Poison Whiskeyby The BricklayerChaptersPart 1: Shelter From the Storm (The Bricklayer)Part 3: Ain't it a Sin? (The Bricklayer)Part 4: Sisters Forever (RuinQueen and The Bricklayer)Part 5: Saving Grace (The Bricklayer)Part 6: The Best that I CanPart 7: I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me TonightPart 8: The Logical SongPart 9: Enter SandmanPart 10: Sympathy for the DevilPart 11: Mother and Child ReunionPart 12: SinnermarePart 13: Cat's in the CradlePart 14: I'm OK (The Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41)Part 15: CrashedPart 16: Hurt (Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41)Part 17: Ghost of a Chance (Bricklayer and RuinQueenofOblivion)Final Chapter: Devil in the Bottle (Bricklayer and Shadowmane)Prologue: Gimme Shelter (The Bricklayer)Part 2: Dream of the Sky (RuinQueenofOblivion)Part 1: Shelter From the Storm (The Bricklayer)"Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved Everything up to that point had been left unresolved Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm "Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm" Shelter from the Storm: Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks: 1975 Fluttershy's Cottage: A half hour earlier... Thunder rumbled as the rain pounded on the windows of the tree-home that comprised the cottage of the demure butter yellow pegasus mare known as Fluttershy. Actually, her full name, when being addressed via her married name was Fluttershy Breeze-Dash, or FlutterDash as the young drake known as Spike had snarkily remarked. Despite the really rather frightening weather which sent all of her animals flying to their homes for shelter, like the bunnies scurrying to their rabbit holes, or the birds to their nests, or the gophers to their holes, or the... Well, you get the idea. The only other animals inside the home, besides the two obvious ones of course, was Rainbow's pet tortoise, Tank, and Fluttershy's personal pet, Angel Bunny. Although, personally, Rainbow thought that bunny was anything BUT angelic. He looked sweet alright... On a plate in Rainbow's mind, not that she ever said this aloud of course. Now before you get confused, remember, pegasi are part bird, most likely of the falcon or eagle family trees so unlike most ponies they could have meat in their diet if they so chose to do so. Anyways, Angel had chosen to stay out of Rainbow and his guardian's way, as even he knew they deserved a night off to themselves. He'd even temporarily put off his long running feud with Tank, (Long story, basically it involved him beating the rabbit in a race. To this day, Angel still hadn't figured out how that had happened! He was faster then some dumb tortoise!) and frankly a rather one sided one at that as Tank couldn't care less about what the rabbit thought of him, just so neither pony would be angry with him or, quite possibly, get even subjected to Fluttershy's infamous Stare. Currently, very loud rock music centered on a certain Wonderbolts Captain was blaring from a radio to drown out the noise generated by the storm. Personally, it was certainly not to Fluttershy's tastes AT ALL but as for a certain rainbow maned pegasus on the other hoof... "Hot, hot, hotter then Hell!" Rainbow sang as she danced around the room with the radio in one of her hooves, Fluttershy having her ears covered by her hooves trying to drown out the noise. Personally, she didn't know which was worse. Rainbow's singing at the top of her lungs, or the thunder. "You know she'll leave you well done! Hot, hot, hotter then Hell!" Rainbow laughed before exclaiming loudly "Burning like the midday sun!" "Yep, I prefer the thunder better." Fluttershy mused to herself. she was not jealous about Rainbow singing a song dedicated to Spitfire, not one bit! As Rarity had taught her, a lady never gets jealous... Even if Fluttershy privately admitted to herself that Spitfire WAS an attractive looking mare. Just as the guitar solo started, Fluttershy's cheeks were flushing red either due to jealousy or the song's lyrics, Rainbow had put down the radio to mime playing a guitar and Angel ran into the room and pressed the off button on the radio.. "Thank you Angel Bunny, that's a good rabbit." Fluttershy beamed, and patted him on the head and fed him a carrot with Angel hopping off with a smirk on his face. Anything to keep the marriage alive and well, even if he didn't particularly care for the wife and to keep Fluttershy from becoming a miserable wreck and becoming a crazy old cat lady. He'd heard it could happen after a divorce. It was true... Or at least that's what Discord said, although now that Angel thought of it, anything that chimera said should be taken with a grain of salt. Quite a few grains, really. "Really, rabbit!?! I was enjoying myself!" Rainbow snapped as soon as that smug little meal-to-be hopped off before she noticed Fluttershy's expression, front two forelegs crossed and a rather red tinge to her cheeks. Rainbow chuckled, but Fluttershy failed to see the humor. "Aww, is my little Shy a bit jealous?" Rainbow asked teasingly before she gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You know you're the only mare for me. Always have been, always will." Then, an idea struck Rainbow. "Hey, how 'bout a different song, something we can both dance to?" Rainbow suggested, and Fluttershy nodded. "Okay, but this time I'm choosing the song." She said firmly and switched the radio station over to another one and a softer, more slow sounding jazzy tune began to play as a female singer, Applejack's old friend Coloratura or Rara as she preferred to be known, began to croon out a tune. "Tonight, I'm going to have myself a good time, I feel alive and the world turning inside out, yeah, I'm floating around in ecstasy... So, don't stop me now." The singer and Fluttershy sung as she held out a hoof to Rainbow and they began to dance the gavotte, a dance which had taken quite a long time and some definite help from both Rarity and Ponyville's local dance teacher, Hoofer Steps, for Rainbow to master. She was just glad nopony besides those two and her wife knew that she knew how to dance classically. It would be the end of her reputation as she knew it! Soon, the song began to pick up and the singer became less soft in tone and more upbeat. "I'm a shooting star, leaping through the sky like a tiger, defying the laws of gravity... I'm a racing car, passing by like Lady Godiva. I'm gonna go, go, go, there's no stopping me." The singer sung as Rainbow twirled Fluttershy around even as the thunder rumbled on and lightning flashed, but the two mares were lost in themselves as they pulled each other into a kiss and stumbled into the bedroom, still sucking on each other's lips as the song continued... "I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah Two hundred degrees, That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit, I'm trav'ling at the speed of light, I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!" Now... Rainbow blinked at the young pegasus filly she considered to be like a little sister to her standing at her wife's doorstep. She blinked again, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Nope, still there. "R-Rainbow? What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked in confusion before she facehoofed. "Oh, right, stupid you! She's married to Fluttershy! I'm such an idiot..." "Scootaloo, what the Tartarus are you doing out there in the cold rain?" Rainbow demanded, before she noticed Scootaloo flinch at the sheer volume of her voice. Rainbow was suddenly sent into a flashback. "WORTHLESS MARE! I don't know why I married you!" Rainbow shook away the memories before she took on a softer tone of voice. "Scootaloo, what's wrong? You should be with your parents, especially on a night like this." Scootaloo backed away in fright and whimpered out "No, no... Please Rainbow, I beg you, don't send me back there! I don't want to go back to them!" Rainbow noted Scootaloo's fear, why was she so afraid of her parents? The only possible reason that could be would... No, that just couldn't be. It just couldn't! She made sure Scootaloo was well kept for, and she always seemed so happy, the only time she ever showed this level of outright terror was during Nightmare Moon's return and their trip to Winsome Falls where Rainbow accidently scared her with the stories of the Headless Horse and the Olden Pony. "Come in Scoots, best you come in. That storm's raging." Rainbow said kindly as she let Scootaloo inside and put a towel around her to dry her fur and wings off as best as she could. "I... I know... A tornado nearly got me (Here she swallowed) k-killed by sending a tree through the Clubhouse windows!" Scootaloo whimpered out, still quite afraid of Rainbow and what she thought she might do. That very statement sent Rainbow's eyes as wide as saucers before she cursed and swore at the air, not caring if Scootaloo heard what she was saying, nor noticing how afraid Scootaloo was at the sheer volume of her voice. "Ponyfeathers, Cloud Kicker! I damn well told you not to make this storm too strong! And that definitely includes twisters on the do not create list! Tomorrow, I swear you'll be getting a good solid ass kicking from me that'll send you all the way to Detrot and being kicked off the weather team for a good solid month!" Rainbow roared in rage and fury, and by this time all the shouting had attracted Fluttershy's attention. "What's going on?" Fluttershy asked as she entered the room and Rainbow whirled around to face her, fury that Fluttershy had never before seen etched into her every feature. "I'll tell you what's damn wrong!" Rainbow roared, making Fluttershy take a step back. "Did you know Cloud Kicker made this storm strong enough for a damn tornado to start tearing up Sweet Apple Acres and nearly get my daug-little sister killed by sending a tree through her... clubhouse... window..." and Rainbow's fury subsided and her voice took on a slower tone as what she had just said slowly set into her mind, dearly hoping to Celestia Scootaloo hadn't noticed her little slip-up, and she turned to face Scootaloo, lowering herself down to her level and taking on a soft and caring tone of voice to the filly, who was still shivering in fright. "Scoots, why were you in the Clubhouse to begin with? What's wrong? We both promised we'd never keep any secrets from each other. Sisters don't do that." Rainbow asked softly, and inwardly she was cursing herself, as she was breaking her promise right now by keeping a very big secret from Scootaloo, who was definitely more than just a little sister to her. Scootaloo sniffled and then tears began to slowly stream down her face before the dam finally broke. "My... my parents... They hate me! THEY HATE ME!" Scootaloo wailed before she ran into Rainbow's chest and began sobbing heavily into it and Rainbow wrapped her wings around her in a comforting fashion. Finally the sobbing stopped and Scootaloo, her energy spent from sheer exhaustion and just from how her day had gone, collapsed on the floor. Fluttershy picked her up with her two front forelegs and placed the distraught filly onto Rainbow's back before they walked up the stairs to Fluttershy's spare bedroom. Rainbow, still in shock from what she had just learned, placed Scootaloo onto the bed and covered her up with the blankets. "What... What do we now?" Fluttershy asked in concern. Rainbow let out a snarl as she climbed into bed besides her "Little Sister" and snuggled up to her, knowing that the little filly needed the warmth and comfort of a REAL parent. "First, I'm going to protect Scootaloo for tonight and then, tomorrow I'm going over to her parent's home and give them both the ass kicking of their lives." Rainbow growled out before wrapping her forelegs protectively around Scootaloo, who unconsciously snuggled up to Rainbow's neck and whispered "Mama Dash..." Fluttershy let a tear slip from her eye and shut out the lights before closing the door with a soft click. Scootaloo needed her mother's comfort right now. Her REAL mother's comfort. Author's Note First off, a HUGE thank you to Black_Knight for helping me with the proofreading for this chapter. Trust me, you did not want to see what it looked like before his help. It was a wreck, to put it bluntly. Anyways, this where the collaboration starts, as the next chapter will be RuinQueen's own work, then I'll write a chapter, then RuinQueen... You get the idea. Originally, I was planning on posting this tomorrow, as I need something to pep me up on Valentine's Day, as quite frankly that holiday is just miserable for me as I have no one special to spend it with, but patience was never one of my virtues I'm afraid. As soon as a chapter's done, I like to get it out as soon as possible. Anyways, enjoy, and your thoughts, comments and questions are appreciated! Part 3: Ain't it a Sin? (The Bricklayer)"I try to be a righteous man, talk to the Lord most every day, Sometimes this world can do me wrong, I keep to the path won't go astray When I start boiling over my feelings catch a flame You might be a man, stay a man, but you won't be the same If you ain't gonna do me right I might just do you in, Ain't it a Sin?" Ain't it a Sin: Charles Bradley: Changes, 2016 Rainbow and Fluttershy's shared Cottage: Ponyville Rainbow Dash winced as her wife dabbed away at her bloodied cheeks with an alcohol rubbing wipe. She let out a small squeak each time the wipe touched the bloodied fur and flinched. Fluttershy just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Honestly Dashie, it doesn't hurt that much." She remarked. Rainbow begged to differ. "Yeah? Try telling that to my fur! Stings like a bit-" This time, Fluttershy used one of her butter yellow wings to slap Rainbow upside the head, and this hurt more than the rubbing wipes. "Naughty naughty Dashie, you and I both know I don't tolerate that sort of language in my home. You can use it around your friends, but NOT around me, understood?" Fluttershy asked sternly and Rainbow whimpered out a small reply as Angel snickered in the background and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whip being cracked. Rainbow shot him a glare and muttered "Demonic rabbit..." in a tone that was just inaudible enough for her wife not to hear. Speaking of Fluttershy, currently she had parted some of Rainbow's mane to reveal a nasty bloody gash across her forehead and gasped. "Rainbow, what happened?" Fluttershy asked in concern. "That damned stallion smashed my head into one of his house's walls, that's what." Rainbow grumbled. Fluttershy didn't even need to guess who exactly "That damned stallion" was and who Rainbow was referring to. Fluttershy put a hoof into her mouth and whistled and from out of a small cubbyhole under the stairwell came a black and white penguin with a red crest on it's head. "Pen-Pen, do be a dear and fetch me some bandages for Rainbow's head, will you?" The penguin let out a cry of "Wark! Wark!" and waddled off to where Fluttershy kept her medical supplies and soon returned with a ton of bandages in its flippers. "Good boy, Pen-Pen!" Fluttershy complimented and patted him on the head making the penguin emit a pleased sound before it waddled off elsewheres. Fluttershy then inspected the bandages. "Hmm, a bit much, perhaps a teensy bit overkill but these will do nicely I think..." Fluttershy mused to herself and began wrapping the bandages around Rainbow's head. "I better not end up looking like a mummy by the end of this, you hear?" Rainbow deadpanned and Fluttershy could only giggle. Rainbow somehow wasn't reassured in the slightest. Eventually, after a few minutes, and much protesting from a certain prismatic maned pegasus, Fluttershy was done with her "Torture". "There, all better!" Fluttershy chirped cheerfully and planted a kiss to Rainbow's forehead, much like a mother would do to her child. "Gee mom, are you going to check my temperature and feed me hot soup as well and call my wounds Boo-Boos?" Rainbow sarcastically snarked. Fluttershy glared. "Don't you have someplace to be, like checking on Scootaloo?" She asked, and Rainbow slapped a hoof to her forehead as she cursed herself under her breath for her forgetfulness? How could she have forgotten about her own daughter, for Celestia's sake? "Y-Yeah, best I do that." Rainbow stammered out, blushing red before she remembered something else as well and growled. "But first, there's a certain somepony who I have to have words with..." Cloudsdale Weather Factory Rainbow flew towards the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, grumbling very un-family friendly curse words towards a certain group of pegasi as she landed on the cloud path leading up towards the Factory itself and trotted towards the office of the Weather Making Team: Ponyville Division. Ponies parted out of her way, upon seeing the horrible mood Rainbow was in and not wanting to raise her ire and get her fury directed towards them. As Rainbow walked towards the office, she noticed the purple form of the Sparkling Balloon tied to a cloud and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh, looks like I'm not the only one who wants words with that fool Cloud Kicker." She mused, and soon her suspicions were proven correct when she heard Applejack's voice yelling at somepony from behind the door that led to the office. The door had a gold plaque on it that read "Rainbow Dash: Head Weather Supervisor for Ponyville", of which Rainbow was very proud of. "...And because of your dang fool idea to create a damn twister, half of our trees got ripped up last night and now they have to be replanted! That's half of our yearly harvest lost, all because of ya showing off what yer team could do when it didn't have Rainbow to keep your Celestia-damned fool selves in line!" Applejack's furious voice bellowed from behind the door, before it opened and out stormed the orange Earth Pony herself, looking very, VERY displeased. Rainbow actually took a step back in fear from the expression on Applejack's face. She'd never seen her THIS furious before. "Ah take it ya want to have words with that idjit as well, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. Rainbow nodded, and Applejack simply gestured to the door before stomping off and muttering about needing a stiff drink to herself. Rainbow entered the office and was pleased to see Cloud Kicker and the rest of the Weather Team (Cloud Chaser, Flitter and Thunderlane) already looking quite shaken from Applejack's furious tirade. "Soooo..." Rainbow began slowly. "Anypony want to pipe up and tell me why I got reports from an anonymous source that a tornado was seen on the ground late last night?" Nopony said a word. "Yeah, thought not." Rainbow deadpanned. "You know, a very dear friend of mine almost got herself skewered by a tree being thrown through her home's window because of that tornado, and she wouldn't have made it out just in time if not for Princess Luna's intervention! Did any of you give a flying feather before you even thought about the possible results your idea could have caused, 'cause from where I'm standing, it sure as Tartarus doesn't look like it to me!" The Element of Loyalty roared, and she wasn't done yet as she gazed upon everypony in the room. "Now, all of you have family relations. Thunderlane, what if it had been your younger brother who could have been caught up in that? Huh, did you even think for one second about that!?! Flitter, Cloud Chaser, what if it had been either of you?" Rainbow bellowed, and the silence that came from all three of the ponies and their guilty expressions said it all. "Yeah, thought that might knock some sense into you. Consider yourselves off the team for a solid month and your pay docked, is that clear? IS THAT CLEAR!?!" Rainbow asked, channeling some of her inner Spitfire at the end. The three nodded and hung their heads as they walked out of the room with Cloud Kicker following but Rainbow grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her into a chair. "Eh eh, did I say I was done with you yet?" Rainbow asked, and Cloud Kicker whimpered. "You know, I put my trust, MY TRUST in you when I asked you to take over for the night. Apparently, I was mistaken. When you're head of a Weather Team, you have a responsibility, and you're supposed to uphold it and know when to restrain yourself. Last night, it's clear to me you didn't. To put it simply, you're fired. You're going to have to go and find another job. Go ahead and become a mare of the night for all I care, Celestia knows you like to bang anypony and everypony." Rainbow muttered to herself as Cloud Kicker walked out of the office as Rainbow gestured to the open door, very ashamed of herself. She'd lost Rainbow's trust, and once you did that, you could never get it back. "Now, to go check on Scoots." Friendship Castle: Ponyville The Friendship Castle, a tall gleaming spire of purple crystal, topped off with a yellow star making it almost resemble a Christmas tree. It brought hope to everypony in the small town, just as its owner did the same with her wisdom and guidance. Right now, Rainbow was in need of some of that wisdom and guidance. When she got to the doors of the Castle, she found Fluttershy already there. "Where is she?" Rainbow asked in worry for her daughter. "She's resting, apparently those... parents of hers banged up her worse than we thought. Has a concussion from what Twilight told me, probably from getting a beer bottle smashed over her head." Fluttershy said sadly, almost in tears. She'd been beating herself up for not noticing just how badly Scootaloo had been hurt. Rainbow noticed her distraught state and put a hoof on her wife's shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up. I didn't notice, and I should have. Nopony can notice every fault, especially when we were as tired as we were." Rainbow said reassuringly and Fluttershy smiled weakly. "Come on, Twilight's waiting for us inside." She said, and led Rainbow to Twilight's personal chambers, where Scootaloo was sound asleep curled up under the purple star themed covers snoring softly. It was rather cute, even Rainbow had to admit. "Okay, now somepony want to explain to me what the Tartarus is going on? Fluttershy shows up on my doorstep with a badly bruised Scootaloo, and next thing I see is a battalion of Luna's personal guards rushing down my street!" Twilight demanded, on the verge of a full scale rant. And so Fluttershy and Rainbow explained everything as best as they could, from Scootaloo showing up on their doorstep to Rainbow confronting her adoptive parents. Twilight's eyes grew wider with each passing moment and she sat down on her haunches, quite floored by the influx of information. "...By Celestia... How could anypony be so cruel, to a child in fact?" Twilight whispered, on the verge of tears before she growled. "Rest assured, you two, you'll have my full support in putting those monsters behind bars." Twilight stated firmly before she took a deep breath, knowing what she had to say next Fluttershy and Rainbow wouldn't like. "But there is a problem." Twilight said, looking directly towards Rainbow Dash. "You pretty much broke into a household, and beyond that, assaulted another pony, and that might come up during the trial, and not be favorable in your light." Twilight said, and Rainbow's jaw dropped. "You... You mean those monsters may walk free as a bird just because of my actions!?! Besides, that jerk deserved a beating after what he did to my Scootaloo!" Rainbow yelled with her wings flaring out in anger, while Fluttershy massaged her shoulders to calm her. "I didn't say that, and I perfectly agree with your reasoning (Although Twilight did raise an eyebrow when Rainbow called Scootaloo hers) but I did bring it up so you'll be warned beforehoof." Twilight explained, and Rainbow calmed down, knowing losing her temper wouldn't solve anything. Then, she yawned. She'd had a long day, and she suspected she'd have even longer days to come in the coming weeks. Crawling into bed beside her daughter, she once more wrapped her wings around her protectively. "I promise Scoots, I won't let those monsters get to you, not again." Rainbow whispered as Fluttershy joined her. Twilight smiled and wiped away a tear at the cute scene. "I... I guess I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight then." She said before shutting off the lights. Author's Note Okay, this one took a me a bit to come up with the ideas for this one, but it was a case of once I sat down and started to write, the ideas just kept coming. Anyways, yes that was Misato's pet penguin Pen-Pen from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, but as we see in one episode that Fluttershy's got a seal, why can't she have a penguin? Anyways, so after verbally confronting Cloud Kicker and the rest of the Weather Team about the stunt that they pulled, Rainbow heads to Twilight's and explains the whole problem, earning Twilight's support but is warned that how they've gone about Scoot's situation may not reflect favorably on them during the upcoming trial... Edit: Changed Twilight's warning about what law Rainbow broke on the suggestions of Black_Knight and RuinQueen) Part 4: Sisters Forever (RuinQueen and The Bricklayer)"I want you to know we're brothers forever, If the bottom drops out we'll hold on for the ride. Castles may stand but they don't last forever, Save what you can, let the rest of it slide." -Brothers Forever, Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster: 2004 (Unknown Artist) Friendship Castle: Ponyville "Scootaloo, are you okay?" Rainbow asked as she poked her head into the room where Scootaloo was staying in, the filly looked up at her with a weak smile. Fluttershy was still fast asleep, which was normal. Rainbow knew she liked to sleep in late at times. It was a… habit she’d picked up from Rainbow, just as Rainbow had become a bit more sensitive than she was before marrying Fluttershy. "Hey Rainbow... I'll live," she said and added with a cocky smile. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me." Rainbow smiled and trotted over to Scootaloo, the filly didn't want to worry her, that was at least something. Something at the back of Rainbow's mind was starting to press her to tell Scootaloo the truth, but she pushed it aside. No, this wasn't the time, not after what she had been through. But that didn't mean that she couldn't be there for her as a friend. "That's great," Rainbow said as she ruffled Scootaloo's mane gently. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." “Something mind blowingly stupid, probably.” Rainbow thought to herself. “Celestia knows I’ve already done that once this week with her so called parents!” Rainbow mentally smacked herself in the forehead. “Honestly, what was I thinking? That could count as assault, for crying out loud! I hate to admit it when Twi’s right, but she is once again for the umpteenth time in this case. That’s not going to reflect well on me in the upcoming trial. Stupid, your dad, damn his soul to Tartarus, was right all along! I do break everything I touch! I really am worthless! I mean, look at me, dropping off my own daughter to ponies I didn’t even know because I was afraid I’d turn out like him, and then it turns out those ponies are EXACTLY like my parents!” “Rainbow, you alright?” Scootaloo asked nervously, snapping her mother back to reality. “Yeah… Yeah. Everything’s just fine.” Rainbow lied, knowing it would be best not to tell Scootaloo there was a very good possibility that she could be sent back to those ponies who dared call themselves parents. Suddenly, a very nice smell that she knew quite well reached her nostrils. “Anyways, I smell Twilight’s famous chocolate chip pancakes!” Rainbow exclaimed in excitement. To her surprise, when she looked back Scootaloo didn’t share her excitement and a tear was slipping from the orange filly’s eye. “I… I never had any pancakes for breakfast. M-My dad said they were only for good little fillies.” Scootaloo whispered, her voice quavering and close to tears. Rainbow brought her into a warm hug, snuggling her daughter close to her chest with her wings as she thought to herself “Damn them! Damn them both! One of the few things that my own parents got right when raising me was giving me a good breakfast every morning!” “Well, that’s about to change, I promise.” Rainbow reassured. “Pinkie Promise?” Scootaloo whispered, looking up at her eyes still glistening with tears. “Pinkie Promise.” Rainbow said before doing the sacred motions before adding in a teasing tone. “Now come on, breakfast will be getting cold soon and I don’t think we want that, now do we?” Scootaloo giggled and together, the twosome walked into the kitchen where Twilight was using her magic to flip the pancakes. “Morning!” Twilight said in a cheery tone. To Rainbow’s surprise, Twilight wasn’t the only Princess in the room. There, sitting at the table was a dark blue mare with a mane seemingly flowing in a non existent wind with stars in it eating some Prench toast while beside her was a black furred unicorn with a grey mane and yellow, almost wolfish like eyes with the armor of the Night Guard’s captain adorning his body. “Morning!” Princess Luna greeted cheerfully while the Captain gave a gruff nod. “P-Princess Luna, what are you doing here?” Rainbow stuttered out in shock while behind them, Fluttershy walked sleepily into the kitchen yawning as she did so and in an almost zombie like fashion went to the fridge and grabbed a glass of milk taking seemingly no notice of the two new arrivals. “I thought it… prudent to come and see Scootaloo after recent events.” Luna answered before transmitting a mental thought towards the adults in the room. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to know both Icy Wind and Last Drop are sitting in a holding cell in preparation for the trial in a few days.” “Good.” Rainbow thought, her voice coming out as almost a growl. “Those bastards deserve anything that’s coming to them.” “RAINBOW!” Both Twilight and Fluttershy scolded. “LANGUAGE!” “Well, it’s not like anypony besides us can hear it.” Rainbow argued. “Be that as it may, you’re in the presence of Princess Luna so show some respect, and I don’t tolerate that sort of language in my castle anyways.” “And you know how I feel about it, Rainbow.” Fluttershy reminded, mentally smacking her wife in the back of her head. Neither Luna nor her Captain said a word for a moment before he leaned over to Luna. “Should we get involved?” He asked. “No, this isn’t anything of our worries. Besides, who are you to lecture one on language considering half the words you spout off in my presence. Last night was a good example when you heard what Scootaloo’s adoptive parents did.” “And you brought down a meteor shower I should point out, so you’re no pony to talk about going over the top with one’s anger.” Her captain deadpanned. “Point.” Luna admitted. “Still, we all need to relieve ourselves of stress in one way or the other.” “I know the feeling all too well.” The captain said with a smirk towards Luna who only rolled her eyes. Scootaloo listened to the whole exchange and smiled. “Yep, I’ll bet my whole life savings those two are dating at the very least.” She thought with a chuckle even as she hopped up on a chair and Twilight levitated the finished pancakes over to the table. “Hey, where’s Spike?” Fluttershy asked as she poured milk into a glass for Scootaloo. “He’s been in Canterlot for the past few days spending time with Princess Celestia along with my parents. He said he missed them, and so I let him go.” “Yes, this is true. Tia said she missed her adoptive grandson a few days back.” Luna added in as she took a part of the stack of pancakes for herself and poured maple syrup all over them. “Aww, that’s sweet.” Fluttershy cooed as Rainbow and Scootaloo both faked gagging sounds in unison from the mushiness of it all. “That reminds me, I need to visit my parents sometime soon. Haven’t seen them in a while.” “Long as Zep’s not there, fine by me.” Rainbow muttered, and Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow. “Who’s…?” “Zephyr Breeze.” Rainbow stated with an audible groan. “Fluttershy’s brother and a complete narcissist. Still hasn’t gotten the memo that I’m not into him and seems to think I’m only faking being a fillyfooler just to quote “Hide my true feelings from him” unquote.” Rainbow stated sarcastically. “Say, did this Zephyr Breeze happen to think you and Trixie were a couple, Twilight? I heard rumors of a green pegasus seeming to think you and Ms. Lulamoon were… Oh how do you call it nowadays.. An item? Some book titled “A Twixie Love Story” has been going around of late…” Luna trailed off. “Zep’s Gaydar is a little off, as you might guess.” Rainbow deadpanned. “And then there was that book titled “To Romance a Magician”...” Luna continued, ignoring Rainbow entirely and in a teasing tone of voice said. “Not to mention all those short stories you find in the Canterlot newspapers.” “And the rather… Ahem, nicely drawn art to put it delicately that shows up every so often as well.” Luna thought to herself privately. “Ugh, don’t remind me…” Twilight said as she facehoofed. “That was just a rumor, and a complete and utter exaggeration. Why do those novels about me and Trixie keep coming out? I’d never date someone as ego filled as her! Honestly, whoever thought opposites attract is a complete and utter moron.” “Fluttershy and me are opposites, and look what happened to us.” Rainbow said proudly as she wrapped a wing around her wife and kissed her on the cheek. “Besides, it’s probably some stallion getting his-” “Getting his what?” Scootaloo asked, and Rainbow clammed up at once and Fluttershy shot her a glare and said to Scootaloo “You’ll know when you’re older.” Meanwhile, Luna looked completely innocent. “I wouldn’t think too much of it, Ms Sparkle.” The Captain said. “Ponies talk. Why, I suspect if Mrs. Rainbow and Mrs. Shy were not married, there would be rumors about you dating either one of them. Probably are anyways. Actually, I think I spotted a book in a store the other day about you and Mrs. Rainbow titled “I'll Always be Here for You”. Even had you adopting Scootaloo in it. Think there’s a sequel coming out…” Twilight with a huff, got up off her chair and stomped off muttering to herself about needing to go on a book burning spree. “...Think we went a little too far?” Luna asked. “Nah, just give her a few hours and she’ll get over it.” Rainbow responded casually. Then there was the sound of somepony teleporting. “...On the other hoof…” She trailed off while Fluttershy let out a small “Oh dear…” Later that afternoon, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Scootaloo went off to the market for some much needed shopping. Both Fluttershy’s animal feed and the food for themselves had been running low of late and so a restocking was in order. “Let’s see… A few parsnips, a few fish for both me and Pen-Pen, and some tomatoes…” Rainbow muttered to herself as she looked through Carrot Top’s stand and what it had on offer before she turned to Fluttershy. “Hey Flutters, is a tomato a fruit or a veggie? I’m honestly confused here.” Rainbow asked, scratching her head. Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. “I never thought about it to be honest.” She answered with a blush. “Why do I feel in some universe a tomato would be one sexually confused food?” Rainbow thought to herself. Then Carrot answered. “The tomato is the edible fruit of Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae.” She said in a matter of fact tone of voice, causing all three members of the Shy-Dash family to stare right at her. “What? Twilight loaned me a book on the subject. ...Plus, I really know my plants.” She said smugly. Rainbow just gaped, her mouth opening and closing like a fish for several moments with no words able to be formed in her mouth. As Fluttershy bought animal feed from a traveling member of the northern Caribou kingdoms Rainbow noticed Scootaloo staring longingly at a full set of Wonderbolts plushies from a toy shop window. The older pegasus walked up to her secret daughter. “...They never gave you anything growing up did they?” Rainbow asked softly. Scootaloo shook her head sadly and wiped a tear from her eye. “No, not even my scooter. I found that in an old alleyway just waiting to be picked up by the garbage ponies.” She replied and Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder. “You know what? I’ll buy that entire set for you. I know Flutters probably won’t be too happy for breaking my budget for this month, but to be honest you kinda deserve something good in your life. Plus, I’ve got my cash fund from the Wonderbolts anyways. And as I’m your sister forever, I think it’s my duty to give out some of that good.” Rainbow stated, and Scootaloo looked up at her with widened eyes. “Sisters… Forever?” Scootaloo whispered. “Yeah, squirt. Sisters forever.” Rainbow stated, even if she felt hollow and completely low just saying it and lying right to her daughter’s face about the true nature of their relationship. “Now come on, those plushies aren’t buying themselves.” Author's Note Okay, and it's finally out! Now you see what happens when me and RuinQueen put both of our heads together. The result... something both very weird and yet very heartwarming at the same time. Anyways, credit where credit is due for all the fanfic name drops, even if I can only remember the Abyss being the author of the last two referenced. Anyways, slight tidbit RuinQueen told me about Icy Winds. In a earlier fanfic her hers, Fallout Equestria: Survivor's Guilt Icy Winds just so happened to be a alias used by a villain in the fic, and what's even more ironic, Icy Winds is Scootaloo's many times great granddaughter. Now, before I let you go, here's something RuinQueen put together I don't know how long ago, but it perfectly goes so well with Scootaloo. Part 5: Saving Grace (The Bricklayer) So pretty and, oh, so bold Got a heart full of gold on a lonely road She said, "I don't even think that God can save me" (save me) (Am I) gaining ground (Am I) losing face (Am I) lost & found by Saving Grace Thankful for the gift my angels gave me Theme from Saving Grace: Everlast: 2007 Thunder rumbled and rolled in the late night sky as Scootaloo trembled under her bed in fear, shaking and quivering as she heard what was going on in the next room over. The sounds of crashing and punches flying came from behind her bedroom door, and the sound of a body hitting it created a loud thud. “That’s what you get, ya bitch!” Last Drop’s voice shouted. “Pouring all my beer bottles down the drain!” “Well, ya deserve it! You focus more on yer booze than ya do me!” Icy Winds shouted back and then was the sound a loud slap smacking across fur. “How do you like that huh?” Last Drop shouted as lightning flashed and lit up Scootaloo’s room illuminating just how badly kept it and Scootaloo herself were. The paint was peeling, a picture of Rainbow Dash and her had been knocked to the floor by one of the two parents in a fit of drunken rage. “P-Please, don’t fight…” Scootaloo whispered but her pleas were ignored. “W-Why can’t you just love each other like real parents do? W-Why can’t you just love me?” Her body begin to quiver as she sobbed softly to herself, tears rolling down her face and onto the wooden floor. ‘Why…? Why?” Scootaloo sobbed, her entire body shaking as the argument continued. “I pay the damn bills around here, and yet all you do is spend the money on booze!” Icy Winds shouted as she punched her husband in the face, sending him staggering back. He hit a wall, and a picture behind him crashed to the floor and its glass frame broke sending pieces everywhere as it shattered. “Look what happened today! I come home from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory with my check, and what do you do?” Icy Winds accused. “Oh, that’s right! You snatch it straight from my hooves like the Mister Grabby Hooves you are and spend it on booze! Then, next week, look what happens again! More booze! Beer, beer, beer! That’s all you ever care about, and not me!” Her voice had turned into a bellow by this point, and now Last Drop was truly furious. “You’re hardly innocent yourself, bitch! Look at you, offering yourself out to any stallion who’ll have your worthless body!” He roared. “Well, it’s hardly like I have much choice in the matter, do I? It pays the bills, and besides, I get more love from them than I do from YOU!” Icy Winds snarled out. Meanwhile, Scootaloo had finally decided she’d had enough. Anywhere was better than this, surely. With a crashing sound, she threw her lamp through the window and smashed the glass before clambering out of the open window and into the grass below. Scootaloo broke into a sprint and ran as fast and far as she could, ignoring the pounding rain soaking her fur and the howling winds. “T-The Clubhouse!” Scootaloo whispered to herself as she ran. “T-That’s got to be a good place for me to wait out the storm and then I’ll just live out on the streets! It’s a Tartarus of a lot better place than my parents’ house!” Sure, it wasn’t a good nor smart plan Scootaloo knew, but right now it was the only one she had. Suddenly, from behind her, she heard what sounded like the roar of a freight train thundering down the tracks and out of control and heading right off the rails. She turned and her eyes widened in fear as she saw a swirling mass of cloud heading right for her. She let out a scream of terror and tried to outpace the whirlwind, but she was soundly picked up and funneled into the cyclone… Fluttershy’s Cottage: 3:00 AM In the morning Scootaloo woke up with a start, clutching her Spitfire plushie to her chest and throwing light blue covers decorated with puffy white clouds off her body. She shook with sobs, panting and sweating from the nightmare/memory. Almost at once, hearing Scootaloo’s sobbing Fluttershy rushed in and pulled her into a comforting hug. At once, the younger pegasus felt her warmth and soft beating heart and snuggled into her fur and cried. “Shh, shh… It’s okay, I’m here sweetie,” Fluttershy whispered as she let Scootaloo sob into her butter yellow fur. With a hoof, Fluttershy rubbed her back and held her wife’s daughter tightly as she continued to whisper soft comforting words to Scootaloo. “Let it all out, that’s right. Let it all out.” Scootaloo continued to sob until it became just sniffles and looked up at the older pegasus, her eyes still glistening with tears. “What was it about, sweetheart?” Fluttershy asked as she dabbed away at Scootaloo’s eyes with a tissue and wiped her nose. “It… It was about…” Scootaloo whispered, almost too afraid to continue. Fluttershy gave her a warm smile. “It’s okay, take as long as you need.” She said comfortingly. “It was about the night I escaped from my parent's house. Those… Those bastards,” Scootaloo sniffled and Fluttershy didn’t even bother to admonish her for her choice of language. Inwardly, although she would never admit it aloud Fluttershy actually agreed with her. “T-They were arguing about drinks and all sorts of stuff, yelling at each other, and finally I had enough and ran for the Clubhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. T-That was when the tornado came and swept m-me up!” Fluttershy pulled Scootaloo in for another hug and whispered: “It’s okay, that’s not going to happen, it never will happen, not as long as me and Rainbow are around.” Scootaloo once again looked up at Fluttershy with tear stained eyes and asked a simple question that made Fluttershy’s heart break. “Is… Is this what family is supposed to be like?” Even though she was crying herself, Fluttershy managed to answer “Yes Scoots, this is what family is supposed to be like.” After tucking Scootaloo back into bed Fluttershy trotted out of her adoptive daughter’s bedroom and shut the door as quietly as she could. She was met with Rainbow, looking incredibly tired and wearing a bathrobe and tortoise themed slippers. She bore a worried look on her face. “What’s going on? I heard Scootaloo crying and came running as fast as I could.” Rainbow asked. “She had a nightmare, about when she fled from those parents of hers that might I remind you, you placed her with!” Fluttershy hissed out. Rainbow looked as if she’d been punched in the gut. “Celestia above, I know. This is all my fault. Everything that’s happened to Scootaloo, it’s on me,” Rainbow whispered, trying to look anywhere but at her wife an expression of shame upon her face. “I should have taken her in when I first gave birth to her, but I was a coward and now look what’s happened!” “She… She asked me…” Fluttershy whispered, tears dripping down onto her cottage floor. “Asked you about what?” Rainbow inquired, not sure if she really wanted to know. “If this was what family was supposed to be like. You and I.” Fluttershy sobbed and Rainbow pulled her in for a hug even as she mentally snarled. “I oughta go find those two and give them another solid ass kicking.” “Celestia above…” Rainbow whispered. “She needs help, needs to see what a real mom and dad act like.” “I know,” Fluttershy answered. “That’s why tomorrow I’m going to take her to my parent’s house in Cloudsdale and show her how I grew up.” “Better hope Zephyr isn’t there.” Rainbow deadpanned before shuddering and Fluttershy giggled and smiled. “Don’t worry, if he is, I know how to deal with him.” The Very Next Morning: Scootaloo yawned as she awoke and smiled as she smelled the distinct whiff of pancakes being made in Fluttershy’s kitchen. With a speed like lightning, she dashed out of bed, quickly adjusting her mane to a style that was messy but not too messy and ran into the kitchen. “Morning Scoots!” Rainbow greeted as she poured a frankly rather more than necessary amount of syrup on some pancakes and slid them across to Scootaloo as she sat down at the table, much to her surprise. “T-This is really all for me?” Scootaloo asked in surprise. “What?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Can’t a big sis spoil her little sister a bit? Kinda part of the job description.” In truth, Rainbow felt her daughter deserved an extra special treat after that horrible nightmare last night. As Scootaloo practically devoured the pancakes, both Rainbow and Fluttershy smiled. As Fluttershy gave all of her animals their daily breakfasts, she turned to Scootaloo. “Guess what?” Fluttershy asked in a tone of excitement clapping her hooves together in glee. “I sorta had this thought a few days back, and I think you’ll like it as well.” “What? What is it?” Scootaloo asked giddily, practically bouncing in her chair with her tiny wings buzzing in excitement. Fluttershy stifled a giggle at the young pegasus' excitement. “Well, I thought you’d like to meet my parents up in Cloudsdale. I was planning to give them a visit anyways as I haven’t seen them in a while.” Fluttershy said. “So, I thought I’d take care of two things at once and let them see their new granddaughter.” Scootaloo’s eyes teared up in an instant as soon as Fluttershy mentioned thinking of her as a daughter. “Y-You really see me that way?” She whispered, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing and Fluttershy nodded. As soon as she did that, Scootaloo ran over to her and embraced the older pegasus in a hug saying “Thank you, thank you!” over and over again. She then felt another scent, one which she recognized at once. “You deserve it kid.” Rainbow smiled. “Celestia knows you deserve it, now if only I could work up the courage to say I’m her real mom…” Cloudsdale: The Shy Home “Wow... “ Scootaloo whispered in awe, hanging onto her adoptive mom’s back as Fluttershy flew through the clouds towards the Shy Family residence, wind brushing through their manes. “I didn’t even know you could fly this fast!” “Well… I…” Fluttershy admitted with a tinge of embarrassment. “I usually don’t, but I’m so excited for my parents to meet you!” Then, they both touched down. The Shy family home was smack dab in the middle of Cloudsdale suburbia, nothing really fancy about it. It was just like every other home, perfectly average and that was just the way the Shy family liked it. Its only distinguishing features were a rainbow waterfall that fell down the ground below and collected in a pool and a small building off to the side where Mr. Shy held his beloved cloud collection from the Weather Factory. “Well, here we are,” Fluttershy smiled as Scootaloo climbed off her back. “I know it’s nothing particularly fancy, but-” “Are you kidding?” Scootaloo asked as she looked around excitedly at everything, from the little plastic flamingos in the yard to the cloud constructed rooftop. “This is awesome!” With a seemingly unremovable smile on her face, Scootaloo followed Fluttershy inside the house. The entire home had various rainbow themed objects, and Scootaloo raised an eyebrow towards Fluttershy who was blushing in embarrassment. “Yes… Well… Um, my parents caught on to the fact that I liked Rainbow from a pretty young age fairly quickly and thought this would be a good way to encourage me to admit my feelings.” Fluttershy stated. “Did it work?” “In a way,” Fluttershy mused before she sighed. “However, my brother took it as a sign that Rainbow liked him instead of me. He’s… a character to put it lightly.” “Fluttershy, dear!” A butter yellow pegasus with a cherry red mane, blue beads around her neck and blue glasses greeted cheerfully as she entered the room. “You should have told us you were coming!” “And who’s this little one? Did you and Rainbow finally… Uh, have any success so to speak?” Another voice asked in a delicate tone as the mare who could only be Fluttershy’s mother began kissing Scootaloo all over. A male stallion entered the room, wearing a turtleneck sweater over his sea green coat and had a gray mane that resembled an ice cream cone. “Actually, it’s a bit of a long story,” Fluttershy admitted. “And to be honest, it’s not something I want to bring up in front of Scootaloo.” “Wait a minute…” Mr. Shy said in a tone of dawning realization. “Scootaloo, as in that little filly your wife talks so much about? Her little sister?” Scootaloo nodded and was swept up in a hug by Mrs. Shy who cried “Oh, aren’t you the most adorable thing!” “Can’t… breathe.” Scootaloo wheezed out due to Mrs. Shy’s crushing grip. At once, the elder Shy released her at once and blushed in embarrassment in the exact same way her daughter often did. “Sit down dear, I’m interested in hearing about what’s been going on in your life.” Mr. Shy said as he sat down upon one of the cloud constructed couches. His wife looked at Scootaloo kindly. “Now, if this makes you uncomfortable, you can leave the room at once. You can go play outside if you want, or check out my husband’s cloud collection!” Scootaloo nodded before walking out the front door, not wanting to be reminded of her upbringing any more than she had to be. After Fluttershy had finished explaining her story, both of her parents shared a look of anger. “Why… Why those… those…” Mrs. Shy said, unable to come up with any words to describe Last Drop or Icy Winds. “If I ever got my hooves on them, I don’t know what the fudge I’d do to them.” Even Mrs. Shy had a breaking point, and hurting little fillies, especially ones that were close to any family members of hers, was one way to trigger it. “Trust me,” Fluttershy smiled. “Rainbow Dash and the Night Guard already have things well in hoof. All we need to do now is put them on trial and get them locked up. With the outstanding evidence against them, I’m pretty sure that won’t be very difficult.” “Well, that’s a relief.” Mr. Shy remarked. Just about then, there was a knock on the door. With an “Excuse me.” and a polite shout of “I’m coming!” Mrs. Shy got up off the couch and opened the door. At the doorstep was a mare all pegasi knew, right down to her various medals up to her amber coated mane. “Excuse me, do you know where I can find your daughter-in-law?” Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, asked. Author's Note Okay... Wow, it's been almost a month since you got your last update but I do hope the wait was worth it. Anyways, this time around, because Rainbow's been taking up so many chapters with her relationship with Scootaloo, I thought this time around Fluttershy's side of things should be explored and I thought her doing the comforting and taking Scoots to her parent's home would do nicely. On Mrs. Shy, I tried basing her off my grandma and one of my aunts while still keeping as close to her canon personality as possible. Anyways, the quill goes to you Ruin! Part 6: The Best that I CanAuthor's Note Okay, so sorry for the uber long wait, but these things happen. Anyways, sadly because of how many projects of her own she's got to worry about, RuinQueen's left the collab meaning I'm all alone with writing these chapters. But she did tell me what song she wanted to use for the introduction of this chapter, namely the one featured below. Anyways, I present to you the newest chapter. I can promise you won't see this twist I've cooked up coming, that's for sure. Part 6: The Best that I Can “Innocence is wasted And I'm so sorry that you never can replace it The darkest road ahead, you're gonna have to face it Cause I can't always be there For now I'll do the best I…” The Best I Can: Miracle of Sound: Level 3: 2013 Cloudsdale: Shy Family Home: Mrs. Shy gaped wordlessly at the legendary flier who was at her doorstep. Quickly regaining her composure, she gestured for Spitfire to come inside with a hoof. “I...I wasn’t expecting you to drop by, what a surprise. Don’t mind little old me. O-Oh, d-do please come in,” Mrs. Shy stammered out and flushed in embarrassment at how awkward she must have been making herself look in front of the mare. She then asked politely as she could: “Would you like some tea, I can put some on the kettle if you want?” “Coffee would be good,” Spitfire answered simply. She smiled slightly at the mare’s kindness, despite being here for business reasons. As Mrs. Shy walked off to the kitchen, Spitfire took off her signature sunglasses. The home seemed enough, it actually reminded her of those old family suburban homes you saw on those black and white television programs. She sat down next to Fluttershy on the couch. “I assume you’re not here just to be a good neighbor?” the stallion who Spitfire could only guess to be Fluttershy’s father asked. She raised an eyebrow when she saw his sweater. “Yep, definitely like one of those old black and white programs,” Spitfire thought to herself. “Not as shy as I was expecting. From what that idiot Zephyr told me when he tried out for the Wonderbolts, they were supposedly doormats. Course, he was about as unreliable as they came, and always was trying to hand off his duties to anypony he could find. And then there was the flirting… Celestia above…” Spitfire continued to think to herself as she tried to relax and stop looking like she was here to deliver grave news or get angry at somepony. However, thinking about Fluttershy’s idiot of a brother never failed to get her angry. And it was showing, as both Mr. Shy and his daughter flinched from the expression on her face. “Small wonder we had to let him go, and that’s putting it nicely. Half the time I wanted to strap him to the Dizzitron and just set it to its highest level and see how far he flew and how badly he crash-landed.” Spitfire let out a small growl, and Fluttershy inched a little farther away from the Wonderbolt Flight Commander. Mr. Shy tried to sink as low into the couch as he possibly could. It was admittedly a comical sight really. Of course, it was about this time Spitfire finally noticed how uncomfortable she was making everypony. “Sorry, just thinking about something.” Spitfire admitted, slightly flushing red. Fluttershy gave her a half-lidded, deadpan stare. “Zephyr?” Fluttershy asked flatly, knowing exactly the kind of reactions he could generate from anypony who’d ever met her layabout of a brother. Sometimes she wondered how she was even in the same gene pool as him, much as she hated to admit it. “Yeah, how’d you guess?” Spitfire asked, admittedly surprised at how her accurate her guess was. “I know my brother, and the kind of anger he can stir up in anypony.” Fluttershy said dryly. “Dear,” Mr. Shy said, trying to defend his son. “Zephyr’s… just trying to find his place in life, that’s all. Not his fault he constantly goes through constant job changes.” “Wouldn’t go that far…” Fluttershy murmured to herself while Spitfire rolled her eyes. It was about then her mother returned with a cup of coffee which she placed in front of Spitfire. Mrs. Shy noticed the awkward silence permeating the room. She flushed red in embarrassment again, knowing exactly what, or rather who could have caused this. She sighed to herself and whispered “Oh son, what’d you do this time…?” quietly to herself in an almost inaudible tone of voice. Almost. “So, looks like even Mrs. Shy admits her son has a… Problem.” Spitfire mumbled to herself, not knowing Zephyr's mother had heard. “Subject change! Subject change!” Mrs. Shy thought to herself rapidly. “So, what brought you here Mrs. Flare?” “Please, don’t call me by that name,” Spitfire requested. “Makes me think my mother’s in the room with me.” “Er… Yes, sorry,” Mrs. Shy laughed nervously. “So, why are you here again?” “Been looking for your daughter-in-law. Hasn’t shown up for flying practice today, and she always, and I mean always shows up for that,” Spitfire stated. “I’ll admit, I am getting a bit worried. Just wanted to come around to see if you know if anything’s happened to her.” “Er… Actually, I can answer that,” Fluttershy replied, and Spitfire turned her head to her at once. As much as Fluttershy hated to be put in the spotlight, she knew she had to clear things up at once. She didn’t want to chance her wife losing her dream job after all. “Something’s come up, something a bit more important than the Wonderbolts.” “That’s surprising, I thought nothing was more important to her than the ‘Bolts or you,” Spitfire said in a surprised tone of voice, eyebrow arching itself again. Fluttershy’s head turned, and Spitfire followed her gaze along with it, to a certain orange filly playing with a soccer ball in the front yard. Both of the pegasi were rather surprised Scootaloo hadn’t taken notice of Spitfire actually flying up to the Shy Family Home’s doorstep. “Oh… Is that…?” Spitfire trailed off, vaguely remembering this little sister of hers that Rainbow often bragged about. Fluttershy confirmed Spitfire’s suspicions with a nod. “So, what’s the problem?” “It’s… complicated, and some of it Rainbow wants to keep secret for the time being.” Fluttershy admitted. “That bad huh?” Spitfire asked and Fluttershy nodded again. The Captain of the Wonderbolts let out a long sigh. “Alright, tell me what’s happened, all of it.” “Alright, but first I need to know that I can trust you with a secret,” Fluttershy said in an unusually firm tone of voice. “What I’m about to say cannot, and I mean cannot leave this room, understand?” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Spitfire replied. Fluttershy sighed sadly. “Scootaloo… She’s more than a little sister to my wife. She’s her daughter.” She said. Spitfire’s jaw dropped a considerable amount. “Wow, can’t say I was expecting that…” Spitfire muttered after regaining the function of speech. “Does she know?” When Fluttershy and her parents shook their heads, Spitfire muttered to herself quietly “You gotta be kidding me. Like a Spanish Telenovela here…” “Still doesn’t explain Dash’s absence, though,” Spitfire stated. “There’s more to this isn’t there?” Fluttershy nodded. “Yes… About that…” She said sadly before explaining everything as best as she could. As soon as she was done, Spitfire had a look of absolute fury on her face that probably could quell a raging Manticore and send it packing back towards its den. “If I ever meet those… bastards, I’m going to slap them on the Dizzitron whether they like it or not and set it to its highest setting and send them flying. See how they like it when they’re the ones getting hurt for a change,” Spitfire thought as she took a long sip of her coffee. “And I assume Dash is doing… something relating to this?” “Yeah, trial’s been on her mind, gnawing away at her really, ever since Princess Luna told her about it,” Fluttershy replied. “She’s been researching everything she would need to know as part of the prosecution. Throwing herself into law-books, anything and everything that might help her.” “Now there’s something I never thought I’d see coming, Rainbow throwing herself into books,” Spitfire joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Can’t say I blame her though. Princess Twilight’s helping her I assume?” Fluttershy nodded again. Spitfire’s gaze once again found itself wandering to the small filly outside. Or more specifically, her wings. She noted that while they buzzed and Scootaloo could hover for a few seconds, that was about it. She never seemed to achieve real flight. Spitfire frowned in worry, she knew that Rainbow never drank in her life but she also knew that anypony carrying a filly while drinking risked the possibility of the filly’s wings coming out underdeveloped. Spitfire also knew that given what Fluttershy had told her, Rainbow might have been extremely worried about turning out like her father and may have gotten anxious and turned to the drink just to calm herself. She was young and foolish as well. Combine those factors, and you got yourself a frightening possibility. “No, no, that makes no sense whatsoever,” Spitfire chided herself. “If Rainbow was so worried about turning out like her father, she never would have even turned to the drink at all. I’m no shrink, but even I can figure that out. You’re just being overly paranoid Spits, that’s all. Scootaloo may simply be a late-bloomer, you were yourself you know.” Spitfire took one last sip of her coffee, before getting up off the couch to leave. She turned her head back towards Fluttershy just as she headed for the door. “My advice, secret’s going to come out sooner or later,” Spitfire stated. “Best Scootaloo hears it from either you or your wife instead of her adoptive parents. Tell her, and the sooner the better.” With that, she stepped out the front door and flew off into the skies leaving Fluttershy to think on her words. “Yeah, how hard can that be…?” Fluttershy mused to herself as her mother wrapped a wing around her in support and pulled her in closer for a hug. Ponyville: Castle of Friendship: “C’mon, there’s got to be something in here that can help me!” Rainbow growled mentally in frustration as she flipped through the pages of various law books in hopes of finding what she was looking for. Behind the armchair she sat in, lay piles of books Dash had already rejected. A lavender hoof set a cup of tea beside her on a nearby table. “Rainbow, why don’t you take a break?” Twilight’s voice asked kindly. “You’ve been going at this for hours.” “No, I’m not taking a break!” Rainbow snapped, making Twilight flinch. “Not until I can find something that’ll help me win this damn court case!” For once, Twilight didn’t even chide Dash for her cursing, understanding how much stress her friend was under. “Keep chomping at the bit like that, and you’ll wear yourself out,” A familiar voice said as the sound of claws tapping against the floor, followed by a pair of hoof-steps made themselves known. “The egghead’s right. You need to just sit down and relax for a bit.” Rainbow looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar set of white and lavender tinged feathers on a face she knew all too well with a sharp yellow beak at the end of it. But that wasn’t the only familiar face as well. Following her was a mare with Rainbow’s coat color, but with a short cropped scarlet mane style. “Gilda, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in shock. “No, actually a better question is what are you doing here with my mother?” “...No offense Dashie, but I was expecting a warmer greeting.” Windy said. “Well, considering I haven’t seen you in the past… Oh, what was it, fifteen years since you walked out on me and dad and then just show up out of the blue you should have expected something like this.” Rainbow growled. “Y-You have to understand,” Windy stuttered out, as Twilight quietly stepped out of the room knowing this was a personal matter and she had no business being here. “I was scared of your father, we all were! I… I just couldn’t take it anymore!” “But you could have done a better job of protecting me, instead you just walked out!” Rainbow snapped. “Listen, Dash, your mother…” Gilda began. “She’s here for a reason, and not just to catch up on old times.” “Yeah, what’s that?” Rainbow grumbled. “Dashie, you’re not going to like this, but Scootaloo’s adoptive parents…” Windy began, being careful not to say their real names as she knew Rainbow would get even more furious if she did. “They asked me to be their defendant in the court case.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “...Please tell me you’re joking.” She muttered, hoping she’d fallen asleep from boredom and that this was all a bad dream. “Sadly, it isn’t a joke Dash,” Gilda stated. It was about this time Rainbow noticed she and her mother had their tails intertwined. “No, it couldn’t be… I know Gilda always had an eye for the older mares, but this… This is beyond ridiculous.” Rainbow thought to herself. “Windy here, she’s a lawyer, and evidently, those bastard parents you placed your daughter with are thinking that because she’s Scootaloo’s grandmother, she’ll sway in their favor,” Gilda growled out, and Rainbow noted the accusing tone in her voice. Her ears fell flat in guilt at the tone. She deserved that. “Believe me Dashie, I know what I’m doing here is wrong, but I’d rather have me defending them than some slimy lawyer would love nothing better than to win this court case and get all the money he’s getting paid,” Windy stated. “I should point out, even if Windy does win,” Gilda said quickly, noting the look on Rainbow’s face, “She won’t get a lot of money anyways. Those assholes aren’t exactly the biggest money-earners you know. She’s doing this for you, making sure you have the best chance of winning as possible.” It was a long time before Rainbow spoke again, but when she did, she let out a small and softly whispered: “Thank you.” Windy smiled weakly before Rainbow shared one of her own before it turned into a smirk as she looked towards her old flight camp buddy. “So, you and my mom huh? You shacked up I assume?” Rainbow teased. “S-Shut up!” Gilda snapped, blushing red. “I-It just happened, okay! It’s just one of those things, y’know! We’re not serious! Just a fling, that’s it!” “Yeah, sure,” Rainbow teased. “Those tails of yours, that’s not saying you’re in a committed relationship at all.” Gilda could only grumble something quite rude as Rainbow laughed her flank off. Part 7: I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me TonightLife on the street is a jungle A struggle to keep up the pace I just can't beat that old dog eat dog The rats keep winnin' the rat race But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight The world is in an uproar and I see no end in sight But I won't let it bother me tonight I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight: Atlanta Rhythm Section: Champagne Jam: 1978 Ponyville: Gilda sighed as she and her marefriend walked out of Princess Twilight’s castle, dropping her cheerful front she’d created specially for her old friend. The sun was beginning to set behind them, and the sky was beginning to go from light blue to a dark indigo color. The griffin had to admit, Rainbow had done pretty well for herself. She’d made friends with a mare who would become the next Princess of Equestria, married her fillyhood sweetheart and even now was fighting for custody of a little filly. And what had she done for herself in comparison to that? “Well, not much really, I can’t even help bring Griffinstone back to the way it once was, the pride of the Stone Mountains. I could have probably restored every griffin’s faith in the town and the Griffin Kingdom’s pride in itself if I had just grabbed that idol, but… I didn’t,” Gilda muttered to herself as she trudged away from the Castle of Friendship. “I’m useless… So freaking useless. Griffinstone is the same way it has been for the last couple of centuries, a rotting, festering Hellhole who nobody could even give a rat’s ass about.” Gilda was so focused on her own mutterings and musings that she hadn’t even noticed the nuzzle that her marefriend had given her. The older mare gave her a reassuring smile. “Stop right there!” Windy exclaimed. “Now, that’s not true dear and you know it,” she stated. “Griffinstone’s making progress towards a better future, when we first met up again after all these years you said so yourself. It’s just…” “Slow! And that’s the damn problem with it all!” Gilda snapped, brushing her best friend’s mom (Could she even call Windy by that title now that they were dating, Gilda often wondered to herself.) away from her. “Far too damn slow! Nothing’s getting done! Nothing! I don’t understand how exchanging things like scones is supposed to help anybody at all!” Windy was about to open her mouth, but Gilda cut her off. “And don’t you start spouting off that “Magic of Friendship” crap. It’s been tried, and it sure as Hell ain’t doing jack squat!” “Then what about the Princesses?” Windy suggested. “Surely they can help if you just send a plea asking for assistance to them?” She only received a scoff from her lover in response. “Puh-Leeze, if the Princesses really cared about Griffinstone’s problems they would have stepped in long ago,” Gilda muttered. “But do they even know?” Windy asked. “History on Griffinstone is a bit… dated for lack of a better term after all.” she pointed out. “Doubt it’s dated now, since Rainbow and Pinkie showed up,” Gilda remarked sourly. “Pretty sure with two Element Bearers showing up, everypony for miles around knows the kind of crap we’re dealing with, especially since one of those Bearers is that blabber-mouthed mare. Now ask me, if the Princesses cared, wouldn’t they have shown up by now?” she grunted out. Windy didn’t actually have a rebuttal for that question for once. Honestly, Gilda sometimes wondered how she and Windy Whistles had gotten together. They rarely, if ever agreed on anything that didn’t relate to Rainbow Dash. Gilda had always known she’d had an eye for the older mares, that much was true. But, sometimes she wondered if her and Windy’s relationship was too toxic for its own good. “I… I was just trying to help you, just like I’m trying to help with-” Windy said, with Gilda finishing the sentence for her. The younger griffin hung her head and looked incredibly ashamed of herself. “...Your daughter, I know. It’s just…” Gilda murmured and Windy pulled her into a comforting wing-hug. Gilda smiled a bit at the feel of the soft light brown feathers against her own brown ones. “You’re stressed, I know,” The mare stated. “Can’t say I blame you really. This whole situation, it’s wrong in so many ways.” Gilda looked quite worried at what Windy was implying. “Are… Are you saying this… Is our relationship wrong? I love you, Windy, don’t you know that?” Gilda asked, her bravado suddenly disappearing and her beak beginning to quiver. Windy spotted her special some-griffin’s distress and gave her a comforting nuzzle to the neck in response and reassurance. “No, not that!” She quickly stated. “I’m talking about this whole thing with the trial. I’m supposed to be the defendant to those pieces of…” “Shit?” Gilda offered helpfully. “Yes, that,” Windy said. “But my loyalty lies with my own daughter, the opposition here! Gilda, you’re not a lawyer, but you know enough about the job from me to tell the problem here for yourself.” “Yeah…” Gilda trailed off. “Conflict of interest right?” Windy nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, you know exactly what I had to do to get my place as the defendant right? I had to pay the judge off! I’m as dirty as they come, and don’t even bother trying to defend that. You know it’s true…” “But you did it for the right reasons. The end justifies the means, right?” Gilda asked and Windy nodded. “You’re doing it for your daughter’s sake. Like you said, better you than some sleazebag lawyer who would be undoubtedly biased in those assholes’ favor.” “But that’s the exact problem!” Windy argued. “I’m biased, in favor of my daughter! By all rights, I should be off this case and assigned to defend somepony else!” Gilda couldn’t even think of an argument for that, knowing perfectly well her marefriend was right. So, she did the only thing she could and pulled her muzzle up to face her beak and instigated a long, lingering loving kiss which Windy eagerly returned. As the two kissed in the moonlight, the glow from the perfectly full moon shining down on them, something escaped their notice. What the two had failed to see was a black unicorn-like form with glowing yellow eyes vanish into the shadows… Later that night, Windy lay beside her partner in bed, finding herself unable to sleep for some reason. Gilda snoozed contently beside her, her claws clutching a pillow. Windy, with a smile, watched the small rise and fall of the younger griffin’s chest as she snoozed contentedly. She had to wonder what her special some-griffin was dreaming about. It, in admittance was rather cute though Windy would never dare to say it in front of Gilda herself, knowing how much the griffin hated mushy stuff. Well, she liked to say she hated the mushy stuff, but as much as she tried to hide it she knew there were some cute things Gilda liked. In fact, she had caught Gilda staring at socks in the shop windows of Ponyville earlier today as they made their way to Princess Twilight’s castle. “Princess Twilight, that’s going to take some getting used to,” Windy thought to herself. “Still can’t believe my little Dashie made friends with a Princess. I always knew she was going to grow up to be a great mare and make some exciting friends. And that’s not counting her landing a spot in the Wonderbolts Reserves!” Windy smirked, she and her daughter had gotten the last laugh over that bastard after all. He always said they’d never amount to anything, that Dashie broke everything she touched. But look at where they were now. She was a successful lawyer, and had a wonderful lover, even if said lover turned out to not be what she was expecting. And Dashie, well she had married somepony and was now a Wonderbolt of all things! “Who’s laughing now Blaze, huh?” Windy asked herself, hoping the stallion was raging at them and cursing his own stupidity in whatever Hell he’d made for himself. Windy smiled as she turned her attentions back to Gilda. She flashed back to when the two had met up again with Gilda, now a fully grown griffin… Three Months Ago… It was at a small bar in Manehatten that it happened, Windy had just won a very tiring case over a hoof-ball champion who had murdered his wife. The trial had gone on for several days, and it was only with the slightest uncovering of evidence by a PI from Canterlot that the trial had been won in Windy’s favor and the stallion put behind bars for the rest of his natural life. So, Windy figured she deserved to treat herself for such a victory. “‘Nother round, please.” Windy asked the bartender as soft piano music played in the background. “Anything for you Windy, heard about what you did to that stallion on the news,” the bartender complimented as he poured Windy another round. “Putting him behind bars, good on you I say. Had me... Well, all of us really, on the edge of our seats this entire thing did. Say you do deserve a reward after this.” As Windy continued to drink, what she failed to notice was a sleazy stallion, brown furred in color and wearing a black fedora on his head walking up to her. He was very obviously drunk and had one too many shots, anypony could tell that. He rested his head on Windy’s shoulder, much to her disgust. “Say, missy, why don’t you and I take a walk home to our apartment tonight, hmm?” The stallion slurred out. “Could show you a real good time, I could.” “I doubt that very much.” Windy deadpanned as she shoved the stallion off of her. But this one obviously didn’t know the meaning of “No.” as he still persisted. “Come on, won’t be that bad.” the stallion said as his drunken breath reached Windy’s nostrils and she recoiled in disgust. “Promise you, you’ll love me.” Suddenly, a claw reached out and whirled the stallion around only for him to get a punch to the face by a very angry Gilda knocking him unconscious. “No means no, douche-bag.” she snarled out and her eyes widened as she saw Windy. “Mrs. Blaze?” She breathed out, hardly able to believe her own eyes. “...Gilda, is that you?” Windy asked, not even bothering to correct her. “Yeah, it’s me. Now come on, let’s get you home before any more of those idiots try their luck with you.” she said and Windy smiled. So, that was how it happened. They got to talking about life, and a friendship developed. And as it sometimes happened, that friendship would develop into something more. Sure, they got odd looks every now and then, but Windy didn’t care. She was finally happy and that was all that mattered to her. Canterlot Castle: Luna’s Private Quarters: “Are you sure?” Luna asked her Captain of the Guard, her dark blue eyes boring into his own golden orbs. The darkly coated unicorn stallion nodded. He’d been personally assigned to keep an eye on anything pertaining to the Rainbow and Fluttershy VS Last Drop and Icy Winds case and upcoming trial on Luna’s orders, and he figured this counted. Luna sighed to herself as she groaned and threw her head back into her pillows in exhaustion. “...Well, isn’t this just wonderful?” “I fail to see anything wonderful about it ma’am.” the Captain answered. Luna muttered something to herself, sarcasm always flew right over this one’s head. “We cannot have a conflict of interest in this case, as much as I hate to admit it with the circumstances,” Luna stated. “As much as I would like to have Rainbow and her wife win this trial and keep Scootaloo, the law is the law and so it must be upheld, for better or for worse.” “You do realize ma’am, that Rainbow will not be pleased with you if you do this?” the Captain questioned. “Yes, I quite realize that. But Windy Whistles must be removed and replaced with somepony else,” Luna replied. “It would look like bias was involved in this case, and bias would be involved if Rainbow won thanks to any interference by Windy.” “Even if said interference is for the greater good?” the Captain asked. “Sadly… Yes.” Luna trailed off and looked skywards. As much as she hated doing this, the law was the law and so it must be upheld... Part 8: The Logical SongSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part 9: Enter SandmanKeep you free from sin 'Til the sandman he comes Sleep with one eye open Gripping your pillow tight Exit light Enter night Take my hand We're off to never-never land Something’s wrong, shut the light Heavy thoughts tonight And they aren't of Snow White Dreams of war, dreams of liars Dreams of dragon's fire And of things that will bite Enter Sandman: Metallica: Metallica: 1991 Ponyville Police Station: Icy Winds groaned as she mumbled in her half-asleep state tossing and turning on the hard bed in her cell, if you could call it a bed. It barely fit the qualifications of one. It was firm, hard against one’s back and the headrest was just metal. Above her, as the bed was a bunk, slept her husband snoring as loud as a freight train. “Damn him, damn him and his whiskey and booze for getting us both in this mess.” Icy Winds had first thought when the guards had unceremoniously tossed her into the holding cell. “Damn that daughter of mine for blabbing to her dear old mom, her real one, and sending her right to us!” she had also thought. Icy used a hoof to hit the bunk above her and hissed “Shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep here!” But still, the snoring continued. Icy groaned and took her pillow and stuffed it on her head, hoping to block out the sound. It was no use and she growled to herself as she placed the pillow back beneath her head. For the past few weeks, Icy’s nights were nothing but unpleasant, to say the least. And she knew that if she went to prison, they’d get even more unpleasant. It was a well-known fact that foal abusers never got the good life in prison, as that particular crime was highly looked down upon even by some of the worst criminals Equestria had to offer. Icy Winds spent her nights in fear, wondering what was to become of her if she and her husband did end up losing the trial. She was an attractive mare, that was for sure. To be honest with you dear readers, that was quite possibly her only redeeming quality. Celestia knew that quite a few inmates in prisons really hadn’t seen a mare in years, and Celestia only knew how they’d look at her. Icy shuddered in her bed. She could only imagine the hungry and ravishing looks the stallions in prison would give her once the guards marched her in in her orange jumpsuit. Of course, given her crimes and what the jury decided, the color might be different. Tartarus, for all she knew she might get the dreaded white jumpsuit, used only for high-risk inmates or (Again she shuddered) those on the infamous death row. The death sentence was rarely given out thankfully, but there were the rare occasions where juries decided that a crime so heinous had been committed, the sentence was justified and warranted. Icy Winds hoped this wasn’t one of those times. Sighing, she propped her head up against the pillow and groaned again, hoping to get some sleep. It soon overtook her, and her eyelids began to grow heavy… In her dreams, however, even that wasn’t a safe place as she was soon to find. Icy found herself in a frozen wasteland, devoid of almost any life. Her hooves trotted through the snow beneath her as she used one of her forelegs to shield herself against the bitterly cold wind. Icy chuckled at the irony. Here she was, dealing with her namesake. Icy wandered the wastes, the sky above her a stark and unforgiving dull gray of cloud cover. Not even the faintest glimpse of sun nor moonlight was able to breach the clouds and shine on down upon her. Somehow, in some odd way, she found herself in front of her and Last Drop’s house. The windows had been boarded up tight, and it looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for years. Nervously, not expecting what to find inside, Icy used one of her hooves to gently shove the door open. Shivering from the cold, she rapidly slammed the door shut behind her. She wandered the dusty and long abandoned hallways of the house in a daze, not sure why she had ended up here or where to go. “H-Hello?” Icy asked nervously, her voice coming out as a stutter. “I-Is anypony here?” Then, almost as if in answer to her question, the wind began to howl and thunder cracked outside as a jagged streak of lightning illuminated a nearby window and Icy Wind’s form. Then, the roof tore away in a cyclone of freezing ice and snow as the howling turned into that of a nearly deafening roar. Icy Winds began to feel the ground being lifted up from under her hooves and she let out a scream, barely audible against the howling winds of the cyclone’s whirling torrents and the now continuous rumble of thunder. Just as she was about to get sucked in, something took mercy on her, or so it seemed at the time. A dark midnight blue aura of magic reached out and enveloped her and pulled her away from the swirling pillar of cloud just as Icy looked back to see the storm swallow up her home. Like being shot out of a cannon, Icy Winds was then rocketed towards a stone underneath a single tree. Groaning in pain as blood dripped from her forehead, staining the pure white ground beneath her crimson, Icy rubbed her head and discovered she was not alone. Standing in front of her, a dark colored cloak flapping in the wind was a pony, massive in size. She’d never seen a pony this large, larger than even Princess Celestia herself. The cloak hugged the pony’s form and obscured her identity, covering her head and mane completely. “Icy Winds!” The pony bellowed out in a distorted feminine tone as thunder cracked in the distance, “You dare abuse your own child? The one who was left on your doorstep?” Icy quivered under the pony’s gaze, the glowing white eyes and the pony’s midnight blue horn being the only visible features under the cloak as the blizzard began to pick up, the wind blowing ever harder still and the snow becoming almost impossible to see through. But it seemed there was a bubble between Icy and the unknown pony, as the snow seemed to blow around them missing them entirely. “She was never my child! Just the little-feathered brat of some drunken whore! She should be grateful that I took her in and cared for her. Fed her! Bathed her!” Icy Winds shouted back, not considering even for a moment that this might have been the wrong thing to say. “Funny,” The pony chuckled in amusement. “Only one who I see around here that fits that description is YOU, Icy Winds. Grateful? She had no choice in the matter, you took her in yes, but care?” The pony then snorted in disgust at her fellow equine. “Don’t make me laugh. I hardly think driving your child to the point of running away in an ill-conceived storm was a product of a mother who “Cared”,” The pony scoffed and her horn glowed again and the ground under Icy began to crack before she found herself falling into what she knew at once was a coffin. It was about that time Icy realized that stone had not been an ordinary one, but her grave marker. “Please… NO!” Icy pleaded, but to no avail as the lid began to close. “Just give me another chance! I’ll do better next time, I promise!” “You’re all out of chances, and there is no “Next time”.” The pony laughed as the lid slammed shut and Icy screamed as the ground began to cover up the coffin once more, leaving no trace of Icy’s presence or that she was ever there, to begin with. The pony smirked before she faded away into the winds as the snow swirled around her… Canterlot Castle: Luna’s Quarters: The Princess of the Night smirked vindictively as she heard Icy Wind’s scream echoing through her ears as she emerged from the dream world and pulled aside her curtains as she stepped out onto her balcony and let her eyes wander over the city of Canterlot. She had very low tolerance for foal abusers in general and Icy Winds she despised even more than usual. When the foal in question was one she had grown quite close to, not to mention the child of one of the Element Bearers who brought her back from the living Tartarus that was being Nightmare Moon, she let her dark side out to play, even if just a little. Luna growled to herself as she thought of the upcoming trial tomorrow. As much as she hated taking Windy off the case, it was for the better. The law had to have been upheld, for better or for worse. “Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?” A nasty little voice in the back of her head asked snidely. “Or are you one of those ponies who really believe their own bull? Drink their own Kool-Aid, so to speak?” “No…” Luna whispered to herself. “I only want what’s best for everypony, and if Windy Whistles has to be taken off the case to save her own reputation as a lawyer, then so be it,” “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Just keep thinking that everything will be fine and it’ll all work out, won’t it?” The voice asked sarcastically before inquiring: “But ask yourself this… What if whoever replaces Windy loses the case and Scootaloo goes back into the hooves of those monsters? What then?” it remarked and Luna let out a snarl as she stamped her hoof. “Shut up… That’s not going to happen,” She hissed, not sure if she even believed herself by this time. At about that moment, her Captain of the Guard knocked on the door with a hoof. “Come in,” Luna said and the Captain strode in with an eyebrow raised. “You alright ma’am?” He inquired, his golden eyes seemingly burrowing into Luna’s soul. “Heard you talking to yourself. Got worried,” “Then you needn’t trouble yourself any, Captain. I was just… thinking some things over, that’s all,” “Well, got some news you might be pleased to hear. Rainbow’s just named her who she wants to use to prosecute the case. Princess Twilight’s personal recommendation. No bias in who she chose,” the Captain said and handed Luna a small portfolio of the pony in question. “If I may?” Luna requested and the Captain nodded. Luna, grabbing the portfolio in an aura of magic, levitated it over to her bed and she quickly began using her eyes to scan through it. A small smile found its way to the Princess of the Night’s face before she let out a sigh of relief as she saw the photo. It was that of a light gray pony, black mane tied in a bun with glasses resting on her face. Luna knew the pony in question, Raven Inkwell. While she was Celestia’s personal assistant, and while Twilight had chosen her, Luna knew exactly why. Raven had never met Rainbow, Fluttershy nor Scootaloo personally so she didn’t know a single thing about them aside from hearsay and had never met them face to face. That meant she was the perfect choice and there would be very little if any bias involved when she worked this case. Luna chuckled and thought to herself “Twilight, you’ve chosen well. Even if you can be hooves on yourself this case, I know you’re trying your hardest to help your friends no matter what. My sister chose wisely when she picked you as your personal student.” Yeah, everything was going to be alright now, and no matter who Icy Winds and Last Drop chose, Scootaloo would wind up in the proper hooves where she belonged. Author's Note Okay, so I've been wanting to do a Luna and/or Icy Winds focused chapter for a while now and I think this pretty much works. Anyways, the main inspiration for Icy's nightmare comes from Snowfall's own in "A Hearth's Warming Tail" and more specifically for the end of it, this piece of art. Part 10: Sympathy for the Devil Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is just the nature of my game Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails just call me Lucifer 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse? Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah Sympathy for the Devil: The Rolling Stones: Begger’s Banquet: 1968 Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nee Dash VS Last Drop and Icy Winds in court case on matter of custody and Filly Abuse! Public trial to be held in Canterlot! That was the headlines that graced the paper that very week at the shared household of the two pegasi in question. They knew news would break on why Icy Winds and Last Drop had been incarcerated sooner or later, but they didn’t expect it to be right before the trial itself. Honestly, they’d been hoping things would be kept quiet until after the trial itself was over and done with. But for better or for worse, all eyes had now turned to the household and the couple, along with their daughter. For the last few days now, reporters had been camped out like vultures at Fluttershy’s cottage with cameras and quills in hoof. It was pretty much impossible for either of them to get any peace and quiet and the entire thing was making Scootaloo quite nervous at all the attention she and her mothers were getting, and so Rainbow had enacted a drastic plan. “Uh, Rainbow, what are you doing?” Scootaloo had asked when she and Fluttershy walked into the living room where a peregrine falcon stood next to a letter that had a rapidly written note next to it. “Hopefully getting rid of those idiots outside, that’s what,” Rainbow grumbled. Fluttershy leaned over and looked at her wife’s note. The hoof-writing was poor, barely legible, possibly because of a result of the speed in which it was written, (Or Rainbow’s self-admitted poor penmanship.) but you could still make out what it said if you looked hard enough. It read: “Twilight, surrounded by reporters at me and my wife’s cottage. They’ve been camped out here for the last few days. Making all of us rather unnerved, may have to shoo them off myself if you don’t please send help! Don’t care what kind, even Royal Guards if you have them!” Rainbow rolled the letter up and put it in the falcon’s mouth, and opened a window as the bird of prey spread its wings, let out a small screech and took flight towards Twilight’s castle. “Are you really sure this is the best idea, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked carefully. “I want them gone as much as you do, but Royal Guards… Isn’t that a bit… much?” “Hey, for all I know they’ve been snapping photos of us when we’re sleeping, or when Scootaloo’s sleeping!” Rainbow snapped. “I’ve seen the tents! They’ve got to go, now!” “I think I might be able to take care of them easily enough, if you just let me,” Fluttershy put in. “No offense Flutters, but I highly doubt even the Stare would work on that many ponies,” Rainbow replied, and she pointed to a nearby window with her wife and Scootaloo following her gaze, where a gaggle of reporters had gathered snapping photos at every opportunity that presented itself. “I think she means me,” A familiar smug sounding voice sneered as a serpentine form curled itself around Rainbow, two bright yellow orbs gazing into Rainbow’s own purple ones. The pegasus groaned loudly when she heard the voice. “I do have a way of... well, and apologies for the language here dear Fluttershy, peeving ponies off,” “This is your solution, really?” Rainbow asked in disgust as she gestured to the chimera-like creature that was far too much in her personal space for her liking. “Although you’re right about one thing, Discord, you are peeving ponies off, namely me!” “Rainbow, language!” Fluttershy shouted, gesturing to Scootaloo, who had Fluttershy’s wings in her ears. “Hey, he said it first!” Rainbow argued, pointing to a certain chaos spirit, who laughed sheepishly. (Even temporarily turning into a sheep while doing so.) Fluttershy turned her angry gaze to Discord, who looked quite smug with himself. “Now now, Flutters, you know the Stare won’t work on meee-Yeeeessh!” Discord suddenly cringed as Fluttershy’s gazed bored into him. “Okay, okay, no more strong language… At least in this household,” He added this last part in a sotto voice. Then, he marched out the front door and gave the reporters a look. “Well, aren’t you the definition of pests?” He remarked, placing both his paw and his hand on his hips and looking down at them. “Heck, if I look up in a dictionary, bet I’ll find a picture of you all!” To prove his point, he snapped his paw and with a white flash, a dictionary did indeed appear. Discord put on his reading glasses and then skimmed through the pages before shouting out “Aha!” He showed the book’s definition of pests, and sure enough, there was a picture of a reporter. He snapped his paw again, making the book vanish and then all of the reporters’ cameras sprouted wings and flew off into the skies. To make sure they wouldn’t be caught, he then snapped his paw again and any pegasi reporters suddenly found themselves to be Earth Ponies. He dusted his hands off and smirked. “There, that should be enough to deal with you all for now, least until a certain bookworm sends the Guard after you for harassment and loitering. Toodles!” Another paw snap and Discord was gone leaving a note behind inside the cottage. It read: “Go, now!” Rainbow and Fluttershy shared a nod before unfolding their wings with Rainbow gesturing for Scootaloo to climb onto her back. She knew exactly where they could go to escape the reporters, for now at least. That being, to take both her wife and Scootaloo to her cloudominium in her hometown of Cloudsdale. Hopefully, at least, they’d be able to escape the constant influx of reporters there. Keyword being, hopefully. Cloudsdale: Rainbow sighed in relief when she saw the high-rise rooftops of her cloudominium along with the rainbow fall going down to the ground below and pooling in a small lake peeking through the puffy white city of clouds that made up Cloudsdale. Fluttershy, as she flew over the suburban areas behind Rainbow, looked down towards to where she knew her parents’ home would be. “Think the reporters flocked to your parents as well Flutters?” Rainbow asked in concern, looking back towards her wife as Scootaloo held on tight to her mane. “It’s a safe bet, so I sent a mutual friend of ours on ahead to make sure they keep off their backs as well,” Fluttershy replied and Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Not Discord again, I hope?” Rainbow asked as she and her wife landed on Rainbow’s balcony. Fluttershy chuckled and shook her head. “Nope, Gilda,” Fluttershy replied with a smile that didn’t look quite right on the normally serene pegasus. Rainbow blinked, swearing she’d misheard. “Gilda? I could have sworn I had something crazy fly in my ear, as I could have sworn you said Gilda as in Gilda the griffon,” Rainbow gawked and Fluttershy nodded as Scootaloo clambered off Rainbow’s back. “No, I did say Gilda. Figured she could scare them off before they even got close to my mom and dad with a good loud roar,” Fluttershy said, chuckling at the irony. A few years ago, she would have thought of Gilda as nothing but a bully thanks to the aforementioned roar amongst other things, but the griffon had a sense of loyalty that rivaled even Rainbow’s. Small wonder Windy was so taken with her, Fluttershy mused to herself. “...I dunno if I should call you crazy or kiss you right now…” Rainbow muttered to herself while shaking her head. Fluttershy made up her mind for her as she gave Rainbow a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. “...Never mind, mind’s made up...” Rainbow murmured in a daze. “Wow!” Scootaloo exclaimed in glee as she walked into the foyer of Rainbow’s home, eyes darting every which way to examine everything, from the many, many trophies on the walls to a picture take at Rainbow and Fluttershy’s wedding day of them sharing their first dance. Humorously, Rainbow seemed to have two left hooves and couldn’t particularly dance very well in the photo, tripping over Fluttershy. “Is this really where you live?” Rainbow chuckled at her daughter’s fangirlism and ruffled her purple mane with a hoof. “Yep, sure is squirt. Take it all in. I’ll see if I can get lunch made, okay?” Rainbow asked and Scootaloo nodded. Right then, there was a knock on the door from downstairs. Fluttershy ran to get it with a shout of “I’m coming!” and opened the front door and was surprised to see a rather pleasantly plump (She wouldn’t say chubby, as somehow it didn’t seem to fit) pegasus mare with light blue hair and a purple mane. She bore a flying sheep for a Cutie Mark. Accompanying her was a cream-colored earth pony, probably using a cloud walking spell with a palm tree and a heart-shaped sun for a Mark, bearing a mane in varying shades of orange. “Hello there,” the earth pony greeted in a pleasant tone of voice. “Name’s Holiday and this is my wife, Lofty,” with the pegasus mare nodding in confirmation. “We’re here about our niece Scootaloo,” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting anywhere near my daughter, are we clear?” “No… We’re not here to take her back to my brother Last Drop, even if that were possible or we had any real desire to,” Holiday said with her eyes narrowing in disdain as she mentioned her brother, and right then and there somehow Fluttershy just got the feeling she could trust the two. Maybe it was the tone, maybe it was the pleasant demeanor, (Or maybe it was the simple fact that Holiday clearly disliked Last Drop) she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it but she knew they weren’t here to harm Scootaloo. She allowed them to follow her upstairs and soon explained everything to Rainbow, who was at first very hesitant to trust either mare, but that soon faded away when Scootaloo ran up to Lofty and embraced her in a hug. “Auntie Lofty!” Scootaloo sniffled. “I… I never thought I’d see you again after… after dad banned you and Holiday from the house!” “It’s alright, we’re here now kiddo, and we’re not leaving you ever again, you hear?” Lofty replied softly while letting Scootaloo cry into her shoulders. “So, why’d you two get banned from Last Drop’s home? Too nice for his little girl?” Rainbow stated sarcastically. Holiday gave out a small growl at the mention of her brother before answering. “Hardly, he thought us being married and being around Scootaloo would give her the “Wrong sorts of ideas about family” or some such… Well, you know,” Holiday muttered. “Wow, a bigot and a filly abuser. Such a loveable stallion…” Rainbow drawled. “Never heard such crap in all my life. Gays can be good parents too, you know! I mean, look at Lyra and her wife Bon-Bon and their daughter Twist for crying out loud!” Nobody bothered to even chastise Rainbow for her language, as they understood her sentiments. “So, you’re the two who’s been taking care of our little girl after you broke her free from that… that, well, no other way to put it but living Tartarus?” Lofty asked, seemingly sizing both Rainbow and Fluttershy up. She’d heard about both of course, how could anyone not given their fame and of course the local newspaper reports. Rainbow noted the way Lofty said “Our”. She sighed. This was an unexpected wrinkle, the judge could very well rule in favor of Lofty and her wife. Not that she would complain, of course, they’d be far better parents to Scootaloo then Last Drop and Icy Winds ever could be. But still, Rainbow wanted to care for her daughter, not let someone else do it. She’d been absent in Scootaloo’s upbringing for far too long, only watching from a distance and offering encouragement when needed. To see Scootaloo go to anyone else, at least without knowing the full truth about her heritage, might just break Rainbow’s heart. At one point, while Scootaloo and Fluttershy talked with Holiday, Lofty led Rainbow aside into another room so nopony could hear the conversation they were about to have. And Lofty started off this conversation by soundly slapping Rainbow across the face. “Ow… What the Hay was that for?” Rainbow asked as she rubbed her stinging cheek. “You know perfectly well what that was for,” Lofty hissed, a look of pure rage on her features, her pleasant demeanor fully dropped now that everypony else was out of both eyesight and hearing range. “I know Scootaloo’s your daughter, I’m not just eye candy you know! I did a bit of digging, and look who I find as Scootaloo’s real parent! You’ve got a lot of nerve taking her in after you left Scootaloo at Last Drop’s house in the damn first place!” “Alright, I messed up, okay?” Rainbow said in an apologetic tone, but it didn’t take with Lofty. “No, messed up is when you break your wife’s favorite vase or forget your anniversary! This... this goes beyond messing up!” Lofty confronted. “And what’s more, as far as I know, Scootaloo as no idea as to who her real mother is!” Okay, I admit that!” Rainbow sputtered out. “But… But I was scared of what would happen if anypony found out! You can understand that, right? I… I was a teenager, and you know how ponies think of teenage parents!” “So, that’s the excuse you’re using to justify yourself?” Lofty hissed back before her tone became softer. “There’s.... There’s something more to this isn’t there?” “Yeah… Yeah, there is,” Rainbow explained with a sigh. “My dad… He was a real mean drunk, just like Last Drop. Happened in Cloudsdale so many years ago, it was like Nightmare Moon herself took him and she did it real slow… He was a monster, and I… I was scared of turning just out like him. So that’s why I did it, dropped Scootaloo off at Last Drop’s home, hoping he and his wife would take care of her well enough, raise her better than I could…” With that, Lofty brought Rainbow in for a hug as the younger pegasus finally broke down in tears with Lofty whispering “It’s alright… I understand… In your place, I might have done the same thing…” Rainbow looked up at her. “Really?” Lofty nodded. “Yeah, really. But do me a favor, okay? Tell Scootaloo about who her real mom is, or I will.” Author's Note Okay, so sorry for the long wait, but with me back in school and a small case of writer's block, this took a bit. But then we got the reveal of Scootaloo's aunts, and all the pieces fell into place and this took shape. Originally, this was going to be titled Storm after the Skynyrd song of the same name, but with the ending scene written out, I figured Sympathy for the Devil would work better. Part 11: Mother and Child Reunion“But I would not give you false hope On this strange and mournful day When the mother and child reunion Is only a motion away Oh the mother and child reunion Is only a motion away Oh the mother and child reunion Is only a moment away” Mother and Child Reunion: Paul Simon: Paul Simon: 1972 Cloudsdale: Rainbow’s Cloudominium: 12:00 PM Rainbow groaned as she rolled over in her bed and stuffing her face into her pillow, half caught between the dreamscape and the waking world. She knew perfectly well what day it was, the day of the trial. Her and Fluttershy VS Icy Winds and Last Drop. Rainbow let out a small whimper, she would admit it if prompted. She was afraid, no terrified was more like it. Everything that could go wrong, it probably would go wrong if somebody couldn’t keep their mouth shut and blabbed about Scootaloo’s parentage and things would probably go all downhill from there. This was a disaster waiting to happen, and Rainbow knew it. It wasn’t a question of if it would happen, it was a question of only when in Rainbow’s mind. “Celestia damnit… Why couldn’t I have just told Scootaloo that I was her mom in the first place, soon as I took her in?” Rainbow wondered to herself. “Actually, why couldn’t have just kept her in the first place, and this whole damn mess could have been avoided? Scootaloo wouldn’t have had to have spent years in Tartarus, I would have raised her like a proper parent wouldn’t I?” Rainbow groaned again. “Face it Dash, this is all on you and you know it.” she mentally sighed, finally accepting that this was all her fault, everything that had led up to this point was on her. “Time to wake up Dashie…” Fluttershy whispered as she gave her wife a gentle nuzzle. “I don’t wanna…” Dash whined/grumbled to herself as she rolled over to face her wife. “You’re going to have to eventually, and you know it. We both have to show up for the trial, you especially considering you’re one of the main subjects involved in it…” “Don’t you think I know that Fluttershy? It’s… It’s just I never wanted this crap to begin with!” Rainbow hissed. “And before you say anything, I know it’s all on me, this is pretty much my fault but…” Fluttershy gave her wife a quick kiss and cupped her cheeks with her hooves. “I understand Dashie, I really do. To be honest… If I was in your position, having to give birth to a filly at a young age and with your upbringing -Thank Celestia that wasn’t the case- I might have done the same thing. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I might have. Fear does powerful things to ponies,” she said. “You know that…” “Yeah... “ Rainbow grumbled as she tossed the sheets off her and climbed out of bed. “Let’s just get this crap over with okay?” With that, she grabbed a black suit and tie from the closet and headed to the bedroom to get herself ready for the day’s events. “You get Scootaloo and wake her up okay? I… I just don’t feel up for facing her right now, not today…” Rainbow muttered. Canterlot Royal Courthouse: 2:15 PM Rainbow let out a nervous swallow as she and her family walked up the giant steps that led up to the Royal Courthouse. Massive stone white pillars framed either side of the doorway, and a tall bell-tower was attached to the rooftop, the hands slowly counting down to the fated time of 2:45 PM. She turned to Scootaloo, who was trembling at the prospect of facing her adoptive family once more and wrapped a wing around her. “It’ll be alright, okay squirt? We’ll win this, I know it!” Rainbow said, putting on a confident front, even if inwardly she wasn’t quite so confident. Sure, they might win, but what would be the outcome? “Y-Yeah, sure…” Scootaloo whispered to herself and Rainbow pulled her daughter in closer for a hug. A familiar raspy voice belonging to a certain griffon grumbled out “Here they come, the bastards…” as the band of reporters -as ever with things like this- came rushing out of the woodwork, seemingly by the truckload. Rainbow and her family were then bombarded with questions, the flashes of camera shutters and general mayhem. “Mrs. Dash, how do you think this court case will end?” “Do you have every confidence in winning?” “What’s your plans for the future if you win this court case?” “Do you plan on settling down after this and quitting the Wonderbolts?” And then came the kicker, the one that really set off everything. “What’s your take on this Ms. Scootaloo?” One reporter was foolish enough to ask, and Gilda whirled on him and sucked in a breath before unleashing her signature roar directly in his face. The reporter was so quelled in fact, he dropped his camera and ran back into the crowd of his fellow vultures. “Alright you assholes, that’s enough! Leave the girl alone, okay? She’s been through enough already okay?” Gilda snarled and that seemed to shut everybody up. Then she, -acting like a personal bodyguard to her old Flight Camp buddy- and Dash, along with Fluttershy and Scootaloo caught sight of Last Drop and Icy Winds being escorted into the district courthouse by the Royal Guard. Icy Winds smirked smugly, almost as if to say “You’re going to lose and your daughter will be ours once again.” Right then and there, Rainbow wanted to run up and sock the bitch of a mare right in the jaw and knock her flat but was held back by her mother who was shaking her head at her. “No Dashie,” Windy said. “Best to let her be. She’ll get her comeuppance, just you wait. Plenty of evidence is stacked against her, and you’ve got one of the best lawyers in Equestria on your side. I’ve heard about Raven, she’s never lost a case before and I doubt she’s losing one today.” “Yeah…” Rainbow whispered as she adjusted her suit and tie absentmindedly before she let out a low growl. “Still doesn’t mean I don’t want to smash her face in…” Windy leaned over and muttered, “Just between you and me, and I know this is totally unprofessional on my part, but I completely agree with your sentiments.” Rainbow then sucked in a breath as she looked up at the courthouse above her. This was it, no turning back now. She looked at Scootaloo, and then at Fluttershy. “Well, best we get moving…” She sighed. Then a thought struck her. If she was going to tell Scootaloo the truth, it was now or never. Chances are it was going to come out during the trial anyways… “Scoots, there’s something you oughta know. About you and us.” Rainbow began hesitantly, looking directly at her daughter. “Yeah, Rainbow?” “I’m-” But whatever she had to say next was cut off by Gilda shouting “Come on Dash, you’re holding us all up!” Inside the district court, it was just as chaotic as the outside. Camera shutters flashed, evidently, some reporters had managed to get inside somehow. Everybody was clamoring about something, yelling “Justice for fillies!” and generally shouting for Last Drop and Icy Wind’s heads. Rainbow let out a low whistle. “Wow, if they get off somehow, the mob will probably beat them up before I do…” Rainbow muttered and Fluttershy gently smacked her on the head with a wing. “What?” “A lynch mob Dash? Really?” Fluttershy asked with a raised eyebrow but Rainbow was quick to turn the tables. “Oh, like I didn’t hear you muttering about having Discord have a go at them if they did get off a few days back…” Rainbow remarked. Fluttershy eeped and blushed red as Gilda sniggered as the fivesome took their seats. Nearby, they saw Holiday and Lofty take their seats next to Last Drop and Icy Winds. Rainbow sighed, she knew they didn’t want to sit next to their family but they had to. Rainbow and Scootaloo, however, could take one small consolation from that though. As evidently Last Drop didn’t want them any nearer to them than Scootaloo’s aunts did to him, judging by the glares shot in each other’s directions. “Order, order in the court!” The judge, named Hard Case shouted as he banged his gavel. Then, the lawyers walked in. Raven, a grey-furred pony with spectacles and her mane tied in a bun trotted in wearing a nice pantsuit. The other was the court-appointed lawyer for Last Drop and Icy Winds. He was a sorta sleazy sort, smelling of cheap cologne and a barely shaved beard. To top things off, he wore a very cheap suit. Rainbow looked to her left and saw Gilda exchanging a bag of money with her mother as Windy muttered “Told you it’d be one of the cheap ones taking my place…” and turned to Fluttershy. “A bet? Really?” She asked before shaking her head and muttering “...Of all the things to bet on…” What she didn’t see was Gilda secretly pass a smirking Fluttershy a bag of bits to her as well, the griffon looking very displeased at her loss. “Now, this trial will come to order,” Hard Case barked out before looking around the room. “I assume you all know the charges?” Everyone present nodded. “Good. But to repeat, Mrs. Rainbow Dash is suing Icy Winds and Last Drop on the charges of filly abuse and neglection of care.” Mutters erupted around the courtroom, and more than a few glares were tossed towards a certain pair of adoptive parents. “That’s a load of bull! We cared for the brat the best we could! She was just dumped off at her house by whatever worthless whorse who was too afraid to care for her in the middle of the bloody night!” Last Drop erupted. “Language!” Hard Case shouted as he banged his gavel. “I intend to keep this court as civilized as possible, and any more outbursts like that and I will hold you in contempt of court!” “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Raven suddenly spoke up. “But isn’t picking up a lost child left on the doorstep of a house grounds for kidnapping?” “That is neither here nor there. We are investigating charges of filly abuse and neglect, not kidnapping,” Hard Case reminded. “Although now that you bring that up, those charges will be considered.” “If I may bring up the question,” Last Drop and Icy Wind’s defendant asked. “What exactly happened that night when you found Scootaloo on your doorstep?” Icy Winds was called to the stand. “We took her in, simple as that!” Icy Winds stated. “It was a cold rainy night, and so we decided to just take her in, and give her shelter from the storm… Just for the night. Just for the night, I want to clarify that! We intended to give her up the local orphanage in the morning but she sorta stole our hearts…” “What a load of crap…” Scootaloo muttered to herself. “Stole their hearts my flank!” “Objection!” Raven shouted. “The accused has just admitted to kidnapping!” “Objected sustained.” Hard Case said. “If I may, your honor,” Raven asked. “There’s a new piece of magitech as it’s been started to be called developed by the Canterlot Royal Science Institute by one Bill Neigh just for situations like this. It would allow us to show a pony’s memories of what really happened. I’d like to use this case as a test run if you will.” “Very well, you are allowed.” Hard Case said and despite sputters from Last Drop and Icy Winds, a glowing blue orb was brought in by ponies in white lab coats and placed on a pedestal. “Now, for legal reasons all must agree to this. If anyone does not consent, this orb will not be used,” Raven explained before turning to Scootaloo and looking at her kindly. “If there’s no memories you want to contribute, or you don’t want anything to be viewed… Don’t worry, I don’t think anypony would hold that against you.” Rainbow and Fluttershy were quick to sign the consent forms, and Scootaloo’s gaze hardened. “Yeah, I’ll contribute. I want to see those… things locked up!” She replied, not even wanting to call a certain two her parents. They never were, not in her mind. Last Drop and Icy were just as quick to agree, stating that they wanted their daughter back and away from those disgusting filly-foolers. Once again, they had to be warned by Hard Case of the potential of being held in contempt of court. And so, the first memory was shown. Lightning flashed in the night as a hooded figure in a brown hooded cloak quickly left a sleeping filly with an orange coat and a small purple mane in a basket on an unknown doorstep. She attached a small, quickly scribbled note and quickly ran off into the night. Not even a few minutes later a much younger Icy Winds opened the door. “That doesn’t prove anything!” Last Drop shouted. Rainbow meanwhile was sucking in a breath, hoping nobody saw that mare in the memory as her. Her mane was very distinct after all. “Oh, but I think it does. According to Equestrian law, and as I have stated before taking in a child left on a doorstep accounts as kidnapping,” Raven stated in triumph. “And how do you know we didn’t just take her to an orphanage and my wife isn’t lying?” “Would she have any reason to incriminate herself?” Raven interrogated. Last Drop quickly shut his trap after that. Then, after her lawyer whispered something into Icy Winds’ ear, an absolutely evil smirk came over her face. Icy Winds was going down, she knew that much but she knew if she was going down, she’d take Rainbow with her. “If I may contribute a memory?” Icy asked with a sneer. “I’d like to show what happened as soon as Rainbow over there found about our alleged crimes…” And so, the next memory was shown as Raven plucked a thin wispy strand of mist from Icy’s mind with her horn glowing a solid light blue color. “What kind of lies is that worthless brat telling now?" The stallion Last Drop said as he came in. “I assure you that we will make sure she doesn't bother you with this...” “Scootaloo wouldn't lie to me, not about this!” Rainbow snapped, causing the two older ponies to recoil a little. “I trust Scootaloo a heck of a lot more than I trust the two of you right now!” “Why do you care? You're not her mother, you're not even her sister, you're just a mare who she looks up to," Last Drop said. "You're just a…” Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, she swung her hoof at Last Drop, catching the stallion off guard as she punched him hard, drawing blood from his muzzle. He growled at her and swung back, hitting her briefly, but it only seemed to make her angrier. As Icy Wind tried to move behind her she bucked hard, sending the mare sprawling. The two older ponies were trying their best, but Rainbow Dash had dealt with a lot worse than them. “Freeze!” A commanding voice said and several ponies dressed in guard armor stormed in, causing the fight to stop, leaving the two older ponies looking rather bloody. “Oh thank Celestia, this crazy mare broke into our house and attacked us for no reason!" Icy Wind said, trying to put on an innocent face. “Take her away, lock her up and throw away the key!” “Icy Wind, Last Drop, you're both under arrest,” the lead guard said as he entered the house. "What? What did we do?" Last Drop demanded as they were locked in hoofcuffs. "You know exactly what you did, don't lie!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, she couldn't believe that they were actually trying to weasel their way out of this. "You are under arrest for foal abuse and neglect," the guard said as they hauled the two ponies off. "This isn't over Rainbow Dash!" Icy Wind shouted. Rainbow Dash cringed a little at that and watched as they were taken away. She sighed a little as she started to calm down a little. "Mrs. Dash, we're going to have to get a statement from you later," one of the guards said and Rainbow nodded. "Somepony will stop by the Castle, are you okay? You're bleeding." “Huh?” Rainbow asked as she ran a hoof along her muzzle, coming up with blood. “I'll be fine, I'm going back to the castle.” “That monster broke into our house and assaulted us! That should at least show she’s not fit to be a parent for our Scootaloo!” Icy Winds spoke, playing the sympathy card. “Why you!” Rainbow snarled and almost jumped from her seat before Fluttershy and Gilda quickly pulled her back. “S-She had every reason to do so…” Scootaloo nervously whispered. Ms. Raven? If I may contribute a memory?” Raven nodded and Scootaloo found herself seeing a thin strand of memory removed from her head and deposited into the orb. Raven then spoke up and said “Just so that I may be clear on things, these are not permanent removals of memories. We are not mind-wiping anypony, these memories will be replanted back into their respective owners at the end of this trial.” And so... Thunder rumbled and rolled in the late night sky as Scootaloo trembled under her bed in fear, shaking and quivering as she heard what was going on in the next room over. The sounds of crashing and punches flying came from behind her bedroom door, and the sound of a body hitting it created a loud thud. “That’s what you get, ya bitch!” Last Drop’s voice shouted. “Pouring all my beer bottles down the drain!” “Well, ya deserve it! You focus more on yer booze than ya do me!” Icy Winds shouted back and then was the sound a loud slap smacking across fur. “How do you like that huh?” Last Drop shouted as lightning flashed and lit up Scootaloo’s room illuminating just how badly kept it and Scootaloo herself were. The paint was peeling, a picture of Rainbow Dash and her had been knocked to the floor by one of the two parents in a fit of drunken rage. “P-Please, don’t fight…” Scootaloo whispered but her pleas were ignored. “W-Why can’t you just love each other like real parents do? W-Why can’t you just love me?” Her body began to quiver as she sobbed softly to herself, tears rolling down her face and onto the wooden floor. ‘Why…? Why?” Scootaloo sobbed, her entire body shaking as the argument continued. “I pay the damn bills around here, and yet all you do is spend the money on booze!” Icy Winds shouted as she punched her husband in the face, sending him staggering back. He hit a wall, and a picture behind him crashed to the floor and its glass frame broke sending pieces everywhere as it shattered. “Look what happened today! I come home from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory with my check, and what do you do?” Icy Winds accused. “Oh, that’s right! You snatch it straight from my hooves like the Mister Grabby Hooves you are and spend it on booze! Then, next week, look what happens again! More booze! Beer, beer, beer! That’s all you ever care about, and not me!” Her voice had turned into a bellow by this point, and now Last Drop was truly furious. “You’re hardly innocent yourself, bitch! Look at you, offering yourself out to any stallion who’ll have your worthless body!” He roared. “Well, it’s hardly like I have much choice in the matter, do I? It pays the bills, and besides, I get more love from them than I do from YOU!” Icy Winds snarled out. Meanwhile, Scootaloo had finally decided she’d had enough. Anywhere was better than this, surely. With a crashing sound, she threw her lamp through the window and smashed the glass before clambering out of the open window and into the grass below. Scootaloo broke into a sprint and ran as fast and far as she could, ignoring the pounding rain soaking her fur and the howling winds. “T-The Clubhouse!” Scootaloo whispered to herself as she ran. “T-That’s got to be a good place for me to wait out the storm and then I’ll just live out on the streets! It’s a Tartarus of a lot better place than my parents’ house!” Gasps echoed throughout the courtroom and growls were made as more glares were directed towards Icy and Last Drop at the condition of Scootaloo’s home life. “I… I couldn’t sleep that night, I needed comfort…” Then a sneer came to the face of Icy and Last Drop’s lawyer, one Rainbow didn’t like one bit. “Comfort you say?” He hissed out. “Comfort as in somepony sleeping with you, comfort as in somebody… touching you?” “YOU BASTARD! I’d never touch Scootaloo like that, NEVER!” Rainbow practically erupted and once again had to be held back as Hard Case banged his gavel and shouted for order. And once again, a memory was shown and deposited. Rainbow, still in shock from what she had just learned, placed Scootaloo onto the bed and covered her up with the blankets. "What... What do we now?" Fluttershy asked in concern. Rainbow let out a snarl as she climbed into bed besides her "Little Sister" and snuggled up to her, knowing that the little filly needed the warmth and comfort of a REAL parent. "First, I'm going to protect Scootaloo for tonight and then, tomorrow I'm going over to her parent's home and give them both the ass kicking of their lives." Rainbow growled out before wrapping her forelegs protectively around Scootaloo, who unconsciously snuggled up to Rainbow's neck and whispered "Mama Dash..." “I don’t see any non-consensual touching, do you?” Raven asked. “All I see is an older sister figure comforting her little sister. Granted, Scootaloo thinking of Rainbow as her mother is... unexpected, to say the least, but not entirely surprising considering what her adoptive parents were like.” Icy growled, as once again the court swung Rainbow’s way. “I still fail to see hard evidence that Scootaloo has been abused, unfortunately.” Hard Case remarked. Scootaloo mustered up her courage, as much as she didn’t want to show this last memory, she really had no other choice if she wanted to see her “Parents” locked away for good. She didn’t want to see them just get locked away with just a kidnapping charge, she wanted them to face the full consequences. If anything, Scootaloo had inherited her mother’s vengeful streak. “If… If it pleases you, your honor, may I give one last memory to the Orb?” Scootaloo asked nervously, and Fluttershy gasped. “Scootaloo, you don’t have to do this…” She whispered. “No, I have to. They need to know the truth. I’m done running and hiding from my past,” Scootaloo stated firmly. “If they’re going to go away, I want to be a part of it.” “But…” Fluttershy trailed off before realizing Scootaloo was right. There was no way in Tartarus Last Drop nor Icy Winds would give up memories of them abusing Scootaloo willingly. So Scootaloo herself had to do it. “Go on, do it dear…” And then, the final nail in Icy Winds and Last Drop’s coffin was sealed. Everypony collectively watched in abject horror as this final memory was shown… “Get in there, you little brat!” Icy Winds snapped as she physically threw (Yes, threw) Scootaloo into her room. “Try and dump all of my numbers into the paper shredder, don’t think I didn’t see you did that!” “But you’re… you’re supposed to be married to your husband, not getting out and about with those other stallions!” Scootaloo whimpered and Icy soundly slapped her across the face. “Shut up! This is just what Last Drop deserves, for loving his drinks more than me! Karma’s a bitch, and this is it coming back to bite him.” The horrified expression on Icy’s face was laughable really, as it twisted between a mixture of rage, shock, and horror as her hypocrisy was on full display to the full court. Eyes bored into her as pretty much everyone in their seats glared harshly at the mare, and cameras flashed. It would be a prize-winning front-page photo of her face that would later appear in the newspaper depicting the outcome of events. Hard Case slammed the gavel down, the sound echoing throughout the entire court. “Icy Winds, you and your husband are convicted of Child Abuse, Neglect, and Kidnapping. 25 Years in the Canterlot Prison, with no chance of parole. Custody of Scootaloo will go to the Dash family.” Hard Case stated as his final words on the matter and Last Drop and Icy Winds were dragged out kicking and screaming up a storm by the Royal Guard as the entire court rose up in their seats and cheered. Lofty, while her wife wasn’t looking actually had the sheer audacity to flip Last Drop the Bird with a wing. Rainbow and Fluttershy pulled Scootaloo into a hug and held their new daughter tight. Things were finally over. However, that happiness was not to last as a certain harpy known as Icy Winds managed to screech this out. “You damn bitch! You caused this, just by leaving that damn daughter of yours on my doorstep! You hear me, this is all your fault! Hope you enjoy your worthless filly, you damn filly-fooling bitch!” And there was Scootaloo, looking up at Rainbow with a look of betrayal etched on her face. “Rainbow,” she whispered. “Am I really your…” “Yeah Squirt,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I’m your real mom.” Author's Note Welp, I think the expression "Oh Crap" sorta fits the ending here. Still, at least that's the last we'll see of Last Drop and Icy Winds right? ...Right? Anyways, to be fairly honest this was probably the hardest chapter of the story I had to write so far. I honestly had no clue what to actually do here considering I know so little about writing courtroom drama. Watching it is one thing, but writing it...? Of course, I then remembered the Pensieves from the Harry Potter books and the Memory Orbs from Fallout: Equestria and sorta combined the two into the magitech shown in this chapter. Anyways, just a fair word of warning, I won't be uploading any chapters next month (Maybe another this month, but no promises) as because of how sad things are going to get. I just don't want to ruin your Christmas Spirit that's all. (Part of the reason I hate Anon-A-Miss fics so badly, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyways, if this turns out to be the case and no further chapters are uploaded this month, have a very happy Christmas and a very good New Year. Oh, before I forgot, a huge thank you to SweetAI Belle for contributing the song that gave this chapter it's title. Before Paul Simon's song was suggested, I honestly was going to go with a Pink Floyd song called the Trial. Part 12: SinnermareOh, sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Sinnerman where you gonna run to? Where you gonna run to? All on that day We got to run to the rock Please hide me, I run to the rock Please hide me, run to the rock Please hide here All on that day But the rock cried out I can't hide you, the rock cried out I can't hide you, the rock cried out I ain't gonna hide you there All on that day I said rock What's the matter with you rock? Don't you see I need you, rock? Sinnerman: Nina Simone: Pastel Blues: 1965 Ponyville: Fluttershy’s Cottage Rainbow Dash had said nothing on the long trip back to her wife’s cottage, the yelling and screaming of Icy Winds, and the resulting aftermath still ringing in her ears. “You damn bitch! You caused this, just by leaving that damn daughter of yours on my doorstep! You hear me, this is all your fault! Hope you enjoy your worthless filly, you damn filly-fooling bitch!” And there was Scootaloo, looking up at Rainbow with a look of betrayal etched on her face. “Rainbow,” she whispered. “Am I really your…” “Yeah Squirt,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I’m your real mom.” Of course, once she entered the small cottage, the silence was broken. A rush of emotion was going through Scootaloo’s head right now. Confusion, for why Rainbow never told her and why it had to be Icy Winds that had to do it. Sadness, for why Rainbow never felt the need to trust her enough with this snippet of information. And fury, for all of the reasons stated above. “How... How long?” Scootaloo’s voice quavered, as she looked up towards the pony she once thought she could trust with anything in the world. It seemed Rainbow wasn’t willing to be the same as her. Scootaloo’s eyes almost drilled a hole into Rainbow’s soul, and although she wanted to out of shame, she couldn’t look away. “How long were you planning to keep this hidden from me?” Rainbow’s silence and the fact that she was gazing at the floor said it all. “...Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Scootaloo muttered bitterly as she turned to leave the room, tossing a look of both betrayal and disgust towards her so-called mother. “If you had planned to ever tell me, you would have told me long before now.” “S-Scootaloo, hold up a second!” Rainbow shouted, and her daughter halted briefly. “I… I was afraid. My father… Well, he was no better than who I left you with. And… And when I got pregnant with you, I was terrified I’d turn out to be just like him. I… I was only a teenager back then, one night stand thanks to hormones running high and maybe a few glasses of whiskey. How… How was I supposed to know what would happen?” Rainbow pleaded, her voice beginning to quiver as well. “L-Like I said, teenager, stupid and afraid. S-Some Element of Loyalty I turned out to be eh?” Rainbow joked weakly. Scootaloo wasn’t amused. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell you the truth. Sweet Celestia, just every time I’ve looked at you, I wanted to tell you that. But… But I just couldn’t work up the nerve, as I knew you’d never take it well. But the real irony, the more I put it off, the angrier I knew I’d make you. And that continued to scare me, keep me from telling you. Fear… It makes you do things you never thought you’d do…” Rainbow whispered, tears dripping to the floor from her cerise eyes. “You know you said something about how you were afraid you’d turn out worse than your father?” Scootaloo asked bitterly, and Rainbow looked up only to receive a sharp punch to the jaw that sent her sprawling to the floor. “Congrats, you have.” And those words hurt more than any punch ever could. Rainbow sobbed quietly as Scootaloo headed to the door. “Scootaloo, wait!” Fluttershy called. “I need to talk to somepony…” Scootaloo muttered as she grabbed her scooter and put on her helmet, tears of her own beginning to form. “Somepony that isn’t either of you two!” With that, she raced off to Celestia only knew where. Meanwhile, Fluttershy helped her wife off the floor. Rainbow rubbed her jaw, and looked at her wife. “She’s right you know…” Rainbow muttered. “Tell me she’s right…” “No, she isn’t and you know that,” Fluttershy whispered, supportive to the end. “She’s just angry, and she just needs time to think things through. She’ll come around eventually.” Rainbow laughed bitterly to herself. “Hah, you really believe that?” Rainbow asked. “And maybe Tirek himself will rise up from Tartarus and reform and take the straight and narrow path!” she replied sarcastically. Rainbow then looked her wife dead in the eyes. “Go on, tell me how you really feel. I’ve never been the best wife to you, and I’ve been an even worse mother to my own damn daughter!” Rainbow shouted. “Go on, admit it! I know you want to! Ponies like you… They bottle up all their anger inside, and just let it out when something finally pushes them over the edge! Well, I think this counts, doesn’t it?” “No… No,” Fluttershy asserted. “While I admit you’ve never been the best wife towards me, you’ve always tried your hardest. Every relationship, it has its ups and downs.” “Yeah, pretty sure this crap counts as more than just ups and downs…” Rainbow muttered in self-disgust. Fluttershy didn’t even bother to berate her for her language. Privately, she admitted some of what her wife was saying was true. There were times she wanted to shout and scream at her wife for some of her stupid mistakes, quite a few of them surrounding Scootaloo. And lately, she’d been wanting to do it more than ever. But like Rainbow said, she never could work up the courage in fear of ruining things. “If… If it’s okay with you,” Rainbow continued as she walked towards the couch. “I’ll just be sleeping here tonight. God knows I deserve it, and to be honest… I don’t trust myself around you right now. Probably screw up our relationship beyond belief just like I did with my daughter’s.” With that, Rainbow pulled the covers over herself, turned off a nearby lamp to darken the room, and hugged the Spitfire plushie she’d bought for Scootaloo close to herself and finally let the tears flow. Sweet Apple Acres: Scootaloo honestly didn’t know how long she raced her scooter across Ponyville, or how many ponies saw her tears as she did so, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. But somehow, just as night was beginning to fall she found herself at the Clubhouse. She looked up to where -illuminated in the moonlight- was the poster for the Rainbow Dash fan club. She, with a snarl, reached up and ripped the poster from the wall, before gazing at the pony on it longingly. Not the pony she knew now, but the one she looked up to. The Rainbow Dash she thought she could trust, the infallible, unstoppable one. Growling in anger, and fighting back more tears, she then ripped it in half and tossed what remained behind her. “Did… Did that pony ever exist at all…?” Scootaloo wondered to herself, not realizing she was speaking aloud. “She still does kid, you know that,” a familiar scratchy voice said from behind her, as Scootaloo heard the sounds of wings flapping and a set of paws landing on the wood floor. “Just not in the right state of mind for you to figure that out yet, that’s all.” Scootaloo turned, and saw a familiar white feathered griffon with purple highlights. Though her vision was blurry from her tears, Scootaloo recognized her in an instant. “G-Gilda?” Scootaloo choked out and was pulled into a hug by the griffon in question. “Yeah, it’s me, kid. Sorta figured I’d find you here, given what your mom’s told me about you in letters. Heh, you two are so alike it’s scary really,” Gilda replied. “Listen, Dash may not be the brightest mare in the world at times, but she means well in the end. And if it helps any, you being her daughter and not telling you, eating her up inside. ...I was there you know, when Rainbow named you and christened you and everything. She looked like the proudest mare in the world at that moment, just holding you in her arms.” “Then… Then why…?” Scootaloo sniffled. “She gave you up?” Gilda finished, and Scootaloo nodded. “...Listen, you have to understand Dash’s state of mind at that moment. Her father… As you probably already know, wasn’t the nicest stallion in the world. Constantly drunk off his ass, and screaming at her. Saying she and her mom broke everything they touched really. Honestly… Flight camp with me, Flutters, and the rest was about some of the only times I saw her happy when she was a young little filly. Hell, surprised she didn’t decide to try and end it all at one point or the other, given how much a bastard her dear old dad was. Hell, she might have tried for all I know really. I wasn’t there all the time, keeping an eye on her.” Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You… You really think that Mo-Dash (Scootaloo quickly amended herself, she wasn’t going to be calling Dash by that anytime soon) really would have…” she trailed off, swallowing nervously. “Honestly… Yeah,” Gilda answered bluntly. “That’s how bad things were. Her father, real dick. I’m going to tell you this right now, if the alcohol hadn’t gotten him in the end, I probably would have gone out, found a gun or something and killed the guy myself,” she growled out. “But Dash… She’s nothing like her father. All her life, she’s strived to be anything but him. Proving him wrong at every corner. Her father said she’d never be a Wonderbolt, look where she is now. Her father said she’d never amount to anything? Well, she’s one of Equestria’s biggest heroes nowadays. Her father said she’d never find love? She found that in Fluttershy, of all ponies. She’s happy, for the most part.” Gilda stated. “And… And I just yelled and screamed at her that she was worse than her father…” Scootaloo whimpered. “I’m nothing like my mom. Nothing at all…” “You were angry kid, and I don’t blame you. In your position, might have yelled at Dash myself actually. Surprised I already haven’t blown up at her for this crap she pulled,” Gilda admitted. “But make no mistake, Dash… Knowing her, she’ll be angry for a while but she won’t hold it against you. More like herself. She needs you there for her kid, trust me on that. She may be a tough pony on the outside, but on the inside… She’s as vulnerable as you or me. Now come on kid, let’s get you back home. Getting cold tonight, and Fluttershy would kill me -Or worse, sic that chimera friend of hers on me- if she found out I let you freeze to death.” Scootaloo laughed a little at that, before she looked at Gilda again as the griffon picked her up in her claws, and held her close to her chest to keep the young filly warm. “Just one thing…” Scootaloo began. “Yeah, kiddo?” Gilda asked. “Can I call you Auntie Gilda?” Scootaloo asked, and Gilda smiled at that. “Sure you can kid, sure you can. It would be my honor to join your family in some way. And hey, if all goes well enough with your grandma, I probably will be a part of your family tree. ...Just in a very weird way.” “Yeah, not sure what to think about you dating my grandma yet…” Scootaloo trailed off. “For the record?” Gilda asked. “Neither does your mother!” Scootaloo actually laughed at that, and continued to do so all the way back home. Author's Note Okay, so sorry for the extra long wait, and if you y'all hate me for that, can't blame you. But honestly, I needed to get my inspiration back for this story. Looked at a few of Ruinqueen's stories to see how the big confrontation would go, and the ideas just started flowing from there. Now... Gilda. Really wasn't my first choice in characters to console and give advice to Scoots, (My first choices were a member of the CMC or one of her aunts) but I remembered that Gilda was one of Dash's best friends growing up and would have known Dash around the timeline she had Scootaloo in. Plus, led to the second half of the chapter, which is quite honestly one of my favorite scenes in the entire story I've written thus far. Also, Sinnerman. Wasn't my first choice, even if I wanted to use this piece in a story for a very long time now. Thought about Old Man by Neil Young or Johnny Cash's version of Hurt. But in the end, Nina Simone won out. As ever, comments and thoughts are appreciated. Part 13: Cat's in the CradleMy child arrived just the other day He came to the world in the usual way But there were planes to catch and bills to pay He learned to walk while I was away And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, Dad You know I'm gonna be like you" And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man on the moon When you comin' home, Dad I don't know when, but we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then My son turned ten just the other day He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok" And he walked away but his smile never dimmed And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah You know I'm gonna be like him" Cat’s in the Cradle: Harry Chapin: Verities & Balderdash: 1974 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Fluttershy paced back and forth in place in front of her door, her mind filled with the seeds of worry. She’d been like this for hours, even since Scootaloo had stormed off. It was a cold night out, and Scootaloo had ran off to Celestia only knew where. Fluttershy let out a small little whimper at the possibility of the Royal Guard turning up on her doorstep with that look on their muzzles saying they’d found her daughter’s body, -After all she and Scootaloo had been through together in the past several months, the buttercream pegasus could think of her wife’s child as nothing else but her own as well- and only their sympathies to offer. Then there came a knock on the door. Fluttershy froze in place, and steadied herself for what was to come, before she slowly walked up to the door and opened it. But lay behind it was not who the worried young pegasus was expecting. Far from it, actually. “Scootaloo!” Fluttershy shouted, tears of joy coming to her eyes, as her daughter rushed into her awaiting arms. Gilda stood proudly, a scarf around her neck. “Oh thank Celestia… I was so worried… You don’t want to know how many things I thought could have happened to you…” Fluttershy whispered as she nuzzled her young charge affectionately. “Hey, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Scootaloo asked casually, brushing everything off like it was absolutely nothing to worry about at all. Fluttershy smiled, so much like her mother. She held her real feelings up inside till she wasn’t in public. Inwardly, she knew Scootaloo was just as relieved to see her mother as her mom was to see her. “So, everything’s cool right?” she joked weakly. Fluttershy winced. “Oh… Heh, wrong choice of words… Sorry,” Scootaloo laughed nervously. “Really bad choice of words…” Behind her, Gilda was giving her a “You think, kiddo?” look. “So… So, where did you go?” Fluttershy asked. “Found her in the old Clubhouse, crying her eyes out,” Gilda replied. “She was in quite the state, if I’m to be honest with you. Really broken up.” Fluttershy whispered: “Thank you, thank you…” to Gilda over and over, and the griffon actually blushed and rubbed the back of her head really not quite sure how to take that. “Well, you going to stand there and let me shiver, or invite me in and shut the door?” Gilda asked jokingly. “Who said you needed an invitation?” Fluttershy asked weakly as she gestured for the griffon to step inside. Gilda smiled, and used one of her wings to pull the door shut behind her. “Here, I’ll make us some tea.” “No, no thanks,” Gilda said. “I don’t really plan on staying long, I got a very worried marefriend waiting on me back at the local inn.” “No, I insist,” Fluttershy stated. “Besides, I have a few apologies to make, really.” “Apologies, what for?” Gilda asked quizzically, an eyebrow raised. Honestly, she was confused. She thought she and Fluttershy had buried the hatchet soon as she’d fixed things up with her wife back in Griffonstone. That was enough for her, wasn’t it? Knowing that Gilda really didn’t know how to interact with ponies. That had to be enough for Fluttershy, right? “For… For well everything, really,” Fluttershy replied as she trotted towards the kitchen with Gilda following. “Honestly, I’ve… I’ve never quite really forgiven you for the things you did, how you hurt my wife a couple years back. Breaking off her friendship like that and the way you treated her friends and me, really hurt her.” “Didn’t you send me to your parents' house to ward off reporters not too long ago, unless my memory is mistaken?” Gilda replied. “No offense, but your parents are even worse than you in the assertiveness department. One roar from me, they’d be sent running along with the reporters. Not a very effective tactic I’d say, if that would be the end result. Scare off the ponies you’re trying to protect. I’d say you sending me there as their personal bodyguard shows quite a bit of trust on your part, doesn’t it?” “Maybe,” Fluttershy remarked as she readed a pot of late-night tea. “But still! I… I always thought of you for the longest time as a bully, and I never got the chance to apologize for that, even long after I’d seen that you weren’t one. Just somegriffon who needed help, but nopony was kind enough to listen…” Fluttershy whispered, a trace of guilt in her tone. “Hey, no way you could have known man,” Gilda replied while waving a paw dismissively, in that cool and casual demeanor of hers. As if all of this was no big deal to her. “Honestly, I didn’t really help matters much for myself, blowing up at you and Dash like that, making a show of myself in front of your friends. Sure, I didn’t really know how to interact amongst you ponies, but still hardly an excuse really. I was a bitch, and no need to correct me on my language as we both know it’s true.” Fluttershy raised a hoof to do just that, but then lowered it right as the tea kettle whistled. “Yeah… Suppose you’re right about that...” she murmured to herself as she continued prepping the tea. “I’m surprised you’re even willing to talk to me, after all the crap I’ve pulled with you and your friends,” Gilda muttered to herself in a tone that held traces of self-disgust. “I was a bully, simply put! So… So why aren’t you afraid of me?” “Honestly, probably because I’ve grown up over the years, just like you have. Besides, you? You’re nothing compared to what, and who I’ve dealt with since our first meeting,” Fluttershy told her with a small smile. “Yeah,” Gilda chuckled as she took a sip of the tea and grimaced. Needed more sugar, this blend. “I mean, the Spirit of Chaos himself, and you befriended and helped reform him? That’s… That’s seriously cool man!” she continued, more than a trace of respect in her tone for the normally reserved pegasus. “Yeah… Yeah, I guess it is…” Fluttershy whispered to herself before she took a sip of her own tea. “Dude, you’re seriously underplaying your heroics!” Gilda phrased. “I mean, what if you’d failed? Discord -Celestia, sure don’t hope he even shows by me merely mentioning his name- would have been free to cause his signature brand of chaos again, completely unrestrained!” Gilda, with more than a trace of fear, took a quick look around the room, just to make sure the Chaos Spirit wasn’t anywhere near. She sighed in relief when she saw he wasn’t. Fluttershy, in the past, admitted to herself she would have smirked in satisfaction upon seeing the griffon so afraid of something, but not now. It just seemed… wrong, after all they’d been through together and after Gilda’s confession. Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on Gilda’s shoulder. “Hey, to him, any friend of mine is a friend of his. Like you said, I have him completely under control,” she reassured. “Long as you don’t cause trouble again, he won’t do a thing to you. Pinkie Promise.” Gilda sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from her brow, before she realized something. “Hey, where’s the kiddo?” she asked, before she followed Fluttershy’s gazed and let out a soft “Awww…” as she saw Scootaloo snuggling herself up to her mother and nuzzling into her mane, holding her tightly. “You think they’ll be alright?” Fluttershy asked in concern. “Oh, I know they will. Families may fight, but in the end, they forgive each other don’t they?” Gilda asked with a soft smile as she pulled the covers back up over both of the sleeping pegasi. As she did so, she was reminded of an old song she’d heard on the radio once and began to hum it. “And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon “When you coming home, son?” “I don't know when But we'll get together then, dad We're gonna have a good time then…” She sang with a small smile before kissing her newfound niece’s forehead. Cloudsdale: Wonderbolts Academy: Rainbow, with a reinvigorated smile on her face, touched down on the main landing strip at the Academy. Heading to the locker rooms, she found her uniform and pulled it out. Quickly throwing it on, she zipped it up and pulled her flight goggles down over her face. While she did this, she thought back to earlier this morning… “Squirt…?” Rainbow asked, as her cerise eyes -Widened in considerable shock- gazed in her daughter’s purple orbs. “Wha...What are you doing here?” she asked groggily. “Spending time with you,” Scootaloo said. “What does it look like?” “But… But I thought you hated me…” Rainbow whispered as her still half-asleep brain tried to comprehend this new information. “Oh, I’m still a bit ticked off with you, make no mistake about that,” Scootaloo clarified as she got up off the couch, with Rainbow following. “But the way I see it, we need each other, don’t we? Far too alike to just not stick together.” “Where’d you hear that one? Because by Celestia, it sounds cheesy. You haven’t been dipping into Fluttershy’s dime-store romance novels have you?” Rainbow remarked in a slightly joking tone before it became stern. “Please tell me you haven’t, half of the stuff in those books you shouldn’t be reading about anyways…” Scootaloo made a face of disgust. “Please, that stuff is way too mushy for my tastes. Auntie Gilda may have sorta gave me a good hard talking to last night, that’s where I got that.” “Wait, Auntie Gilda?” Rainbow asked in surprise, her eyes blinking. She swore she could have misheard. “Yeah, we may have… Talked about a few things, and she gave me a few hard truths. Ended up seeing her as an adoptive aunt. Can’t really call her Grandma Gilda, she’s much too young for that really.” “Well, if my mom and her have their way, you probably will be soon enough…” Rainbow muttered, still incredibly weirded out that her childhood friend and her own mom were dating. “True…” Scootaloo muttered. “Still, I have to wonder, if you just dropped me on Icy Wind’s doorstep -Still haven’t forgiven you for that by the way, and I probably never entirely will- how’d she know I was your daughter?” “Well, like you said, we’re too far alike for anypony with a brain to wonder if we’re not related in some way,” Rainbow explained, wincing slightly at the bitter tone in her daughter’s voice even if she knew she deserved a few stinging remarks here and there. “Plus… Birth records are fairly easy enough to find if you’re a smart enough mare and know where to look…” “Yeah, guess so…” Rainbow found herself snapped back to the present by her commander’s voice. “Well, you seem to have an extra spring in your step today Crash,” Spitfire remarked. “Have a good night?” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows slightly. Rainbow groaned, her commander -Although she wouldn’t trade her in for anypony else in the world- could be such a pain in the flank at times. “Hardly, the aftermath of that damn trial and all…” Rainbow muttered as she walked back outside alongside her commander. Spitfire winced. “Yeah, saw the entire thing in the papers,” she replied. “Nasty piece of work. That bitch of a mother you dropped your child off with… Brings a disgrace to the pegasi name really. Actually, I want to talk with you about your daughter. I know I’m not one to normally inquire in my team’s personal lives, as that’s their own business and not mine, but I am a bit concerned...” “Yeah, you and about half the team really,” Rainbow muttered in distaste. “Earlier today, had Fleetfoot and Misty Fly butting their noses in about why I exactly left my own daughter on somebody’s doorstep. Bad enough Scoots is angry with me about it, but-” “And she has every right to be, along with the rest of us. What you did… Hard to look over. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about. It’s something I noticed when I was at your in-laws' home. Her wings, Scootaloo seems awfully underdeveloped for her age…” “Eh, maybe she’s just a late bloomer. You were, remember?” Rainbow reminded, having grown up near Spitfire and even went to the same Flight School. “Fair enough, though let’s try and keep that from getting out eh?” Spitfire said in a low tone and Rainbow nodded. “But I got to thinking, and I’m sorry for how this sounds, but you didn’t by any chance have a few drinks while you were pregnant with your daughter did you? We both know the possible side effects of that…” Rainbow glared at her commander harshly. “No, I would never! I swore never to even touch a bottle of booze, not even the light stuff! Not after how my father treated me!” Rainbow snapped, not even caring the tone she was taking with her boss. “So if you’re going to accuse me of that kind of shit, you better have some really good proof to back it up!” Spitfire took a step back, and sighed. Right, this was Rainbow she was talking to. One of the most anti-alcoholic ponies she’d ever known. “I’m… I’m sorry, you just can’t blame me for being concerned you know? Looking out for the young girl. Not just because she’s your daughter, but because she’s a fellow pegasus. We stick up for our brethren, our flock if you will.” “Yeah, I understand… Sorry boss.” Rainbow apologized. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. My remarks, they hit a little too close to home. More than they should have…” “It’s alright commander,” Rainbow replied, giving Spitfire a smile. “Let’s just hit the skies alright?” Spitfire smirked. “Gladly Crash. Last one to the end of the course is cleaning the dishes tonight!” With that, she took off like a rocket leaving Rainbow to shout: “Hey, no fair! Didn’t even say ready set go!” Author's Note Okay, few things to say about this chapter. A few people pointed out and questioned on how Icy Winds knew that Scootaloo was Rainbow's daughter. So, provided an explanation for that. Also, Scootaloo's still a little bitter with Rainbow, as she has every right to be. So not all's forgiven. Also, picked up that plot point from earlier about Spitfire suspecting Scootaloo's lack of flight may be Rainbow's own fault, and elaborated on it a bit more. Also, had another pony give Rainbow shit on what she's pulled. Now, the Fluttershy/Gilda scene. Point of pride for me personally, as one must wonder at times how Fluttershy puts up with Gilda given their first interaction. Flutters would still remember that little incident, so I decided to have both parties get everything out in the open. Reoccuring theme here, unexpected character interactions and long-held secrets being told to others. As always, thoughts and comments are appreciated. Part 14: I'm OK (The Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41) “Once upon a time there was a girl In her early years she had to learn How to grow up living in a war that she called home Never know just where to turn for shelter from the storm “Hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face Everytime my father's fist would put her in her place Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room Hoping it would be over soon “Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so afraid Strength is my mother for all the love she gave Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday And I'm OK” “I often wonder why I carry all this guilt When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door The echo of a broken child screaming "please no more" Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done To you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on “Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid Strength is my mother for all the love she gave Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday” I’m OK: Christina Aguilera: Stripped: 2002 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Eventually, everything settled down into a peaceful state, as things always did. Gilda had left a few days back to return to Cloudsdale with Windy, and sad goodbyes were exchanged. “I’m… I’m sorry we have to leave this early, and not spend more time with my darling granddaughter on more peaceful terms,” Windy said sadly, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane and making her giggle. “But a new case just came up. Somepony accused of beating his wife, and I have to be the defendant for this as-” Fluttershy shot her a look, and Windy quickly corrected herself as Gilda covered Scootaloo’s ears briefly. “Er, sorry, defendant for this jerk, sadly…” Windy finished, and she noted the expression on her daughter’s face. “Sure this case won’t get too personal for you?” Rainbow asked in concern. “I mean, you just finished dealing with one case of domestic abuse…” she trailed off, looking towards her daughter briefly. “That was a member of my family,” Windy replied, and Scootaloo felt a surge of… Well, she couldn’t narrow down the feeling of what it was exactly. It was some sort of warmth, really. Then Scootaloo smiled as she figured out what it was. Happiness, something she really hadn’t had a chance to feel around a family member for a long time. “This isn’t. It’s just some pony I don’t even know, haven’t even heard of till now before I got the case. I’ll be calm and collected during this.” Windy continued. “If you say so…” Rainbow murmured. “Promise to call, or at least send a letter?” she asked hopefully, any previous ill feelings towards her mother vanishing. She’d done so much for her and Scootaloo, putting her career on the line trying to help them get away from Icy Winds and throw her behind bars. Windy smiled. “Don’t worry, I will. I’d love to keep in touch with all the members of my family, new and old…” she said, looking at both Rainbow and Scootaloo, kissing them both on their cheeks. With that, she extended her wings -Gilda doing so as well- and took to the sky, flying west towards the direction of Cloudsdale. “Think they’ll be okay?” Rainbow asked in concern, and Fluttershy nuzzled her reassuringly. “Yeah, they’ve got each other, and that’s all they need,” her wife replied. “Never thought I’d say this about Gilda, but she makes a good counterpart to Windy, and vice versa. They know when to reign each other in, and they both bonded over a similar pain in their lives… You.” “Yeah…” Rainbow trailed off. “I suppose. Still gonna be weird calling one of my childhood friends my mom someday…” Fluttershy giggled, Scootaloo soon to follow, as the threesome walked back inside the small cottage they called home. However, they might have been more concerned had they been partial to the scene that occurred as soon as Windy touched down outside her home in Cloudsdale. She began to find it hard to catch her breath, and she felt a pressure building up inside her chest. It was soon to fade, but Gilda noticed. “Hey, you alright?” She asked in concern. “Looked like you were trying to catch your breath there for a sec. Sure I wasn’t flying too fast for you?” “Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine.” Windy said, even though she knew perfectly well that she wasn’t fine. She recognized those symptoms, and Gilda recognized them as well. They both knew Windy’s side of the family had a history of heart problems, and Gilda couldn’t help but wonder if… No, she didn’t want to dare think about it. Windy was finally finding happiness again, and she didn’t deserve this. She’d found herself love again, and was just starting to connect with her granddaughter and reconnect with her daughter. For this to happen now, well… Gilda hated to even think about it. “I’ll be fine, my Leannán,” Windy reassured, trying to quell her fiancee’s fears. “Don’t you worry about me.” “I’m your fiance, it’s my job to worry about you Windy…” Gilda replied, cupping her fiance’s face with her paws and kissing her softly. “Now, as your Leannán, I would suggest you go lie down and take a rest. You’ve had a long week, and things are only about to get worse for you now with this new case of yours…” “Yeah… Everything will be fine.” Windy muttered. If she only knew how exactly wrong she was… The letter came like a bolt from the blue, completely unexpected a few days later. Gilda’s worries, as it turned out, turned out to be more than just that. Sadly, as Rainbow Dash found by reading the letter her old flight school buddy had sent, her mother’s heart problems had gotten the best of her. Dear Rainbow Dash “I don’t usually like writing these kinda things, but… it’s pretty important. Like, REALLY important. “You know your mom, Windy Whistles? Well, I’ve been by her side for the past couple of months and… I don’t wanna break your heart or anything but… she’s dead. She had one of those heart-attack things and just died. I’m terribly sorry about that. “I… I wanna try to stay strong like I always do, but I’m just so torn up right now that I can’t even speak. So that’s why you’ve got this letter. You’re probably in tears right now, knowing your mom’s dead and all, but I want you to be strong; something I wasn’t for once. “If you wanna come say goodbye to her one last time, the funeral’s in two weeks’ time at Cloudsdale. I’ll be there, totally. I’m just hoping you’ll be there too.” Sincerely: Gilda. Rainbow Dash trembled, dropping the paper out of her hooves. Her mother, the most awesome—Although, sadly, she hadn’t realized that until just a few weeks ago- pony she knew, was gone and wouldn’t be coming back. She turned towards Tank with tears fighting to break out of her eyes, before barrelling into him and crying as loudly as she could. “Moooooom!” Rainbow Dash wailed into her pillow, hugging Tank as tightly as she could. “It’s not fair! You weren’t ready yet!” The tears streamed down her face, dampening her pillow and bedsheets, with the rest landing on Tank’s hard shell. “Why did you have to go so soon?!” Rainbow had never been so broken in her whole life. Sure, the issue with Tank hibernating was a close second, but that was only temporary. This was permanent. Her mother wasn’t coming back, no matter how hard she wanted to believe it and deny the letter Gilda had sent her. All she could do was cry at the news, unable to feel any sense of bravery as miniature waterfalls tumbled from her eyes. “Tank…” Rainbow looked deep into his eyes. “You… you’re all I’ve got now.” She squeezed him so hard, she nearly popped his body out of the shell. “Promise me right now, that you won’t leave me, OK?” Tank just blinked and slowly nodded, receiving a reward of more tearful hugs from Rainbow. Fluttershy soon came in, hearing the wails, and just instinctively wrapped her forelegs and wings around her wife and let her cry into her shoulders. “Shh… It’s going to be okay Dashie…” Fluttershy whispered, doing and saying all she could. After all, what else could she do? She looked towards a picture of Rainbow, Windy, and Scootaloo, just taken a few short days before. Everything had seemed so perfect then. It was like nothing could go wrong. Just when Rainbow was starting to rebuild her relationship with her mother, and then this happened. For one of the few times she could ever remember, Fluttershy swore softly to herself. “Celestiadamnit… Just, damn it….” she thought as Rainbow cried herself to sleep, her energy spent. The Prancing Pony Inn: That next evening the Prancing Pony Inn found itself home to a most unusual visitor. Stepping inside the inn’s tavern, soaked to the bone, and her eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep was a very familiar mare. Whispers echoed through the bar, news of Windy Whistles’ passing -Although it had yet to hit the papers- still found themselves in the minds of ponies through sheer word of mouth. She was an upstanding citizen in Cloudsdale, and the mother of one of the Elements of Harmony so this was hardly surprising really. Some were sympathetic, others were more curious. “Hey, is that Rainbow? ...Oh, sweet Celestia, wonder if she knows about her mom?” someone, a voice Rainbow recognized as Raindrops whispered. “Oh Rainbow... “ Cloud Kicker muttered, shaking her head in pity. “...You didn’t deserve this. Sure, you may have left your only child out to fend for herself for years, but…” Her words were sympathetic, but her tone was anything but. One pegasus, one with the Orion Constellation on his flank sighed to himself as he looked towards Cloud Kicker. Her latest fling he may be, but that didn’t mean he had a heart. “By Luna’s moon, at least show some common decency!” Star Hunter hissed towards Cloud Kicker. “You sound like a completely contradictory pony! One minute, you’re berating Rainbow… The next, you’re sympathizing towards her! Make up your own damn mind, eh?” His thoughts about having a one-night stand with Cloud Kicker, even if she was… renowned for her abilities shall we say, were fading fast if she was going to be this much of a bitch. Honestly, Cloud Kicker didn’t know what to think. On one hoof, she hated Rainbow for kicking her off the weather team and for what Rainbow did to Scootaloo, but on the other, nobody deserved to lose their mother. “Shut it, you two!” Blaze, a member of the Wonderbolts and Spitfire’s twin sister hissed out. “Doubt you’d want ponies gossiping ‘bout you if you were in Rainbow’s place! God knows if it was my mother, I’d be punching you both in the face right about now!” Both Star Hunter and Cloud Kicker took that as their cue to shut up. “Now Rainbow, what will you do?” Blaze had to ask herself. “By the creator’s wings, she really must be broken up inside to come here…” the owner of the tavern, one Berry Punch remarked sorrowfully as she poured glasses to ponies at her counter. She watched sorrowfully as Rainbow stepped up towards the bartop. “One glass, that’ll be fine…” Rainbow muttered. In a more organized state of mind, Rainbow wouldn’t even think of doing this, but right now… Honestly, she felt she needed something to just forget. “You sure Rainbow?” Berry had to ask, a tone of concern in her voice. One of surprise as well. She knew Rainbow was one of the most hardline anti-alcoholics she knew. “Yes, I’m sure,” Rainbow growled. “Now, some hard cider, on the rocks.” With more than a hint of nervousness, and a sigh of sadness, Berry poured Rainbow a glass and thought to herself: “Oh Rainbow…” Author's Note Okay, so first... Yes, this was a collab between me and Shadowmane. While he only wrote Gilda's letter and Rainbow's reaction to it, it was still a major contribution all the same. Bit melodramatic maybe, I admit, but... Anyways, you can see this is why the Narcotics tag got added in. Now, I'm sorry for killing off Windy like that, but I discussed this on my Discord with Ruinqueen amongst others, and they told me, if Rainbow was to fall off the wagon as it were, something major had to happen. One suggestion that was thrown around was Rainbow accidentally hurting one of the CMC, but I didn't think that would be enough really. So, this had to happen. Feel free to shoot me. As ever, if you don't want me dead now, comments and thoughts are appreciated as ever. Part 15: Crashed“Well, I was movin' at the speed of sound Head spinnin', couldn't find my way around, and Didn't know that I was goin' down, yeah, yeah “Where I been; well, it's all a blur What I was lookin' for I'm not sure Too late and didn't see it coming, yeah, yeah…” “Then I crashed into you And I went up in flames Could've been the death of me But then you breathed your breath in me “Then I crashed into you Like a runaway train You will consume me But I can't walk away…” Crashed: Daughtry: Daughtry: 2006 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Fluttershy, to say she was concerned about Rainbow right now, well that would be like saying Twilight could be a neurotic mess. Simply put, it was an understatement. “Oh dear… Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered as she opened the curtains just a tad, just to see if she could see Rainbow walking up the small footpath. Sadly, no such luck. The fact of the matter was, she knew something was wrong. She hadn’t been sleeping well, as evidenced by the bags under her eyes. At first, it started out with Fluttershy not being particularly worried, as she knew Rainbow would probably need some time to herself. Fluttershy -Amongst others- had offered to try and help Rainbow through this as much as possible, but her wife had brushed her off, saying that she was completely and utterly fine despite all evidence to the contrary. That she just needed some time to re-center herself, get her bearings straight. But that had been a few days ago, and now Fluttershy was starting to get really worried. Knowing her wife as well as she did, Fluttershy knew Rainbow had probably done something completely rash and rather stupid. “No… No.” Fluttershy whispered to herself, choking on some of her own words. While she hadn’t spent as much time around Windy as Rainbow obviously had, she’d seen why her wife had cared for her so much, even if their relationship had started out… rocky to say the least. “Keep chomping at the bit like that, and you’ll wear yourself out,” A familiar voice said as the sound of claws tapping against the floor, followed by a pair of hoof-steps made themselves known. “The egghead’s right. You need to just sit down and relax for a bit.” Rainbow looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar set of white and lavender tinged feathers on a face she knew all too well with a sharp yellow beak at the end of it. But that wasn’t the only familiar face as well. Following her was a mare with Rainbow’s coat color, but with a short cropped scarlet mane style. “Gilda, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in shock. “No, actually a better question is what are you doing here with my mother?” “...No offense Dashie, but I was expecting a warmer greeting.” Windy said. “Well, considering I haven’t seen you in the past… Oh, what was it, fifteen years since you walked out on me and dad and then just show up out of the blue you should have expected something like this.” Rainbow growled. “Y-You have to understand,” Windy stuttered out, as Twilight quietly stepped out of the room knowing this was a personal matter and she had no business being here. “I was scared of your father, we all were! I… I just couldn’t take it anymore!” “But you could have done a better job of protecting me, instead you just walked out!” Rainbow snapped. “Listen, Dash, your mother…” Gilda began. “She’s here for a reason, and not just to catch up on old times.” “Yeah, what’s that?” Rainbow grumbled. “Dashie, you’re not going to like this, but Scootaloo’s adoptive parents…” Windy began, being careful not to say their real names as she knew Rainbow would get even more furious if she did. “They asked me to be their defendant in the court case.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “...Please tell me you’re joking.” She muttered, hoping she’d fallen asleep from boredom and that this was all a bad dream. “M-Maybe you’re just getting worked up over n-nothing. Yeah, nothing at all!” Fluttershy whispered, choking on her words somewhat. “M-Maybe Rainbow really does need as much time as she said she did to re-center herself, or s-something like that…” she continued. Windy had been nothing but kind, putting her all into helping Rainbow deal with Icy Winds and Last Drop even after she’d been officially taken off the case. Fluttershy smiled -A smile that was a mix of wistfulness and sadness- as she thought back to a time a few weeks ago, when Rainbow had been working hard on the case and Windy had suggested a spa trip for both her and her daughters. Rainbow groaned as she set hoof in Aloe and her sister Lotus Blossom’s spa, clad in a bathrobe and Tank-themed slippers. This honestly went against every fiber of her being, stepping into a place that was very frou-frou, as she oh so delicately put it. Fluttershy, although she knew perfectly well Rainbow wouldn’t take being called as such so well, thought she looked rather cute. Humorously enough, Pen-Pen had come along and was getting a hot stone massage on one of the tables by Aloe. Two small cucumbers had been placed over the penguin’s eyes and a towel over his head. “Can’t believe you talked me into this mom…” Rainbow muttered as she slipped out of her bathrobe and slippers and with some reluctance, into a hot steam bath not too far removed from the ones popular in the Neighponese countries. “Trust me dear, really relieves all of the stress,” Windy replied as she joined her daughter in the warm, refreshing waters. “Quite, quite refreshing. Celestia only knows I’ve needed this from time to time when working with particularly difficult cases. Gilda would have happily come along, but she had to stay behind and watch Scootsy.” Rainbow gaped at her mother’s statement as Fluttershy meanwhile, took the chance to get her mane done by her brother, who’d taken up a full-time job at the place, Shockingly, he hadn’t actually been kicked out and seemed to have taken to the job with an enthusiasm. Apparently, if Aloe was to be believed, Zephyr actually liked styling ponies manes and relieving them of their worries of their daily lives just for a few moments in time. Fluttershy was actually quite proud of her brother, he finally seemed to have found his place in life. “Just a little like that?” Zephyr asked as he did his sister’s mane, while Lotus lent him a hoof with a hooficure treatment. Fluttershy nodded, as Rainbow turned to her mother in shock. “Gilda, you’re honestly saying Gilda -Who, I might add, is even more of a tomboy than me- actually comes to places like this?” Rainbow asked in disbelief as she slipped into the waters and let out a sigh. She had to admit, it was rather warm and relaxing. All of her tired muscles began to feel at ease. Windy smirked as she saw her daughter practically ooze into the waters. “And now you see why. Release all the muscle tension, opens up the pores in your skin underneath all of that fur of ours.” Windy explained, and a familiar scratchy voice agreed with her. “Windy’s right,” Blaze said from nearby, and now Rainbow was really gaping at seeing another member of the Bolts here. “Seriously, been trying to convince my sis and all the rest of the Bolts to come down here and have all of their sore wings and that stuff dealt with, but they say they prefer the hot springs down by the Whitetail Woods. Go figure, right?” Spitfire’s twin sister continued with a small shrug. “Well, to be fair, there’s nothing quite like a natural hot-spring,” Zephyr replied, still in the midst of styling his sister’s mane. “Plus, much, much cheaper as well…” “Aren’t you trying to keep customers in this place, not persuading them to try rival treatments?” Blaze snarked at him. “Pff! Hardly call one natural hot-spring a “rival treatment”,” Zephyr scoffed and then said in a deadpan tone, making air-quotes with his hooves. “Plus, natural hot-springs don’t offer the treatments this place does. Seriously, no seaweed wraps or hot stone massages, and let’s not even get started on the herbal bubble baths that Zebra popularized!” he commented before murmuring “...Really must get around to thanking her for that one day.” Fluttershy let out a small cough, and Zephyr flushed and mumbled a quick apology before getting back to work. “Okay, I suppose this place isn’t so bad…” Rainbow mumbled, continuing to slide down into the waters. “I mean, if Blaze likes it, and so does Gilda of all griffons…” she admitted before letting out a moan of pleasure as she continued to feel all the stresses of the past few days beginning to just fade away. Windy just smirked, and rested her forelegs behind her head and shut her eyes letting the what the waters did for Rainbow, do for her. “Just wait till you try the massages, dear,” Windy told her daughter. “Really does a wonder for the wing muscles!” “I concur with that!” Blaze said in agreement. Then, someone got an idea. “Oh oh!” Aloe piped up, wiping away a happy tear from her eye. “Can I have a picture, just for prosperity’s sake? Mother and daughter, reuniting and spending time together after so long?” Rainbow groaned again and muttered something about gossipy frilly fashion horses sticking their noses in where they didn’t belong, but eventually relented and sighed out: “Fine…” There was a flash as a camera shutter went off. Fluttershy wiped away a tear from her eye as she picked up that very same picture off a shelf, showing that day. They’d all looked so happy, not even knowing what was to come. She sniffled upon seeing Rainbow so happy, one of the few times during those trying weeks she actually had cracked a smile. Being reunited with her mother, and being around Scootaloo full-time, it had done wonders for her. She’d been willing to open up more, and get the courage to work up the nerve and speak to her mother and wipe away some of their shared painful past and actually apologize for all the bitterness she’d held towards her for all these long years. But in one sweeping moment, it had all been swept away by a simple twist of fate. Fluttershy somehow suspected that Fate had it out for Rainbow at times, making sure there was always a balance. When something seemed to be looking up for her, whenever she got too happy… Something tragic had to occur. For example, Rainbow and Fluttershy having a blissful five-year marriage without much incident. Then, Rainbow had to discover the loving parents she dropped her daughter off with were in actuality abusive -And there was no beating around the bush when it came to it- bastards. And when Rainbow was patching up her relationship with her mother and getting used to the idea of having Scootaloo around as a daughter full time, Windy had to die of a heart attack. It peeved Fluttershy to no end that someone high up seemed to have it out for Rainbow this much. When she died, and went to Skyhaven, she was having some very choice words with those who dictated everypony’s fates, to be sure. Fluttershy then had a thought occur to her. Gilda, how was she taking all of this? While she admittedly found her relationship with Windy quite odd to say the least, she could tell the two loved each other. Picking up a pen in her mouth, and sitting down at a table with Angel Bunny watching her in concern, she began to compose a letter to the griffon. “Dear Gilda: “First off, I’m very sorry for your loss. Rainbow’s been taking it… (Oh, how do I put this?) hard. Few nights back, after she received your “Letter”, if I can even call it that as it was rather insensitive in my honest opinion, (Yes, I read it as well) I found her sobbing her little heart out into her pet turtle and holding him tightly like he was her only lifeline in the world at that moment. “Honestly Gilda, I know you’re not very good with words, and I know you’re probably hurting even more so than Rainbow herself is, -Which is perfectly understandable given the situation- but you could have broken it to her a little more gently I think. “I’m honestly beginning to get concerned about her, she’s practically vanished and hasn’t been to the house in days. Scootaloo’s starting to get very worried. I’ve seen her pacing back and forth in her room wondering when her mommy is going to come home. I don’t think she’s sleeping very well, and neither am I for that matter. We’re all very worried about Rainbow, and if you call yourself her friend, you’d start showing some care and concern. “Please Gilda, I know we’re all hurting, but I need your help. You were Rainbow’s best friend, aside from me, growing up in Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp. Remember that? I do. “I remember the day when you found out all those students and her teacher for Celestia’s sakes laughed at her when she got her Rainbow Crash nickname. You actually went out and punched them one by one severely risking expulsion -And I know how much you wanted to be in the Flight Camp and make friends, Rainbow told me herself- after you learned what happened. Thankfully, after the Principal learned what happened, her teacher got fired for poor conduct and the bullies put in suspension and you stayed in school. “My point is, if we’re all hurting, we might as well shoulder this burden together. “Sincerely, Fluttershy nee Dash.” Sighing to herself, Fluttershy handed the completed letter to a homing pigeon and asked for it to find Gilda. She whispered a silent prayer as she saw the pigeon fly out a nearby open window hoping for it to reach its destination, before hearing a gentle rapping sound on the front door. “Dear? Are you alright?” her mother’s voice asked in concern, and Fluttershy smiled in relief and sighed. Just what she needed right now, a little motherly advice of her own. “H-Hold on,” Fluttershy stuttered out, before getting up from her chair and going for the door. With a gentle turn of the knob, she let her mother inside and was almost at once wrapped in a nearly bone-crushing hug. “Oh dear…” Mrs. Shy said as she embraced her daughter. “Soon as I got the news, me and your father came here as fast as we could. How are you holding up?” she asked. “As… As well as could be expected I-I suppose…” Fluttershy sniffled. “We’ve been taking this all very hard. I… I might not have been as close to Windy as Gilda or Rainbow were, but…” “I understand dear, and it’s alright,” Mrs. Shy said. “That’s why we’re here, to help you as much as we can through your time of need…” she continued, before she let out a small “Oh!” “What is it?” Fluttershy asked. “Your mother…” Fluttershy’s father said as Mrs. Shy fished something out of her saddlebags. “She’s started taking knitting classes recently, you remember that right?” “Yes, I do…” Fluttershy smiled. Her mother had a love for art, and anything beautiful in all its many myriad forms, and quilting, sewing, and knitting was a special favorite of hers. “Well, I managed to create this a short while back,” Mrs. Shy continued, fishing a beautifully hoof-stitched quilt featuring both Windy and Rainbow on it, with a rainbow shining after a passing storm cloud behind them. The care that had gone into it was quite evident, by the intricate needlework and sewing, getting every last detail of it right down to the manes of the two ponies on it, and the many colors of the rainbow with the hoof-stitched sun shining on it. “That’s…” Fluttershy whispered, finding herself at a loss for words briefly. “Rainbow is going to love it…” she said, after regaining her voice before pulling her mom into a hug and saying: “Thank you…” Mrs. Shy blushed. “Yes, well, I planned on giving this to them both, but…” she trailed off, and sniffled a little. “That sadly can’t happen now. Instead, only Rainbow will get to see it,” she sighed sadly. “It’s the thought that counts,” Fluttershy told her mom. “Yes, I suppose it is…” Mrs. Shy said. “I plan on knitting Gilda, the poor dear, a sympathy quilt when I get the time. Just something for her to remember her fiance -Here, Mrs. Shy had to suppress another sniffle- by,” Both of Fluttershy’s parents then flushed red. “Oh, look at us, standing around here at your house with the front door swung wide open!” Mr. Shy exclaimed. “We must be attracting so much attention!” “Please, come in,” Fluttershy told them kindly, gesturing with a hoof for them to come inside. “I’ll start making a pot of tea, if you’d like.” “Oh, now that would be grand!” Mrs. Shy said. “I know you’ve inherited your father’s tea-making skills, and it’s always a delight to take a sip of your work!” Both parent and child flushed red as they walked back inside, with Fluttershy using her wing to pull the door shut. As Fluttershy began walking to the kitchen, both she and her parents heard the galloping of little hooves down a wooden staircase. An orange form with a purple cropped mane flew into view and hugged her grandparents tightly sobbing as she did so. “Hey Scootaloo,” Mr. Shy smiled before wrapping his wings around his granddaughter -He was going to have to get used to saying that- tightly. “It’s alright, we’re here now. Everything’s going to be just fine…” he said, in a soft comforting tone. Scootaloo just sobbed again, and nuzzled into Mr. Shy’s sweater before she pulled away. “Oh… Oh, I’m sorry! I… I got it all soaked from crying… Celestia, you must think of me as such a big crybaby, when I’m supposed to act all tough,” she muttered in shame. “It’s okay, it can always be washed. Besides, we all need a good cry now and then, we don’t need to put up false fronts to hide our true feelings.” Mr. Shy said reassuringly as Fluttershy returned with cups of tea and she sat them down on a table, before pulling Scootaloo up into her lap on a couch. “Listen,” Mrs. Shy began as she sat the quilt aside and drunk a small sip of her tea. “We didn’t just come here to offer sympathies. We’re here to offer advice if you need it.” “T-Thank you…” Fluttershy whispered. “First piece of advice I can offer you is this, give Rainbow time. Ponies handle grief in different ways,” Mrs. Shy said. “I know when my mother passed away, her husband barely spoke for a week. And me… I just stayed shut up in my room half the time remembering her, only coming down for dinner.” “I… I remember…” Fluttershy said, thinking back to her very early foalhood days when her grandma passed. It was true, her mother barely ever came down from her room except when it was time for dinner. “Just remember this, when Rainbow returns, and rest assured, she will return, no matter the state she’s in,” Mrs. Shy continued, with her daughter and granddaughter listening intently. “Just be there for her, offer her all the support she needs. Take it from someone who knows, she’s going through a hard time, and it will only get harder from here on in. The pain will pass in time, may take a little while, but for now, she needs your undying love and support. Do you understand?” “Yes… Yes, I do,” Fluttershy nodded. “Thanks, mom.” “That’s what I’m here for sweetie…” Mrs. Shy smiled. “Remember that.” Author's Note Okay, so first off, a chapter showing how Fluttershy's taking Windy's death and more accurately, how her wife is reacting to it. Now, originally this chapter was slated to have Spitfire appear alongside Blaze to give advice to Fluttershy alongside the Shy parents, but I thought it a bit much, and I have plans for the Wonderbolts captain and her sister in the next chapter anyways. I haven't forgotten Aunt Holiday and Lofty either, and rest assured, they will be appearing again in a future chapter. Well, at least one of them will. Now, Black_Knight pointed out to me how Gilda's letter, if it hadn't been acknowledged by Gilda herself that she was poor with words would have come off as extremely insensitive, so I decided to take that into account and have the new bolder Fluttershy call her out on it. Also, on credit where it's due, thank you Shadowmane for helping me get into Fluttershy's mindset here. While he didn't write anything directly, he did offer me advice on what feelings the poor mare would have been going through. Next time: Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye... Part 16: Hurt (Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41)Author's Note Please don't kill me or Shadowmane, Ruinqueen. Part 16: Hurt (Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41) “I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that's real “The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything “What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know Goes away in the end “And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt…” Hurt: Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around: 2002 Ponyville: The Prancing Pony: Rainbow, not for the first time within the past week found herself sitting at Berry’s bartop drinking away the pain and the hurt. The news of her dead mother still swamped all of her thoughts, and she tried to bury those with alcohol and tears of her own; devoid of any sense of courage or bravery. As soon as one pint went down, another just appeared before her. “Rainbow,” Berry said softly, as she placed a worried hoof on the prismatic maned pegasus’s shoulder. “I’m getting worried. It’s been like this for the past few days. You come down from your room, drink your troubles away, and then the cycle repeats. You need help!” Rainbow looked up at her, her mane a complete mess. “Why should I give a flying fuck?!” the pegasus slurred out, slamming her hoof sloppily over the table.. “Not like it matters anyways… I lose everyone in the end, we all do,” She threw her head back towards the counter. “Hell, I screw up all of my relationships, Just ask Gilda, my daughter or my mother. They could all tell you the same. I’ve screwed up my relationships with them at one point or another. I deserve this, you hear?” She took another pint of beer from a fright-filled bartender and glugged it down rapidly. “I deserve this! I break everything I touch! Everything dies… Hell even Fluttershy and Scootaloo are going to die in the end, so why, I ask you, should I give a flying fuck?!” “Rainbow, you’re having way too much…” Berry tried to pull Rainbow’s drink away, but received a slap around the cheeks from the intoxicated pegasus. “You need to stop. Don’t make me get the staff to throw you out.” “Eh, screw ‘em. Screw everyone, am I right?” Rainbow let out a monstrous belch, filling the air with her beer breath. “We all die sooner or later. Might as well join mom while it’s still fresh, right?” “Rainbow, if you excuse my language,” Berry replied, her voice a tranquil fury. “You are an asshole. I gave up drinking a long time ago after I saw how it nearly ruined my relationship with my daughter, Ruby Pinch. One day, I came home drunk as a skunk and shouting at her when she accidentally broke my favorite vase after getting too rowdy in her playing, and I nearly hit her! Hit my own daughter! Do you understand what I’m getting at here? You, if you’re not careful, I can see you going down the same path and doing the same with your own family. Hurting them! Hell, that’s what you’re doing right now by stayin’ here and drinkin’ your troubles away!” she roared. “Family? Hah!” Rainbow finished her drink. “What family do I have now that my mom’s DEAD?!” She spat in Berry’s face. “Your parents are probably dead as well, Berry. Just admit it!” She let out another belch. That really did it, and Berry lunged across the countertop and began punching Rainbow in the face with a shriek of “How dare you!?!” Now, if it wasn’t before, everypony’s attention was drawn to the enveloping chaos surrounding them. Like a trainwreck in progress, no-one could dare to look away from the ensuing scene. Despite how groggy she was, Rainbow still fought back against Berry, pushing her off of her chest and smashing her body into the bar, breaking all of the bottles behind the desk and spilling the contents all over her and the bartender. “Bar fight!” A random pony called out, before everyone started to battle each other, sending kicks and punches to each other as generalized pandemonium ensued. Discord, in his pre-reformation days, would have been proud of the scene really. Hell, Rainbow probably already had been “Discorded” in a way, and was pretty much rejecting her own Element. “You think anyone gives a shit about any of our problems?! Huh?!” Rainbow socked Berry across the jaw and threw her into a table, collapsing it under her weight. “We all suffer every day, and NOPONY comes to help us! My mom is gone, because NO-ONE HELPED HER!” Rainbow roared back in fury, not even thinking that there was the possibility that someone could have been watching. Someone that knew her, and someone that cared for her. But sure enough, Fluttershy was in the room hiding behind a keg scared for her life. Scared of Rainbow, in fact. “Rainbow… w-why?” she whispered to herself. She’d come to the bar, having a sad, sneaking suspicion that was where Rainbow had gone and despite hoping it was hardly true, her fears turned out be more than just that. They were quite real. Seeing Rainbow lose complete control over herself, and hearing what she was saying, essentially having a death wish… It scared her. And that was something she never wanted to feel from her wife, pure fear of her. As she watched, the fight only began to get more brutal as glasses and tankards were thrown, along with punches and kicks. Words were said, none of which could probably be taken back. In all honesty, it was absolute madness and mayhem personified in a form other than a certain chaos spirit. Fluttershy honestly was torn from breaking down in tears, and taking Rainbow and shouting furiously at her over how much of a fool she was being, throwing her entire life away like this and probably alienating her entire circle of friendships and ruining her reputation. Unknown to anyone, far away in the Everfree Forest, a red bulb with a lightning bolt symbol inside it on a tree made of pure solid crystal shattered into pieces. Berry then decided to headbutt Rainbow. “What she had… no one could have helped her. Heart problems like that… They’re only a matter of time before they get to you. Best thing Windy could have done, was take her life slow and not stress herself…” “I have the right to act as I want! And if that means that I wanna die right now and join mom, then that means I want to die and I WILL die just to see her again!” Rainbow rammed into Berry, smashing her into two buff stallions and knocking them out. Another stallion sighed, and just took a swig of his drink at all of this. Probably just another day in Ponyville for him. Whole town was crazy anyhow, as the song went. Berry, wiping blood away from her mouth, -Lip was probably busted- shouted: “Security!” and then punched a swaying Rainbow in the face, knocking her out. “Fine by me, world’s better off without you and your foolishness right now anyways…” Berry thought. Rainbow, unable to fight back any longer, blacked out just as security arrived on the scene to take her out of the bar. She could barely even feel them lifting her up and throwing her out the front door in quite unceremonious fashion, as blood leaked out of her mouth and nose. This was then accompanied by the rain pouring down over her, washing away all of the blood that she was quickly losing down into drains and into the muddy streets. The Next Morning: Rainbow, groaning, awoke to the biggest splitting headache she’d ever had in her life. Whether that was to the fight she was in last night, or the hangover, she wasn’t sure. “Celestia…” Rainbow murmured to herself. “What the Hell happened last night?” She tried to stand up, but just wobbled and lurched around like something out of a horror movie just trying to get into a kneeling pose. As she collapsed to the ground, she saw a silhouette of a pony walk up to her. She couldn’t make out who it was though, and blacked out again as the pain from her drunken bar fight resurfaced. “Sweet Celestia, Rainbow Dash! Where the hell have you been?!” Auntie Holiday approached, using her hooves to lift Rainbow up off of the ground and onto her back. “Me and the others were worried sick after you lost your mom!” Rainbow let out only a moan in response, the sheer stench of beer wafting off of her giving Holiday her answer. “You’re terrible, y’know that?” Holiday wafted a hoof in front of her nose to dispel the alcoholic air. “I saw Berry Punch this morning and she looked completely devastated about the whole thing. You can’t keep on drinking like this just because your mom died. It’s not good for you, or the rest of Equestria.” “What good is the world when I don’t even…” She couldn’t even muster up the rest of the sentence and just mumbled incorrigible gibberish. “Rainbow. I’m taking you back to Ponyville and you’re gonna get straightened out by your friends,” Holiday patted Rainbow’s head as the intoxicated pegasus struggled to stay awake. “You need this. Even if it doesn’t look like you want it, this is for your greater good. You can’t mourn losses with endless drinks at the bar, after all.” Holiday looked skywards, and wondered aloud: “What the Hell am I going to tell the Wonderbolts about this? Celestia knows she’s supposed to show up for their weekly practice, after all…” she murmured. “Everyone hates me, don’t they?” Rainbow finally mustered up before falling back asleep; fighting tooth and claw to shake off the heavy hangover. “Probably,” Holiday said bluntly, straight and to the point as ever. “Sorry, but that’s probably the cold hard truth right now…” “Nnngh…” Rainbow couldn’t hold it any longer and passed out once more, entering a catatonic state that most other ponies wouldn’t be able to wake from if they’d had as much beer as her, mumbling nonsense under her breath. “Mommy? Where am I? Where are my friends?” Holiday honestly felt her heart break for the younger pegasus right then and there. Rainbow wanted, wanted to regress back into a younger state of mind, back when everything was so innocent and pure for her, back when the world was alright. (Mind you, that was far from the real truth. If Holiday knew what Rainbow’s father was like and had met him when he was still alive, her heart would probably shatter even more.) Given everything that Rainbow had gone through herself, she couldn’t find any other solution to her predicament other than suicide. As much as she wanted to go back in time and find a cure for her mom’s ailments—or at least, a way to make sure that she didn’t overwork herself to death—that was completely impossible. Instead, all that she could focus on was her younger days, before she got her Cutie Mark, back when her only companions were Gilda and Fluttershy, back before she met Twilight and her friends, and before any of the bad stuff happened to her. “Celestia above Rainbow…” Holiday muttered as she took the younger pegasus to Twilight’s Castle, and knocked on the door. “How… how just can I help you? You’re family now, even if you’re a terrible example of it at times… Twilight, I hope you can help me because by Celestia I don’t know what to do right now…” The door was opened, and Twilight’s jaw dropped in shock when she saw the state of Rainbow. “R-Rainbow, what happened to you?” Twilight stammered out, when she saw her friend. Her eyes narrowed at Holiday. “Explain, now.” she growled out with a unexpected ferocity. “I wanna ride my little horsey toy…” Rainbow mumbled as she collapsed off of Holiday’s back and slumped like a ragdoll before her. “Can you lift me up, mommy?” “I just found her at the Prancing Pony bar, completely gone from it all.” Holiday patted Rainbow’s head tenderly. “She’s been drinking nonstop since Windy Whistles died and she doesn’t want to believe it at all...” Holiday trailed off, barely fighting back tears. Twilight tried to find words, but found none at all, and instead collapsed in a dead faint. She was soon revived, and placed in a armchair. “This whole thing’s been terrible for her. I hope that you and your friends can fix her before she goes too far…” Holiday gave the slumbering Rainbow Dash to Twilight. “I like Rainbow Dash, stupid as she is. I really do. Scootaloo seemed to love her as well. So, please, Twilight. You and your friends have to save her,” “I want to, Holiday,” Twilight replied. “I… I just don’t know how….” she trailed off before becoming lost in thought. “Perhaps, yes… Yes, that could work… I need to find her though....” she murmured. “Find who?” Holiday asked, lifting a brow. “Gilda. She was, and still is one of Rainbow’s two best friends from childhood. If anyone knows how to help, it’ll be her. Also, I think I should get into contact with Spitfire and inform her of the situation at hoof here…” Twilight explained. She, at once, went for her quills and began writing down letters, tears falling down her face with every word. Sadly, Spike was helping Ember over in the Dragonlands at the moment, so he wasn’t around for the usual spell so Twilight had to perform it herself. With a flash of fire, the letters were sent off to their destinations, and now Twilight could only sit and wait… Griffonstone: Gilda’s Hut: Gilda sighed to herself, and let out a small sniffle as she picked up a picture of her and Windy smiling. Knowing that it would be the last time she would ever see her, she hugged the picture to her chest with her wings. Outside a window, a blue feathered griffon, about maybe thirteen or so flew by the home. “Goddamnit…” Gilda snarled, as she placed the picture back on it’s perch on the shelf. “Why now, Windy? Why’d you have to die on us like that? I… I wanted us to get married, have kids of our own, and let you raise a child in a proper environment, not the one that that damned husband of yours let Rainbow grow up in!” she snarled out softly. The clock in her house ticked on, and Gilda knew full well that there would be no way to bring her back. Unfurling her wings, she went out of her house in Griffonstone and flew off, hoping that a quick fly would help try and ease the pain a bit. Suddenly, she smacked right into a small, dark gray form. Another griffon, with the daily mail in her bags and a wooden shield on said bags. Gabby, if Gilda remembered correctly. “Gabby! Watch where you’re going, dingus!” Gilda snapped, throwing her claws down. “I’m… I’m sorry,” Gabby squeaked out, in terror of the older griffon. “Look. Unless you have something good for me, I don’t really wanna hear it right now!” She spat, her wingbeat increasing with every second. “It’s… It’s a letter for you,” Gabby stammered out quickly. “Right from Princess Twilight! Didn’t look at it, but it looks real bad. She actually seemed to be crying while writing it!” “Did her wimpy princess tears get all over it?” Gilda ripped the letter open, feeling some lightly damp spots on the actual letter itself. “Figures.” Gilda’s beak dropped at what she saw on the letter, and her eyes widened. “I… I gotta get going. Sorry Gabby, but a friend needs me!” Gilda said quickly, and rocketed off at a speed that would have made Rainbow herself proud. The letter slowly dropped to the ground, and curiously, Gabby picked it up. Here’s what it said. Dear Gilda. “I… I don’t know how I can say this without keeping a straight face, but… Rainbow Dash has changed. “She spends all of the time away from me and my friends in Celestia-knows-where doing Celestia-knows-what. Just recently, she was found at the Prancing Pony tavern, completely wasted and out of it. I was practically in shambles when I saw her this morning… “I’m not sure if she can survive another day if she keeps up this destructive downward spiral she’s in. The Wonderbolts are coming as we speak to have a talk with her, and I fear the worst. Please, Gilda. She needs some friendly support right now. Not just from me, but from all of her friends. She’s never going to accept that her mom’s dead, and only we have the power to change her mind. I’ve already contacted Spitfire, and she’s… hopefully going to help as well. God knows she needs the support of her Captain and her team as well. “Please… Just please, get here as fast as you can…” Sincerely yours, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Gabby’s eyes, even as they watered up with tears, whispered a silent prayer. “Be safe Gilda, be safe. And help Rainbow please, her daughter’s one of my best friends…” Cloudsdale: Wonderbolts Academy: Spitfire was out on the training field of the Wonderbolts Academy, observing as all of the new recruits zipped and soared through the air, trying to best each others’ times or work together in tandem to bust clouds and perform tricks. Knowing how big a responsibility being a Wonderbolt was, she knew that the recruits had to be trained long and hard before they were even able to don a Wonderbolt coat. She was so enraptured with the recruits that she barely even noticed her twin sister, Blaze—who had a similar manecut and color to her own except without the yellow detailing—flew up to her side with a scroll in her mouth. “Blaze,” Spitfire said, noting her sister’s state, sweating and seemingly out of breath. Normally, this wasn’t that strange, but Blaze seemed even more worked up than usual for a ‘Bolt. “What’s up?” she asked, taking off her trademark sunglasses to look at her sister more closely. “You…” Blaze panted out, dropping the scroll. “You need to read this. It’s… It’s about Rainbow!” Spitfire’s eyes shot wide open at that, noting how scared her sister sounded. She grabbed the scroll in an instant and read through it, her amber orange eyes darting right and left. “Dear Captain Spitfire: “I… I don’t know how to say this without breaking down, but you need to get here fast, and I mean really fast. It’s Rainbow, ever since her mom died, she’s… Oh, how do I say this? “Screw it. Her life, it’s gone down into a death spiral, and I do mean that. For the past few days, she’s been drinking right and left in a bar in Ponyville. Friend of hers, Holiday found her out on the street nearly unconscious. “There’s no easy way to say this, but Rainbow WANTS to die. She doesn’t care about life anymore, she just wants to join her mom. So… So please, get here as soon as you can, she needs all the support you can get. I’ve already contacted one of her fillyhood friends, that griffon you wanted for your team, Gilda. She’s hopefully on her way as we speak.” Wishing and praying, Princess Twilight Sparkle Spitfire shot up from her chair within less than a second, and turned to Blaze. “Tell Soarin he needs to take over for the week, and then come with me. We never leave one of our own in the dust, and I’m sure as Hell not breaking the rule today!” “Yes, ma’am!” Blaze responded before dashing off as Spitfire broke into a gallop, and as soon as she was out the front door, took to the skies and rocketed towards Ponyville… Princess Twilight’s Castle: Rainbow Dash slurred around in Twilight’s armchair, deeper into her mental dead zone. She was too far gone into thinking about Windy and now it was playing havoc with her body as well. All of her other friends just watched as she sat there, moaning and groaning, like she was a vegetable. Pinkie’s hair had deflated, and she was far from her usual bubbly self. “What do we do?” Rarity was the first to break the silence. “We can’t just leave her like this, can we?” “I don’t know…” Pinkie murmured in an almost emotionless tone of voice. “I… I really don’t know.” Heartbreakingly, Tank sat by Rainbow’s side, but even when he nudged his owner, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence. “Dear Celestia, I’m just glad Scootaloo isn’t around to see this…” Rarity whispered, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. “Yes, ya made a wise choice telling her to visit Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for the day, Rares…” Applejack said sorrowfully, hating to see her best friend/rival like this. Out of rage and frustration for not being able to do anything to help, she punched a wall, cracking it slightly. “I still can’t believe how far she’s taken it all…” Fluttershy stared at the wreck of a pony that was once her friend. “Are we… still friends after all of this? Or will Dash only drag us down with her?” “I… I don’t know dear, I really don’t.” Holiday said to her friend, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly, much like she would do with her own wife when Lofty was upset. Suddenly, a sound like a sonic boom was heard from outside, followed by the roaring of jets. It could only be pegasi, closing in on the castle. “They… They actually came…” Twilight whispered in shock and rushed outside followed by her friends to see the Wonderbolts landing nearby. One of the ‘Bolts with Spitfire had a suspicious resemblance to Pinkie, looking like a white furred, yellow maned pegasus version of her. “A-Auntie Surprise?” Pinkie asked in shock. “Hey, Pinkie,” Surprise looked chipper, but her voice said otherwise. “I came as soon as I heard about Crash. How… How bad is it?” she asked, not having been completely informed of the seriousness of the situation. She just knew Rainbow was in trouble, and that was that. “It’s pretty bad, Auntie,” Pinkie’s hair wouldn’t inflate again. “She’s been fast asleep for an awfully long time now.” “Let me see her,” another voice said, again familiar and the crowd of pegasi and ponies parted to reveal Gilda walking up. There was another crowd as well, the paparazzi. They’d come as soon as the Wonderbolts had landed, and as ever were hoping to get snapshots and interviews, the vultures. “Get outta here, bozos!” Gilda screeched and unfurled her wings at the camera-happy ponies. Everyone knew what was coming next, and on instinct, Fluttershy used her wings to cover her ears. “This is something personal!” With that, she sent them scrambling with a good old-fashioned griffon battle roar. With a snarl, she marched into the Castle, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Rainbow. She whirled on Rainbow’s friends. “And none of you saw this happening until