riffs on her guitar.

"It's amazing that you can play that so well without hooves," Starlight observed.

"Yeeeeaaahhh," Rainbow said with an arched eyebrow, looking at Starlight. "Funny how that is."

Starlight watched her for a while and then looked up hesitantly. "May I try that?"

Rainbow smiled and handed the guitar over. Starlight tried to emulate the way Rainbow had held it and began experimentally playing. For the second time in less than a week Rainbow heard the sounds of a guitar in pain.

Starlight continued playing a little longer and then stopped and looked forlornly at it a few moments before levitating it back to Rainbow. "You would think I'd have some sort of natural aptitude with a guitar, as my father played one."

"Really? Was he good?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know. I never met him. My mother was in a big traveling magic show and he just wandered into camp at one of the stops and joined up. He was a pegasus named Duke and mother said he was quite the charmer. They had a whirlwind romance, one that ended when she found out she wasn't the only mare he was romancing in the show. When he realized he'd been found out he ran for the hills and she never saw him again."

"Oh man, sorry Starlight. I kinda know how that feels."

"At times I've thought to find him, other times to forget him and yet other times to destroy him."

"I met my human folks. I had expected to march up to them, look them in the eye and cuss them out for a few hours and wash my hands of them. Then when I met my birth mom, I looked her in the eye, we both burst into tears and hugged and I ended up staying with her for over a month. Meeting Dad was kinda similar, except there was a big family barbecue as they all met the daughter he had left behind in ponyland. What I'm saying is, you should track him down—if not to forgive, then to at least give yourself some closure. And who knows, maybe you'll see it in your heart to forgive him."

Starlight nodded, looking off in the distance. "Maybe, but that's something for another day. I have a lot of work to do here before I'm ready to change my thinking about other things."

Rainbow resumed playing as her friends came over and then Discord.

"Hey, Discord," Rainbow said with a smile. "You did good, buddy."

He beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, Rainbow. It wasn't easy."

Fluttershy patted his hand. "Yes, we're all so proud of you."

Twilight looked up at him. "I have to admit, I was surprised you didn't produce Sunburst and confront him. That would have been in character for you."

Discord nodded. "I had thought of that, but having Starlight meet him now would disrupt a future event. I’ve done that enough with Nightmare and Rainbow Dash, and changing how you all got your cutie marks,” he added under his breath. “Starlight has to meet him when you all travel to the Crystal Empire to celebrate the birth of Cadance's baby."

A deathly silence fell over the room.

"Cadance is pregnant?" Twilight and the others all gasped in surprise and excitement.

"Discord, now they all know!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly. "YOU JUST RUINED MY EPISODE—er, surprise!"

Author's Note

except for Discord, who was reading something and would occasionally look up from it for a few moments, apparently making notations on his reading material as he listened.

Discord is using the script of The Cutie Re-Mark parts 1 & 2 as reference material.

Chapter 20 - A Midsummer Night's Wedding

The Summer Sun Celebration and wedding brought in ponies from all over Equestria. Rainbow waited at the crowded train station for the special guests to arrive.

"Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted as she and the matron exited the train onto the crowded platform. Rainbow picked up the little pony and hugged her. It felt so right. The joy on the little pony's face said it all—her enthusiasm had not diminished one bit since her last visit.

"Hey Scoot! Great to see you again. Thanks Lady Golden Meadow, for bringing her along. Glad you could both make the wedding," Rainbow said, giving the matron a hug as well.

"Thank you, Rainbow dear. It was kind of you to invite us."

"Hey, it's a special day and wanted to have you two around," Rainbow said with a smile.

"Any day is special if I get to spend it with you, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said excitedly.

Rainbow and the matron shared a knowing smile as they began their trek to the castle.

The little pony gushed to Rainbow about Celestia's visit to the orphanage a week ago and how excited all the foals were to meet her. Lady Golden Meadow also spoke of it with equal excitement. Apparently that discussion about the rules and regulations had borne fruit and Celestia was personally looking into the matter, even going so far as to visit orphanages all over Equestria to better understand the scope of the issue. Then Scootaloo told about how the entire Wonderbolts corps had visited as well and put on a show just for them.

When they arrived at Twilight's castle, the place was a madhouse as the staff looked after the princesses and guests.

"Rainbow!" a princess said in greeting, giving Rainbow a hug.

"Princess Cadance! Hey, everypony, this is Princess Cadance, evil overlord of the Crystal Empire, princess of love and stuff and Twilight's sister-in-law. She's cool. Princess, these are my pals Scootaloo and Lady Golden Meadow."

The princess smiled at Scootaloo and Lady Golden Meadow, who both bowed respectfully. "Welcome, it's so nice to meet friends of Rainbow's. I hope you both enjoy the celebration."

Scootaloo beamed happily. "Thanks, Princess Cadance, ma’am! It's always cool to be with Rainbow Dash!'

Rainbow knelt down to Scootaloo’s level and hugged her. "Hey Scoot, I'm gonna be scarce until after the reception, as I got a lot on my plate until then, but we can hang out when it's over and the sun celebration starts."

"Scootaloo!" All eyes turned to a distressed Rarity. "We need to get you into your flower filly dress and where is the bride?!"

Rainbow had no explanation other than the special train that Twilight had sent to Griffinstone for Gilda's family was already overdue. That earned a frustrated growl from Rarity, who picked up Scootaloo with her magic and galloped off.

Rainbow turned her attention to Lady Golden Meadow. "Ma'am, what's the word on the Scootaloo situation?"

The mare smiled up at Rainbow. "It's done. You just need to sign a few documents and you're ready to take responsibility for her today."

Rainbow's mouth dropped open. "What? How? I just sent that letter a few days ago. It has to take longer than that."

Lady Golden Meadow looked down and shuffled a hoof sheepishly. "Rainbow, I could sense the connection between you two when you met in the hospital. So I may have already started the process, being cautiously optimistic that you'd form a stronger bond. The longest part of the process is the background check and personal references, so when Princess Twilight and I were in Canterlot meeting with Princess Celestia, I asked if they'd be willing to act as character witnesses for you and both agreed, Princess Celestia going so far as asking the other princesses if they'd also be character witnesses. Well, personal references from all five of Equestria's princesses certainly smoothes out any difficulties that might be encountered otherwise. As for the background check, Princess Celestia had already done that discreetly when you became an Element of Harmony."

Rainbow glanced to Cadance and she nodded with a smile. "Thanks, princess," she said, then turned back to the matron. "Wow, you don't play around when it comes to adoption."

"Sometimes there's only one chance to connect a foal in need to the right home and I have to act."

"So, all clear in the background check?" Rainbow asked hesitantly.

Lady Golden Meadow arched an eyebrow as she looked up at Rainbow. "Well, there was something about an altercation in the human world. A place called 'Big Mike's Watering Hole'."