right now!?!” she bellowed in rage and fury. “Seriously, Rainbow drinking and drinking, and none of you noticed this until she was found out on the street nearly dead?!” “Rainbow hadn’t spoken to any of us for days after her mother died,” Twilight approached Gilda sternly, with a hint of caution. You didn’t just walk up to an angry griffon and chew them out after all. It was pretty much asking to have your face slashed open, really. “It was like she disappeared off of the face of Equestria!” “Why I oughta… Some friends you are…” Gilda growled out, looking ready to punch someone, until Spitfire stopped her. “Hold it, both of you. This isn’t the time to be fighting, and you know it,” she said sternly, in full Wonderbolt Captain mode. “Now, I know we’re all hurting, but we’re supposed to be helping Rainbow, not trying to kill each other.” “Spitfire, as much as I’d love to help Dash right now, she nearly died of an alcohol overdose!” Gilda tipped her claws towards the doors of the castle. “How would the fans of the Wonderbolts react when one of their own is drunk as a skunk?” “So, you’re saying we care about our own reputation more than our members, is that it? That's why you think we’re here?” Blaze hissed out, showing her fiery temper and the reason behind her naming. “Cool it! Geez!” Spitfire just stomped off, leaving her cadets behind with Gilda. “We’re gonna get nowhere at this rate…” “Oh, this is not going good…” Pinkie murmured, her hair deflating even more. “S-Spitfire, wait!” Twilight stammered out. Everyone else just went back inside, with Gilda and Twilight being the last ones to follow. “Oh Celestia, what do we do now…?” Twilight whispered, and Gilda put a claw on her shoulder in a rare showing of kindness. “Just hope and pray Princess, just hope and pray…” She replied, and Twilight looked at her in shock. “Windy really did have an effect on you, didn’t she? The Gilda I knew… She’d never be like this.” “Yeah, I suppose she did. I suppose she did…” Gilda sighed sadly, when she heard a low groan and her, along with Fluttershy’s attentions turned to Rainbow as her eyes slowly opened. “Oh. Hey, everyone…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t even find the strength to muster up their names. “Look at me. The famous Rainbow Dash, ruined forever because of some parents…” she groaned out, basically admitting it wasn’t just her mother’s death that drove her to this, but her father’s propensity for drinking as well. “Guess dear old dad was right all along, I do break everything I touch.” “Don’t say that, Rainbow,” Fluttershy’s hair drooped down over her face. “This isn’t you. You’re not yourself right now.” “Yeah, like you really believe that Flutters…” Rainbow muttered in self-disgust. “Since when have I ever been the best wife?” “You’ve just been heartbroken ever since your mom passed away.” Twilight stepped forward. “And you’re letting that mold you into an entirely different pony. Please, Rainbow Dash. Don’t do this to yourself anymore…” “I… I don’t know what I’ll do anymore. Right now, I just want to crawl into a hole and die…” Rainbow muttered. “Rainbow Dash…” Spitfire stepped forward next. “What have you become?” “I… I honestly don’t know, and that scares me,” Rainbow admitted. “I’m certainly not the Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty anymore. I felt it… I felt my own Element abandon me just because of the way I’ve been acting. I’m acting disloyal to my friends, to my own mother’s memory for Celestia and Luna’s sake!” “Rainbow… Is there any way that we can make this all better?” Spitfire asked. “We can’t have a Wonderbolt with low morale on the team. It’d just hurt everyone else’s morale all at once.” “I… I honestly don’t know.” Rainbow muttered. “I’d say that you’d need some more time alone, but it doesn’t seem like you’re taking that too well. And yet, at the same time, having you with us might not garner the effect we want either...” Rarity paced back and forth. “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. You really are putting us between a rock and a hard place.” “Well, maybe I just-” Before Rainbow could finish, Rarity continued. “And before you say you need time to yourself, that’s not true. That’s obviously not going to work. I think… I think you need to spend time with your daughter, give yourself a reason to live again.” “Oh gods…” Rainbow realized. “Scootaloo. What’ll she think of me now? I’m an even worse mom than when I left her with Icy Winds and Last Drop!” “Well, it certainly can’t be any worse than what you’re in now, Crash. I say go for it.” Gilda had a cold glare that could shatter diamonds. She knew Rainbow’s childhood nickname would get her angry enough to follow through with Gilda’s wishes. “Spend some time with the kid. She deserves it. And so do you.” “You’re… You’re absolutely right. Thanks, Gils.” Rainbow smiled. “What I’m here for, to give you a swift kick up the ass when needed.” Gilda smiled. “Can… Can we be alone for a minute?” Fluttershy asked, and everyone nodded before leaving the two to their privacy. Once Fluttershy and Rainbow were alone together, Flutters gave her wife an icy cold glare. “What were you thinking?” Fluttershy asked. “I… I wasn’t…” Rainbow admitted. “Exactly,” Fluttershy responded. “I… I saw you in the bar fight, and it scared me beyond belief, knowing you could get like that.” “You saw that?!” Rainbow looked mortified, to know that her wife had seen her in such a monstrous state. “Fluttershy, I was drunk! There’s a huge difference between drunk mad and regular mad!” “But it scared me nonetheless. I’m… I’m sorry Rainbow, but I can’t be around you right now…” Fluttershy whispered, tears in her eyes before she gave Rainbow a last glance and left the room. “W-What? Why?” “I’m not so sure in our relationship anymore,” Fluttershy was still stoic, but a part of her voice cracked, as if it signaled her broken heart splitting wider. “Where do we go from here, Rainbow? Tell me.” she asked herself, leaving Rainbow alone to think. And to cry. Part 17: Ghost of a Chance (Bricklayer and RuinQueenofOblivion)Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Final Chapter: Devil in the Bottle (Bricklayer and Shadowmane)“I'm walking down this dead end road, all alone and by myself Wish I could blame the whiskey, but I can only blame myself Running out of chances, and Lord that's such a crime I got to find the answer before I lose my mind “Oh Lord it’s a crying shame, oh Lord I've caused so much pain I only hurt the ones I love There's a devil in a bottle that just won't let me be So many times I've been hurting my soul and family “But I got free on the day I fought the Devil in the bottle The next time that ol' devil tries to get the best of me I'll smash that bottle against the wall and know I'm finally free…” Devil in the Bottle: Lynyrd Skynyrd: Endangered Species: 1994 Yeah, remember that moment when Discord sent a certain group of reporters packing? Well, evidently he wasn’t done with them yet, as I shall now explain. “Well, aren’t you the definition of pests?” He remarked, placing both his paw and his hand on his hips and looking down at them. “Heck, if I look up in a dictionary, bet I’ll find a picture of you all!” To prove his point, he snapped his paw and with a white flash, a dictionary did indeed appear. Discord put on his reading glasses and then skimmed through the pages before shouting out “Aha!” He showed the book’s definition of pests, and sure enough, there was a picture of a reporter. He snapped his paw again, making the book vanish and then all of the reporters’ cameras sprouted wings and flew off into the skies. To make sure they wouldn’t be caught, he then snapped his paw again and any pegasi reporters suddenly found themselves to be Earth Ponies. He dusted his hands off and smirked. “There, that should be enough to deal with you all for now, least until a certain bookworm sends the Guard after you for harassment and loitering. Toodles!” As he watched Fluttershy and her wife make a break for it, with Scootaloo in tow, he turned back towards the reporters. “Now, normally, I’m a bit of a sucker for some juicy gossip as it often leads to prime sources of chaos, but when you point those things at Fluttershy and her friends, then you answer to me,” He looked the reporters in her eyes, which diluted as flames began to roar in them. Said flames quickly went out as Discord leaned back in a lawn chair sipping a martini. “But, I’m a generous spirit of chaos, so all this—” he pointed to the almost emptied house behind them “—will all seem like a slap on the wrist if you just leave me and my friends alone. Otherwise, let’s just say you could make the headlines next.” He materialized a newspaper, with a picture of the reporter ponies all on the front, with the headline “Ponies Put In Peril For Paparazzi Palaver!” “Are we getting the message yet?” Discord asked. Evidently, trifling with a angry spirit of chaos was way above these ponies pay grade, and they quickly got the message and made a break for it. Discord smirked, and took a sip of his martini. “Another job well done, I’d say.” With that, he pulled open a zipper and stepped into his own personal dimension. However, one pegasus, (Swift Wind) who’d eventually regain his wings and camera once Discord’s magic wore off, would not take this lying down. Something funny was up in the Fluttershy/Rainbow Dash household, and he intended to find out what. Now you’d have thought that would have been the end of things, no? Flash forwards a few weeks, and a good amount of drinks from Rainbow, and sadly it wasn’t. Twilight physically stared at the headline that had been plastered all over the Ponyville Tribune that day. Now normally, she wouldn’t have given a damn on what was in basically the local gossip rag, but Rarity on the other hoof… that was a different matter entirely. See, the thing was, she did actually read the newspaper, if one could call it that, and once she saw what had been on the front page, she’d ran over to Twilight’s and almost threw it at her. Twilight’s eyes nearly bugged out of their skull as she read the headline back to front. In full view, in all of its ugly glory, it read: “Rainbow Crash and Burn!” Somehow, in some way, (Twilight figured that somebody hadn’t been scared off by Gilda’s roar) somebody had snuck into the Castle and had taken a picture of Rainbow in her drunken state. “This… this… this is…” Twilight sputtered out, too angry to even form a coherent sentence, small embers licking her mane. Rarity, wisely, took a few steps back. “Rarity, please tell me you know a good lawyer or two?” Twilight asked as calmly as she could, once she’d regained enough of her composure. Outwardly, she looked to be the ideal of Princess Perfection, as the Ponyville Tribune had once put it ironically enough (It had been an article rating the beauty of the Princesses) but inwardly she was a seething cauldron of rage. “Twilight…” Rarity asked cautiously. “What are you planning to do?” “Well, I sure as Tartarus can’t just let this slide, can I?” Twilight slapped a hoof against the article. “It’s discriminating Rainbow Dash! And for what purpose?” “Ah, unfortunately, and as much as I know this sounds cruel, it can’t really be discrimination if it’s true. Now, invasion of privacy, that’s another matter.” Rarity replied, trying to keep Twilight from doing something completely stupid. Her grandfather had been a lawyer, so she knew all the tricks of the trade, or at least enough. “Whatever it is, it’s completely wrong and we can’t let them get away with this! Especially after we all warned them about not doing this!” Twilight’s wings unfurled as she glared down at the article. “Rarity? Is there a law I can enact where I can legally shut down the Ponyville Tribune? Or do I need to go to Celestia for that?” “Well, considering, and I looked this up once, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are considered part of the armed forces believe it or not, any discrimination, libel, or invasions of privacy are considered grounds for a complete and total shutdown of any business that conducts these acts,” Rarity advised “Now, it’s an old law, mostly forgotten about, but…” Twilight whirled around to stare at her friend. “Then how do you…?” “Know?” Rarity finished. “Well, soon as I saw the article, I went ahead and did a bit of digging around in the Mayor’s office for old law books and the like, and found this to my surprise. Considered a bit over the top by Celestia, I admit, but it seems she never really got to taking it off the books, or maybe she thought she did, and some noble managed to get back on the books in secrecy. Money exchanges hooves you know.” Rarity shrugged. “That’s very good to know. And it makes our lives a whole lot easier,” Twilight sighed and let a small smile appear on her face. “Now, let’s round up the others. We’ve got a newspaper industry to shut down.” “And I’ve got some lawyers to contact, as I imagine knowing you, you’d want to sue for damages am I correct?” Rarity asked. “Yep.” Twilight nodded. “Believe me dearie,” Rarity commented as she ripped the newspaper in half. “I’m not that far behind. Trust me, you’re not the only one who wants to sue this… this rag.” Flash forwards a few hours, and then Twilight was marching into the front hall of the Ponyville Tribune, wearing a nice suit. “Excuse me,” Twilight asked as sweetly as she could to the front desk, a forced smile on her face. “But where can I find the editor?” “The editor’s not here.” A pony with a white mane looked up at her from his desk. “Can I help you, miss?” “I’d like to see the editor… now.” Twilight growled out, dropping all pretenses of politeness. “Like I said. He’s not here.” The pony stood up from his desk. “And I know exactly why you’re here, Miss Sparkle. Any chance you have of suing us is not going to work. We did not spread false or misleading rumours about your friend, Rainbow Dash.” “Unfortunately, that may be true,” Twilight replied, allowing the pony to have a brief smile of smug satisfaction, before she dropped the bomb. “However, you did conduct an extreme invasion of privacy, which is just as illegal.” The pony began to lose his composure. “We-We’re reporters! I-It’s our job to get to the bottom of things, and show everypony the truth!” he stammered out. Twilight didn’t look amused. “Yes. But not when the dealings of somepony is private. Especially not when it’s one of the Elements of Harmony, who are legally part of Equestria’s armed forces. And especially when it’s one of my friends!” Twilight held up the law and rubbed it in his face, metaphorically at least. “You have fifteen minutes to gather your belongings and everyone else’s belongings before we throw you out of this building.” But the pony held firm, to his credit. “Sadly miss,” he said, gritting his teeth. “You will have to speak to the editor to actually do that.” “Forget the editor!” Twilight’s wings burst open as she used a magical blast to disintegrate the desk the pony was on, as well as the article he was writing. “The law is the law; editor or no! And here in Ponyville, I am the law! Now pack up and leave!” Steam was blowing out of her nose. “Ngah!” The pony growled and took his stuff. “Fine! But I won’t ever be worshipping you, your friends, or anything you ever do together again!” Privately, as she watched the pony pack up his things, and trod out of the building head hung low, Twilight knew Princess Celestia would be having words with her soon enough, and she’d just destroyed the lives and probably the reputations of quite a few ponies who were making an honest living in her anger. Knowing that, she let out a whisper of: “What have I done?” Now, back to the present day. Like Rainbow Dash had promised, with plenty of practice, and plenty of actually encouraging words, Scootaloo had managed to finally fly, if only for a brief few moments. But that was enough for Rainbow right now, as it proved her daughter could do it, and in time, (Here Rainbow smirked, as she imagined herself in Spitfire’s place, teaching the next batch of new recruits, one of which was Scootaloo) she’d probably be able to be up there alongside her. To absolutely no-one’s surprise, Pinkie did throw a party for this occasion, with practically everypony in attendance. Well, almost everypony. To Rainbow’s sadness, she noted Fluttershy was absent. “So that’s how it is, huh?” Rainbow thought to herself, shedding a small tear before wiping it away. Couldn’t let anyone see her cry, still had a reputation to uphold after all. “Can’t even celebrate the squirt finally flying, not as long as I’m around…” “Don’t worry, Rainbow. I’m sure that Fluttershy will be delighted to know that Scootaloo can fly,” Twilight said as she came over and patted her on the back. “Even if she’s not here right now.” “Yeah, it’s just…” Rainbow trailed off. “It’d be more meaningful if she was here, y’know?” “Rainbow, all that matters is that you’re here,” Scootaloo came over and hugged Rainbow’s front legs. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.” Rainbow laughed bitterly. “What, you couldn’t have asked for a better mom?” Scootaloo chuckled a little. “Nope. Not really. Even if you have your little accidents,” she said as delicately as she could. “You’re still my mom. And a good mom always looks after their kids.” “Anyone tell you that you sound much older than you really are?” Rainbow asked. “Well, given the environment I grew up in…” Scootaloo muttered, and Rainbow winced a little. She probably deserved that, even if the remark wasn’t actually directed at her in reality. “Yeah. Guess that just makes us even more alike, doesn’t it?” Rainbow asked. She tried to grin at that. “We’ve both had our problems. And even now, we’re still trying to get over ‘em.” “Hey Pinkie, where’s the snacks?” Applejack shouted from somewhere nearby. As if on cue... “Oooooh,” Pinkie chimed in, bringing out a punch bowl. “Who wants punch?” Sadly, what Pinkie didn’t know, was that Swift Winds had followed up on his promise from before, and while she wasn’t looking, slipped some Wild Pegasus Whiskey into the punch before making a break for it. Security cameras would only later catch him. Rainbow shouted out: “I call first dibs on that!” and almost at once began drinking from the bowl. “Honestly Rainbow,” Applejack sighed. “Were ya raised in a barn?” she joked, but her eyes widened as she saw Rainbow fall backwards and she let out a shout. “Rainbow? Rainbow!” the farm pony shouted. “Speak to me, girl!” When no response came, Applejack shouted “Well, don’t just stand around there, mouths gapin’! Somepony call the hospital!” as she thought: “Come on Sugahcube, don’t ya die on me yet…” Meanwhile, Fluttershy had been fast asleep during this whole ordeal, still quite shaken up from Spitfire’s tirade against her a few days before. She hadn’t really worked up the courage to leave the house, and instead spent most of her days in a listless state, only getting up to feed herself, and her animals. Right now however, she was trapped in a nightmare. Images of Rainbow Dash appeared all around her in a dark and purple landscape. As she flew towards one, it shattered. Along with the family pictures that also involved her and Scootaloo. One after another, faster and faster, until finally, the world she was in began to shatter into a world of black as well. The next thing she knew, she was inside a sea of whiskey. Wild Pegasus Whiskey to be precise. She tried to keep her head above the alcohol, but it was violently swishing around her. Soon, she found a massive version of Rainbow Dash’s head lift the drink, which was in an equally large version of the tankard she held in her hoof, and swigged the whole drink down in one, swallowing Fluttershy as well. “Wh-wh-where am I?!” Fluttershy asked as she found herself in yet another black mindscape. To answer her question, a single spotlight appeared in the distance, with Scootaloo crying softly underneath it. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found, nor were any of the other Cutie Mark Crusaders or Fluttershy’s friends. “Scootaloo?” She slowly walked forward towards the crying filly and tried to reach out for a hug, but as soon as she touched Scootaloo, she vanished into mist, and the spotlight erupted wider, drenching Fluttershy in its’ light. “Stop it! This isn’t real!” She called out into the darkness that surrounded her and her singular column of spotlight light. “Where are you, Fluttershy?” Rainbow’s voice echoed in the mindscape. “You’re supposed to get drunk with me. Isn’t that what family’s all about?” “Wake up, Fluttershy. Wake up!” She slapped herself in the face, refusing to listen to the nightmare she had been encased in. “Drinking’s amazing! Why don’t you join in, Fluttershy?” Scootaloo’s voice also appeared, along with another mirage of her knocking back a pint of the same whiskey. “We both do it here. Why not you?” “This farce shall cease!” a very familiar, and very welcoming voice barked out as the entire world shattered like glass, and was replaced with a moonlit, grassy field. A far more calming landscape than before, to be sure. Appearing from the moon itself, was a dark blue alicorn who glided down towards Fluttershy and sat herself down beside her. “Princess Luna…” Fluttershy basked in the glow of the moon princess and slowly approached her. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I forgive Rainbow Dash for any of this?” “Why do you think?” Luna inquired, raising an eyebrow and waited for Fluttershy’s answer. “The alcohol. Her mother’s death, Scootaloo being caught up in all of this… It’s turned her into a different pony,” Fluttershy huddled under Luna’s wings. “What are we going to do, Princess Luna? I don’t wanna leave Rainbow, but at the same time, I also don’t think I can stay with her unless she cleans up her act…” “Have you even paid attention to Rainbow as of late?” Princess Luna asked. “She is, in fact, cleaning up her act as you put it. She doesn’t even realize it, or maybe she does deep down, but she’s already gone through the first five steps of the Twelve Step Program. Now, remind me, what are they again?” Again, she awaited for Fluttershy’s answer. “Step one, admit that you have a problem. Step two, let others know that you have a problem,” she began to recite it. “Step three, find something that you can do to ease the pain a little. Step four, turn to others for help in overcoming the problem… I know all about the twelve step program, Luna. And I want to support her in it too, but what’s the chance that she might end up drinking again and going back on her word?” “She’s Rainbow, Element of Loyalty, that alone should tell you that she’ll stick to her word. Or do you not know your own wife as well as you think?” Luna accused. “I have my own twelve-step problem myself. But it’s for me being a horrible parent and wife,” Fluttershy curled backwards, letting hair droop down her face. “I guess, in a way, me and Rainbow are both suffering from problems right now. Here I am, refusing to have any faith in my own wife, who’s also the Element of Loyalty. If anything, I guess I deserve this nightmare for what I’ve done.” “Maybe, maybe not, but it’s Rainbow I’m worried about right now. I cannot reach her, and that worries me. Fluttershy, wake up. NOW!” Luna shouted in fear, and Fluttershy shot up awake in her bedroom, panting and sweating before she tossed the covers off herself and took to the skies out an open window… Ponyville Hospital: Meanwhile, Rainbow had been caught in a state between life and death, as she was rushed to intensive care on a gurney, with Auntie Lofty and Gilda racing beside her all the way. “Come on Rainbow, you can make it out of this!” Lofty shouted, knowing that her words would reach Rainbow. She just knew it. They just had to. “How could this have happened?” Gilda asked, pressing her claws against the glass of the window. “She can’t have just fainted from drinking some of Pinkie’s punch! Somepony must’ve tampered with it!” “Yeah,” Twilight murmured. “PCSI (Pony Crime Scene Investigative Service) detectives are inspecting the punch now, and from what they’ve told me, someone spiked it with a load of Wild Pegasus Whiskey.“ “Isn’t that the same whiskey she had when she had that bar fight recently?” Lofty asked, looking at the lifeless pegasus in the intensive care ward. “This can’t just be a coincidence, can it?” “No… No,” Twilight slowly realized in horror. “Can you keep an eye on Rainbow, I’ve got to check up on the security cameras of Sugarcube Corner!” Twilight said frantically, rushing off having a sickening feeling as to who was behind this, and how she was involved in this. Meanwhile, inside Rainbow’s head, as she was getting her stomach pumped, she flashbacked to when she was just a little filly. No, that wasn’t an accurate term. It was a mix of a flashback, and a created scenario in her head, as Rainbow, from her perspective, was seeing both herself and Windy as they were in the present time. It was only her father, Rainbow Blaze, who hadn’t aged one bit, and was just like Rainbow remembered him. Angry, and almost always drunk off his ass. She watched, in a transfixed horror, as her ‘father’ slapped her mother across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor and leaving an ugly red mark across her face. “So, try and pour all my drinks down the drain did you?” Blaze snarled. “Well, guess what?” he asked, holding an empty beer bottle over her head. “Karma’s a real ironic bitch!” He laughed when he saw Rainbow, and smirked. “Well, isn’t this surprising, you not working up the courage to save your dear old mom! You know, you could stop me right now if you wanted, but no… you just don’t have the guts! You never do!!” Those words, they lit a fire inside Rainbow’s belly. Sure, she’d been too young and afraid to stop her father when she was just a filly, but here? Well, that was a different matter wasn’t it? “Shut up.” Rainbow snarled out, her nostrils letting out two small puffs of steam. Rainbow’s father gaped at her. “Excuse me?!” Rainbow Blaze’s eyes looked like they could shatter glass as he glared down at his daughter. Windy watched with wide eyes, transfixed at this whole exchange. “I’m not the one who breaks everything I touch!” “I know you do. But do I, ‘dad’?” Rainbow snarled. “If I can even call you that. Only one who breaks everything he touches around here is you!” she growled out, finally working up the courage to tell her father exactly what she thought of him, like she should have all those years ago. Rainbow Blaze delivered a powerful kick to Rainbow Dash’s chest, then threw her away, before picking her back up and pushing her against the wall. “Don’t. You. Dare.” He roared. “You live in MY house, you live by MY rules. Got it?!” “Isn’t your house, not anymore,” Rainbow snarled. “No, right now, in this world, it’s my house now. You know, you often accused me of never being able to fend for myself—” she started, before swiftly being interrupted. “And I still stand by that.” Blaze stood proudly. “You don’t have the guts to continue this fight. Now, go to bed and take your beatings, and maybe I’ll let this all slide!” He thrust his hoof towards the door to Rainbow’s bedroom. To his surprise, Rainbow punched him soundly across the face, sending him sprawling to the floor. She stood over him, as lightning flashed outside the window. “No, that’s where you’re wrong. I have a wife and daughter now, and I’m proud of them. Sure, maybe I’ve never been the best wife, but I’m sure as hell a better parent than you! My daughter… Scootaloo Dash, I’ve never been more proud of a filly than her!” “Family doesn’t matter in your case. You are still a Rainbow, MY rainbow. And as such, that means that I own you and everything you do,” Rainbow Blaze was definitely blazing right now, almost catching on fire in his spat. “And I have just as much right to throw you out of here and get you arrested as you do to live with whatever harlot you call a wife!” Rainbow picked up her father by the scruff of his neck. “You know, I can take a lot of things, insults against my friends, but insults against my family, especially my wife… Well, that’s another matter entirely! Now do me, (Here, she cast a quick glance towards a quivering Windy) no, us a favor and for once… SHUT UP!” she roared, before headbutting her father and knocking him flat to the floor and into unconsciousness. “T-Thank you…” Windy whispered as Rainbow helped her up off the floor, and to her surprise, hugged her tightly. “No, thank you. I… I never really did get the chance to say that, you know? You made me who I am, just as much as dad did, and I never properly thanked you for that. You kept me on the right side of life, kept me from just saying “Damn it all!” and ending my life,” Rainbow whispered, tears in her eyes, as Windy, and the entire dreamworld in fact, began to fade away. “So… T-Thank you. G-Goodbye, mom.” she choked out. With that, everything became a while flash… Rainbow groaned as she slowly awoke to the sight of a hospital room, the slow beeping of a heart monitor in the background. Standing over her bed were Scootaloo and… “F-Fluttershy?” Rainbow whispered in surprise. Outside the room, she noted her friends watching, alongside Auntie Holiday and Lofty. Twilight, with a hoof, motioned for everyone to take their leave, knowing that this was a private family moment. “I… I thought you hated me?” To her surprise, Fluttershy tackled Rainbow and pulled her into a hug, sobbing into her wife’s neck. “I’m so, so sorry!” She bawled loudly. “I’ve been a horrible friend and wife to you, Rainbow Dash! I can’t even believe I brought myself to hate you for what you did!” “Oh Flutters…” Rainbow said softly as she stroked her wife’s mane. “It’s alright, it’s alright. You came back, didn’t you? Isn’t that what matters?” “Yes. And I’m never going to leave you ever again…” She rubbed her tear-ridden face into Rainbow’s neck. “Shh, shh, just let it out…” Rainbow whispered as Fluttershy sobbed. “It’s okay now, it’s okay.” “How… How can you be so forgiving?” Fluttershy asked, her voice raspy from all of her crying. “I just up and left you, and look what happened!” “Hatred, and angry words…” Rainbow whispered. “Got me to where I am today. My father alone’s proof of that. Just… Just what happened after I drank the punch anyways?” she asked in confusion. “You blacked out, and we needed to get an ambulance on the scene as quickly as possible…” Twilight walked over to Rainbow Dash. “The punch you were drinking had been laced with a pretty strong dose of Wild Pegasus Whiskey. Thank Celestia nobody else drank it that night.” Twilight continued, wiping the sweat from her brow and letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Doctors had to get your stomach pumped, that’s how bad it was!” Scootaloo exclaimed fearfully, and Rainbow, in an attempt to cheer her up smiled and ruffled her daughter’s mane. “Someone must have a pretty nasty grudge against me… Well, I suppose somepony as awesome as I am is bound to get enemies sooner or later!” Rainbow joked weakly, making Scootaloo and Fluttershy laugh a little. Rainbow smiled, that worked as planned. Least her daughter and wife were smiling again. “Who was it anyways, did you ever find out?” “We’re still investigating that at the moment, but I have a pretty good idea on who it was…” A fire began to light in her eyes. “...Yikes, I’d hate to be them when you find them…” Rainbow remarked, wincing a little. Anger an Alicorn Princess at your own peril, the old saying went. Well, not exactly how it went, but close enough she supposed. “So, what do we do now?” Scootaloo asked nervously. “Once I’m outta this joint, do you wanna go flying with me and Fluttershy?” Rainbow smiled and held Scootaloo close. “Yeah, of course!” Scootaloo nodded rapidly. “I want to be up there with you, maybe even be in the Wonderbolts someday!” she exclaimed. Fluttershy smiled, trust her daughter to want to follow her wife’s dream. “Hey, who knows,” she added. “Maybe you’ll meet your special somepony along the way hmm?” she teased, making Scootaloo flush bright red. “Ugh, mom!” Scootaloo mock-gagged at Fluttershy, who hid her giggles with a hoof. “Really? Romance? Really?” “You never know squirt,” Rainbow smiled. “I did meet your mother while I was in Junior Speedster’s Flight School, remember?” Scootaloo could only groan even louder at that, as both Fluttershy and Rainbow struggled to hide their laughter. Twilight smiled, as she watched this scene and wiped away a tear before quietly taking her leave. It seemed all would be well, just as things should be. Sure, they’d had a few bumps along the road, and would probably have a few more, but families were never perfect. Fact was, they’d come out of this only ever the stronger she’d like to think. The End Author's Note Okay... Endings. What to say about them? Well, suppose I should thank my cowriters first, seriously... You two rock! Both of ya, seriously. And you guys, the readers, for sticking through this entire tearjerker of a fic, seeing it through to the end. Now, endings, this is where I confess I had something in mind that when I brought it up to RuinQueen over Discord, it was dismissed as far too cruel. Basically, Scootaloo would be lying in a hospital bed, just like the cover art, and needing a organ transplant that would cost Rainbow her own life and it was only then everyone made up, with the epilogue being Scootaloo eulogizing Rainbow at her gravesite. Now, RuinQueen said she wouldn't have minded if I had the eulogy scene sat years later, after both parents had passed, but I wanted to end this fic on a much happier note, even if still a little bittersweet. Again, seriously you guys, thank you for sticking with me throughout all this. Prologue: Gimme Shelter (The Bricklayer)"Oh, a storm is threatening my very life today. If I don't get some shelter oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away..." Gimme Shelter: Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed, 1969 Equestria: The Year 1005 ANM Thunder rolled and rumbled outside as a late night spring thunderstorm brought its torrential, almost monsoon like rains over the land of Equestria. Lightning flashed in intricate dances of dazzling displays of powerful bolts striking the ground and flashing inside the clouds that generated them. The winds howled through the trees of the Everfree Forest as animals scattered to their hideaways for shelter and safety. In Ponyville, which for the most part was largely unnoticeable to most if it weren't for the rare occasion when some disaster of some sort struck and the fact that it was home to all six of Equestria's national heroes, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, two of which will be the focus of our little story we're about to tell, things were taking the brunt of the storm's fury. Safely snug inside their homes, the good ponies of the small hamlet were watching the pounding rains from the safety of being behind glass windows and thick brick and stone walls, impenetrable to the gusty winds and heavy rain that seemed to never let up and pounded upon their front doors. It was like Tartarus itself had it out for the small town. Now, storms in the kingdom of Equestria weren't like the storms you and I are used to. The storms of Equestria are created by the pegasus ponies at the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, a city, as it's name implied, made entirely from clouds of all kinds and supposedly the grandest of all the pegasi built communities if you were to ask a pony from the city. Of course, if you were to ask a pony from Stratusberg they might say the same thing about their city. National pride really. But we're getting off topic here. To begin our tale, we must travel to a small farm outside of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, where the yearly production of most of the Apple Harvest for most of Ponyville, excluding imports from other towns like Appleloosa, comes from. There, in an older portion of the ginormous apple groves that made up the orchards, sat a tree house. It was here in this very tree house that the third main character of our story lies. Shivering under a small blanket and squeaking at each loud crack of thunder was a small pegasus filly, about thirteen or so years of age with an orange coat and a purple cropped mane cut in a tomboyish style. She had very tiny wings, far too tiny for what a pegasus her age should have. It was a sad fact of life for this filly that because her wings were so underdeveloped, she may never be able to fly and reach the skies like she wanted to and fly alongside her idol Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony alive today and the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. The rain pounded on the CMC Clubhouse's roof, only adding to the noise. KA-CRACK! Scootaloo shuddered. "Celestia... That last one was really loud! And close..." Scootaloo thought to herself as she shivered from the cold. "Maybe I made the wrong choice in staying here tonight..." Scootaloo then remembered why exactly she had chosen to stay in her friend's Clubhouse, their hideaway from the rest of the world, which was an appropriate term right now, considering what and whom she was hiding from. "NO! I can't go back there! Not after what HE did to me!" Scootaloo thought fearfully to herself as she remembered the pain, and the shouting and then felt a sharp pain in her side and turned her head, and even in the darkness, she could see the bruise that had formed on the right side of her body. Another rumble of thunder came. "I'll never get any sleep tonight, not with all that noise, and how afraid I am..." Scootaloo mused to herself and then she remembered something. A few weeks ago, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's older sisters had given them permission for all three of the trio to have a sleepover (Scootaloo having snuck out of her house, she'd become a master of this. Not that it wasn't hard at the time, given how unconscious both of her "Parents", if she could call them that, were from the combination of the booze and the sleeping pills.) and during that time, Sweetie Belle had confessed she was afraid of the dark and Apple Bloom had snuggled up to her to show her that everything would be fine, just like her older sister did whenever she had a really bad nightmare. "Oh, how I wish I had Rainbow here to cuddle up to me and tell me everything will be alright. But nothing will ever be alright, not for me. Nothing ever is." Scootaloo thought to herself and got up off the wooden floor and out of the blanket and looked out the window to the pouring rain. No stars were visible, but she knew they were there, hidden behind the walls of dark cloud. Scootaloo had heard of an old legend, dating back to even before Nightmare Moon about how if you wished on any star, didn't matter which one, that Princess Luna would hear you and grant you one single wish. "Doubt it's true, but well... here goes nothing I guess..." Scootaloo mused to herself and put her front two hooves together in a praying motion. "Star light, star bright, how I wish tonight... I wish for a family, a real one, one to hold and caress me, and give me shelter from the storm." Scootaloo waited for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing seemed to happen. "Guess it was all just a load of bupkis anyhow..." Scootaloo muttered before she heard a mental voice in her head, one she had heard many times before whenever she got scared or lost. "Oh my dear Scootaloo, I know of your problems, and do not fear, they will be solved very shortly." Luna's soft and caring tone said to her mentally. "By you?" Scootaloo desperately pleaded and Luna chuckled. "No, not by I, although I will be involved with events when necessary as I do not like seeing one of my favorite little ones abused by anypony, (Here Luna's voice turned into a snarl but quickly softened itself again) but somepony very close to you, closer than you actually know will be there for you, always. She'll always be there for you, and her loving wife as well." Luna reassured. "Who?" Scootaloo asked. "You'll find out soon enough." Luna giggled before her voice turned into one of fear as she suddenly sensed something coming towards Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, run!" Luna yelled in fright. "W-Why...?" Scootaloo asked, frightened by how afraid Luna seemed. "Just run, dear child, NOW! RUN!" Luna yelled, and Scootaloo took the hint and dashed down the Clubhouse plank that led to the ground just as the mighty winds tossed a tree right where Scootaloo had been sitting just a few moments earlier, the tree piercing entirely through the Clubhouse windows and out the other side of the structure sending glass shards and splinters flying everywhere. Scootaloo's eyes widened in shock, if she hadn't moved, that tree would have struck her small and frail form and surely have sent her to Sky Haven, the place where all... (Here Scootaloo swallowed) dead ponies went. "Get to safety child, go to Fluttershy's home, she'll take you in for the night." Luna said kindly, but with a hint of urgency as Scootaloo, in the darkness and thanks to a lightning flash saw a swirling funnel of clouds cutting through the apple orchards ripping up trees and sending them flying everywhere before it quickly dissipated and went back up into the swirling mass of clouds from whence it came. And so Scootaloo ran, as fast as her little legs could carry her towards the direction of Fluttershy's cottage and safety... Meanwhile... Rainbow moaned in pleasure just as she pulled away from a passionate kiss from her loving wife of five blissful years, Fluttershy. They'd always been there for each other, ever since childhood at the Junior Speedster's Flight Camp and so it was only natural, as their friendship grew it would only progress into something more. Fluttershy smiled as she snuggled up to Rainbow under the covers of their shared bed and wrapped her wings around her. "Dunno where I'd be without you Flutters." Rainbow said in a loving tone after she gave her wife another quick but passionate kiss and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "You saved me, from... Well, you know." Fluttershy nodded, but was surprised somewhat. Rainbow almost never brought up THAT subject, and for her to bring it up, even for just a second was definitely something out of the ordinary for her. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed outside their window as rain pounded on its glass. "Y-You sure it was a good idea to make this storm so strong?" Fluttershy whimpered in fear. "I-I mean, it's so powerful." "Relax Flutters, I gave the weather team explicit instructions not to make this thunderstorm too strong (Although inwardly Rainbow was having grave doubts about her friends listening to her orders, espically with Cloud Kicker, that idiot of a wild and crazy sex loving mare, leading the team for the night.) and just make a lot of rain and noise." Rainbow reassured. "Although I wish the damn thing didn't have to be on our anniversary night. I just planned for you and me to spend a calming night together." "A-And we can still do that, actually w-we already have, given that we danced together to keep our minds off the storm and rather on each other." Fluttershy responded nervously. "Believe you me, my mind is thoroughly on YOU..." Rainbow said seductively and leaned in for another kiss but was interrupted by a rapid knocking on the door and somepony shouting fearfully to let her in. Cursing to herself softly, Rainbow walked all the way through the darkened house to the front door and opened up only to find a shivering and very frightened... "Scootaloo?" Author's Note Okay, finally getting around to this story that I've been promising for weeks on end. Okay, originally I was planning to subtly build up to the fact that Scootaloo was abused, but if you read the main description you'd know it anyways, so I figured I'd introduce Scootaloo's problem from the start. Also, originally, this scene was supposed to have more of Rainbow and Fluttershy in their home, but I liked the focus on Scootaloo so much, I only decided to introduce them at the very end. And if this chapter reminds you of the Abyss's famous TwiDash fic "I'll always be here for you" in some way, that was unintentional although I did pick up on the possibilities of comparison and had Luna make the line "She'll always be there for you" as a joke. As for the chapter title, as the story title itself is named after a rock song, I figured (And I don't know if RuinQueen will be doing the same for her chapters) that I'd challenge myself and find a different song title for each chapter, with the next one being named after Bob Dylan's Shelter from the Storm. Okay, your thoughts on the chapter? Likes and comments are my meat, I devour them and to be honest, I'd really love to know if all the work I put into my fics is worth the effort. Part 2: Dream of the Sky (RuinQueenofOblivion)"And I take to the skies, With my only friend. Every angel, Begins at the end." Dream of the Sky: Miracle of Sound: Level 3: 2013 Scootaloo's eyes fluttered open the next day and she was surprised to feel the warmth of somepony holding her. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash still asleep and was holding Scootaloo close to her. The events of last night came flooding back to her, the storm, Luna telling her to go to Fluttershy's house, and finally telling Rainbow Dash about her parents. Rainbow must've fallen asleep holding her like this. It felt, nice, safe even, for the first time in awhile, she felt completely safe. "Are you okay, Scootaloo?" Rainbow asked as she woke up and looked up at her, she still looked worried. "Yeah... I'm okay now..." Scootaloo said weakly. "Just, promise me you won't make me go back home to them, okay?" "Don't worry, I'm going to make sure they never hurt you again," Rainbow said confidently as she hugged Scootaloo gently. "You'll be safe, I promise." Scootaloo smiled and closed her eyes again, just enjoying the feeling of being held by Rainbow Dash. It felt like her long nightmare was finally coming to a close, and Rainbow Dash was going to make sure that she was kept safe. At the same time Rainbow was still trying to figure out what to do. She had been trying to help Scootaloo as best she could, but this... this was something that she couldn't handle, at least not alone. "Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy asked quietly as she entered the room. "Physically, yeah, she'll be fine, mentally on the other hoof..." Rainbow said quietly with a sigh. "I'm going to give her a bit, then I'm going to her house... nopony deserves to go through this..." "What do you want me to do?" Fluttershy asked. Rainbow thought for a long moment before coming up with a quick plan. "Take Scootaloo to the Castle when I leave. Tell her what happened and she should be able to get help." "Okay, just promise me you'll be careful Rainbow, don't do anything rash," Fluttershy said. "Oh come on Flutters, when have I ever done anything rash?" Rainbow asked, trying to add a bit of humor to the situation. "Ummm, do you really want an answer to that?" Fltutershy asked. "Haha, very funny," Rainbow said and rolled her eyes as Scootaloo woke up again with a yawn. "Come on, lets get some breakfast." 00000 Rainbow took a deep breath as she flew towards Scootaloo's house. She had made sure that Fluttershy and Scootaloo made it to the Castle before she went on her way. As she flew towards the house her anger started to rise. She had been trying her hardest to be there for Scootaloo even if she couldn't be her mother, she wanted to be there for the filly as much as she could. Now... she was going to do everything she could to make sure that Scootaloo's adopted parents would pay for hurting her daughter. She came in for a landing outside the house and pushed the door open. She wrinkled her muzzle when the smell of alcohol and vomit reached her nose. It was a smell that she knew all too well. "Who the hay is bothering us now?" A stallion's slurred voice said from the other room. "Probably that good for nothing filly, come crawling back to us." "I'll go get her," a mare's voice said and a pony that Rainbow Dash recognized as Scootaloo's adopted mother Icy Wind stepped out and her eyes went wide. "What the... what are you doing here?" "Scootaloo came by my house last night," Rainbow said, affixing a glare on the mare. "She told me what you've been doing to her." "What kind of lies is that worthless brat telling now?" The Stallion Last Drop said as he came in. "I assure you that we will make sure she doesn't bother you with this..." "Scootaloo wouldn't lie to me, not about this!" Rainbow snapped, causing the two older ponies to recoil a little. "I trust Scootaloo a heck of a lot more than I trust the two of you right now!" "Why do you care? You're not her mother, you're not even her sister, you're just a mare who she looks up to," Last Drop said. "You're just a..." Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, she swung her hoof at Last Drop, catching the stallion off guard as she punched him hard, drawing blood from his muzzle. He growled at her and swung back, hitting her briefly, but it only seemed to make her angrier. As Icy Wind tried to move behind her she bucked hard, sending the mare sprawling. The two older ponies where trying their best, but Rainbow Dash had dealt with a lot worse than them. "Freeze!" A commanding voice said and several ponies dressed in guard armor stormed in, causing the fight to stop, leaving the two older ponies looking rather bloody. "Oh thank Celestia, this crazy mare broke into our house and attacked us for no reason!" Icy Wind said, trying to put on an innocent face. "Take her away, lock her up and throw away the key!" "Icy Wind, Last Drop, you're both under arrest," the lead guard said as he entered the house. "What? What did we do?" Last Drop demanded as they where locked in hoofcuffs. "You know exactly what you did, don't lie!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, she couldn't believe that they where actually trying to weasel their way out of this. "You are under arrest for foal abuse and neglect," the guard said as they hauled the two ponies off. "This isn't over Rainbow Dash!" Icy Wind shouted. Rainbow Dash cringed a little at that and watched as they where taken away. She sighed a little as she started to calm down a little. "Mrs. Dash, we're going to have to get a statement from you later," one of the guards said and Rainbow nodded. "Somepony will stop by the Castle, are you okay? You're bleeding." "Huh?" Rainbow asked as she ran a hoof along her muzzle, coming up with blood. "I'll be fine, I'm going back to the castle." The guard nodded and Rainbow left the house. "Oh my gosh Rainbow, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked as she saw Rainbow as she arrived at the castle. "I'm fine, is Scootaloo okay?" Rainbow asked and looked around worriedly. "She'll be okay Rainbow, she's been more worried about you," Fluttershy said with a sigh. "What about her parents?" "Those ponies gave up any right to be called that a long time ago," Rainbow said with a sigh. "The guards took them away, here's hoping that they'll never hurt Scootaloo again." "I'm sure they won't Rainbow," Fluttershy said with a reassuring smile, she looked around then spoke even quieter than usual. "Rainbow, given the circumstances, maybe you should tell her..." "No, not yet..." Rainbow said with a sigh. "Its not that I don't want to, but, she's in a very fragile state right now... I don't know how she'd take it." Fluttershy sighed, she had known Rainbow Dash's secret since before they had even started dating. She had always felt it would be best for Rainbow to come clean to Scootaloo, but she wanted to give her wife a chance to tell her on her own. Rainbow ultimately was afraid that she would be like her own parents, like Scootaloo's adopted parents. "Come on, lets go check on her," Rainbow said and Fluttershy nodded and they went to go find Scootaloo and Twilight. Author's Note Okay, so while RuinQueen's work isn't as long as the two chapters I worked on, (I would have added on to it, but I need RuinQueen's permission to do that.) it does provide us with what we've been waiting for, the showdown with Scootaloo's "Parents" and the guards showing up to arrest them (I don't know which Princess they work for, probably either Twilight or Luna but as their affiliation is never given, who's to say?) Now normally, I'd go on a somewhat long ramble about the chapter itself, but as I didn't write it, I can't really do that. Okay, so the next chapter will focus on Rainbow meeting up with Princess Twilight and discussing various details including Rainbow revealing to her Scootaloo's real heritage and the upcoming trial and a few cutesy scenes between Rainbow, Fluttershy and their daughter.