Rainbow immediately got defensive. "Hey, it was the other guy's fault! He thinks he's a big and bad biker, all cool in his leather vest and wearing facial hair and he's like 'I hate Equestria' and 'I hate ponies' and we get in a big fight. I kicked his butt, it was super cool! My first human bar fight!" she said excitedly, taking a fighting pose and throwing a few punches into the air, then realizing who she was telling the story to. "Uh, yeah. But it's totally wrong to fight. I was still getting used to the way humans deal with things and humans prefer to fight their way through problems rather than trying to solve them.

"It's okay, Rainbow. I wouldn't have suggested your adopting her if I thought you'd be dangerous to her."

Cadance put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder and smiled. "I think it's wonderful that you're willing to reach out to Scootaloo like this, Rainbow. It takes a big heart to shoulder such a big responsibility."

Rainbow nodded, then turned her attention to Cadance. "So, that's things on the family front for me. How about you? Congratulations on the bun in the oven."

Cadance looked a bit uneasy. "I'm still getting used to the idea. It’s still strange and new, but not as strange as getting a letter of congratulations from Twilight when I wasn't even aware I was pregnant."

"Yeah, Discord has a way of doing that. How's Shiny taking it?"

"He's thrilled! And terrified, and anxious and everything else that comes with impending parenthood. I'm sure you know about some of that now.”

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, havin' a bit of that myself lately."

Cadance turned her attention to Lady Golden Meadow. "Ma'am, I'm glad to finally get the chance to make your acquaintance."

"Me? Whatever for?" the matron asked with visible surprise.

"I had heard you're a matchmaker and it seems from your cutie mark that's the case."

"Well, yes. That is my profession."

"What sort of matchmaking do you do? Just families or other things?" the princesses asked curiously.

"Families, couples, a fourth for bridge, replacement players for bands—I've matched just about everything over the years."

"Interesting. I know you are busy running the orphanage, but have you ever done any… moonlighting?" Cadance said with a sinister grin, rubbing her chin.

"Could you both follow me?" Cadance asked, directing them to a nearby balcony.

Rainbow and Lady Golden Meadow followed Cadance. As Rainbow stepped out onto it she could hear male and female voices arguing down below.

Cadance looked to her with concern, pointing over the railing. "Rainbow, I know I'm just a guest at this event but I must ask, what prompted you to hire the world's angriest bands to play at your father's wedding reception?"

Rainbow joined her at the railing and smiled. "Well, it’s a friendship and harmony kinda thing. You know, pony and griffin—they hated each other since forever, and now they're gonna get married. So I wanted to have a pony band that hates griffins and a griffin band that hates ponies here to show that things aren't so bad between us."

Judging by the look on her face, Rainbow had the feeling Cadance was struggling to hold in a face-hoof. The princess shook her head. "I tried to calm things down between them, but when I talked to them it seemed the only thing they could agree on was their contempt for me. The mare with the shaved off mane called me a &*%%$#^&, the one with the mohawk tried to spit on me and the griffins called me a #%^&*(! $#@*&% and gave me what was, I assume, an obscene gesture."

Rainbow laughed a bit. "Yeah, Daisy Cutter and her sister Toxin are from the band Prisoners of Harmony, and it’s got to be tough being an anti-establishment band in Equestria. The goth griffins are Grongor and his brother Shred, from the band Glue Factory."

"How did you manage to convince them to come to a gathering like this if they have such hatred?"

"A high profile gig, good pay. Rebellion doesn't put a lot of hay on the table.”

"There—he's doing it again, that gesture," Cadance said, looking down at the musicians.

"Yeah, he's totally flipping you off. Lemme handle this," Rainbow said and flipped the double bird back at him.

Shortly the musicians got back to arguing amongst themselves again.

"How does your matchmaking work?" Cadance asked, returning her attention to the matron. "Do you have to use magic or is it instinctive?"

Lady Golden Meadow went to the railing and looked down. "I just have to look and I can sense their potential connection. I've never 'read' the compatibility of griffins other than Fullbright Dash’s fiancée, but well, there is a strong connection and attraction between these ponies and griffins. However, cultural and racial hostilities won't let them even acknowledge it."

Rainbow watched as Cadance's horn lit up and moments later the arguing died down. The ponies and griffins stared awkwardly at each other. She cast a suspicious glance at Cadance. "Dude, did you just make them fall in love?"

Cadance smiled and shook her head. "No. I don't force ponies to fall in love. What I did was more of a 'hey, just think about it' sort of thing." She stayed outside, curious to see where her matchmaking would take the ponies and griffins. Lady Golden Meadow stayed with her, curious to see how the princess's magic worked in this situation.

Rainbow went back inside, worried she may have just witnessed the formation of an unholy alliance between the princess of love and the ultimate matchmaker. She met up with her dad, who was waiting just as impatiently as Rarity for Gilda's arrival.

"Too many confounded ponies!" an old voice groused.

They both turned to see Gilda and an unfamiliar face. The old griffin was a mix of panther and vulture, with a scar on the left side of his face, crossing over a blind eye.

"Hey gang! Here's my Grandpa Gruff," Gilda said proudly. "Gramps, this is Fullbright and his daughter Rainbow."

The old bird didn't say anything at first, just glancing at Fullbright, and then walking over to Rainbow. He gestured for her to lean down and she did so as he scrutinized her closely with his good eye then took her face in his claws and moved it around, closely examining her features. He took one of her hands, looked it over and examined her fingernails before finally turning and unsettlingly looking her over with his bad eye.

"Never seen one of your kind before, girl," Grandpa Gruff concluded.

Then he turned to look at Fullbright, then back to Rainbow. "That's his daughter? You ponies will sleep with anything," he grumbled.

"Hey, now—" Fullbright began and then Gilda jumped in.

"Whoa, Grandpa! Stop right there. Rainbow's adopted," Gilda said defensively.

The old griffin nodded and smiled a bit. Then he turned his scrutiny to Fullbright and put an arm over the pony's shoulder. "Ah, so you're the boy that caught Gilda's eye," the old bird said with a smile.

"Yeah, she's amazing and I'm a lucky stallion for having met her."

"Good. Since Gilda's folks aren't here to say this, it falls to me," he said and with surprising speed for such an old guy, he threw Fullbright to the ground where the pony was facing up and placed one taloned hand around the pony's throat and another on his chest, claws digging in over his heart. "You knocked up my granddaughter! Well, let me tell you this right now, boy. If you so much as THINK about cheating on her or abandoning her and the baby, I swear to the Sky Mother that I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth and when I find you, it will be like the old days! I'll rip the beating heart from your chest and eat it. Got that, boy?!"

"Y-yes!"

"Yes, what?!"

"Yes, sir!"

Grandpa Gruff smiled and released Fullbright. "Good. Now that we understand each other, let's party!" The old griffin helped the pony up then put an arm around Fullbright's shoulder as he began regaling him with tales of griffin glories as they walked on.

"Gilda, your grandpa is awesome," Rainbow said with a smile.

"Yep! He made me the griffin I am today. But despite that, I love the old buzzard," Gilda replied with a laugh.

Rainbow stood motionless as Rarity put the final touches on her dress while an equally annoyed and uncomfortable Gilda stood nearby in her magnificent wedding gown.