Part 1: Shelter From the Storm (The Bricklayer)"Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved Everything up to that point had been left unresolved Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm "Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm" Shelter from the Storm: Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks: 1975 Fluttershy's Cottage: A half hour earlier... Thunder rumbled as the rain pounded on the windows of the tree-home that comprised the cottage of the demure butter yellow pegasus mare known as Fluttershy. Actually, her full name, when being addressed via her married name was Fluttershy Breeze-Dash, or FlutterDash as the young drake known as Spike had snarkily remarked. Despite the really rather frightening weather which sent all of her animals flying to their homes for shelter, like the bunnies scurrying to their rabbit holes, or the birds to their nests, or the gophers to their holes, or the... Well, you get the idea. The only other animals inside the home, besides the two obvious ones of course, was Rainbow's pet tortoise, Tank, and Fluttershy's personal pet, Angel Bunny. Although, personally, Rainbow thought that bunny was anything BUT angelic. He looked sweet alright... On a plate in Rainbow's mind, not that she ever said this aloud of course. Now before you get confused, remember, pegasi are part bird, most likely of the falcon or eagle family trees so unlike most ponies they could have meat in their diet if they so chose to do so. Anyways, Angel had chosen to stay out of Rainbow and his guardian's way, as even he knew they deserved a night off to themselves. He'd even temporarily put off his long running feud with Tank, (Long story, basically it involved him beating the rabbit in a race. To this day, Angel still hadn't figured out how that had happened! He was faster then some dumb tortoise!) and frankly a rather one sided one at that as Tank couldn't care less about what the rabbit thought of him, just so neither pony would be angry with him or, quite possibly, get even subjected to Fluttershy's infamous Stare. Currently, very loud rock music centered on a certain Wonderbolts Captain was blaring from a radio to drown out the noise generated by the storm. Personally, it was certainly not to Fluttershy's tastes AT ALL but as for a certain rainbow maned pegasus on the other hoof... "Hot, hot, hotter then Hell!" Rainbow sang as she danced around the room with the radio in one of her hooves, Fluttershy having her ears covered by her hooves trying to drown out the noise. Personally, she didn't know which was worse. Rainbow's singing at the top of her lungs, or the thunder. "You know she'll leave you well done! Hot, hot, hotter then Hell!" Rainbow laughed before exclaiming loudly "Burning like the midday sun!" "Yep, I prefer the thunder better." Fluttershy mused to herself. she was not jealous about Rainbow singing a song dedicated to Spitfire, not one bit! As Rarity had taught her, a lady never gets jealous... Even if Fluttershy privately admitted to herself that Spitfire WAS an attractive looking mare. Just as the guitar solo started, Fluttershy's cheeks were flushing red either due to jealousy or the song's lyrics, Rainbow had put down the radio to mime playing a guitar and Angel ran into the room and pressed the off button on the radio.. "Thank you Angel Bunny, that's a good rabbit." Fluttershy beamed, and patted him on the head and fed him a carrot with Angel hopping off with a smirk on his face. Anything to keep the marriage alive and well, even if he didn't particularly care for the wife and to keep Fluttershy from becoming a miserable wreck and becoming a crazy old cat lady. He'd heard it could happen after a divorce. It was true... Or at least that's what Discord said, although now that Angel thought of it, anything that chimera said should be taken with a grain of salt. Quite a few grains, really. "Really, rabbit!?! I was enjoying myself!" Rainbow snapped as soon as that smug little meal-to-be hopped off before she noticed Fluttershy's expression, front two forelegs crossed and a rather red tinge to her cheeks. Rainbow chuckled, but Fluttershy failed to see the humor. "Aww, is my little Shy a bit jealous?" Rainbow asked teasingly before she gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You know you're the only mare for me. Always have been, always will." Then, an idea struck Rainbow. "Hey, how 'bout a different song, something we can both dance to?" Rainbow suggested, and Fluttershy nodded. "Okay, but this time I'm choosing the song." She said firmly and switched the radio station over to another one and a softer, more slow sounding jazzy tune began to play as a female singer, Applejack's old friend Coloratura or Rara as she preferred to be known, began to croon out a tune. "Tonight, I'm going to have myself a good time, I feel alive and the world turning inside out, yeah, I'm floating around in ecstasy... So, don't stop me now." The singer and Fluttershy sung as she held out a hoof to Rainbow and they began to dance the gavotte, a dance which had taken quite a long time and some definite help from both Rarity and Ponyville's local dance teacher, Hoofer Steps, for Rainbow to master. She was just glad nopony besides those two and her wife knew that she knew how to dance classically. It would be the end of her reputation as she knew it! Soon, the song began to pick up and the singer became less soft in tone and more upbeat. "I'm a shooting star, leaping through the sky like a tiger, defying the laws of gravity... I'm a racing car, passing by like Lady Godiva. I'm gonna go, go, go, there's no stopping me." The singer sung as Rainbow twirled Fluttershy around even as the thunder rumbled on and lightning flashed, but the two mares were lost in themselves as they pulled each other into a kiss and stumbled into the bedroom, still sucking on each other's lips as the song continued... "I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah Two hundred degrees, That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit, I'm trav'ling at the speed of light, I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!" Now... Rainbow blinked at the young pegasus filly she considered to be like a little sister to her standing at her wife's doorstep. She blinked again, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Nope, still there. "R-Rainbow? What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked in confusion before she facehoofed. "Oh, right, stupid you! She's married to Fluttershy! I'm such an idiot..." "Scootaloo, what the Tartarus are you doing out there in the cold rain?" Rainbow demanded, before she noticed Scootaloo flinch at the sheer volume of her voice. Rainbow was suddenly sent into a flashback. "WORTHLESS MARE! I don't know why I married you!" Rainbow shook away the memories before she took on a softer tone of voice. "Scootaloo, what's wrong? You should be with your parents, especially on a night like this." Scootaloo backed away in fright and whimpered out "No, no... Please Rainbow, I beg you, don't send me back there! I don't want to go back to them!" Rainbow noted Scootaloo's fear, why was she so afraid of her parents? The only possible reason that could be would... No, that just couldn't be. It just couldn't! She made sure Scootaloo was well kept for, and she always seemed so happy, the only time she ever showed this level of outright terror was during Nightmare Moon's return and their trip to Winsome Falls where Rainbow accidently scared her with the stories of the Headless Horse and the Olden Pony. "Come in Scoots, best you come in. That storm's raging." Rainbow said kindly as she let Scootaloo inside and put a towel around her to dry her fur and wings off as best as she could. "I... I know... A tornado nearly got me (Here she swallowed) k-killed by sending a tree through the Clubhouse windows!" Scootaloo whimpered out, still quite afraid of Rainbow and what she thought she might do. That very statement sent Rainbow's eyes as wide as saucers before she cursed and swore at the air, not caring if Scootaloo heard what she was saying, nor noticing how afraid Scootaloo was at the sheer volume of her voice. "Ponyfeathers, Cloud Kicker! I damn well told you not to make this storm too strong! And that definitely includes twisters on the do not create list! Tomorrow, I swear you'll be getting a good solid ass kicking from me that'll send you all the way to Detrot and being kicked off the weather team for a good solid month!" Rainbow roared in rage and fury, and by this time all the shouting had attracted Fluttershy's attention. "What's going on?" Fluttershy asked as she entered the room and Rainbow whirled around to face her, fury that Fluttershy had never before seen etched into her every feature. "I'll tell you what's damn wrong!" Rainbow roared, making Fluttershy take a step back. "Did you know Cloud Kicker made this storm strong enough for a damn tornado to start tearing up Sweet Apple Acres and nearly get my daug-little sister killed by sending a tree through her... clubhouse... window..." and Rainbow's fury subsided and her voice took on a slower tone as what she had just said slowly set into her mind, dearly hoping to Celestia Scootaloo hadn't noticed her little slip-up, and she turned to face Scootaloo, lowering herself down to her level and taking on a soft and caring tone of voice to the filly, who was still shivering in fright. "Scoots, why were you in the Clubhouse to begin with? What's wrong? We both promised we'd never keep any secrets from each other. Sisters don't do that." Rainbow asked softly, and inwardly she was cursing herself, as she was breaking her promise right now by keeping a very big secret from Scootaloo, who was definitely more than just a little sister to her. Scootaloo sniffled and then tears began to slowly stream down her face before the dam finally broke. "My... my parents... They hate me! THEY HATE ME!" Scootaloo wailed before she ran into Rainbow's chest and began sobbing heavily into it and Rainbow wrapped her wings around her in a comforting fashion. Finally the sobbing stopped and Scootaloo, her energy spent from sheer exhaustion and just from how her day had gone, collapsed on the floor. Fluttershy picked her up with her two front forelegs and placed the distraught filly onto Rainbow's back before they walked up the stairs to Fluttershy's spare bedroom. Rainbow, still in shock from what she had just learned, placed Scootaloo onto the bed and covered her up with the blankets. "What... What do we now?" Fluttershy asked in concern. Rainbow let out a snarl as she climbed into bed besides her "Little Sister" and snuggled up to her, knowing that the little filly needed the warmth and comfort of a REAL parent. "First, I'm going to protect Scootaloo for tonight and then, tomorrow I'm going over to her parent's home and give them both the ass kicking of their lives." Rainbow growled out before wrapping her forelegs protectively around Scootaloo, who unconsciously snuggled up to Rainbow's neck and whispered "Mama Dash..." Fluttershy let a tear slip from her eye and shut out the lights before closing the door with a soft click. Scootaloo needed her mother's comfort right now. Her REAL mother's comfort. Author's Note First off, a HUGE thank you to Black_Knight for helping me with the proofreading for this chapter. Trust me, you did not want to see what it looked like before his help. It was a wreck, to put it bluntly. Anyways, this where the collaboration starts, as the next chapter will be RuinQueen's own work, then I'll write a chapter, then RuinQueen... You get the idea. Originally, I was planning on posting this tomorrow, as I need something to pep me up on Valentine's Day, as quite frankly that holiday is just miserable for me as I have no one special to spend it with, but patience was never one of my virtues I'm afraid. As soon as a chapter's done, I like to get it out as soon as possible. Anyways, enjoy, and your thoughts, comments and questions are appreciated!
Part 3: Ain't it a Sin? (The Bricklayer)"I try to be a righteous man, talk to the Lord most every day, Sometimes this world can do me wrong, I keep to the path won't go astray When I start boiling over my feelings catch a flame You might be a man, stay a man, but you won't be the same If you ain't gonna do me right I might just do you in, Ain't it a Sin?" Ain't it a Sin: Charles Bradley: Changes, 2016 Rainbow and Fluttershy's shared Cottage: Ponyville Rainbow Dash winced as her wife dabbed away at her bloodied cheeks with an alcohol rubbing wipe. She let out a small squeak each time the wipe touched the bloodied fur and flinched. Fluttershy just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Honestly Dashie, it doesn't hurt that much." She remarked. Rainbow begged to differ. "Yeah? Try telling that to my fur! Stings like a bit-" This time, Fluttershy used one of her butter yellow wings to slap Rainbow upside the head, and this hurt more than the rubbing wipes. "Naughty naughty Dashie, you and I both know I don't tolerate that sort of language in my home. You can use it around your friends, but NOT around me, understood?" Fluttershy asked sternly and Rainbow whimpered out a small reply as Angel snickered in the background and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whip being cracked. Rainbow shot him a glare and muttered "Demonic rabbit..." in a tone that was just inaudible enough for her wife not to hear. Speaking of Fluttershy, currently she had parted some of Rainbow's mane to reveal a nasty bloody gash across her forehead and gasped. "Rainbow, what happened?" Fluttershy asked in concern. "That damned stallion smashed my head into one of his house's walls, that's what." Rainbow grumbled. Fluttershy didn't even need to guess who exactly "That damned stallion" was and who Rainbow was referring to. Fluttershy put a hoof into her mouth and whistled and from out of a small cubbyhole under the stairwell came a black and white penguin with a red crest on it's head. "Pen-Pen, do be a dear and fetch me some bandages for Rainbow's head, will you?" The penguin let out a cry of "Wark! Wark!" and waddled off to where Fluttershy kept her medical supplies and soon returned with a ton of bandages in its flippers. "Good boy, Pen-Pen!" Fluttershy complimented and patted him on the head making the penguin emit a pleased sound before it waddled off elsewheres. Fluttershy then inspected the bandages. "Hmm, a bit much, perhaps a teensy bit overkill but these will do nicely I think..." Fluttershy mused to herself and began wrapping the bandages around Rainbow's head. "I better not end up looking like a mummy by the end of this, you hear?" Rainbow deadpanned and Fluttershy could only giggle. Rainbow somehow wasn't reassured in the slightest. Eventually, after a few minutes, and much protesting from a certain prismatic maned pegasus, Fluttershy was done with her "Torture". "There, all better!" Fluttershy chirped cheerfully and planted a kiss to Rainbow's forehead, much like a mother would do to her child. "Gee mom, are you going to check my temperature and feed me hot soup as well and call my wounds Boo-Boos?" Rainbow sarcastically snarked. Fluttershy glared. "Don't you have someplace to be, like checking on Scootaloo?" She asked, and Rainbow slapped a hoof to her forehead as she cursed herself under her breath for her forgetfulness? How could she have forgotten about her own daughter, for Celestia's sake? "Y-Yeah, best I do that." Rainbow stammered out, blushing red before she remembered something else as well and growled. "But first, there's a certain somepony who I have to have words with..." Cloudsdale Weather Factory Rainbow flew towards the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, grumbling very un-family friendly curse words towards a certain group of pegasi as she landed on the cloud path leading up towards the Factory itself and trotted towards the office of the Weather Making Team: Ponyville Division. Ponies parted out of her way, upon seeing the horrible mood Rainbow was in and not wanting to raise her ire and get her fury directed towards them. As Rainbow walked towards the office, she noticed the purple form of the Sparkling Balloon tied to a cloud and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh, looks like I'm not the only one who wants words with that fool Cloud Kicker." She mused, and soon her suspicions were proven correct when she heard Applejack's voice yelling at somepony from behind the door that led to the office. The door had a gold plaque on it that read "Rainbow Dash: Head Weather Supervisor for Ponyville", of which Rainbow was very proud of. "...And because of your dang fool idea to create a damn twister, half of our trees got ripped up last night and now they have to be replanted! That's half of our yearly harvest lost, all because of ya showing off what yer team could do when it didn't have Rainbow to keep your Celestia-damned fool selves in line!" Applejack's furious voice bellowed from behind the door, before it opened and out stormed the orange Earth Pony herself, looking very, VERY displeased. Rainbow actually took a step back in fear from the expression on Applejack's face. She'd never seen her THIS furious before. "Ah take it ya want to have words with that idjit as well, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. Rainbow nodded, and Applejack simply gestured to the door before stomping off and muttering about needing a stiff drink to herself. Rainbow entered the office and was pleased to see Cloud Kicker and the rest of the Weather Team (Cloud Chaser, Flitter and Thunderlane) already looking quite shaken from Applejack's furious tirade. "Soooo..." Rainbow began slowly. "Anypony want to pipe up and tell me why I got reports from an anonymous source that a tornado was seen on the ground late last night?" Nopony said a word. "Yeah, thought not." Rainbow deadpanned. "You know, a very dear friend of mine almost got herself skewered by a tree being thrown through her home's window because of that tornado, and she wouldn't have made it out just in time if not for Princess Luna's intervention! Did any of you give a flying feather before you even thought about the possible results your idea could have caused, 'cause from where I'm standing, it sure as Tartarus doesn't look like it to me!" The Element of Loyalty roared, and she wasn't done yet as she gazed upon everypony in the room. "Now, all of you have family relations. Thunderlane, what if it had been your younger brother who could have been caught up in that? Huh, did you even think for one second about that!?! Flitter, Cloud Chaser, what if it had been either of you?" Rainbow bellowed, and the silence that came from all three of the ponies and their guilty expressions said it all. "Yeah, thought that might knock some sense into you. Consider yourselves off the team for a solid month and your pay docked, is that clear? IS THAT CLEAR!?!" Rainbow asked, channeling some of her inner Spitfire at the end. The three nodded and hung their heads as they walked out of the room with Cloud Kicker following but Rainbow grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her into a chair. "Eh eh, did I say I was done with you yet?" Rainbow asked, and Cloud Kicker whimpered. "You know, I put my trust, MY TRUST in you when I asked you to take over for the night. Apparently, I was mistaken. When you're head of a Weather Team, you have a responsibility, and you're supposed to uphold it and know when to restrain yourself. Last night, it's clear to me you didn't. To put it simply, you're fired. You're going to have to go and find another job. Go ahead and become a mare of the night for all I care, Celestia knows you like to bang anypony and everypony." Rainbow muttered to herself as Cloud Kicker walked out of the office as Rainbow gestured to the open door, very ashamed of herself. She'd lost Rainbow's trust, and once you did that, you could never get it back. "Now, to go check on Scoots." Friendship Castle: Ponyville The Friendship Castle, a tall gleaming spire of purple crystal, topped off with a yellow star making it almost resemble a Christmas tree. It brought hope to everypony in the small town, just as its owner did the same with her wisdom and guidance. Right now, Rainbow was in need of some of that wisdom and guidance. When she got to the doors of the Castle, she found Fluttershy already there. "Where is she?" Rainbow asked in worry for her daughter. "She's resting, apparently those... parents of hers banged up her worse than we thought. Has a concussion from what Twilight told me, probably from getting a beer bottle smashed over her head." Fluttershy said sadly, almost in tears. She'd been beating herself up for not noticing just how badly Scootaloo had been hurt. Rainbow noticed her distraught state and put a hoof on her wife's shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up. I didn't notice, and I should have. Nopony can notice every fault, especially when we were as tired as we were." Rainbow said reassuringly and Fluttershy smiled weakly. "Come on, Twilight's waiting for us inside." She said, and led Rainbow to Twilight's personal chambers, where Scootaloo was sound asleep curled up under the purple star themed covers snoring softly. It was rather cute, even Rainbow had to admit. "Okay, now somepony want to explain to me what the Tartarus is going on? Fluttershy shows up on my doorstep with a badly bruised Scootaloo, and next thing I see is a battalion of Luna's personal guards rushing down my street!" Twilight demanded, on the verge of a full scale rant. And so Fluttershy and Rainbow explained everything as best as they could, from Scootaloo showing up on their doorstep to Rainbow confronting her adoptive parents. Twilight's eyes grew wider with each passing moment and she sat down on her haunches, quite floored by the influx of information. "...By Celestia... How could anypony be so cruel, to a child in fact?" Twilight whispered, on the verge of tears before she growled. "Rest assured, you two, you'll have my full support in putting those monsters behind bars." Twilight stated firmly before she took a deep breath, knowing what she had to say next Fluttershy and Rainbow wouldn't like. "But there is a problem." Twilight said, looking directly towards Rainbow Dash. "You pretty much broke into a household, and beyond that, assaulted another pony, and that might come up during the trial, and not be favorable in your light." Twilight said, and Rainbow's jaw dropped. "You... You mean those monsters may walk free as a bird just because of my actions!?! Besides, that jerk deserved a beating after what he did to my Scootaloo!" Rainbow yelled with her wings flaring out in anger, while Fluttershy massaged her shoulders to calm her. "I didn't say that, and I perfectly agree with your reasoning (Although Twilight did raise an eyebrow when Rainbow called Scootaloo hers) but I did bring it up so you'll be warned beforehoof." Twilight explained, and Rainbow calmed down, knowing losing her temper wouldn't solve anything. Then, she yawned. She'd had a long day, and she suspected she'd have even longer days to come in the coming weeks. Crawling into bed beside her daughter, she once more wrapped her wings around her protectively. "I promise Scoots, I won't let those monsters get to you, not again." Rainbow whispered as Fluttershy joined her. Twilight smiled and wiped away a tear at the cute scene. "I... I guess I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight then." She said before shutting off the lights. Author's Note Okay, this one took a me a bit to come up with the ideas for this one, but it was a case of once I sat down and started to write, the ideas just kept coming. Anyways, yes that was Misato's pet penguin Pen-Pen from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, but as we see in one episode that Fluttershy's got a seal, why can't she have a penguin? Anyways, so after verbally confronting Cloud Kicker and the rest of the Weather Team about the stunt that they pulled, Rainbow heads to Twilight's and explains the whole problem, earning Twilight's support but is warned that how they've gone about Scoot's situation may not reflect favorably on them during the upcoming trial... Edit: Changed Twilight's warning about what law Rainbow broke on the suggestions of Black_Knight and RuinQueen)
Part 4: Sisters Forever (RuinQueen and The Bricklayer)"I want you to know we're brothers forever, If the bottom drops out we'll hold on for the ride. Castles may stand but they don't last forever, Save what you can, let the rest of it slide." -Brothers Forever, Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster: 2004 (Unknown Artist) Friendship Castle: Ponyville "Scootaloo, are you okay?" Rainbow asked as she poked her head into the room where Scootaloo was staying in, the filly looked up at her with a weak smile. Fluttershy was still fast asleep, which was normal. Rainbow knew she liked to sleep in late at times. It was a… habit she’d picked up from Rainbow, just as Rainbow had become a bit more sensitive than she was before marrying Fluttershy. "Hey Rainbow... I'll live," she said and added with a cocky smile. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me." Rainbow smiled and trotted over to Scootaloo, the filly didn't want to worry her, that was at least something. Something at the back of Rainbow's mind was starting to press her to tell Scootaloo the truth, but she pushed it aside. No, this wasn't the time, not after what she had been through. But that didn't mean that she couldn't be there for her as a friend. "That's great," Rainbow said as she ruffled Scootaloo's mane gently. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." “Something mind blowingly stupid, probably.” Rainbow thought to herself. “Celestia knows I’ve already done that once this week with her so called parents!” Rainbow mentally smacked herself in the forehead. “Honestly, what was I thinking? That could count as assault, for crying out loud! I hate to admit it when Twi’s right, but she is once again for the umpteenth time in this case. That’s not going to reflect well on me in the upcoming trial. Stupid, your dad, damn his soul to Tartarus, was right all along! I do break everything I touch! I really am worthless! I mean, look at me, dropping off my own daughter to ponies I didn’t even know because I was afraid I’d turn out like him, and then it turns out those ponies are EXACTLY like my parents!” “Rainbow, you alright?” Scootaloo asked nervously, snapping her mother back to reality. “Yeah… Yeah. Everything’s just fine.” Rainbow lied, knowing it would be best not to tell Scootaloo there was a very good possibility that she could be sent back to those ponies who dared call themselves parents. Suddenly, a very nice smell that she knew quite well reached her nostrils. “Anyways, I smell Twilight’s famous chocolate chip pancakes!” Rainbow exclaimed in excitement. To her surprise, when she looked back Scootaloo didn’t share her excitement and a tear was slipping from the orange filly’s eye. “I… I never had any pancakes for breakfast. M-My dad said they were only for good little fillies.” Scootaloo whispered, her voice quavering and close to tears. Rainbow brought her into a warm hug, snuggling her daughter close to her chest with her wings as she thought to herself “Damn them! Damn them both! One of the few things that my own parents got right when raising me was giving me a good breakfast every morning!” “Well, that’s about to change, I promise.” Rainbow reassured. “Pinkie Promise?” Scootaloo whispered, looking up at her eyes still glistening with tears. “Pinkie Promise.” Rainbow said before doing the sacred motions before adding in a teasing tone. “Now come on, breakfast will be getting cold soon and I don’t think we want that, now do we?” Scootaloo giggled and together, the twosome walked into the kitchen where Twilight was using her magic to flip the pancakes. “Morning!” Twilight said in a cheery tone. To Rainbow’s surprise, Twilight wasn’t the only Princess in the room. There, sitting at the table was a dark blue mare with a mane seemingly flowing in a non existent wind with stars in it eating some Prench toast while beside her was a black furred unicorn with a grey mane and yellow, almost wolfish like eyes with the armor of the Night Guard’s captain adorning his body. “Morning!” Princess Luna greeted cheerfully while the Captain gave a gruff nod. “P-Princess Luna, what are you doing here?” Rainbow stuttered out in shock while behind them, Fluttershy walked sleepily into the kitchen yawning as she did so and in an almost zombie like fashion went to the fridge and grabbed a glass of milk taking seemingly no notice of the two new arrivals. “I thought it… prudent to come and see Scootaloo after recent events.” Luna answered before transmitting a mental thought towards the adults in the room. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to know both Icy Wind and Last Drop are sitting in a holding cell in preparation for the trial in a few days.” “Good.” Rainbow thought, her voice coming out as almost a growl. “Those bastards deserve anything that’s coming to them.” “RAINBOW!” Both Twilight and Fluttershy scolded. “LANGUAGE!” “Well, it’s not like anypony besides us can hear it.” Rainbow argued. “Be that as it may, you’re in the presence of Princess Luna so show some respect, and I don’t tolerate that sort of language in my castle anyways.” “And you know how I feel about it, Rainbow.” Fluttershy reminded, mentally smacking her wife in the back of her head. Neither Luna nor her Captain said a word for a moment before he leaned over to Luna. “Should we get involved?” He asked. “No, this isn’t anything of our worries. Besides, who are you to lecture one on language considering half the words you spout off in my presence. Last night was a good example when you heard what Scootaloo’s adoptive parents did.” “And you brought down a meteor shower I should point out, so you’re no pony to talk about going over the top with one’s anger.” Her captain deadpanned. “Point.” Luna admitted. “Still, we all need to relieve ourselves of stress in one way or the other.” “I know the feeling all too well.” The captain said with a smirk towards Luna who only rolled her eyes. Scootaloo listened to the whole exchange and smiled. “Yep, I’ll bet my whole life savings those two are dating at the very least.” She thought with a chuckle even as she hopped up on a chair and Twilight levitated the finished pancakes over to the table. “Hey, where’s Spike?” Fluttershy asked as she poured milk into a glass for Scootaloo. “He’s been in Canterlot for the past few days spending time with Princess Celestia along with my parents. He said he missed them, and so I let him go.” “Yes, this is true. Tia said she missed her adoptive grandson a few days back.” Luna added in as she took a part of the stack of pancakes for herself and poured maple syrup all over them. “Aww, that’s sweet.” Fluttershy cooed as Rainbow and Scootaloo both faked gagging sounds in unison from the mushiness of it all. “That reminds me, I need to visit my parents sometime soon. Haven’t seen them in a while.” “Long as Zep’s not there, fine by me.” Rainbow muttered, and Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow. “Who’s…?” “Zephyr Breeze.” Rainbow stated with an audible groan. “Fluttershy’s brother and a complete narcissist. Still hasn’t gotten the memo that I’m not into him and seems to think I’m only faking being a fillyfooler just to quote “Hide my true feelings from him” unquote.” Rainbow stated sarcastically. “Say, did this Zephyr Breeze happen to think you and Trixie were a couple, Twilight? I heard rumors of a green pegasus seeming to think you and Ms. Lulamoon were… Oh how do you call it nowadays.. An item? Some book titled “A Twixie Love Story” has been going around of late…” Luna trailed off. “Zep’s Gaydar is a little off, as you might guess.” Rainbow deadpanned. “And then there was that book titled “To Romance a Magician”...” Luna continued, ignoring Rainbow entirely and in a teasing tone of voice said. “Not to mention all those short stories you find in the Canterlot newspapers.” “And the rather… Ahem, nicely drawn art to put it delicately that shows up every so often as well.” Luna thought to herself privately. “Ugh, don’t remind me…” Twilight said as she facehoofed. “That was just a rumor, and a complete and utter exaggeration. Why do those novels about me and Trixie keep coming out? I’d never date someone as ego filled as her! Honestly, whoever thought opposites attract is a complete and utter moron.” “Fluttershy and me are opposites, and look what happened to us.” Rainbow said proudly as she wrapped a wing around her wife and kissed her on the cheek. “Besides, it’s probably some stallion getting his-” “Getting his what?” Scootaloo asked, and Rainbow clammed up at once and Fluttershy shot her a glare and said to Scootaloo “You’ll know when you’re older.” Meanwhile, Luna looked completely innocent. “I wouldn’t think too much of it, Ms Sparkle.” The Captain said. “Ponies talk. Why, I suspect if Mrs. Rainbow and Mrs. Shy were not married, there would be rumors about you dating either one of them. Probably are anyways. Actually, I think I spotted a book in a store the other day about you and Mrs. Rainbow titled “I'll Always be Here for You”. Even had you adopting Scootaloo in it. Think there’s a sequel coming out…” Twilight with a huff, got up off her chair and stomped off muttering to herself about needing to go on a book burning spree. “...Think we went a little too far?” Luna asked. “Nah, just give her a few hours and she’ll get over it.” Rainbow responded casually. Then there was the sound of somepony teleporting. “...On the other hoof…” She trailed off while Fluttershy let out a small “Oh dear…” Later that afternoon, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Scootaloo went off to the market for some much needed shopping. Both Fluttershy’s animal feed and the food for themselves had been running low of late and so a restocking was in order. “Let’s see… A few parsnips, a few fish for both me and Pen-Pen, and some tomatoes…” Rainbow muttered to herself as she looked through Carrot Top’s stand and what it had on offer before she turned to Fluttershy. “Hey Flutters, is a tomato a fruit or a veggie? I’m honestly confused here.” Rainbow asked, scratching her head. Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. “I never thought about it to be honest.” She answered with a blush. “Why do I feel in some universe a tomato would be one sexually confused food?” Rainbow thought to herself. Then Carrot answered. “The tomato is the edible fruit of Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae.” She said in a matter of fact tone of voice, causing all three members of the Shy-Dash family to stare right at her. “What? Twilight loaned me a book on the subject. ...Plus, I really know my plants.” She said smugly. Rainbow just gaped, her mouth opening and closing like a fish for several moments with no words able to be formed in her mouth. As Fluttershy bought animal feed from a traveling member of the northern Caribou kingdoms Rainbow noticed Scootaloo staring longingly at a full set of Wonderbolts plushies from a toy shop window. The older pegasus walked up to her secret daughter. “...They never gave you anything growing up did they?” Rainbow asked softly. Scootaloo shook her head sadly and wiped a tear from her eye. “No, not even my scooter. I found that in an old alleyway just waiting to be picked up by the garbage ponies.” She replied and Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder. “You know what? I’ll buy that entire set for you. I know Flutters probably won’t be too happy for breaking my budget for this month, but to be honest you kinda deserve something good in your life. Plus, I’ve got my cash fund from the Wonderbolts anyways. And as I’m your sister forever, I think it’s my duty to give out some of that good.” Rainbow stated, and Scootaloo looked up at her with widened eyes. “Sisters… Forever?” Scootaloo whispered. “Yeah, squirt. Sisters forever.” Rainbow stated, even if she felt hollow and completely low just saying it and lying right to her daughter’s face about the true nature of their relationship. “Now come on, those plushies aren’t buying themselves.” Author's Note Okay, and it's finally out! Now you see what happens when me and RuinQueen put both of our heads together. The result... something both very weird and yet very heartwarming at the same time. Anyways, credit where credit is due for all the fanfic name drops, even if I can only remember the Abyss being the author of the last two referenced. Anyways, slight tidbit RuinQueen told me about Icy Winds. In a earlier fanfic her hers, Fallout Equestria: Survivor's Guilt Icy Winds just so happened to be a alias used by a villain in the fic, and what's even more ironic, Icy Winds is Scootaloo's many times great granddaughter. Now, before I let you go, here's something RuinQueen put together I don't know how long ago, but it perfectly goes so well with Scootaloo.