"Hey, Rainbow. I wanna to say thanks," Gilda said.

"For what?"

"For everything—being my friend, for still being my friend after all that crazy stuff that's been going on. For letting me be a part of your family. You and Red are the best things that ever happened to me."

"You're welcome, Gilda. Pals stick together and you're my oldest pal. I gotta ask, why do you call Dad 'Red'?"

"Oh, the first time I met him I nearly killed him."

Rainbow laughed.

Gilda frowned. "I'm not joking. I literally almost killed him."

Rainbow stopped laughing.

"It was in Las Pegasus like he said. I was in a bad way," Gilda said, frowning deeper. "I was a powder keg waiting to explode and then one night I'm in a bar and a bunch of pony punks lit the fuse. I was using fists at first, but it wouldn't have been much longer before it came to claws. It was the end of the line for ol' Gilda and I didn't care who I took down with me.”

The eerie finality of Gilda’s words chilled Rainbow to the bone. “And that’s when Dad showed up?”

Gilda smiled a bit. "Then I get smacked in the head with a pool cue and I turn and see Red there. He had been in the guard and knew how to fight griffins. He gets me away from the others and he and I are duking it out in the middle of the street in front of a big crowd. Eventually he goes for the knockout and I go for the kill."

Gilda paused, and took a deep breath. "He gives me a hard elbow to the throat and then follows through with a hoof to the face and I—I ripped him open. We both fall to the street beside each other, looking at each other. I'm passing out, he's bleeding all over the place. For some reason I say 'Red' before I was out."

"Whoa," Rainbow said.

Rarity had been silent, trying not to intrude on the story. "He must love you very much to marry you after a first impression like that."

"Yeah,” Gilda replied with a heavy sigh and looked up to Rainbow. “A few days later he visits me in jail and talks to me. I thought he was there to gloat and press charges, but he did the opposite. We talk and when he realized I'm your old friend, he pays my bail and refuses to press charges. He said that since I'd been a friend when you needed one, he'd be the friend I needed. Then he even goes so far as to call in some favors and spread some bits around and everyone involved just lets things drop! He lets me crash at his place and then gets me all enthused for his new airshow and hey, things just started to click between us. It's not like I set out to seduce your dad or anything. He's just not like any guy I ever met before. We griffins are miserable, greedy, angry jerks, so you can't imagine how it made me feel when he looked past all that and thought I was something wonderful and special."

"Gilda, wow," Rainbow remarked. "That's quite a way to meet a guy. I can't believe Dad never told me about that."

"It's not a story he likes to tell, for obvious reasons. I just call him Red to remind myself about that first meeting and that I could've easily missed out on the best thing in my life."

Rainbow went over and knelt in front of Gilda, whose head hung low in shame. Rainbow put a hand under her chin so she could look her in the eye.

"It's okay, Gilda. I forgive you," Rainbow said. "And I'm happy you two are happy together. Just promise me that you'll take good care of him and try not to kill him again."

Gilda laughed a bit and smiled. "I promise, Rainbow."

Right after that touching moment Rarity ushered Rainbow out of the room so she could finish her work on the bride without interruption. Rainbow went to check in with her dad, part of her duty as Best Mare. She found him in front of a mirror, making sure his suit jacket was right.

"Hey! Lookin' good, Dad," Rainbow said.

"Thanks, honey," Fullbright said, grumbling as he struggled with his bowtie. "I hate formal stuff. We ponies weren't meant for this."

"Hey Dad, I don't mean to bring up bad stuff, but Gilda just told me why she calls you Red. Is that story about a fight true?"

"Oh yeah, very true," he said and stood upright, then drew a hoof across his abdomen. "Another word you never want to hear from a doctor is 'disemboweled'. For being a mostly normal, fairly ordinary pony, I have had some startlingly horrific injuries."

Rainbow shuddered. "No scars or anything?"

"I had them fixed by the cosmetic surgeons in Las Pegasus. Best in the world."

"Wow, you really are the most forgiving guy I ever met. You set a high standard, Dad."

"If I had demanded my pound of flesh, I'd have missed out on all the happiness I have now with her. The pain’s passed, the scars have healed, I'm in love again and it's a wonderful thing. I wouldn't trade this time with Gilda for anything," he said, then ran a hoof over the saddle bags nearby then put them on.

"Saddle bags at a wedding?" Rainbow asked curiously.

He smiled and opened one of the bags to show a number of ornate wooden boxes. He drew one out and opened it.

"Wow!" was Rainbow's response to the gold jewelry inside.

"Griffin society is patriarchal, so at the wedding the male has to show he's a good provider and he does so by 'festooning' his bride with gold and jewels. It's a lucky thing you have a good job, as that was your inheritance," he said with a laugh. "And the baby's too. And don't worry, this stuff is all new. You'll get your mom's stuff."

"It's okay Dad, I don't mind. I'm not really a jewelry kinda mare."

"No. I thought about it and it just seemed disrespectful. I know she'd want you to have her things."

An attendant came in and told them the wedding was about to start. Fullbright checked himself over in the mirror a final time and Rainbow decided to indulge one last curiosity.

"Hey Dad, I have to admit, I am morbidly curious about something. If you had actually gone for one of my friends, which one? I'm thinking Twilight or Apple Jewel."

Fullbright laughed. "Rarity, in a heartbeat."

"Rarity? Really?" Rainbow asked in genuine surprise.

"I've always been attracted to high maintenance mares."

Rainbow pondered that for a few moments. "Mom was high maintenance?"

"Good heavens, Rainbow, you have no idea," he said with a laugh. "I like the type that keep you on your hooves and don't let you get complacent."

The attendant returned and told them the ceremony was starting.

"Showtime, Dad," Rainbow said, smiling at him.

"Let's do this. Go, team Dash!" he said with a smile, and he and Rainbow did a hoof bump.

They entered the magnificently decorated ballroom of Twilight's castle and made their way down the aisle. Rainbow took her place beside the groom. Soft music from Octavia and her quartet filled the chamber as the many guests took their seats.

Princess Celestia took her place at the front and stood quietly in an amazing iridescent gown. Rainbow saw that everypony had shown up—a griffin ambassador, even Fullbright’s old friends from the Wonderbolts.

The music picked up and the wedding march began. The flower fillies appeared--Scootaloo with Princess Luna very carefully following her lead as they spread flower petals along the aisle.

Then all eyes turned to the back of the hall and a hushed murmur followed as everypony saw the bride. There were gasps at the sight of her in her magnificent gown—a gown that would have been appropriate for a fairytale princess. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon and Diamond Rich carried the train of the gown. The foals were all practically bouncing with excitement. Rainbow knew they were all thrilled to be in the wedding, but Rainbow guessed the rumor she'd heard was true, namely that when Rarity was getting them ready for the ceremony Diamond had gotten her cutie mark when Rarity put a tiara on her head.

Grandpa Gruff walked Gilda down the aisle, holding her talon. He led her to the front, where she looked adoringly at Fullbright through her veil.

Celestia looked to the guests. "If there be any who object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." When there were no objections she continued. "If I may have your indulgence a few moments, there I something I wish to say."

The princess looked to the couple and then to the crowd. "There was a time long ago when such a union would have been seen as treason by both our nations. I am glad those times have passed. When I was asked to do this, I had to do some soul searching and realized nothing had been accomplished by our centuries of hatred. So let this union be a blessing to our peoples and let a new day begin for our world."

There was a murmur of approval from those present.

"Now, let us begin," Celestia said. "Fullbright Dash, do you proclaim yourself worthy of this hen, Gilda Deathwing?"

Soft laughter went through the crowd.

Gilda glared at them. "Hey, it's what we're called!" she grumbled, then turned to the princess and then back to Fullbright. "Sorry."

"I do," Fullbright Dash replied, smiling at Gilda.

Celestia turned to Gilda. "Gilda Deathwing, do you proclaim yourself worthy of this stallion, Fullbright Dash?"

"Yeah. Uh, yes ma'am."

"Do you both swear to guide and protect the other, to love and cherish each other till the end of your days?"

Both agreed.

"Will you bring up your children in the way of all good things?"

Both agreed.

"Fullbright Dash, you have proclaimed your desire to wed this hen. Will you provide for her and your children?"

"I will," he said and he began to lay out the jewelry boxes before her and when he opened them Gilda gasped. Then he began to put the jewelry on her as tears streamed down her face. She shook a bit, trying to hold back her emotions. It was a rather lengthy process as he did indeed festoon his bride with gold and jewels.

"Gilda Deathwing, he has shown that he will provide for you and your children," Princess Celestia said. "Do you accept this offering from his heart and accept him as your life-mate unto death?"

"I do," she said, choking up.

"Fullbright Dash, you have proclaimed to all here that you wish to wed Gilda Deathwing. Do you take her as your life-mate unto death?"

"I do," he replied, shedding a few tears of his own.

Princess Celestia unfurled her wings and stood tall. "Then I, Princess Celestia Solaris, proclaim this couple wed. Let your words be written upon your hearts so that you may forever remember your promises to each other and a thousand curses upon any who seek to destroy what has been joined here today."

A standing ovation followed. Rainbow joined the others in the receiving line and she couldn't help but notice that most of the griffins stayed by themselves, not even congratulating the bride. The diplomatic griffins and her grandfather did though. When the couple had greeted all the guests, Rarity whisked the wedding party away to pose for Photo Finish, the official wedding photographer.

"Time to make DA MAGICS!" Photo Finish said with relish.

When the pictures were over, Rarity had Gilda and Fullbright change out of their wedding attire and now were just wearing capes—Gilda's white and Fullbright's black.

"Capes?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity didn't look up from her work to respond. "A cloak is the only thing the couple is allowed to take on the hunt."

"Anypony have any idea what it is we're hunting?" Fullbright asked.

Rarity shook her head. "Sorry, but Pinkie Pie swore me to secrecy."

Rainbow had seen Mulia Mild in town a few days before the wedding, so she had a pretty good idea what the "animal" was going to be. Once the couple was ready for the hunt, the group went to the castle grounds where all the others gathered for the reception. It was griffin custom that food wasn't served until the hunt was completed, so there was a lot of pressure on the couple to make a fast kill.

Princess Celestia approached the couple and nodded, then addressed the crowd. "The couple has one last duty. They must show that they can work together in what is most important. Can they trust their lives to the other and provide for all they care for?"

The couple agreed.

"Then bring on the beast!"

Pinkie Pie and Mulia brought forth a cart that was covered in a large sheet. Under it was something big and irregularly shaped. Twilight's horn lit up and suddenly the thing under the cloth struggled. Pinkie pulled the sheet away to reveal a magically animated mousse moose with a red candy heart on its chest. The confectionary creature bolted from the cart and the startled couple overcame their surprise and took off after it. The guests were abuzz in discussion of the ceremony and hungry ponies checked their watches.

About twenty minutes later a battered and disheveled couple appeared, carrying their "kill".

Grandpa Gruff looked at his gold pocket watch and shook his head. "We're all starving to death and you two were out for a romantic stroll!"

"That was harder than I thought it would be," Fullbright admitted as he and Gilda carted the body to the dessert table.

"Yeah, don't quit your day job, boy," Gruff laughed.

As the servants began bringing out the food, Rainbow took a microphone and stood by the head table, starting the traditional best-mare toast to the groom. "What can I say about Fullbright Dash? Awesome dad, hero, inspiration. He set the example that led me to becoming the Element of Loyalty. He's surprisingly durable. He shared a lot of wisdom with me over the years and made me the mare I am today. Let's not forget the greatest wisdom he shared with me, 'Life's too short to hold a grudge,' and that simple wisdom has made me what I am today. Without his guidance, I would have nothing and be nothing, so let's raise a toast to the element of awesome, Fullbright Dash!"

A cheer went up and everypony began eating. Rainbow took her seat to the left of her dad with Gilda on the right. He leaned over and gave his daughter a quick hug.

"Honey, this wedding was amazing. Thank you," Fullbright said with a big smile.

"Hey, for you two, you know we'd pull out all the stops. So Gilda, did it live up to your dream wedding?" Rainbow asked, peering past her dad to her "mom".

Gilda had tears in her eyes and she was so overcome she could only nod her head.

"Cool!" Rainbow replied with a satisfied smile.

After the food, the dancing began. Octavia and her quartet were still in charge of the music, as Rainbow wanted traditional music for the first part of the reception to please the older and uppercrust guests, then at the halfway point she'd take over with the louder, heavier music. When the music started, the first dance at a pony reception was traditionally father and daughter, and here it was Gilda and her grandfather. And they must have been practicing, as she did pretty good here. Once that was over the others began dancing, and between dances the bride and groom mingled with the guests.

When Rainbow could finally get Gilda aside, she looked toward the group of reclusive griffins that still remained aloof from everypony else. "Hey, Gilda. What's with those guys over there? They haven't said two words to anypony."

Gilda rolled her eyes and made a dismissive gesture in their direction. "That's my family. Aunts, uncles and some cousins. They don't like that I'm marrying a pony. Screw 'em."

"They came to the wedding even though they're against it?"

"Hey, a griffin would show up for their own execution if they could mooch a free meal out of it," Gilda said with a terse laugh. "All that matters to me is that Grandpa approves."

Shortly Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Grandpa Gruff and the griffin ambassador approached.

Grandpa Gruff patted Rainbow's hand and smiled up at her. "I gotta say, this is quite a shindig, youngster. Even Corsair here liked it!" he said, gesturing to the regal griffin beside him.

Ambassador Corsair nodded, and responded in a formal tone, "I had reservations about this, but I am quite pleased that you respected our customs and traditions. I further give you points for imagination on your version of the hunt." The ambassador looked to the reclusive griffins at their table. "While I grudgingly approved, I have the wisdom to understand that the old ways are not always the best ways."

Rarity nodded and gave a polite bow to the ambassador. "We are honored that you found it worthy, sir. Gilda is our friend and we wanted to make this a ceremony that both races could be proud of."