Part 5: Saving Grace (The Bricklayer) So pretty and, oh, so bold Got a heart full of gold on a lonely road She said, "I don't even think that God can save me" (save me) (Am I) gaining ground (Am I) losing face (Am I) lost & found by Saving Grace Thankful for the gift my angels gave me Theme from Saving Grace: Everlast: 2007 Thunder rumbled and rolled in the late night sky as Scootaloo trembled under her bed in fear, shaking and quivering as she heard what was going on in the next room over. The sounds of crashing and punches flying came from behind her bedroom door, and the sound of a body hitting it created a loud thud. “That’s what you get, ya bitch!” Last Drop’s voice shouted. “Pouring all my beer bottles down the drain!” “Well, ya deserve it! You focus more on yer booze than ya do me!” Icy Winds shouted back and then was the sound a loud slap smacking across fur. “How do you like that huh?” Last Drop shouted as lightning flashed and lit up Scootaloo’s room illuminating just how badly kept it and Scootaloo herself were. The paint was peeling, a picture of Rainbow Dash and her had been knocked to the floor by one of the two parents in a fit of drunken rage. “P-Please, don’t fight…” Scootaloo whispered but her pleas were ignored. “W-Why can’t you just love each other like real parents do? W-Why can’t you just love me?” Her body begin to quiver as she sobbed softly to herself, tears rolling down her face and onto the wooden floor. ‘Why…? Why?” Scootaloo sobbed, her entire body shaking as the argument continued. “I pay the damn bills around here, and yet all you do is spend the money on booze!” Icy Winds shouted as she punched her husband in the face, sending him staggering back. He hit a wall, and a picture behind him crashed to the floor and its glass frame broke sending pieces everywhere as it shattered. “Look what happened today! I come home from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory with my check, and what do you do?” Icy Winds accused. “Oh, that’s right! You snatch it straight from my hooves like the Mister Grabby Hooves you are and spend it on booze! Then, next week, look what happens again! More booze! Beer, beer, beer! That’s all you ever care about, and not me!” Her voice had turned into a bellow by this point, and now Last Drop was truly furious. “You’re hardly innocent yourself, bitch! Look at you, offering yourself out to any stallion who’ll have your worthless body!” He roared. “Well, it’s hardly like I have much choice in the matter, do I? It pays the bills, and besides, I get more love from them than I do from YOU!” Icy Winds snarled out. Meanwhile, Scootaloo had finally decided she’d had enough. Anywhere was better than this, surely. With a crashing sound, she threw her lamp through the window and smashed the glass before clambering out of the open window and into the grass below. Scootaloo broke into a sprint and ran as fast and far as she could, ignoring the pounding rain soaking her fur and the howling winds. “T-The Clubhouse!” Scootaloo whispered to herself as she ran. “T-That’s got to be a good place for me to wait out the storm and then I’ll just live out on the streets! It’s a Tartarus of a lot better place than my parents’ house!” Sure, it wasn’t a good nor smart plan Scootaloo knew, but right now it was the only one she had. Suddenly, from behind her, she heard what sounded like the roar of a freight train thundering down the tracks and out of control and heading right off the rails. She turned and her eyes widened in fear as she saw a swirling mass of cloud heading right for her. She let out a scream of terror and tried to outpace the whirlwind, but she was soundly picked up and funneled into the cyclone… Fluttershy’s Cottage: 3:00 AM In the morning Scootaloo woke up with a start, clutching her Spitfire plushie to her chest and throwing light blue covers decorated with puffy white clouds off her body. She shook with sobs, panting and sweating from the nightmare/memory. Almost at once, hearing Scootaloo’s sobbing Fluttershy rushed in and pulled her into a comforting hug. At once, the younger pegasus felt her warmth and soft beating heart and snuggled into her fur and cried. “Shh, shh… It’s okay, I’m here sweetie,” Fluttershy whispered as she let Scootaloo sob into her butter yellow fur. With a hoof, Fluttershy rubbed her back and held her wife’s daughter tightly as she continued to whisper soft comforting words to Scootaloo. “Let it all out, that’s right. Let it all out.” Scootaloo continued to sob until it became just sniffles and looked up at the older pegasus, her eyes still glistening with tears. “What was it about, sweetheart?” Fluttershy asked as she dabbed away at Scootaloo’s eyes with a tissue and wiped her nose. “It… It was about…” Scootaloo whispered, almost too afraid to continue. Fluttershy gave her a warm smile. “It’s okay, take as long as you need.” She said comfortingly. “It was about the night I escaped from my parent's house. Those… Those bastards,” Scootaloo sniffled and Fluttershy didn’t even bother to admonish her for her choice of language. Inwardly, although she would never admit it aloud Fluttershy actually agreed with her. “T-They were arguing about drinks and all sorts of stuff, yelling at each other, and finally I had enough and ran for the Clubhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. T-That was when the tornado came and swept m-me up!” Fluttershy pulled Scootaloo in for another hug and whispered: “It’s okay, that’s not going to happen, it never will happen, not as long as me and Rainbow are around.” Scootaloo once again looked up at Fluttershy with tear stained eyes and asked a simple question that made Fluttershy’s heart break. “Is… Is this what family is supposed to be like?” Even though she was crying herself, Fluttershy managed to answer “Yes Scoots, this is what family is supposed to be like.” After tucking Scootaloo back into bed Fluttershy trotted out of her adoptive daughter’s bedroom and shut the door as quietly as she could. She was met with Rainbow, looking incredibly tired and wearing a bathrobe and tortoise themed slippers. She bore a worried look on her face. “What’s going on? I heard Scootaloo crying and came running as fast as I could.” Rainbow asked. “She had a nightmare, about when she fled from those parents of hers that might I remind you, you placed her with!” Fluttershy hissed out. Rainbow looked as if she’d been punched in the gut. “Celestia above, I know. This is all my fault. Everything that’s happened to Scootaloo, it’s on me,” Rainbow whispered, trying to look anywhere but at her wife an expression of shame upon her face. “I should have taken her in when I first gave birth to her, but I was a coward and now look what’s happened!” “She… She asked me…” Fluttershy whispered, tears dripping down onto her cottage floor. “Asked you about what?” Rainbow inquired, not sure if she really wanted to know. “If this was what family was supposed to be like. You and I.” Fluttershy sobbed and Rainbow pulled her in for a hug even as she mentally snarled. “I oughta go find those two and give them another solid ass kicking.” “Celestia above…” Rainbow whispered. “She needs help, needs to see what a real mom and dad act like.” “I know,” Fluttershy answered. “That’s why tomorrow I’m going to take her to my parent’s house in Cloudsdale and show her how I grew up.” “Better hope Zephyr isn’t there.” Rainbow deadpanned before shuddering and Fluttershy giggled and smiled. “Don’t worry, if he is, I know how to deal with him.” The Very Next Morning: Scootaloo yawned as she awoke and smiled as she smelled the distinct whiff of pancakes being made in Fluttershy’s kitchen. With a speed like lightning, she dashed out of bed, quickly adjusting her mane to a style that was messy but not too messy and ran into the kitchen. “Morning Scoots!” Rainbow greeted as she poured a frankly rather more than necessary amount of syrup on some pancakes and slid them across to Scootaloo as she sat down at the table, much to her surprise. “T-This is really all for me?” Scootaloo asked in surprise. “What?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Can’t a big sis spoil her little sister a bit? Kinda part of the job description.” In truth, Rainbow felt her daughter deserved an extra special treat after that horrible nightmare last night. As Scootaloo practically devoured the pancakes, both Rainbow and Fluttershy smiled. As Fluttershy gave all of her animals their daily breakfasts, she turned to Scootaloo. “Guess what?” Fluttershy asked in a tone of excitement clapping her hooves together in glee. “I sorta had this thought a few days back, and I think you’ll like it as well.” “What? What is it?” Scootaloo asked giddily, practically bouncing in her chair with her tiny wings buzzing in excitement. Fluttershy stifled a giggle at the young pegasus' excitement. “Well, I thought you’d like to meet my parents up in Cloudsdale. I was planning to give them a visit anyways as I haven’t seen them in a while.” Fluttershy said. “So, I thought I’d take care of two things at once and let them see their new granddaughter.” Scootaloo’s eyes teared up in an instant as soon as Fluttershy mentioned thinking of her as a daughter. “Y-You really see me that way?” She whispered, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing and Fluttershy nodded. As soon as she did that, Scootaloo ran over to her and embraced the older pegasus in a hug saying “Thank you, thank you!” over and over again. She then felt another scent, one which she recognized at once. “You deserve it kid.” Rainbow smiled. “Celestia knows you deserve it, now if only I could work up the courage to say I’m her real mom…” Cloudsdale: The Shy Home “Wow... “ Scootaloo whispered in awe, hanging onto her adoptive mom’s back as Fluttershy flew through the clouds towards the Shy Family residence, wind brushing through their manes. “I didn’t even know you could fly this fast!” “Well… I…” Fluttershy admitted with a tinge of embarrassment. “I usually don’t, but I’m so excited for my parents to meet you!” Then, they both touched down. The Shy family home was smack dab in the middle of Cloudsdale suburbia, nothing really fancy about it. It was just like every other home, perfectly average and that was just the way the Shy family liked it. Its only distinguishing features were a rainbow waterfall that fell down the ground below and collected in a pool and a small building off to the side where Mr. Shy held his beloved cloud collection from the Weather Factory. “Well, here we are,” Fluttershy smiled as Scootaloo climbed off her back. “I know it’s nothing particularly fancy, but-” “Are you kidding?” Scootaloo asked as she looked around excitedly at everything, from the little plastic flamingos in the yard to the cloud constructed rooftop. “This is awesome!” With a seemingly unremovable smile on her face, Scootaloo followed Fluttershy inside the house. The entire home had various rainbow themed objects, and Scootaloo raised an eyebrow towards Fluttershy who was blushing in embarrassment. “Yes… Well… Um, my parents caught on to the fact that I liked Rainbow from a pretty young age fairly quickly and thought this would be a good way to encourage me to admit my feelings.” Fluttershy stated. “Did it work?” “In a way,” Fluttershy mused before she sighed. “However, my brother took it as a sign that Rainbow liked him instead of me. He’s… a character to put it lightly.” “Fluttershy, dear!” A butter yellow pegasus with a cherry red mane, blue beads around her neck and blue glasses greeted cheerfully as she entered the room. “You should have told us you were coming!” “And who’s this little one? Did you and Rainbow finally… Uh, have any success so to speak?” Another voice asked in a delicate tone as the mare who could only be Fluttershy’s mother began kissing Scootaloo all over. A male stallion entered the room, wearing a turtleneck sweater over his sea green coat and had a gray mane that resembled an ice cream cone. “Actually, it’s a bit of a long story,” Fluttershy admitted. “And to be honest, it’s not something I want to bring up in front of Scootaloo.” “Wait a minute…” Mr. Shy said in a tone of dawning realization. “Scootaloo, as in that little filly your wife talks so much about? Her little sister?” Scootaloo nodded and was swept up in a hug by Mrs. Shy who cried “Oh, aren’t you the most adorable thing!” “Can’t… breathe.” Scootaloo wheezed out due to Mrs. Shy’s crushing grip. At once, the elder Shy released her at once and blushed in embarrassment in the exact same way her daughter often did. “Sit down dear, I’m interested in hearing about what’s been going on in your life.” Mr. Shy said as he sat down upon one of the cloud constructed couches. His wife looked at Scootaloo kindly. “Now, if this makes you uncomfortable, you can leave the room at once. You can go play outside if you want, or check out my husband’s cloud collection!” Scootaloo nodded before walking out the front door, not wanting to be reminded of her upbringing any more than she had to be. After Fluttershy had finished explaining her story, both of her parents shared a look of anger. “Why… Why those… those…” Mrs. Shy said, unable to come up with any words to describe Last Drop or Icy Winds. “If I ever got my hooves on them, I don’t know what the fudge I’d do to them.” Even Mrs. Shy had a breaking point, and hurting little fillies, especially ones that were close to any family members of hers, was one way to trigger it. “Trust me,” Fluttershy smiled. “Rainbow Dash and the Night Guard already have things well in hoof. All we need to do now is put them on trial and get them locked up. With the outstanding evidence against them, I’m pretty sure that won’t be very difficult.” “Well, that’s a relief.” Mr. Shy remarked. Just about then, there was a knock on the door. With an “Excuse me.” and a polite shout of “I’m coming!” Mrs. Shy got up off the couch and opened the door. At the doorstep was a mare all pegasi knew, right down to her various medals up to her amber coated mane. “Excuse me, do you know where I can find your daughter-in-law?” Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, asked. Author's Note Okay... Wow, it's been almost a month since you got your last update but I do hope the wait was worth it. Anyways, this time around, because Rainbow's been taking up so many chapters with her relationship with Scootaloo, I thought this time around Fluttershy's side of things should be explored and I thought her doing the comforting and taking Scoots to her parent's home would do nicely. On Mrs. Shy, I tried basing her off my grandma and one of my aunts while still keeping as close to her canon personality as possible. Anyways, the quill goes to you Ruin!
Part 6: The Best that I CanAuthor's Note Okay, so sorry for the uber long wait, but these things happen. Anyways, sadly because of how many projects of her own she's got to worry about, RuinQueen's left the collab meaning I'm all alone with writing these chapters. But she did tell me what song she wanted to use for the introduction of this chapter, namely the one featured below. Anyways, I present to you the newest chapter. I can promise you won't see this twist I've cooked up coming, that's for sure. Part 6: The Best that I Can “Innocence is wasted And I'm so sorry that you never can replace it The darkest road ahead, you're gonna have to face it Cause I can't always be there For now I'll do the best I…” The Best I Can: Miracle of Sound: Level 3: 2013 Cloudsdale: Shy Family Home: Mrs. Shy gaped wordlessly at the legendary flier who was at her doorstep. Quickly regaining her composure, she gestured for Spitfire to come inside with a hoof. “I...I wasn’t expecting you to drop by, what a surprise. Don’t mind little old me. O-Oh, d-do please come in,” Mrs. Shy stammered out and flushed in embarrassment at how awkward she must have been making herself look in front of the mare. She then asked politely as she could: “Would you like some tea, I can put some on the kettle if you want?” “Coffee would be good,” Spitfire answered simply. She smiled slightly at the mare’s kindness, despite being here for business reasons. As Mrs. Shy walked off to the kitchen, Spitfire took off her signature sunglasses. The home seemed enough, it actually reminded her of those old family suburban homes you saw on those black and white television programs. She sat down next to Fluttershy on the couch. “I assume you’re not here just to be a good neighbor?” the stallion who Spitfire could only guess to be Fluttershy’s father asked. She raised an eyebrow when she saw his sweater. “Yep, definitely like one of those old black and white programs,” Spitfire thought to herself. “Not as shy as I was expecting. From what that idiot Zephyr told me when he tried out for the Wonderbolts, they were supposedly doormats. Course, he was about as unreliable as they came, and always was trying to hand off his duties to anypony he could find. And then there was the flirting… Celestia above…” Spitfire continued to think to herself as she tried to relax and stop looking like she was here to deliver grave news or get angry at somepony. However, thinking about Fluttershy’s idiot of a brother never failed to get her angry. And it was showing, as both Mr. Shy and his daughter flinched from the expression on her face. “Small wonder we had to let him go, and that’s putting it nicely. Half the time I wanted to strap him to the Dizzitron and just set it to its highest level and see how far he flew and how badly he crash-landed.” Spitfire let out a small growl, and Fluttershy inched a little farther away from the Wonderbolt Flight Commander. Mr. Shy tried to sink as low into the couch as he possibly could. It was admittedly a comical sight really. Of course, it was about this time Spitfire finally noticed how uncomfortable she was making everypony. “Sorry, just thinking about something.” Spitfire admitted, slightly flushing red. Fluttershy gave her a half-lidded, deadpan stare. “Zephyr?” Fluttershy asked flatly, knowing exactly the kind of reactions he could generate from anypony who’d ever met her layabout of a brother. Sometimes she wondered how she was even in the same gene pool as him, much as she hated to admit it. “Yeah, how’d you guess?” Spitfire asked, admittedly surprised at how her accurate her guess was. “I know my brother, and the kind of anger he can stir up in anypony.” Fluttershy said dryly. “Dear,” Mr. Shy said, trying to defend his son. “Zephyr’s… just trying to find his place in life, that’s all. Not his fault he constantly goes through constant job changes.” “Wouldn’t go that far…” Fluttershy murmured to herself while Spitfire rolled her eyes. It was about then her mother returned with a cup of coffee which she placed in front of Spitfire. Mrs. Shy noticed the awkward silence permeating the room. She flushed red in embarrassment again, knowing exactly what, or rather who could have caused this. She sighed to herself and whispered “Oh son, what’d you do this time…?” quietly to herself in an almost inaudible tone of voice. Almost. “So, looks like even Mrs. Shy admits her son has a… Problem.” Spitfire mumbled to herself, not knowing Zephyr's mother had heard. “Subject change! Subject change!” Mrs. Shy thought to herself rapidly. “So, what brought you here Mrs. Flare?” “Please, don’t call me by that name,” Spitfire requested. “Makes me think my mother’s in the room with me.” “Er… Yes, sorry,” Mrs. Shy laughed nervously. “So, why are you here again?” “Been looking for your daughter-in-law. Hasn’t shown up for flying practice today, and she always, and I mean always shows up for that,” Spitfire stated. “I’ll admit, I am getting a bit worried. Just wanted to come around to see if you know if anything’s happened to her.” “Er… Actually, I can answer that,” Fluttershy replied, and Spitfire turned her head to her at once. As much as Fluttershy hated to be put in the spotlight, she knew she had to clear things up at once. She didn’t want to chance her wife losing her dream job after all. “Something’s come up, something a bit more important than the Wonderbolts.” “That’s surprising, I thought nothing was more important to her than the ‘Bolts or you,” Spitfire said in a surprised tone of voice, eyebrow arching itself again. Fluttershy’s head turned, and Spitfire followed her gaze along with it, to a certain orange filly playing with a soccer ball in the front yard. Both of the pegasi were rather surprised Scootaloo hadn’t taken notice of Spitfire actually flying up to the Shy Family Home’s doorstep. “Oh… Is that…?” Spitfire trailed off, vaguely remembering this little sister of hers that Rainbow often bragged about. Fluttershy confirmed Spitfire’s suspicions with a nod. “So, what’s the problem?” “It’s… complicated, and some of it Rainbow wants to keep secret for the time being.” Fluttershy admitted. “That bad huh?” Spitfire asked and Fluttershy nodded again. The Captain of the Wonderbolts let out a long sigh. “Alright, tell me what’s happened, all of it.” “Alright, but first I need to know that I can trust you with a secret,” Fluttershy said in an unusually firm tone of voice. “What I’m about to say cannot, and I mean cannot leave this room, understand?” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Spitfire replied. Fluttershy sighed sadly. “Scootaloo… She’s more than a little sister to my wife. She’s her daughter.” She said. Spitfire’s jaw dropped a considerable amount. “Wow, can’t say I was expecting that…” Spitfire muttered after regaining the function of speech. “Does she know?” When Fluttershy and her parents shook their heads, Spitfire muttered to herself quietly “You gotta be kidding me. Like a Spanish Telenovela here…” “Still doesn’t explain Dash’s absence, though,” Spitfire stated. “There’s more to this isn’t there?” Fluttershy nodded. “Yes… About that…” She said sadly before explaining everything as best as she could. As soon as she was done, Spitfire had a look of absolute fury on her face that probably could quell a raging Manticore and send it packing back towards its den. “If I ever meet those… bastards, I’m going to slap them on the Dizzitron whether they like it or not and set it to its highest setting and send them flying. See how they like it when they’re the ones getting hurt for a change,” Spitfire thought as she took a long sip of her coffee. “And I assume Dash is doing… something relating to this?” “Yeah, trial’s been on her mind, gnawing away at her really, ever since Princess Luna told her about it,” Fluttershy replied. “She’s been researching everything she would need to know as part of the prosecution. Throwing herself into law-books, anything and everything that might help her.” “Now there’s something I never thought I’d see coming, Rainbow throwing herself into books,” Spitfire joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Can’t say I blame her though. Princess Twilight’s helping her I assume?” Fluttershy nodded again. Spitfire’s gaze once again found itself wandering to the small filly outside. Or more specifically, her wings. She noted that while they buzzed and Scootaloo could hover for a few seconds, that was about it. She never seemed to achieve real flight. Spitfire frowned in worry, she knew that Rainbow never drank in her life but she also knew that anypony carrying a filly while drinking risked the possibility of the filly’s wings coming out underdeveloped. Spitfire also knew that given what Fluttershy had told her, Rainbow might have been extremely worried about turning out like her father and may have gotten anxious and turned to the drink just to calm herself. She was young and foolish as well. Combine those factors, and you got yourself a frightening possibility. “No, no, that makes no sense whatsoever,” Spitfire chided herself. “If Rainbow was so worried about turning out like her father, she never would have even turned to the drink at all. I’m no shrink, but even I can figure that out. You’re just being overly paranoid Spits, that’s all. Scootaloo may simply be a late-bloomer, you were yourself you know.” Spitfire took one last sip of her coffee, before getting up off the couch to leave. She turned her head back towards Fluttershy just as she headed for the door. “My advice, secret’s going to come out sooner or later,” Spitfire stated. “Best Scootaloo hears it from either you or your wife instead of her adoptive parents. Tell her, and the sooner the better.” With that, she stepped out the front door and flew off into the skies leaving Fluttershy to think on her words. “Yeah, how hard can that be…?” Fluttershy mused to herself as her mother wrapped a wing around her in support and pulled her in closer for a hug. Ponyville: Castle of Friendship: “C’mon, there’s got to be something in here that can help me!” Rainbow growled mentally in frustration as she flipped through the pages of various law books in hopes of finding what she was looking for. Behind the armchair she sat in, lay piles of books Dash had already rejected. A lavender hoof set a cup of tea beside her on a nearby table. “Rainbow, why don’t you take a break?” Twilight’s voice asked kindly. “You’ve been going at this for hours.” “No, I’m not taking a break!” Rainbow snapped, making Twilight flinch. “Not until I can find something that’ll help me win this damn court case!” For once, Twilight didn’t even chide Dash for her cursing, understanding how much stress her friend was under. “Keep chomping at the bit like that, and you’ll wear yourself out,” A familiar voice said as the sound of claws tapping against the floor, followed by a pair of hoof-steps made themselves known. “The egghead’s right. You need to just sit down and relax for a bit.” Rainbow looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar set of white and lavender tinged feathers on a face she knew all too well with a sharp yellow beak at the end of it. But that wasn’t the only familiar face as well. Following her was a mare with Rainbow’s coat color, but with a short cropped scarlet mane style. “Gilda, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in shock. “No, actually a better question is what are you doing here with my mother?” “...No offense Dashie, but I was expecting a warmer greeting.” Windy said. “Well, considering I haven’t seen you in the past… Oh, what was it, fifteen years since you walked out on me and dad and then just show up out of the blue you should have expected something like this.” Rainbow growled. “Y-You have to understand,” Windy stuttered out, as Twilight quietly stepped out of the room knowing this was a personal matter and she had no business being here. “I was scared of your father, we all were! I… I just couldn’t take it anymore!” “But you could have done a better job of protecting me, instead you just walked out!” Rainbow snapped. “Listen, Dash, your mother…” Gilda began. “She’s here for a reason, and not just to catch up on old times.” “Yeah, what’s that?” Rainbow grumbled. “Dashie, you’re not going to like this, but Scootaloo’s adoptive parents…” Windy began, being careful not to say their real names as she knew Rainbow would get even more furious if she did. “They asked me to be their defendant in the court case.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “...Please tell me you’re joking.” She muttered, hoping she’d fallen asleep from boredom and that this was all a bad dream. “Sadly, it isn’t a joke Dash,” Gilda stated. It was about this time Rainbow noticed she and her mother had their tails intertwined. “No, it couldn’t be… I know Gilda always had an eye for the older mares, but this… This is beyond ridiculous.” Rainbow thought to herself. “Windy here, she’s a lawyer, and evidently, those bastard parents you placed your daughter with are thinking that because she’s Scootaloo’s grandmother, she’ll sway in their favor,” Gilda growled out, and Rainbow noted the accusing tone in her voice. Her ears fell flat in guilt at the tone. She deserved that. “Believe me Dashie, I know what I’m doing here is wrong, but I’d rather have me defending them than some slimy lawyer would love nothing better than to win this court case and get all the money he’s getting paid,” Windy stated. “I should point out, even if Windy does win,” Gilda said quickly, noting the look on Rainbow’s face, “She won’t get a lot of money anyways. Those assholes aren’t exactly the biggest money-earners you know. She’s doing this for you, making sure you have the best chance of winning as possible.” It was a long time before Rainbow spoke again, but when she did, she let out a small and softly whispered: “Thank you.” Windy smiled weakly before Rainbow shared one of her own before it turned into a smirk as she looked towards her old flight camp buddy. “So, you and my mom huh? You shacked up I assume?” Rainbow teased. “S-Shut up!” Gilda snapped, blushing red. “I-It just happened, okay! It’s just one of those things, y’know! We’re not serious! Just a fling, that’s it!” “Yeah, sure,” Rainbow teased. “Those tails of yours, that’s not saying you’re in a committed relationship at all.” Gilda could only grumble something quite rude as Rainbow laughed her flank off.
Part 7: I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me TonightLife on the street is a jungle A struggle to keep up the pace I just can't beat that old dog eat dog The rats keep winnin' the rat race But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight The world is in an uproar and I see no end in sight But I won't let it bother me tonight I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight: Atlanta Rhythm Section: Champagne Jam: 1978 Ponyville: Gilda sighed as she and her marefriend walked out of Princess Twilight’s castle, dropping her cheerful front she’d created specially for her old friend. The sun was beginning to set behind them, and the sky was beginning to go from light blue to a dark indigo color. The griffin had to admit, Rainbow had done pretty well for herself. She’d made friends with a mare who would become the next Princess of Equestria, married her fillyhood sweetheart and even now was fighting for custody of a little filly. And what had she done for herself in comparison to that? “Well, not much really, I can’t even help bring Griffinstone back to the way it once was, the pride of the Stone Mountains. I could have probably restored every griffin’s faith in the town and the Griffin Kingdom’s pride in itself if I had just grabbed that idol, but… I didn’t,” Gilda muttered to herself as she trudged away from the Castle of Friendship. “I’m useless… So freaking useless. Griffinstone is the same way it has been for the last couple of centuries, a rotting, festering Hellhole who nobody could even give a rat’s ass about.” Gilda was so focused on her own mutterings and musings that she hadn’t even noticed the nuzzle that her marefriend had given her. The older mare gave her a reassuring smile. “Stop right there!” Windy exclaimed. “Now, that’s not true dear and you know it,” she stated. “Griffinstone’s making progress towards a better future, when we first met up again after all these years you said so yourself. It’s just…” “Slow! And that’s the damn problem with it all!” Gilda snapped, brushing her best friend’s mom (Could she even call Windy by that title now that they were dating, Gilda often wondered to herself.) away from her. “Far too damn slow! Nothing’s getting done! Nothing! I don’t understand how exchanging things like scones is supposed to help anybody at all!” Windy was about to open her mouth, but Gilda cut her off. “And don’t you start spouting off that “Magic of Friendship” crap. It’s been tried, and it sure as Hell ain’t doing jack squat!” “Then what about the Princesses?” Windy suggested. “Surely they can help if you just send a plea asking for assistance to them?” She only received a scoff from her lover in response. “Puh-Leeze, if the Princesses really cared about Griffinstone’s problems they would have stepped in long ago,” Gilda muttered. “But do they even know?” Windy asked. “History on Griffinstone is a bit… dated for lack of a better term after all.” she pointed out. “Doubt it’s dated now, since Rainbow and Pinkie showed up,” Gilda remarked sourly. “Pretty sure with two Element Bearers showing up, everypony for miles around knows the kind of crap we’re dealing with, especially since one of those Bearers is that blabber-mouthed mare. Now ask me, if the Princesses cared, wouldn’t they have shown up by now?” she grunted out. Windy didn’t actually have a rebuttal for that question for once. Honestly, Gilda sometimes wondered how she and Windy Whistles had gotten together. They rarely, if ever agreed on anything that didn’t relate to Rainbow Dash. Gilda had always known she’d had an eye for the older mares, that much was true. But, sometimes she wondered if her and Windy’s relationship was too toxic for its own good. “I… I was just trying to help you, just like I’m trying to help with-” Windy said, with Gilda finishing the sentence for her. The younger griffin hung her head and looked incredibly ashamed of herself. “...Your daughter, I know. It’s just…” Gilda murmured and Windy pulled her into a comforting wing-hug. Gilda smiled a bit at the feel of the soft light brown feathers against her own brown ones. “You’re stressed, I know,” The mare stated. “Can’t say I blame you really. This whole situation, it’s wrong in so many ways.” Gilda looked quite worried at what Windy was implying. “Are… Are you saying this… Is our relationship wrong? I love you, Windy, don’t you know that?” Gilda asked, her bravado suddenly disappearing and her beak beginning to quiver. Windy spotted her special some-griffin’s distress and gave her a comforting nuzzle to the neck in response and reassurance. “No, not that!” She quickly stated. “I’m talking about this whole thing with the trial. I’m supposed to be the defendant to those pieces of…” “Shit?” Gilda offered helpfully. “Yes, that,” Windy said. “But my loyalty lies with my own daughter, the opposition here! Gilda, you’re not a lawyer, but you know enough about the job from me to tell the problem here for yourself.” “Yeah…” Gilda trailed off. “Conflict of interest right?” Windy nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, you know exactly what I had to do to get my place as the defendant right? I had to pay the judge off! I’m as dirty as they come, and don’t even bother trying to defend that. You know it’s true…” “But you did it for the right reasons. The end justifies the means, right?” Gilda asked and Windy nodded. “You’re doing it for your daughter’s sake. Like you said, better you than some sleazebag lawyer who would be undoubtedly biased in those assholes’ favor.” “But that’s the exact problem!” Windy argued. “I’m biased, in favor of my daughter! By all rights, I should be off this case and assigned to defend somepony else!” Gilda couldn’t even think of an argument for that, knowing perfectly well her marefriend was right. So, she did the only thing she could and pulled her muzzle up to face her beak and instigated a long, lingering loving kiss which Windy eagerly returned. As the two kissed in the moonlight, the glow from the perfectly full moon shining down on them, something escaped their notice. What the two had failed to see was a black unicorn-like form with glowing yellow eyes vanish into the shadows… Later that night, Windy lay beside her partner in bed, finding herself unable to sleep for some reason. Gilda snoozed contently beside her, her claws clutching a pillow. Windy, with a smile, watched the small rise and fall of the younger griffin’s chest as she snoozed contentedly. She had to wonder what her special some-griffin was dreaming about. It, in admittance was rather cute though Windy would never dare to say it in front of Gilda herself, knowing how much the griffin hated mushy stuff. Well, she liked to say she hated the mushy stuff, but as much as she tried to hide it she knew there were some cute things Gilda liked. In fact, she had caught Gilda staring at socks in the shop windows of Ponyville earlier today as they made their way to Princess Twilight’s castle. “Princess Twilight, that’s going to take some getting used to,” Windy thought to herself. “Still can’t believe my little Dashie made friends with a Princess. I always knew she was going to grow up to be a great mare and make some exciting friends. And that’s not counting her landing a spot in the Wonderbolts Reserves!” Windy smirked, she and her daughter had gotten the last laugh over that bastard after all. He always said they’d never amount to anything, that Dashie broke everything she touched. But look at where they were now. She was a successful lawyer, and had a wonderful lover, even if said lover turned out to not be what she was expecting. And Dashie, well she had married somepony and was now a Wonderbolt of all things! “Who’s laughing now Blaze, huh?” Windy asked herself, hoping the stallion was raging at them and cursing his own stupidity in whatever Hell he’d made for himself. Windy smiled as she turned her attentions back to Gilda. She flashed back to when the two had met up again with Gilda, now a fully grown griffin… Three Months Ago… It was at a small bar in Manehatten that it happened, Windy had just won a very tiring case over a hoof-ball champion who had murdered his wife. The trial had gone on for several days, and it was only with the slightest uncovering of evidence by a PI from Canterlot that the trial had been won in Windy’s favor and the stallion put behind bars for the rest of his natural life. So, Windy figured she deserved to treat herself for such a victory. “‘Nother round, please.” Windy asked the bartender as soft piano music played in the background. “Anything for you Windy, heard about what you did to that stallion on the news,” the bartender complimented as he poured Windy another round. “Putting him behind bars, good on you I say. Had me... Well, all of us really, on the edge of our seats this entire thing did. Say you do deserve a reward after this.” As Windy continued to drink, what she failed to notice was a sleazy stallion, brown furred in color and wearing a black fedora on his head walking up to her. He was very obviously drunk and had one too many shots, anypony could tell that. He rested his head on Windy’s shoulder, much to her disgust. “Say, missy, why don’t you and I take a walk home to our apartment tonight, hmm?” The stallion slurred out. “Could show you a real good time, I could.” “I doubt that very much.” Windy deadpanned as she shoved the stallion off of her. But this one obviously didn’t know the meaning of “No.” as he still persisted. “Come on, won’t be that bad.” the stallion said as his drunken breath reached Windy’s nostrils and she recoiled in disgust. “Promise you, you’ll love me.” Suddenly, a claw reached out and whirled the stallion around only for him to get a punch to the face by a very angry Gilda knocking him unconscious. “No means no, douche-bag.” she snarled out and her eyes widened as she saw Windy. “Mrs. Blaze?” She breathed out, hardly able to believe her own eyes. “...Gilda, is that you?” Windy asked, not even bothering to correct her. “Yeah, it’s me. Now come on, let’s get you home before any more of those idiots try their luck with you.” she said and Windy smiled. So, that was how it happened. They got to talking about life, and a friendship developed. And as it sometimes happened, that friendship would develop into something more. Sure, they got odd looks every now and then, but Windy didn’t care. She was finally happy and that was all that mattered to her. Canterlot Castle: Luna’s Private Quarters: “Are you sure?” Luna asked her Captain of the Guard, her dark blue eyes boring into his own golden orbs. The darkly coated unicorn stallion nodded. He’d been personally assigned to keep an eye on anything pertaining to the Rainbow and Fluttershy VS Last Drop and Icy Winds case and upcoming trial on Luna’s orders, and he figured this counted. Luna sighed to herself as she groaned and threw her head back into her pillows in exhaustion. “...Well, isn’t this just wonderful?” “I fail to see anything wonderful about it ma’am.” the Captain answered. Luna muttered something to herself, sarcasm always flew right over this one’s head. “We cannot have a conflict of interest in this case, as much as I hate to admit it with the circumstances,” Luna stated. “As much as I would like to have Rainbow and her wife win this trial and keep Scootaloo, the law is the law and so it must be upheld, for better or for worse.” “You do realize ma’am, that Rainbow will not be pleased with you if you do this?” the Captain questioned. “Yes, I quite realize that. But Windy Whistles must be removed and replaced with somepony else,” Luna replied. “It would look like bias was involved in this case, and bias would be involved if Rainbow won thanks to any interference by Windy.” “Even if said interference is for the greater good?” the Captain asked. “Sadly… Yes.” Luna trailed off and looked skywards. As much as she hated doing this, the law was the law and so it must be upheld...
Part 8: The Logical SongSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part 9: Enter SandmanKeep you free from sin 'Til the sandman he comes Sleep with one eye open Gripping your pillow tight Exit light Enter night Take my hand We're off to never-never land Something’s wrong, shut the light Heavy thoughts tonight And they aren't of Snow White Dreams of war, dreams of liars Dreams of dragon's fire And of things that will bite Enter Sandman: Metallica: Metallica: 1991 Ponyville Police Station: Icy Winds groaned as she mumbled in her half-asleep state tossing and turning on the hard bed in her cell, if you could call it a bed. It barely fit the qualifications of one. It was firm, hard against one’s back and the headrest was just metal. Above her, as the bed was a bunk, slept her husband snoring as loud as a freight train. “Damn him, damn him and his whiskey and booze for getting us both in this mess.” Icy Winds had first thought when the guards had unceremoniously tossed her into the holding cell. “Damn that daughter of mine for blabbing to her dear old mom, her real one, and sending her right to us!” she had also thought. Icy used a hoof to hit the bunk above her and hissed “Shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep here!” But still, the snoring continued. Icy groaned and took her pillow and stuffed it on her head, hoping to block out the sound. It was no use and she growled to herself as she placed the pillow back beneath her head. For the past few weeks, Icy’s nights were nothing but unpleasant, to say the least. And she knew that if she went to prison, they’d get even more unpleasant. It was a well-known fact that foal abusers never got the good life in prison, as that particular crime was highly looked down upon even by some of the worst criminals Equestria had to offer. Icy Winds spent her nights in fear, wondering what was to become of her if she and her husband did end up losing the trial. She was an attractive mare, that was for sure. To be honest with you dear readers, that was quite possibly her only redeeming quality. Celestia knew that quite a few inmates in prisons really hadn’t seen a mare in years, and Celestia only knew how they’d look at her. Icy shuddered in her bed. She could only imagine the hungry and ravishing looks the stallions in prison would give her once the guards marched her in in her orange jumpsuit. Of course, given her crimes and what the jury decided, the color might be different. Tartarus, for all she knew she might get the dreaded white jumpsuit, used only for high-risk inmates or (Again she shuddered) those on the infamous death row. The death sentence was rarely given out thankfully, but there were the rare occasions where juries decided that a crime so heinous had been committed, the sentence was justified and warranted. Icy Winds hoped this wasn’t one of those times. Sighing, she propped her head up against the pillow and groaned again, hoping to get some sleep. It soon overtook her, and her eyelids began to grow heavy… In her dreams, however, even that wasn’t a safe place as she was soon to find. Icy found herself in a frozen wasteland, devoid of almost any life. Her hooves trotted through the snow beneath her as she used one of her forelegs to shield herself against the bitterly cold wind. Icy chuckled at the irony. Here she was, dealing with her namesake. Icy wandered the wastes, the sky above her a stark and unforgiving dull gray of cloud cover. Not even the faintest glimpse of sun nor moonlight was able to breach the clouds and shine on down upon her. Somehow, in some odd way, she found herself in front of her and Last Drop’s house. The windows had been boarded up tight, and it looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for years. Nervously, not expecting what to find inside, Icy used one of her hooves to gently shove the door open. Shivering from the cold, she rapidly slammed the door shut behind her. She wandered the dusty and long abandoned hallways of the house in a daze, not sure why she had ended up here or where to go. “H-Hello?” Icy asked nervously, her voice coming out as a stutter. “I-Is anypony here?” Then, almost as if in answer to her question, the wind began to howl and thunder cracked outside as a jagged streak of lightning illuminated a nearby window and Icy Wind’s form. Then, the roof tore away in a cyclone of freezing ice and snow as the howling turned into that of a nearly deafening roar. Icy Winds began to feel the ground being lifted up from under her hooves and she let out a scream, barely audible against the howling winds of the cyclone’s whirling torrents and the now continuous rumble of thunder. Just as she was about to get sucked in, something took mercy on her, or so it seemed at the time. A dark midnight blue aura of magic reached out and enveloped her and pulled her away from the swirling pillar of cloud just as Icy looked back to see the storm swallow up her home. Like being shot out of a cannon, Icy Winds was then rocketed towards a stone underneath a single tree. Groaning in pain as blood dripped from her forehead, staining the pure white ground beneath her crimson, Icy rubbed her head and discovered she was not alone. Standing in front of her, a dark colored cloak flapping in the wind was a pony, massive in size. She’d never seen a pony this large, larger than even Princess Celestia herself. The cloak hugged the pony’s form and obscured her identity, covering her head and mane completely. “Icy Winds!” The pony bellowed out in a distorted feminine tone as thunder cracked in the distance, “You dare abuse your own child? The one who was left on your doorstep?” Icy quivered under the pony’s gaze, the glowing white eyes and the pony’s midnight blue horn being the only visible features under the cloak as the blizzard began to pick up, the wind blowing ever harder still and the snow becoming almost impossible to see through. But it seemed there was a bubble between Icy and the unknown pony, as the snow seemed to blow around them missing them entirely. “She was never my child! Just the little-feathered brat of some drunken whore! She should be grateful that I took her in and cared for her. Fed her! Bathed her!” Icy Winds shouted back, not considering even for a moment that this might have been the wrong thing to say. “Funny,” The pony chuckled in amusement. “Only one who I see around here that fits that description is YOU, Icy Winds. Grateful? She had no choice in the matter, you took her in yes, but care?” The pony then snorted in disgust at her fellow equine. “Don’t make me laugh. I hardly think driving your child to the point of running away in an ill-conceived storm was a product of a mother who “Cared”,” The pony scoffed and her horn glowed again and the ground under Icy began to crack before she found herself falling into what she knew at once was a coffin. It was about that time Icy realized that stone had not been an ordinary one, but her grave marker. “Please… NO!” Icy pleaded, but to no avail as the lid began to close. “Just give me another chance! I’ll do better next time, I promise!” “You’re all out of chances, and there is no “Next time”.” The pony laughed as the lid slammed shut and Icy screamed as the ground began to cover up the coffin once more, leaving no trace of Icy’s presence or that she was ever there, to begin with. The pony smirked before she faded away into the winds as the snow swirled around her… Canterlot Castle: Luna’s Quarters: The Princess of the Night smirked vindictively as she heard Icy Wind’s scream echoing through her ears as she emerged from the dream world and pulled aside her curtains as she stepped out onto her balcony and let her eyes wander over the city of Canterlot. She had very low tolerance for foal abusers in general and Icy Winds she despised even more than usual. When the foal in question was one she had grown quite close to, not to mention the child of one of the Element Bearers who brought her back from the living Tartarus that was being Nightmare Moon, she let her dark side out to play, even if just a little. Luna growled to herself as she thought of the upcoming trial tomorrow. As much as she hated taking Windy off the case, it was for the better. The law had to have been upheld, for better or for worse. “Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?” A nasty little voice in the back of her head asked snidely. “Or are you one of those ponies who really believe their own bull? Drink their own Kool-Aid, so to speak?” “No…” Luna whispered to herself. “I only want what’s best for everypony, and if Windy Whistles has to be taken off the case to save her own reputation as a lawyer, then so be it,” “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Just keep thinking that everything will be fine and it’ll all work out, won’t it?” The voice asked sarcastically before inquiring: “But ask yourself this… What if whoever replaces Windy loses the case and Scootaloo goes back into the hooves of those monsters? What then?” it remarked and Luna let out a snarl as she stamped her hoof. “Shut up… That’s not going to happen,” She hissed, not sure if she even believed herself by this time. At about that moment, her Captain of the Guard knocked on the door with a hoof. “Come in,” Luna said and the Captain strode in with an eyebrow raised. “You alright ma’am?” He inquired, his golden eyes seemingly burrowing into Luna’s soul. “Heard you talking to yourself. Got worried,” “Then you needn’t trouble yourself any, Captain. I was just… thinking some things over, that’s all,” “Well, got some news you might be pleased to hear. Rainbow’s just named her who she wants to use to prosecute the case. Princess Twilight’s personal recommendation. No bias in who she chose,” the Captain said and handed Luna a small portfolio of the pony in question. “If I may?” Luna requested and the Captain nodded. Luna, grabbing the portfolio in an aura of magic, levitated it over to her bed and she quickly began using her eyes to scan through it. A small smile found its way to the Princess of the Night’s face before she let out a sigh of relief as she saw the photo. It was that of a light gray pony, black mane tied in a bun with glasses resting on her face. Luna knew the pony in question, Raven Inkwell. While she was Celestia’s personal assistant, and while Twilight had chosen her, Luna knew exactly why. Raven had never met Rainbow, Fluttershy nor Scootaloo personally so she didn’t know a single thing about them aside from hearsay and had never met them face to face. That meant she was the perfect choice and there would be very little if any bias involved when she worked this case. Luna chuckled and thought to herself “Twilight, you’ve chosen well. Even if you can be hooves on yourself this case, I know you’re trying your hardest to help your friends no matter what. My sister chose wisely when she picked you as your personal student.” Yeah, everything was going to be alright now, and no matter who Icy Winds and Last Drop chose, Scootaloo would wind up in the proper hooves where she belonged. Author's Note Okay, so I've been wanting to do a Luna and/or Icy Winds focused chapter for a while now and I think this pretty much works. Anyways, the main inspiration for Icy's nightmare comes from Snowfall's own in "A Hearth's Warming Tail" and more specifically for the end of it, this piece of art.