Rainbow smiled and nodded. "Yeah, did you see that awesome festooning Dad did with the jewelry?"

Rarity gave a snort of laughter, then quickly covered her mouth with a hoof. "Yes, we made sure everything was festooned with the proper decorations."

Pinkie Pie giggled. "And the Cake's cake was festooned with all kinds of different flavors so everypony and everygriffin could enjoy it!"

Rarity and Pinkie struggled to keep their laughter inside.

Ambassador Corsair rolled his eyes. "I take it you were using Grayfeather's Guide to Griffin Gatherings?"

Rarity, exhausted from the days of preparation, was a bit more jokey than normal and laughed. "Yes. The writer did seem inordinately fond of the word. One might even say the book was festooned with it!"

Grandpa Gruff looked to the human and ponies and removed his fez. "This old bird doesn't say 'thank you' very often, but this deserves it. I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought there might be a stigma among ponies over marrying a griffin, but you went all out and made her feel like royalty. I'm not getting any younger and I was worried she'd end up with some worthless lout, but now I know she's found someone that will take good care of her."

"She's a good friend and it was our pleasure," Rainbow replied with a smile.

Rainbow watched the ponies having a good time and she took up her camera and did her best to capture the event. The picture of Granny Smith dancing with Grandpa Gruff was definitely going on her wall. It was almost time for her and her band to start their part of the musical event. One last traditional dance.

"May I have this dance, Miss Dash?" Big Macintosh asked from behind her.

She turned and was surprised to see him standing on his hind legs. He smiled and gave a gentlemanly bow and held out his hoof. He wasn't wobbling or unsteady. She was more startled than anything, as he was rather shy and for him to ask her to dance at a public event was rather a big step.

"Certainly, Mr. Apple. I would be delighted," she said and curtsied.

With him standing upright, he was actually taller than her, so it was odd to look up to meet his gaze for a change. She put her hand on his hoof and felt the strange sensation of the magic ponies had in their hooves to hold things. The only thing she could compare it to was like putting her hand in fresh dough. The magic gently enveloped her hand as he stood close and put another hoof on her hip.

“This can’t be spur of the moment, dude,” she said as they began to dance.

“Enope. Miss Lyra’s been teachin’ me to stand upright without makin’ a total fool of myself.”

Rainbow blushed as she danced; she was not unaccustomed to dancing in general, but knew others were watching as she could hear cameras taking their picture together and she couldn’t help noticing Princess Cadance and Lady Golden Meadow both looking at her, nodding with knowing smiles. Big Mac had been confident and brave at the start, but as the dance progressed they both began getting increasingly self-conscious. They broke off at the end of the music, both blushing and smiling shyly at each other.

“Uh, hey. Thanks for the dance, big dude,” she said nervously.

He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. “E-yup. It was my pleasure, Miss Dash.”

When the dance was over, Rainbow approached the princess and matron. "Not one word out of either of you and no meddling. Things are complicated enough as it is."

Cadance gave a big smile. "There's no need. You two have plenty of love already."

The matron smiled up at her and put a hoof on her hand. "I must admit, I always wondered about who you'd end up being drawn to. I knew your being a child of two worlds would complicate things for you."

"Yeah, it has. The Equestrian in me says Big Mac is the kind of guy every mare dreams of—big, strong, handsome, loyal as the day is long, kind and rockin' those awesome unshorn fetlocks, but whenever I think all that, the human part of me interrupts to remind me that I'm in love with a talking horse."

Author's Note

"Hey, it was the other guy's fault! He thinks he's a big and bad biker, all cool in his leather vest and wearing facial hair and he's like 'I hate Equestria' and 'I hate ponies' and we get in a big fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u35U2sSgnE0

Chapter 21 – Wedding Gifts and The Best Gift of All

As the classical quartet left the stage, Rainbow and her musicians took the spotlight. Shortly, she stood at the front and picked up her Fender Stratocaster and turned up the amp.

“Ponies! Griffins! Are you ready to rock? Classically!” she shouted into the mic and began playing. The griffins and ponies with her followed her lead and started on a heavy metal version of "Pachelbel’s Canon."

(Heavy metal Pachelbel’s canon- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNmcLKXPGSg )

The younger ponies in the group began dancing. After a few songs she turned the music over to Daisy Cutter and Grongor, and the combined pony and griffin bands began a heavy metal duet of the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love. Rainbow stopped and slowly turned around, watching as pony and griffin looked adoringly into each other’s eyes as they sang their duet into a single microphone.

“Cadance, if you ruined two of my favorite bands, you’re in so much trouble,” she grumbled.

As Rainbow mingled, she was met by one of Twilight's servants with the request to meet with the princesses in the library. Shortly she stood in the library along with the bride and groom, and Grandpa Gruff. When Celestia and Nightmare arrived, Twilight magically sealed the door.

“Friends,” Princess Celestia said, smiling at them. “This was a lovely occasion. Thank you all so much for allowing us to attend. There are some gifts we wish to bestow. It was implied to me that the couple has concerns about their child. If you so desire, I can show you what your child will look like.”

Fullbright smiled and shook his head. “We’re honored, your highness, but we saw the picture you sent. From what Twilight told us, we already have an idea.”

“You misunderstand. I mean I can literally show you what your child is going to look like, from birth to adulthood.”

The others looked at each other in surprise.

“Really?” Fullbright asked.

“Really. Does the mother wish to know?”

“Yeah, sure,” Gilda replied.

Celestia’s horn glowed and she closed her eyes. After nearly a minute of preparation she opened her eyes and she stepped back as a ghostly glowing form began to materialize in the middle of the room and the others gathered around. Soon a small image materialized and there stood a little male hippogriff, its front half an eagle with the feathers on his head having a rainbowish tint while his equine rear half was light blue like his father's. The form began to age and soon there stood a stout and handsome fellow.

Gilda looked to her grandfather. “Well, Grandpa, what do you think?”

He walked around the figure several times, looked to Gilda and smiled. “I’d be proud to call him family."

Gilda let out a sigh of relief and hugged her grandfather. “Thanks, Grandpa! You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Rainbow knew he was lying, but he loved Gilda too much to hurt her and he’d force a smile for the rest of his life to hide the truth. She then looked to her father and smiled as she noted his trained flyers eye, judging his future son’s flying capabilities.

Nightmare Moon now stepped forward and stood before the couple. “We have given great thought to what would be a worthy gift. We know that thee are a child of Griffinstone. I have been told of the misfortunes that have befallen your land.” Nightmare’s horn glowed and a scroll appeared in the air. “For the couple, we give thee this." The scroll floated over to Gilda and she took it in her claws and opened it.

“A map?” Gilda asked.

“That is a map to the lost treasure of Griffinstone. With that you can recover your beloved Idol of Boreas and return honor and glory to your people.”

Grandpa Gruff rushed over and looked at it, studying the landmarks. “I-I know where that is! We can find the idol!”

Nightmare nodded. “It will be a perilous descent into the abyss to retrieve it, so be sure of yourselves and your valor. I give this to thee in private, so none may try to claim it before you.”

Gilda looked to Gruff and then to her husband. “Mind if we cut the honeymoon short? Take a raincheck. I don't think Grandpa would like to wait on this one.”

Grandpa Gruff folded his arms and glared at Fullbright. "It's not like I've been waiting more than sixty years for this day or anything. Besides, you already got her pregnant, so there's not much point to a honeymoon, is there?"

Fullbright nodded then turned to his wife, smiled and hugged her. “For you, my dear, anything.”

Gilda laughed and hugged her husband, then her grandfather. “We wouldn’t dream of it, Grandpa.”

Rainbow nodded. “I guess I'd better get my gear together for the climb.”

“You’re going into the Abysmal Abyss?” Grandpa Gruff asked, clearly surprised.

“Sure thing, old timer. Like any of you know anything about rock climbing. I’ve climbed to the top of Canterlot Mountain, and when I got to the top I jumped off it. We’ll make Griffinstone awesome again in no time.”

With lots of hugs and a few tears, the new couple said their goodbyes and Celestia sent them off to Canterlot on her personal chariot to spend their honeymoon night at a suite at her castle, with plans to meet at the Canterlot train station bright and early the next morning to begin their journey.

With that business taken care of, Rainbow set out to find Scootaloo. Ponyville was a mass of celebrating ponies—singing, dancing, partying, gaming, eating. She eventually found Scootaloo with her new friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon and Diamond Rich, apparently having the time of her life. The matron was protectively nearby, but at the same time was actually enjoying herself as well.

As night fell, the celebration went up a notch and the bands Rainbow had brought in also kicked things up another notch. The whole town was rockin’—the air itself seemed to vibrate with the power of the music.

Everypony partied through the night until the first hint of dawn approached. Rainbow had to wake Scootaloo, who’d drifted off to sleep, but she wanted to make sure she saw the highlight of the holiday. The kids all watched with awe as Nightmare Moon lowered the moon and Celestia raised the sun. When the festivities had concluded, Rainbow picked up the sleepy Scootaloo, who snuggled against her. She smiled down at the little pony in her arms.

"Sweet dreams, Scoot," she said and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Rainbow hosted the Matron and Scootaloo at her place, due to the rest of Ponyville being packed with visitors for the holiday. She showed the weary matron to her room and Rainbow went to another door. Rainbow took the sign off the door, went inside and tucked Scootaloo in. She hung the sign on the wall opposite the bed.

The next day, Rainbow sat at very late breakfast with the matron when she heard the thump of Scootaloo leaping out of bed. They both winced when they heard the pony galloping down the stairs, trip and tumble down the rest of the way, then get up and charge into the kitchen, slipping and sliding across the freshly waxed floor till she was at Rainbow’s chair.

“Good morning, Scootaloo. Sleep well?” Rainbow said, smiling at the performance.

It was a battle which was bigger—Scootaloo's eyes or her smile. “Rainbow… am I dreaming?”

Rainbow looked around. “I don’t see any clowns or spiders, so I don’t think so.”

“But… but… that thing on the wall. M-my room?” she stammered, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

“That’s up to you, kiddo. Lady Golden Meadow and I already took care of most of the paperwork. Just one last signature. I just wanted to make sure you’re cool with this. Is this what you want?”

Scooaloo leaped up onto Rainbow's lap. “Do you even have to ask?”

“You’ve got to understand, Scoot, my life's a dangerous one. I take risks and even though I’ll be looking after you, I’ll still have to take risks. I have a very important job. Can you accept that my life will at times be in danger?”

“Yes, Rainbow. I understand. I wouldn’t be here if you were afraid of a little danger.”

“I already talked to Dad and Gilda—if anything should ever happen to me, they’ll look after you. I hate to say it, but there may even be times where you might be put in danger just because of my work. Do you understand that, Scootaloo?”

“Yes, I understand, Rainbow. Do you promise to come rescue me if I end up in danger?” the little pony replied, shaking with excitement.

"Of course!"

"Then I accept the danger."

“You ready for this? To be mother and daughter?”

The little pony hugged her, totally happy. “Yes, yes, yes, Rainbow!” Scootaloo sobbed.

With Scootaloo still clinging to her, Rainbow lifted her pen and signed her name to the last document.

“That makes it official,” the matron said, with a few tears of her own. “Congratulations to both of you! May you always be a happy family."

Scootaloo was too overcome to respond, just burying her face against Rainbow and crying tears of joy. Rainbow smiled, wiped her eyes and hugged her new daughter.

"Scootaloo, I had all kinds of cool bonding stuff planned for our first day as a family, but adventure calls. We've got to pack for a trip to Griffinstone. There's some lost treasure we have to find to make Griffinstone awesome again, so I'm going to need my climbing gear and stuff. You up for adventure, kiddo? I know it's a big surprise, so if you want you can stay with the Apples until I get back."

"Are you kidding? I'm ready for anything!" the little pony responded with a big smile.

Rainbow laughed and hugged her daughter. "That's my girl!"

***

Lady Golden Meadow just smiled as she watched the two begin hashing out plans for the trip. Two peas in a pod, she thought to herself as she smiled and sipped her tea.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it.

There is a sequel in the works.

Chapter 1 - Dashing into Action

Chapter One - Dashing into Action

For a few moments, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and just savored the feel of the wind in her mane and the freedom of flight. There were few things as awesome.

"This is really fun, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said, waking Dash from her pegasus daydream.

Rainbow looked up to see her Earth pony friend in the harnessed position above her on their tandem hang glider.

"Yeah, it is, Pinkie," she replied, a bit annoyed at having her daydream interrupted, but she knew she needed to stay focused on this. It was a big deal to be asked by the Wonderbolts to make this excursion into the air for the sake of little ponies that couldn't fly, to show that even the flightless could enjoy the skies.

She glanced down at the cloud platform just below them that two Wonderbolts pulled along; on that small platform was the unicorn in charge of cloud magic along with six fillies and colts. Once the kids were ready, she and Pinkie would do some sick stunts on the hang glider as their admirers followed them down and then Rainbow would detach and use her wingsuit to do an awesome big finale, using her rainbow colored smoke flares as she parachuted to the ground.

Things had not gone without a hitch, however. Rainbow checked her altimeter—they were nearly at nine thousand feet. Rainbow felt tension growing inside, her instincts telling her to keep on guard.

"What's wrong, Rainbow?" Pinkie asked from above.

“Way too high!” The wind was too strong and it was too cloudy. The Wonderbolts and unicorn had dismissed her concerns so much as a word. “And don’t get me started on those ‘Wonderbolts’. It’s like they just grabbed two ponies off the street and stuck them in uniforms, and that unicorn looks like he’s going to hurl. He’s totally afraid of heights! We were supposed to get rookie mares Lightning Dust and Fast Feather but those two are just two dudes.”

Pinkie laughed good-naturedly and smiled down at Rainbow.

"Just relax, Rainbow. We've handled worse trouble than this. If something's going to go wrong, who better than us to fix it? We'll have fun and show those fillies and colts that even we non-pegasusususes can enjoy flying."

Rainbow and Pinkie began their performance, one that was frequently interrupted by cloud masses that blocked their path or visibility to their audience. With the cloud walking magic in effect, the lighter clouds were the consistency of pudding while the denser clouds might as well have been blocks of concrete.

They began to drift away to avoid the clouds that had started to obscure Rainbow’s view of the pony team. She got on the radio and called in, but got no response.

“They shut off their radios! What are they thinking?" Rainbow shouted.

“Don’t worry, Rai--” Pinkie said and then went silent.

Rainbow knew nothing good would come from this.

“TWITCHY TAIL! TWITCHY TAIL!” Pinkie shrieked.

Something was going to fall. Rainbow quickly looked over the hang glider; it was fine and their harnesses were all secure. She still didn’t have a visual on the pony team, so she maneuvered the glider around to try to find them, her mind counting the seconds since Pinkie’s exclamation. She could see Pinkie frantically looking for the others as well.

Finally they could see the cloud they sought--two pegasi up front, a unicorn right behind them, looking forward, as were the five foals.

"Oh horse apples. Five, not six!" Rainbow shouted and in an instant she detached herself from the glider and swept her arms and legs straight back, plunging nearly straight down. She knew Pinkie would somehow get the attention of the others, then once the pegasi realized they were short one kid they would panic for a few seconds, try to fly down and forget they were tethered to the cloud. It would take a few seconds more for the equally panicked unicorn to release them, then they’d leave the unicorn and kids stranded on a cloud at 9,000 feet and begin flapping wildly trying to catch up, but they wouldn’t have a clue how to do it. They knew how to fly, but she knew how to fall.

It had been over ten seconds since Pinkie’s warning. The little pony would already be at terminal velocity and more than 1,000 feet below them. Rainbow doubted even Fleetfoot could fly that fast. Her eyes scanned the world below her, trying to spot the tiny dot of a falling foal.

The wind whipped past her and pulled as if trying to stop her heroic effort as she shot down like a rainbow blur. Only rarely had she moved at these speeds, knowing with her body streamlined she could possibly hit 300 miles per hour—she could, in theory, catch up.

Then finally a break. A tiny orange form tumbling below her.

Rainbow changed directions using her wing suit, precious fractions of seconds lost in a race against time as she bulleted down past clouds that blocked her here and there, forcing her to judge their density and whether she’d be able to pass through or crash—at last, a clear line, the only thing in the way two clouds drifting close together.

“Thread the needle, Dash!” she shouted to herself and with preternatural skill she slipped between the two puffy obstacles, feeling the dense clouds brush past her with inches to spare. She became aware of a strange light in the corners of her vision, a rainbow effect, and she briefly worried she was going to black out from the G-forces but she continued on, going faster than she would have thought possible had she time to ponder it.

The screaming foal ahead was smaller and lighter than a human, tumbling and flapping her wings. Rainbow risked glances at her altimeter, estimating with her speed and altitude the foal would hit the ground in about 45 seconds. She activated the can of black smoke to alert the ground crew below them that there was a problem.

The ground loomed closer with alarming speed as Rainbow Dash got close enough to make out the tiny filly with an orange coat and purple mane and tail, her wings beating the air desperately.

Rainbow watched her altimeter as she passed below 2,500 feet, the altitude she’d normally deploy her parachute. It was only moments later she blew past 2,000—they were now below minimum safe deployment altitude.

Rainbow didn’t bother looking at the altimeter any longer. She was in uncharted territory now. On a wing and a prayer.

She could still do it—she was getting closer, but so was the ground. In a terrible and triumphant moment she finally made eye contact with the foal, the desperate child twisting around now and reaching out for Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash knew she’d only have one chance at this. At their current altitude they’d be too low for her main chute to open completely; she’d have to release it and use her quick deploy reserve chute and there might not even be enough time for that to deploy fully.

They had to be under 1,000 feet by now. Rainbow got closer and closer, reaching out, her fingertips brushing the filly’s hooves. Dash focused everything on her, the look of terror and desperation in the child’s eyes driving her to risk it all. Some force seemed to drive her forward and the gap between them closed. She grabbed the little pony and pulled her in close.

“Hang on!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she pulled the three ring release of her main chute, it pulled away and deployed the reserve at the same time. She wrapped both arms tight around the filly as she felt the reserve chute opening, but they were still going too fast. She glanced at the altimeter just as they passed under 200 feet.

It was going to be bad no matter how it ended. Rainbow protectively held the filly to shield her as much as possible from the impact.

“I’m sorry!” the filly shouted an instant before they hit the ground.

With an awful force, Rainbow Dash smashed into the ground. She tried to roll with it but they were moving too fast; the foal screamed. She heard bones break.

Then there was darkness.

Chapter 3 - A Visit from Dad and the Power Over the Press

The group stayed for a bit, Scootaloo listening enraptured as Fullbright shared stories of Rainbow's foalhood. Eventually the matron insisted they needed to go.

Rainbow gave Scootaloo a quick, gentle hug and looked down at her with a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Scoot, even for how it went. You're a cool kid."

"Not as cool as you are," Scootaloo replied, her ears drooping.

"Hey, you're still young. I didn't get this awesome overnight. You just have to remember that while you're there, things may seem hopeless and you feel like you're alone in the world, but all that can change. It won't always be that way. You just have to stay strong. Things will turn around for you, Scoot. Don't give up hope."

Tears began running down Scootaloo's cheeks again, but she wiped them away. "I won't forget, Rainbow Dash. Thanks again. You're my hero.”

Fullbright smiled proudly at his daughter as they watched the matron lead Scootaloo away, but saw now that Rainbow looked sad. He walked over and put a hoof on her hand. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Sorry, Dad. Nothing's wrong," Rainbow said. "I’m just seeing myself in her eyes. Poor kid. The other kids probably pick on her."

"Rainbow, that may be the case, but you gave her something special today—a role model. Somepony to look up to. For a filly who has nothing, that's everything."

Rainbow lay back and rested her head on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, I guess that’s pretty important for a kid.”

“Yes, it is," Fullbright said with a smile.

Fullbright stayed by her side, neither saying much, Rainbow taking great comfort from her father holding her hand in his hooves. She wanted to share more about the rescue, but the ordeal had taken its toll and she just needed to rest. When a nurse came in and informed them that visiting hours had ended they both nodded.

"Unfortunately, I need to get going," Fullbright admitted. "We just flew in to Canterlot today and I wanted to check up on you. When you’re discharged maybe we can have dinner together.”

“Sure Dad, sounds great. It’s always good to spend time with you.”

“Likewise, honey. See you tomorrow,” he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Rainbow reached up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight until she had to release him due to the pain. “Bye, Dad,” she groaned as she lay back down.

Rainbow leaned back and closed her eyes as she pondered everything that had happened. Her thoughts went back to the crash, but then something else popped into her mind. Her mother had passed away years ago, so who was the “we” her father had spoken of? Had he finally started dating again? Now that, more than her injuries, filled her mind.

"Way to go, Rainbow Dad," she said with a chuckle.

The following morning, the hospital staff woke Rainbow Dash to inform her that an invitation to breakfast had arrived for her from the princesses. The invitation had said to attend only if she felt up to it, but for such a rare honor she would have crawled there from her hospital bed.

Slowly and with considerable discomfort, plus the assistance of a helpful nurse, she got dressed and grabbed her crutches.

A flying chariot pulled by Princess Celestia's personal guard awaited her outside. Shortly she found herself on a balcony at Canterlot castle, with the three princesses seated around an ornate gold and crystal table piled with food.

"Rainbow!" the youngest princess shouted in excitement, leaping out of her seat and rushing at Rainbow, only to be grasped by magic and lifted up, the little filly's limbs flailing.

"Luna! Rainbow is in no condition for enthusiastic hugs," Princess Nightmare Moon warned as she released her little sister.

"Awww," Princess Luna responded with a cute pout.

Rainbow leaned down and held out her fist to the little pony. Luna smiled and did a hoofbump, then Rainbow bowed as best as she was able to the elder princesses.

"Rainbow Dash, welcome and good morning," Celestia said fondly as her horn began glowing, lifting Rainbow into the air and gently depositing her in a chair.

Nightmare Moon greeted her with an uncharacteristic smile. "Friend Rainbow, you are here so that we may pay thee homage for your bravery!"

Celestia smiled widely and met Rainbow's gaze. "Indeed. Your heroism is an inspiration to us. We wanted to thank you in person for what you have done."

"I'm humbled, princesses. For all of you to give me a private audience is really kind," Rainbow replied.

"You deserve no less, my friend.” Celestia turned to Luna with a kindly smile. "Luna is making something special for you.”

Luna looked up to see everypony looking at her; she quickly hunched forward and covered the plate in front of her with her forelegs."Don't look! It's not ready yet," she warned, her horn glowing with magic as she continued preparing Rainbow's special surprise.

"We have things to discuss with thee, friend Rainbow," Nightmare Moon added as she sipped her tea.

"Sure, what did you want to talk about?" Rainbow asked as she began eating. She knew from experience that, informally, it was not uncommon for the princesses to talk while eating when out of public eye, simply due to how precious their time was—they simply didn't have time for the niceties when not necessary.

Celestia smiled again and rested a wing on Rainbow's shoulder. "We have withheld most of the story from the press for the time being as we'd like to have all the information first before we make a full statement. We wish to hear your account of events. We have seen what the device from your helmet showed us, but we would like to hear it in your own words."

Rainbow told her story, explaining how her safety concerns were ignored and how carelessly things had been put together. Then she described her death defying plunge.

Celestia's pleasant mood left when Rainbow told about waking up the in hospital. "I wish to apologize on behalf of the Wonderbolts. I have spoken to all those involved. The ponies assigned to the task of flying and the unicorn in charge of magic simply thought the task beneath them, so they passed the task off to ponies under them who didn't dare refuse for fear of losing their jobs. Other mistakes were made as well. They were only supposed to go to nine hundred feet, but a mistake on the preflight notes from the pony responsible for this mess made it nine thousand."

"We nearly died because some ponies couldn't be bothered to do their job?" Rainbow shouted in outrage.

"I'm afraid so," Celestia replied with a solemn nod. "Another reason we asked you here is to discuss what to do about this situation. What do you feel should be the outcome of these events?"

"Well, they shouldn't take up any more kids until there's a serious safety overhaul of the whole program."

"Agreed. All such flights will be suspended pending a safety review. If you are interested I could put you in charge of that and they'd not be able to take any more foals up until you sign off on the program."

"Sure. That sounds like a good plan."

Nightmare, who had seemed to be waiting patiently for Celestia to finish, finally spoke with fiendish glee. "Now comes the important part, punishment for the malefactors. We have discussed what is to be done to those responsible. Do you have anything you wish to add?"

"Mal-what?"

Celestia chuckled. "Malefactors. It’s an old blanket term for trouble makers and criminals."

"Oh, cool. Well, the goofballs who should've been doing the job should have community service or something like that."

Nightmare frowned. "You modern ponies have become so permissive. I prefer the way we did it in the old days."

"Sorry, princess. I just don't want to make a big deal over it because of the filly I saved. If you make them an example to everypony, then everypony will know about Scootaloo. It’s got to be rough for her to begin with. She's an orphan, she can't fly and has no cutie mark. That's the trifecta of unfortunate for a kid. She'll be held up as a spectacle to the whole country. It would be so humiliating for her. If it’s possible, try to keep her name out of this mess."

Nightmare smiled this time with an approving nod. "Your element shines through. You would have this incident be forgotten to protect her rather than aggrandize yourself for the fame that would come from it. Most commendable."

Celestia nodded as well. "I agree, you again do Equestria proud, Rainbow Dash. I think the press will be agreeable to downplay the news of this event."

"They'll just bury a story for you?"

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. "'Bury' is such an ugly word, I simply will give them a story that will be more to their liking."

A parchment and quill appeared in the air and Celestia briefly wrote on it, then it turned to magic like Spike's magic breath mail. The letter went off in several directions.

"Consider the matter dropped," Celestia said as she smiled and poured tea for the others and then herself. "This incident will be now relegated to the back pages, just a mishap during a Wonderbolts practice session. A new story will take the headlines."

The rest of breakfast went without incident. Rainbow Dash enjoyed some of the best food she'd ever had in her life and while she was a coffee drinker normally, the tea the princesses served was amazingly good.

"Ta Da!" Luna shouted in triumph and levitated a plate over to Rainbow. Luna had merged several pancakes into one big one and had used other foods to make a breakfasty portrait of Rainbow's face of fried egg eyes, scrambled eggs, blueberry mouth and various condiments to make her rainbow mane.

"A work of art, Princess Luna," Rainbow said with a smile.

"Thank you! At least somepony here appreciates my artistic genius," the little filly said, glaring up at Nightmare Moon, who only rolled her eyes in return.

“I would have used the blueberries for the hair,” Nightmare muttered.

Luna stuck her tongue out at Nightmare, who did the same in return.

Rainbow found the two amusing. Nightmare looked after Luna the way she looked after Equestria: like a grumpy, draconian Mary Poppins, which she supposed was better than the way they had first met and the whole "the night shall last forever" thing.

It was nearly an hour later when a servant arrived with a folded newspaper. Celestia took it in her magic, unfolded it and paged through it.

"Page six, a mishap during a training flight put a prospective Wonderbolt, who was not named, in the hospital for observation. She was released after treatment. The incident was being investigated by authorities."

"Wow, that was fast," Rainbow replied in surprise.

"The power of the press is only superseded by the power of the crown."

"What's the big story you gave them?" Rainbow asked, returning to her breakfast.

Celestia turned the paper around so Rainbow Dash could see the front page headline: Griffins to perform in this year's Equestrian Idol.

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, despite how much it hurt.