Part 10: Sympathy for the Devil Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is just the nature of my game Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails just call me Lucifer 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse? Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah Sympathy for the Devil: The Rolling Stones: Begger’s Banquet: 1968 Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nee Dash VS Last Drop and Icy Winds in court case on matter of custody and Filly Abuse! Public trial to be held in Canterlot! That was the headlines that graced the paper that very week at the shared household of the two pegasi in question. They knew news would break on why Icy Winds and Last Drop had been incarcerated sooner or later, but they didn’t expect it to be right before the trial itself. Honestly, they’d been hoping things would be kept quiet until after the trial itself was over and done with. But for better or for worse, all eyes had now turned to the household and the couple, along with their daughter. For the last few days now, reporters had been camped out like vultures at Fluttershy’s cottage with cameras and quills in hoof. It was pretty much impossible for either of them to get any peace and quiet and the entire thing was making Scootaloo quite nervous at all the attention she and her mothers were getting, and so Rainbow had enacted a drastic plan. “Uh, Rainbow, what are you doing?” Scootaloo had asked when she and Fluttershy walked into the living room where a peregrine falcon stood next to a letter that had a rapidly written note next to it. “Hopefully getting rid of those idiots outside, that’s what,” Rainbow grumbled. Fluttershy leaned over and looked at her wife’s note. The hoof-writing was poor, barely legible, possibly because of a result of the speed in which it was written, (Or Rainbow’s self-admitted poor penmanship.) but you could still make out what it said if you looked hard enough. It read: “Twilight, surrounded by reporters at me and my wife’s cottage. They’ve been camped out here for the last few days. Making all of us rather unnerved, may have to shoo them off myself if you don’t please send help! Don’t care what kind, even Royal Guards if you have them!” Rainbow rolled the letter up and put it in the falcon’s mouth, and opened a window as the bird of prey spread its wings, let out a small screech and took flight towards Twilight’s castle. “Are you really sure this is the best idea, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked carefully. “I want them gone as much as you do, but Royal Guards… Isn’t that a bit… much?” “Hey, for all I know they’ve been snapping photos of us when we’re sleeping, or when Scootaloo’s sleeping!” Rainbow snapped. “I’ve seen the tents! They’ve got to go, now!” “I think I might be able to take care of them easily enough, if you just let me,” Fluttershy put in. “No offense Flutters, but I highly doubt even the Stare would work on that many ponies,” Rainbow replied, and she pointed to a nearby window with her wife and Scootaloo following her gaze, where a gaggle of reporters had gathered snapping photos at every opportunity that presented itself. “I think she means me,” A familiar smug sounding voice sneered as a serpentine form curled itself around Rainbow, two bright yellow orbs gazing into Rainbow’s own purple ones. The pegasus groaned loudly when she heard the voice. “I do have a way of... well, and apologies for the language here dear Fluttershy, peeving ponies off,” “This is your solution, really?” Rainbow asked in disgust as she gestured to the chimera-like creature that was far too much in her personal space for her liking. “Although you’re right about one thing, Discord, you are peeving ponies off, namely me!” “Rainbow, language!” Fluttershy shouted, gesturing to Scootaloo, who had Fluttershy’s wings in her ears. “Hey, he said it first!” Rainbow argued, pointing to a certain chaos spirit, who laughed sheepishly. (Even temporarily turning into a sheep while doing so.) Fluttershy turned her angry gaze to Discord, who looked quite smug with himself. “Now now, Flutters, you know the Stare won’t work on meee-Yeeeessh!” Discord suddenly cringed as Fluttershy’s gazed bored into him. “Okay, okay, no more strong language… At least in this household,” He added this last part in a sotto voice. Then, he marched out the front door and gave the reporters a look. “Well, aren’t you the definition of pests?” He remarked, placing both his paw and his hand on his hips and looking down at them. “Heck, if I look up in a dictionary, bet I’ll find a picture of you all!” To prove his point, he snapped his paw and with a white flash, a dictionary did indeed appear. Discord put on his reading glasses and then skimmed through the pages before shouting out “Aha!” He showed the book’s definition of pests, and sure enough, there was a picture of a reporter. He snapped his paw again, making the book vanish and then all of the reporters’ cameras sprouted wings and flew off into the skies. To make sure they wouldn’t be caught, he then snapped his paw again and any pegasi reporters suddenly found themselves to be Earth Ponies. He dusted his hands off and smirked. “There, that should be enough to deal with you all for now, least until a certain bookworm sends the Guard after you for harassment and loitering. Toodles!” Another paw snap and Discord was gone leaving a note behind inside the cottage. It read: “Go, now!” Rainbow and Fluttershy shared a nod before unfolding their wings with Rainbow gesturing for Scootaloo to climb onto her back. She knew exactly where they could go to escape the reporters, for now at least. That being, to take both her wife and Scootaloo to her cloudominium in her hometown of Cloudsdale. Hopefully, at least, they’d be able to escape the constant influx of reporters there. Keyword being, hopefully. Cloudsdale: Rainbow sighed in relief when she saw the high-rise rooftops of her cloudominium along with the rainbow fall going down to the ground below and pooling in a small lake peeking through the puffy white city of clouds that made up Cloudsdale. Fluttershy, as she flew over the suburban areas behind Rainbow, looked down towards to where she knew her parents’ home would be. “Think the reporters flocked to your parents as well Flutters?” Rainbow asked in concern, looking back towards her wife as Scootaloo held on tight to her mane. “It’s a safe bet, so I sent a mutual friend of ours on ahead to make sure they keep off their backs as well,” Fluttershy replied and Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Not Discord again, I hope?” Rainbow asked as she and her wife landed on Rainbow’s balcony. Fluttershy chuckled and shook her head. “Nope, Gilda,” Fluttershy replied with a smile that didn’t look quite right on the normally serene pegasus. Rainbow blinked, swearing she’d misheard. “Gilda? I could have sworn I had something crazy fly in my ear, as I could have sworn you said Gilda as in Gilda the griffon,” Rainbow gawked and Fluttershy nodded as Scootaloo clambered off Rainbow’s back. “No, I did say Gilda. Figured she could scare them off before they even got close to my mom and dad with a good loud roar,” Fluttershy said, chuckling at the irony. A few years ago, she would have thought of Gilda as nothing but a bully thanks to the aforementioned roar amongst other things, but the griffon had a sense of loyalty that rivaled even Rainbow’s. Small wonder Windy was so taken with her, Fluttershy mused to herself. “...I dunno if I should call you crazy or kiss you right now…” Rainbow muttered to herself while shaking her head. Fluttershy made up her mind for her as she gave Rainbow a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. “...Never mind, mind’s made up...” Rainbow murmured in a daze. “Wow!” Scootaloo exclaimed in glee as she walked into the foyer of Rainbow’s home, eyes darting every which way to examine everything, from the many, many trophies on the walls to a picture take at Rainbow and Fluttershy’s wedding day of them sharing their first dance. Humorously, Rainbow seemed to have two left hooves and couldn’t particularly dance very well in the photo, tripping over Fluttershy. “Is this really where you live?” Rainbow chuckled at her daughter’s fangirlism and ruffled her purple mane with a hoof. “Yep, sure is squirt. Take it all in. I’ll see if I can get lunch made, okay?” Rainbow asked and Scootaloo nodded. Right then, there was a knock on the door from downstairs. Fluttershy ran to get it with a shout of “I’m coming!” and opened the front door and was surprised to see a rather pleasantly plump (She wouldn’t say chubby, as somehow it didn’t seem to fit) pegasus mare with light blue hair and a purple mane. She bore a flying sheep for a Cutie Mark. Accompanying her was a cream-colored earth pony, probably using a cloud walking spell with a palm tree and a heart-shaped sun for a Mark, bearing a mane in varying shades of orange. “Hello there,” the earth pony greeted in a pleasant tone of voice. “Name’s Holiday and this is my wife, Lofty,” with the pegasus mare nodding in confirmation. “We’re here about our niece Scootaloo,” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting anywhere near my daughter, are we clear?” “No… We’re not here to take her back to my brother Last Drop, even if that were possible or we had any real desire to,” Holiday said with her eyes narrowing in disdain as she mentioned her brother, and right then and there somehow Fluttershy just got the feeling she could trust the two. Maybe it was the tone, maybe it was the pleasant demeanor, (Or maybe it was the simple fact that Holiday clearly disliked Last Drop) she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it but she knew they weren’t here to harm Scootaloo. She allowed them to follow her upstairs and soon explained everything to Rainbow, who was at first very hesitant to trust either mare, but that soon faded away when Scootaloo ran up to Lofty and embraced her in a hug. “Auntie Lofty!” Scootaloo sniffled. “I… I never thought I’d see you again after… after dad banned you and Holiday from the house!” “It’s alright, we’re here now kiddo, and we’re not leaving you ever again, you hear?” Lofty replied softly while letting Scootaloo cry into her shoulders. “So, why’d you two get banned from Last Drop’s home? Too nice for his little girl?” Rainbow stated sarcastically. Holiday gave out a small growl at the mention of her brother before answering. “Hardly, he thought us being married and being around Scootaloo would give her the “Wrong sorts of ideas about family” or some such… Well, you know,” Holiday muttered. “Wow, a bigot and a filly abuser. Such a loveable stallion…” Rainbow drawled. “Never heard such crap in all my life. Gays can be good parents too, you know! I mean, look at Lyra and her wife Bon-Bon and their daughter Twist for crying out loud!” Nobody bothered to even chastise Rainbow for her language, as they understood her sentiments. “So, you’re the two who’s been taking care of our little girl after you broke her free from that… that, well, no other way to put it but living Tartarus?” Lofty asked, seemingly sizing both Rainbow and Fluttershy up. She’d heard about both of course, how could anyone not given their fame and of course the local newspaper reports. Rainbow noted the way Lofty said “Our”. She sighed. This was an unexpected wrinkle, the judge could very well rule in favor of Lofty and her wife. Not that she would complain, of course, they’d be far better parents to Scootaloo then Last Drop and Icy Winds ever could be. But still, Rainbow wanted to care for her daughter, not let someone else do it. She’d been absent in Scootaloo’s upbringing for far too long, only watching from a distance and offering encouragement when needed. To see Scootaloo go to anyone else, at least without knowing the full truth about her heritage, might just break Rainbow’s heart. At one point, while Scootaloo and Fluttershy talked with Holiday, Lofty led Rainbow aside into another room so nopony could hear the conversation they were about to have. And Lofty started off this conversation by soundly slapping Rainbow across the face. “Ow… What the Hay was that for?” Rainbow asked as she rubbed her stinging cheek. “You know perfectly well what that was for,” Lofty hissed, a look of pure rage on her features, her pleasant demeanor fully dropped now that everypony else was out of both eyesight and hearing range. “I know Scootaloo’s your daughter, I’m not just eye candy you know! I did a bit of digging, and look who I find as Scootaloo’s real parent! You’ve got a lot of nerve taking her in after you left Scootaloo at Last Drop’s house in the damn first place!” “Alright, I messed up, okay?” Rainbow said in an apologetic tone, but it didn’t take with Lofty. “No, messed up is when you break your wife’s favorite vase or forget your anniversary! This... this goes beyond messing up!” Lofty confronted. “And what’s more, as far as I know, Scootaloo as no idea as to who her real mother is!” Okay, I admit that!” Rainbow sputtered out. “But… But I was scared of what would happen if anypony found out! You can understand that, right? I… I was a teenager, and you know how ponies think of teenage parents!” “So, that’s the excuse you’re using to justify yourself?” Lofty hissed back before her tone became softer. “There’s.... There’s something more to this isn’t there?” “Yeah… Yeah, there is,” Rainbow explained with a sigh. “My dad… He was a real mean drunk, just like Last Drop. Happened in Cloudsdale so many years ago, it was like Nightmare Moon herself took him and she did it real slow… He was a monster, and I… I was scared of turning just out like him. So that’s why I did it, dropped Scootaloo off at Last Drop’s home, hoping he and his wife would take care of her well enough, raise her better than I could…” With that, Lofty brought Rainbow in for a hug as the younger pegasus finally broke down in tears with Lofty whispering “It’s alright… I understand… In your place, I might have done the same thing…” Rainbow looked up at her. “Really?” Lofty nodded. “Yeah, really. But do me a favor, okay? Tell Scootaloo about who her real mom is, or I will.” Author's Note Okay, so sorry for the long wait, but with me back in school and a small case of writer's block, this took a bit. But then we got the reveal of Scootaloo's aunts, and all the pieces fell into place and this took shape. Originally, this was going to be titled Storm after the Skynyrd song of the same name, but with the ending scene written out, I figured Sympathy for the Devil would work better.
Part 11: Mother and Child Reunion“But I would not give you false hope On this strange and mournful day When the mother and child reunion Is only a motion away Oh the mother and child reunion Is only a motion away Oh the mother and child reunion Is only a moment away” Mother and Child Reunion: Paul Simon: Paul Simon: 1972 Cloudsdale: Rainbow’s Cloudominium: 12:00 PM Rainbow groaned as she rolled over in her bed and stuffing her face into her pillow, half caught between the dreamscape and the waking world. She knew perfectly well what day it was, the day of the trial. Her and Fluttershy VS Icy Winds and Last Drop. Rainbow let out a small whimper, she would admit it if prompted. She was afraid, no terrified was more like it. Everything that could go wrong, it probably would go wrong if somebody couldn’t keep their mouth shut and blabbed about Scootaloo’s parentage and things would probably go all downhill from there. This was a disaster waiting to happen, and Rainbow knew it. It wasn’t a question of if it would happen, it was a question of only when in Rainbow’s mind. “Celestia damnit… Why couldn’t I have just told Scootaloo that I was her mom in the first place, soon as I took her in?” Rainbow wondered to herself. “Actually, why couldn’t have just kept her in the first place, and this whole damn mess could have been avoided? Scootaloo wouldn’t have had to have spent years in Tartarus, I would have raised her like a proper parent wouldn’t I?” Rainbow groaned again. “Face it Dash, this is all on you and you know it.” she mentally sighed, finally accepting that this was all her fault, everything that had led up to this point was on her. “Time to wake up Dashie…” Fluttershy whispered as she gave her wife a gentle nuzzle. “I don’t wanna…” Dash whined/grumbled to herself as she rolled over to face her wife. “You’re going to have to eventually, and you know it. We both have to show up for the trial, you especially considering you’re one of the main subjects involved in it…” “Don’t you think I know that Fluttershy? It’s… It’s just I never wanted this crap to begin with!” Rainbow hissed. “And before you say anything, I know it’s all on me, this is pretty much my fault but…” Fluttershy gave her wife a quick kiss and cupped her cheeks with her hooves. “I understand Dashie, I really do. To be honest… If I was in your position, having to give birth to a filly at a young age and with your upbringing -Thank Celestia that wasn’t the case- I might have done the same thing. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I might have. Fear does powerful things to ponies,” she said. “You know that…” “Yeah... “ Rainbow grumbled as she tossed the sheets off her and climbed out of bed. “Let’s just get this crap over with okay?” With that, she grabbed a black suit and tie from the closet and headed to the bedroom to get herself ready for the day’s events. “You get Scootaloo and wake her up okay? I… I just don’t feel up for facing her right now, not today…” Rainbow muttered. Canterlot Royal Courthouse: 2:15 PM Rainbow let out a nervous swallow as she and her family walked up the giant steps that led up to the Royal Courthouse. Massive stone white pillars framed either side of the doorway, and a tall bell-tower was attached to the rooftop, the hands slowly counting down to the fated time of 2:45 PM. She turned to Scootaloo, who was trembling at the prospect of facing her adoptive family once more and wrapped a wing around her. “It’ll be alright, okay squirt? We’ll win this, I know it!” Rainbow said, putting on a confident front, even if inwardly she wasn’t quite so confident. Sure, they might win, but what would be the outcome? “Y-Yeah, sure…” Scootaloo whispered to herself and Rainbow pulled her daughter in closer for a hug. A familiar raspy voice belonging to a certain griffon grumbled out “Here they come, the bastards…” as the band of reporters -as ever with things like this- came rushing out of the woodwork, seemingly by the truckload. Rainbow and her family were then bombarded with questions, the flashes of camera shutters and general mayhem. “Mrs. Dash, how do you think this court case will end?” “Do you have every confidence in winning?” “What’s your plans for the future if you win this court case?” “Do you plan on settling down after this and quitting the Wonderbolts?” And then came the kicker, the one that really set off everything. “What’s your take on this Ms. Scootaloo?” One reporter was foolish enough to ask, and Gilda whirled on him and sucked in a breath before unleashing her signature roar directly in his face. The reporter was so quelled in fact, he dropped his camera and ran back into the crowd of his fellow vultures. “Alright you assholes, that’s enough! Leave the girl alone, okay? She’s been through enough already okay?” Gilda snarled and that seemed to shut everybody up. Then she, -acting like a personal bodyguard to her old Flight Camp buddy- and Dash, along with Fluttershy and Scootaloo caught sight of Last Drop and Icy Winds being escorted into the district courthouse by the Royal Guard. Icy Winds smirked smugly, almost as if to say “You’re going to lose and your daughter will be ours once again.” Right then and there, Rainbow wanted to run up and sock the bitch of a mare right in the jaw and knock her flat but was held back by her mother who was shaking her head at her. “No Dashie,” Windy said. “Best to let her be. She’ll get her comeuppance, just you wait. Plenty of evidence is stacked against her, and you’ve got one of the best lawyers in Equestria on your side. I’ve heard about Raven, she’s never lost a case before and I doubt she’s losing one today.” “Yeah…” Rainbow whispered as she adjusted her suit and tie absentmindedly before she let out a low growl. “Still doesn’t mean I don’t want to smash her face in…” Windy leaned over and muttered, “Just between you and me, and I know this is totally unprofessional on my part, but I completely agree with your sentiments.” Rainbow then sucked in a breath as she looked up at the courthouse above her. This was it, no turning back now. She looked at Scootaloo, and then at Fluttershy. “Well, best we get moving…” She sighed. Then a thought struck her. If she was going to tell Scootaloo the truth, it was now or never. Chances are it was going to come out during the trial anyways… “Scoots, there’s something you oughta know. About you and us.” Rainbow began hesitantly, looking directly at her daughter. “Yeah, Rainbow?” “I’m-” But whatever she had to say next was cut off by Gilda shouting “Come on Dash, you’re holding us all up!” Inside the district court, it was just as chaotic as the outside. Camera shutters flashed, evidently, some reporters had managed to get inside somehow. Everybody was clamoring about something, yelling “Justice for fillies!” and generally shouting for Last Drop and Icy Wind’s heads. Rainbow let out a low whistle. “Wow, if they get off somehow, the mob will probably beat them up before I do…” Rainbow muttered and Fluttershy gently smacked her on the head with a wing. “What?” “A lynch mob Dash? Really?” Fluttershy asked with a raised eyebrow but Rainbow was quick to turn the tables. “Oh, like I didn’t hear you muttering about having Discord have a go at them if they did get off a few days back…” Rainbow remarked. Fluttershy eeped and blushed red as Gilda sniggered as the fivesome took their seats. Nearby, they saw Holiday and Lofty take their seats next to Last Drop and Icy Winds. Rainbow sighed, she knew they didn’t want to sit next to their family but they had to. Rainbow and Scootaloo, however, could take one small consolation from that though. As evidently Last Drop didn’t want them any nearer to them than Scootaloo’s aunts did to him, judging by the glares shot in each other’s directions. “Order, order in the court!” The judge, named Hard Case shouted as he banged his gavel. Then, the lawyers walked in. Raven, a grey-furred pony with spectacles and her mane tied in a bun trotted in wearing a nice pantsuit. The other was the court-appointed lawyer for Last Drop and Icy Winds. He was a sorta sleazy sort, smelling of cheap cologne and a barely shaved beard. To top things off, he wore a very cheap suit. Rainbow looked to her left and saw Gilda exchanging a bag of money with her mother as Windy muttered “Told you it’d be one of the cheap ones taking my place…” and turned to Fluttershy. “A bet? Really?” She asked before shaking her head and muttering “...Of all the things to bet on…” What she didn’t see was Gilda secretly pass a smirking Fluttershy a bag of bits to her as well, the griffon looking very displeased at her loss. “Now, this trial will come to order,” Hard Case barked out before looking around the room. “I assume you all know the charges?” Everyone present nodded. “Good. But to repeat, Mrs. Rainbow Dash is suing Icy Winds and Last Drop on the charges of filly abuse and neglection of care.” Mutters erupted around the courtroom, and more than a few glares were tossed towards a certain pair of adoptive parents. “That’s a load of bull! We cared for the brat the best we could! She was just dumped off at her house by whatever worthless whorse who was too afraid to care for her in the middle of the bloody night!” Last Drop erupted. “Language!” Hard Case shouted as he banged his gavel. “I intend to keep this court as civilized as possible, and any more outbursts like that and I will hold you in contempt of court!” “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Raven suddenly spoke up. “But isn’t picking up a lost child left on the doorstep of a house grounds for kidnapping?” “That is neither here nor there. We are investigating charges of filly abuse and neglect, not kidnapping,” Hard Case reminded. “Although now that you bring that up, those charges will be considered.” “If I may bring up the question,” Last Drop and Icy Wind’s defendant asked. “What exactly happened that night when you found Scootaloo on your doorstep?” Icy Winds was called to the stand. “We took her in, simple as that!” Icy Winds stated. “It was a cold rainy night, and so we decided to just take her in, and give her shelter from the storm… Just for the night. Just for the night, I want to clarify that! We intended to give her up the local orphanage in the morning but she sorta stole our hearts…” “What a load of crap…” Scootaloo muttered to herself. “Stole their hearts my flank!” “Objection!” Raven shouted. “The accused has just admitted to kidnapping!” “Objected sustained.” Hard Case said. “If I may, your honor,” Raven asked. “There’s a new piece of magitech as it’s been started to be called developed by the Canterlot Royal Science Institute by one Bill Neigh just for situations like this. It would allow us to show a pony’s memories of what really happened. I’d like to use this case as a test run if you will.” “Very well, you are allowed.” Hard Case said and despite sputters from Last Drop and Icy Winds, a glowing blue orb was brought in by ponies in white lab coats and placed on a pedestal. “Now, for legal reasons all must agree to this. If anyone does not consent, this orb will not be used,” Raven explained before turning to Scootaloo and looking at her kindly. “If there’s no memories you want to contribute, or you don’t want anything to be viewed… Don’t worry, I don’t think anypony would hold that against you.” Rainbow and Fluttershy were quick to sign the consent forms, and Scootaloo’s gaze hardened. “Yeah, I’ll contribute. I want to see those… things locked up!” She replied, not even wanting to call a certain two her parents. They never were, not in her mind. Last Drop and Icy were just as quick to agree, stating that they wanted their daughter back and away from those disgusting filly-foolers. Once again, they had to be warned by Hard Case of the potential of being held in contempt of court. And so, the first memory was shown. Lightning flashed in the night as a hooded figure in a brown hooded cloak quickly left a sleeping filly with an orange coat and a small purple mane in a basket on an unknown doorstep. She attached a small, quickly scribbled note and quickly ran off into the night. Not even a few minutes later a much younger Icy Winds opened the door. “That doesn’t prove anything!” Last Drop shouted. Rainbow meanwhile was sucking in a breath, hoping nobody saw that mare in the memory as her. Her mane was very distinct after all. “Oh, but I think it does. According to Equestrian law, and as I have stated before taking in a child left on a doorstep accounts as kidnapping,” Raven stated in triumph. “And how do you know we didn’t just take her to an orphanage and my wife isn’t lying?” “Would she have any reason to incriminate herself?” Raven interrogated. Last Drop quickly shut his trap after that. Then, after her lawyer whispered something into Icy Winds’ ear, an absolutely evil smirk came over her face. Icy Winds was going down, she knew that much but she knew if she was going down, she’d take Rainbow with her. “If I may contribute a memory?” Icy asked with a sneer. “I’d like to show what happened as soon as Rainbow over there found about our alleged crimes…” And so, the next memory was shown as Raven plucked a thin wispy strand of mist from Icy’s mind with her horn glowing a solid light blue color. “What kind of lies is that worthless brat telling now?" The stallion Last Drop said as he came in. “I assure you that we will make sure she doesn't bother you with this...” “Scootaloo wouldn't lie to me, not about this!” Rainbow snapped, causing the two older ponies to recoil a little. “I trust Scootaloo a heck of a lot more than I trust the two of you right now!” “Why do you care? You're not her mother, you're not even her sister, you're just a mare who she looks up to," Last Drop said. "You're just a…” Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, she swung her hoof at Last Drop, catching the stallion off guard as she punched him hard, drawing blood from his muzzle. He growled at her and swung back, hitting her briefly, but it only seemed to make her angrier. As Icy Wind tried to move behind her she bucked hard, sending the mare sprawling. The two older ponies were trying their best, but Rainbow Dash had dealt with a lot worse than them. “Freeze!” A commanding voice said and several ponies dressed in guard armor stormed in, causing the fight to stop, leaving the two older ponies looking rather bloody. “Oh thank Celestia, this crazy mare broke into our house and attacked us for no reason!" Icy Wind said, trying to put on an innocent face. “Take her away, lock her up and throw away the key!” “Icy Wind, Last Drop, you're both under arrest,” the lead guard said as he entered the house. "What? What did we do?" Last Drop demanded as they were locked in hoofcuffs. "You know exactly what you did, don't lie!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, she couldn't believe that they were actually trying to weasel their way out of this. "You are under arrest for foal abuse and neglect," the guard said as they hauled the two ponies off. "This isn't over Rainbow Dash!" Icy Wind shouted. Rainbow Dash cringed a little at that and watched as they were taken away. She sighed a little as she started to calm down a little. "Mrs. Dash, we're going to have to get a statement from you later," one of the guards said and Rainbow nodded. "Somepony will stop by the Castle, are you okay? You're bleeding." “Huh?” Rainbow asked as she ran a hoof along her muzzle, coming up with blood. “I'll be fine, I'm going back to the castle.” “That monster broke into our house and assaulted us! That should at least show she’s not fit to be a parent for our Scootaloo!” Icy Winds spoke, playing the sympathy card. “Why you!” Rainbow snarled and almost jumped from her seat before Fluttershy and Gilda quickly pulled her back. “S-She had every reason to do so…” Scootaloo nervously whispered. Ms. Raven? If I may contribute a memory?” Raven nodded and Scootaloo found herself seeing a thin strand of memory removed from her head and deposited into the orb. Raven then spoke up and said “Just so that I may be clear on things, these are not permanent removals of memories. We are not mind-wiping anypony, these memories will be replanted back into their respective owners at the end of this trial.” And so... Thunder rumbled and rolled in the late night sky as Scootaloo trembled under her bed in fear, shaking and quivering as she heard what was going on in the next room over. The sounds of crashing and punches flying came from behind her bedroom door, and the sound of a body hitting it created a loud thud. “That’s what you get, ya bitch!” Last Drop’s voice shouted. “Pouring all my beer bottles down the drain!” “Well, ya deserve it! You focus more on yer booze than ya do me!” Icy Winds shouted back and then was the sound a loud slap smacking across fur. “How do you like that huh?” Last Drop shouted as lightning flashed and lit up Scootaloo’s room illuminating just how badly kept it and Scootaloo herself were. The paint was peeling, a picture of Rainbow Dash and her had been knocked to the floor by one of the two parents in a fit of drunken rage. “P-Please, don’t fight…” Scootaloo whispered but her pleas were ignored. “W-Why can’t you just love each other like real parents do? W-Why can’t you just love me?” Her body began to quiver as she sobbed softly to herself, tears rolling down her face and onto the wooden floor. ‘Why…? Why?” Scootaloo sobbed, her entire body shaking as the argument continued. “I pay the damn bills around here, and yet all you do is spend the money on booze!” Icy Winds shouted as she punched her husband in the face, sending him staggering back. He hit a wall, and a picture behind him crashed to the floor and its glass frame broke sending pieces everywhere as it shattered. “Look what happened today! I come home from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory with my check, and what do you do?” Icy Winds accused. “Oh, that’s right! You snatch it straight from my hooves like the Mister Grabby Hooves you are and spend it on booze! Then, next week, look what happens again! More booze! Beer, beer, beer! That’s all you ever care about, and not me!” Her voice had turned into a bellow by this point, and now Last Drop was truly furious. “You’re hardly innocent yourself, bitch! Look at you, offering yourself out to any stallion who’ll have your worthless body!” He roared. “Well, it’s hardly like I have much choice in the matter, do I? It pays the bills, and besides, I get more love from them than I do from YOU!” Icy Winds snarled out. Meanwhile, Scootaloo had finally decided she’d had enough. Anywhere was better than this, surely. With a crashing sound, she threw her lamp through the window and smashed the glass before clambering out of the open window and into the grass below. Scootaloo broke into a sprint and ran as fast and far as she could, ignoring the pounding rain soaking her fur and the howling winds. “T-The Clubhouse!” Scootaloo whispered to herself as she ran. “T-That’s got to be a good place for me to wait out the storm and then I’ll just live out on the streets! It’s a Tartarus of a lot better place than my parents’ house!” Gasps echoed throughout the courtroom and growls were made as more glares were directed towards Icy and Last Drop at the condition of Scootaloo’s home life. “I… I couldn’t sleep that night, I needed comfort…” Then a sneer came to the face of Icy and Last Drop’s lawyer, one Rainbow didn’t like one bit. “Comfort you say?” He hissed out. “Comfort as in somepony sleeping with you, comfort as in somebody… touching you?” “YOU BASTARD! I’d never touch Scootaloo like that, NEVER!” Rainbow practically erupted and once again had to be held back as Hard Case banged his gavel and shouted for order. And once again, a memory was shown and deposited. Rainbow, still in shock from what she had just learned, placed Scootaloo onto the bed and covered her up with the blankets. "What... What do we now?" Fluttershy asked in concern. Rainbow let out a snarl as she climbed into bed besides her "Little Sister" and snuggled up to her, knowing that the little filly needed the warmth and comfort of a REAL parent. "First, I'm going to protect Scootaloo for tonight and then, tomorrow I'm going over to her parent's home and give them both the ass kicking of their lives." Rainbow growled out before wrapping her forelegs protectively around Scootaloo, who unconsciously snuggled up to Rainbow's neck and whispered "Mama Dash..." “I don’t see any non-consensual touching, do you?” Raven asked. “All I see is an older sister figure comforting her little sister. Granted, Scootaloo thinking of Rainbow as her mother is... unexpected, to say the least, but not entirely surprising considering what her adoptive parents were like.” Icy growled, as once again the court swung Rainbow’s way. “I still fail to see hard evidence that Scootaloo has been abused, unfortunately.” Hard Case remarked. Scootaloo mustered up her courage, as much as she didn’t want to show this last memory, she really had no other choice if she wanted to see her “Parents” locked away for good. She didn’t want to see them just get locked away with just a kidnapping charge, she wanted them to face the full consequences. If anything, Scootaloo had inherited her mother’s vengeful streak. “If… If it pleases you, your honor, may I give one last memory to the Orb?” Scootaloo asked nervously, and Fluttershy gasped. “Scootaloo, you don’t have to do this…” She whispered. “No, I have to. They need to know the truth. I’m done running and hiding from my past,” Scootaloo stated firmly. “If they’re going to go away, I want to be a part of it.” “But…” Fluttershy trailed off before realizing Scootaloo was right. There was no way in Tartarus Last Drop nor Icy Winds would give up memories of them abusing Scootaloo willingly. So Scootaloo herself had to do it. “Go on, do it dear…” And then, the final nail in Icy Winds and Last Drop’s coffin was sealed. Everypony collectively watched in abject horror as this final memory was shown… “Get in there, you little brat!” Icy Winds snapped as she physically threw (Yes, threw) Scootaloo into her room. “Try and dump all of my numbers into the paper shredder, don’t think I didn’t see you did that!” “But you’re… you’re supposed to be married to your husband, not getting out and about with those other stallions!” Scootaloo whimpered and Icy soundly slapped her across the face. “Shut up! This is just what Last Drop deserves, for loving his drinks more than me! Karma’s a bitch, and this is it coming back to bite him.” The horrified expression on Icy’s face was laughable really, as it twisted between a mixture of rage, shock, and horror as her hypocrisy was on full display to the full court. Eyes bored into her as pretty much everyone in their seats glared harshly at the mare, and cameras flashed. It would be a prize-winning front-page photo of her face that would later appear in the newspaper depicting the outcome of events. Hard Case slammed the gavel down, the sound echoing throughout the entire court. “Icy Winds, you and your husband are convicted of Child Abuse, Neglect, and Kidnapping. 25 Years in the Canterlot Prison, with no chance of parole. Custody of Scootaloo will go to the Dash family.” Hard Case stated as his final words on the matter and Last Drop and Icy Winds were dragged out kicking and screaming up a storm by the Royal Guard as the entire court rose up in their seats and cheered. Lofty, while her wife wasn’t looking actually had the sheer audacity to flip Last Drop the Bird with a wing. Rainbow and Fluttershy pulled Scootaloo into a hug and held their new daughter tight. Things were finally over. However, that happiness was not to last as a certain harpy known as Icy Winds managed to screech this out. “You damn bitch! You caused this, just by leaving that damn daughter of yours on my doorstep! You hear me, this is all your fault! Hope you enjoy your worthless filly, you damn filly-fooling bitch!” And there was Scootaloo, looking up at Rainbow with a look of betrayal etched on her face. “Rainbow,” she whispered. “Am I really your…” “Yeah Squirt,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I’m your real mom.” Author's Note Welp, I think the expression "Oh Crap" sorta fits the ending here. Still, at least that's the last we'll see of Last Drop and Icy Winds right? ...Right? Anyways, to be fairly honest this was probably the hardest chapter of the story I had to write so far. I honestly had no clue what to actually do here considering I know so little about writing courtroom drama. Watching it is one thing, but writing it...? Of course, I then remembered the Pensieves from the Harry Potter books and the Memory Orbs from Fallout: Equestria and sorta combined the two into the magitech shown in this chapter. Anyways, just a fair word of warning, I won't be uploading any chapters next month (Maybe another this month, but no promises) as because of how sad things are going to get. I just don't want to ruin your Christmas Spirit that's all. (Part of the reason I hate Anon-A-Miss fics so badly, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyways, if this turns out to be the case and no further chapters are uploaded this month, have a very happy Christmas and a very good New Year. Oh, before I forgot, a huge thank you to SweetAI Belle for contributing the song that gave this chapter it's title. Before Paul Simon's song was suggested, I honestly was going to go with a Pink Floyd song called the Trial.
Part 12: SinnermareOh, sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Sinnerman where you gonna run to? Where you gonna run to? All on that day We got to run to the rock Please hide me, I run to the rock Please hide me, run to the rock Please hide here All on that day But the rock cried out I can't hide you, the rock cried out I can't hide you, the rock cried out I ain't gonna hide you there All on that day I said rock What's the matter with you rock? Don't you see I need you, rock? Sinnerman: Nina Simone: Pastel Blues: 1965 Ponyville: Fluttershy’s Cottage Rainbow Dash had said nothing on the long trip back to her wife’s cottage, the yelling and screaming of Icy Winds, and the resulting aftermath still ringing in her ears. “You damn bitch! You caused this, just by leaving that damn daughter of yours on my doorstep! You hear me, this is all your fault! Hope you enjoy your worthless filly, you damn filly-fooling bitch!” And there was Scootaloo, looking up at Rainbow with a look of betrayal etched on her face. “Rainbow,” she whispered. “Am I really your…” “Yeah Squirt,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I’m your real mom.” Of course, once she entered the small cottage, the silence was broken. A rush of emotion was going through Scootaloo’s head right now. Confusion, for why Rainbow never told her and why it had to be Icy Winds that had to do it. Sadness, for why Rainbow never felt the need to trust her enough with this snippet of information. And fury, for all of the reasons stated above. “How... How long?” Scootaloo’s voice quavered, as she looked up towards the pony she once thought she could trust with anything in the world. It seemed Rainbow wasn’t willing to be the same as her. Scootaloo’s eyes almost drilled a hole into Rainbow’s soul, and although she wanted to out of shame, she couldn’t look away. “How long were you planning to keep this hidden from me?” Rainbow’s silence and the fact that she was gazing at the floor said it all. “...Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Scootaloo muttered bitterly as she turned to leave the room, tossing a look of both betrayal and disgust towards her so-called mother. “If you had planned to ever tell me, you would have told me long before now.” “S-Scootaloo, hold up a second!” Rainbow shouted, and her daughter halted briefly. “I… I was afraid. My father… Well, he was no better than who I left you with. And… And when I got pregnant with you, I was terrified I’d turn out to be just like him. I… I was only a teenager back then, one night stand thanks to hormones running high and maybe a few glasses of whiskey. How… How was I supposed to know what would happen?” Rainbow pleaded, her voice beginning to quiver as well. “L-Like I said, teenager, stupid and afraid. S-Some Element of Loyalty I turned out to be eh?” Rainbow joked weakly. Scootaloo wasn’t amused. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell you the truth. Sweet Celestia, just every time I’ve looked at you, I wanted to tell you that. But… But I just couldn’t work up the nerve, as I knew you’d never take it well. But the real irony, the more I put it off, the angrier I knew I’d make you. And that continued to scare me, keep me from telling you. Fear… It makes you do things you never thought you’d do…” Rainbow whispered, tears dripping to the floor from her cerise eyes. “You know you said something about how you were afraid you’d turn out worse than your father?” Scootaloo asked bitterly, and Rainbow looked up only to receive a sharp punch to the jaw that sent her sprawling to the floor. “Congrats, you have.” And those words hurt more than any punch ever could. Rainbow sobbed quietly as Scootaloo headed to the door. “Scootaloo, wait!” Fluttershy called. “I need to talk to somepony…” Scootaloo muttered as she grabbed her scooter and put on her helmet, tears of her own beginning to form. “Somepony that isn’t either of you two!” With that, she raced off to Celestia only knew where. Meanwhile, Fluttershy helped her wife off the floor. Rainbow rubbed her jaw, and looked at her wife. “She’s right you know…” Rainbow muttered. “Tell me she’s right…” “No, she isn’t and you know that,” Fluttershy whispered, supportive to the end. “She’s just angry, and she just needs time to think things through. She’ll come around eventually.” Rainbow laughed bitterly to herself. “Hah, you really believe that?” Rainbow asked. “And maybe Tirek himself will rise up from Tartarus and reform and take the straight and narrow path!” she replied sarcastically. Rainbow then looked her wife dead in the eyes. “Go on, tell me how you really feel. I’ve never been the best wife to you, and I’ve been an even worse mother to my own damn daughter!” Rainbow shouted. “Go on, admit it! I know you want to! Ponies like you… They bottle up all their anger inside, and just let it out when something finally pushes them over the edge! Well, I think this counts, doesn’t it?” “No… No,” Fluttershy asserted. “While I admit you’ve never been the best wife towards me, you’ve always tried your hardest. Every relationship, it has its ups and downs.” “Yeah, pretty sure this crap counts as more than just ups and downs…” Rainbow muttered in self-disgust. Fluttershy didn’t even bother to berate her for her language. Privately, she admitted some of what her wife was saying was true. There were times she wanted to shout and scream at her wife for some of her stupid mistakes, quite a few of them surrounding Scootaloo. And lately, she’d been wanting to do it more than ever. But like Rainbow said, she never could work up the courage in fear of ruining things. “If… If it’s okay with you,” Rainbow continued as she walked towards the couch. “I’ll just be sleeping here tonight. God knows I deserve it, and to be honest… I don’t trust myself around you right now. Probably screw up our relationship beyond belief just like I did with my daughter’s.” With that, Rainbow pulled the covers over herself, turned off a nearby lamp to darken the room, and hugged the Spitfire plushie she’d bought for Scootaloo close to herself and finally let the tears flow. Sweet Apple Acres: Scootaloo honestly didn’t know how long she raced her scooter across Ponyville, or how many ponies saw her tears as she did so, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. But somehow, just as night was beginning to fall she found herself at the Clubhouse. She looked up to where -illuminated in the moonlight- was the poster for the Rainbow Dash fan club. She, with a snarl, reached up and ripped the poster from the wall, before gazing at the pony on it longingly. Not the pony she knew now, but the one she looked up to. The Rainbow Dash she thought she could trust, the infallible, unstoppable one. Growling in anger, and fighting back more tears, she then ripped it in half and tossed what remained behind her. “Did… Did that pony ever exist at all…?” Scootaloo wondered to herself, not realizing she was speaking aloud. “She still does kid, you know that,” a familiar scratchy voice said from behind her, as Scootaloo heard the sounds of wings flapping and a set of paws landing on the wood floor. “Just not in the right state of mind for you to figure that out yet, that’s all.” Scootaloo turned, and saw a familiar white feathered griffon with purple highlights. Though her vision was blurry from her tears, Scootaloo recognized her in an instant. “G-Gilda?” Scootaloo choked out and was pulled into a hug by the griffon in question. “Yeah, it’s me, kid. Sorta figured I’d find you here, given what your mom’s told me about you in letters. Heh, you two are so alike it’s scary really,” Gilda replied. “Listen, Dash may not be the brightest mare in the world at times, but she means well in the end. And if it helps any, you being her daughter and not telling you, eating her up inside. ...I was there you know, when Rainbow named you and christened you and everything. She looked like the proudest mare in the world at that moment, just holding you in her arms.” “Then… Then why…?” Scootaloo sniffled. “She gave you up?” Gilda finished, and Scootaloo nodded. “...Listen, you have to understand Dash’s state of mind at that moment. Her father… As you probably already know, wasn’t the nicest stallion in the world. Constantly drunk off his ass, and screaming at her. Saying she and her mom broke everything they touched really. Honestly… Flight camp with me, Flutters, and the rest was about some of the only times I saw her happy when she was a young little filly. Hell, surprised she didn’t decide to try and end it all at one point or the other, given how much a bastard her dear old dad was. Hell, she might have tried for all I know really. I wasn’t there all the time, keeping an eye on her.” Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You… You really think that Mo-Dash (Scootaloo quickly amended herself, she wasn’t going to be calling Dash by that anytime soon) really would have…” she trailed off, swallowing nervously. “Honestly… Yeah,” Gilda answered bluntly. “That’s how bad things were. Her father, real dick. I’m going to tell you this right now, if the alcohol hadn’t gotten him in the end, I probably would have gone out, found a gun or something and killed the guy myself,” she growled out. “But Dash… She’s nothing like her father. All her life, she’s strived to be anything but him. Proving him wrong at every corner. Her father said she’d never be a Wonderbolt, look where she is now. Her father said she’d never amount to anything? Well, she’s one of Equestria’s biggest heroes nowadays. Her father said she’d never find love? She found that in Fluttershy, of all ponies. She’s happy, for the most part.” Gilda stated. “And… And I just yelled and screamed at her that she was worse than her father…” Scootaloo whimpered. “I’m nothing like my mom. Nothing at all…” “You were angry kid, and I don’t blame you. In your position, might have yelled at Dash myself actually. Surprised I already haven’t blown up at her for this crap she pulled,” Gilda admitted. “But make no mistake, Dash… Knowing her, she’ll be angry for a while but she won’t hold it against you. More like herself. She needs you there for her kid, trust me on that. She may be a tough pony on the outside, but on the inside… She’s as vulnerable as you or me. Now come on kid, let’s get you back home. Getting cold tonight, and Fluttershy would kill me -Or worse, sic that chimera friend of hers on me- if she found out I let you freeze to death.” Scootaloo laughed a little at that, before she looked at Gilda again as the griffon picked her up in her claws, and held her close to her chest to keep the young filly warm. “Just one thing…” Scootaloo began. “Yeah, kiddo?” Gilda asked. “Can I call you Auntie Gilda?” Scootaloo asked, and Gilda smiled at that. “Sure you can kid, sure you can. It would be my honor to join your family in some way. And hey, if all goes well enough with your grandma, I probably will be a part of your family tree. ...Just in a very weird way.” “Yeah, not sure what to think about you dating my grandma yet…” Scootaloo trailed off. “For the record?” Gilda asked. “Neither does your mother!” Scootaloo actually laughed at that, and continued to do so all the way back home. Author's Note Okay, so sorry for the extra long wait, and if you y'all hate me for that, can't blame you. But honestly, I needed to get my inspiration back for this story. Looked at a few of Ruinqueen's stories to see how the big confrontation would go, and the ideas just started flowing from there. Now... Gilda. Really wasn't my first choice in characters to console and give advice to Scoots, (My first choices were a member of the CMC or one of her aunts) but I remembered that Gilda was one of Dash's best friends growing up and would have known Dash around the timeline she had Scootaloo in. Plus, led to the second half of the chapter, which is quite honestly one of my favorite scenes in the entire story I've written thus far. Also, Sinnerman. Wasn't my first choice, even if I wanted to use this piece in a story for a very long time now. Thought about Old Man by Neil Young or Johnny Cash's version of Hurt. But in the end, Nina Simone won out. As ever, comments and thoughts are appreciated.
Part 13: Cat's in the CradleMy child arrived just the other day He came to the world in the usual way But there were planes to catch and bills to pay He learned to walk while I was away And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, Dad You know I'm gonna be like you" And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man on the moon When you comin' home, Dad I don't know when, but we'll get together then You know we'll have a good time then My son turned ten just the other day He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok" And he walked away but his smile never dimmed And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah You know I'm gonna be like him" Cat’s in the Cradle: Harry Chapin: Verities & Balderdash: 1974 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Fluttershy paced back and forth in place in front of her door, her mind filled with the seeds of worry. She’d been like this for hours, even since Scootaloo had stormed off. It was a cold night out, and Scootaloo had ran off to Celestia only knew where. Fluttershy let out a small little whimper at the possibility of the Royal Guard turning up on her doorstep with that look on their muzzles saying they’d found her daughter’s body, -After all she and Scootaloo had been through together in the past several months, the buttercream pegasus could think of her wife’s child as nothing else but her own as well- and only their sympathies to offer. Then there came a knock on the door. Fluttershy froze in place, and steadied herself for what was to come, before she slowly walked up to the door and opened it. But lay behind it was not who the worried young pegasus was expecting. Far from it, actually. “Scootaloo!” Fluttershy shouted, tears of joy coming to her eyes, as her daughter rushed into her awaiting arms. Gilda stood proudly, a scarf around her neck. “Oh thank Celestia… I was so worried… You don’t want to know how many things I thought could have happened to you…” Fluttershy whispered as she nuzzled her young charge affectionately. “Hey, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Scootaloo asked casually, brushing everything off like it was absolutely nothing to worry about at all. Fluttershy smiled, so much like her mother. She held her real feelings up inside till she wasn’t in public. Inwardly, she knew Scootaloo was just as relieved to see her mother as her mom was to see her. “So, everything’s cool right?” she joked weakly. Fluttershy winced. “Oh… Heh, wrong choice of words… Sorry,” Scootaloo laughed nervously. “Really bad choice of words…” Behind her, Gilda was giving her a “You think, kiddo?” look. “So… So, where did you go?” Fluttershy asked. “Found her in the old Clubhouse, crying her eyes out,” Gilda replied. “She was in quite the state, if I’m to be honest with you. Really broken up.” Fluttershy whispered: “Thank you, thank you…” to Gilda over and over, and the griffon actually blushed and rubbed the back of her head really not quite sure how to take that. “Well, you going to stand there and let me shiver, or invite me in and shut the door?” Gilda asked jokingly. “Who said you needed an invitation?” Fluttershy asked weakly as she gestured for the griffon to step inside. Gilda smiled, and used one of her wings to pull the door shut behind her. “Here, I’ll make us some tea.” “No, no thanks,” Gilda said. “I don’t really plan on staying long, I got a very worried marefriend waiting on me back at the local inn.” “No, I insist,” Fluttershy stated. “Besides, I have a few apologies to make, really.” “Apologies, what for?” Gilda asked quizzically, an eyebrow raised. Honestly, she was confused. She thought she and Fluttershy had buried the hatchet soon as she’d fixed things up with her wife back in Griffonstone. That was enough for her, wasn’t it? Knowing that Gilda really didn’t know how to interact with ponies. That had to be enough for Fluttershy, right? “For… For well everything, really,” Fluttershy replied as she trotted towards the kitchen with Gilda following. “Honestly, I’ve… I’ve never quite really forgiven you for the things you did, how you hurt my wife a couple years back. Breaking off her friendship like that and the way you treated her friends and me, really hurt her.” “Didn’t you send me to your parents' house to ward off reporters not too long ago, unless my memory is mistaken?” Gilda replied. “No offense, but your parents are even worse than you in the assertiveness department. One roar from me, they’d be sent running along with the reporters. Not a very effective tactic I’d say, if that would be the end result. Scare off the ponies you’re trying to protect. I’d say you sending me there as their personal bodyguard shows quite a bit of trust on your part, doesn’t it?” “Maybe,” Fluttershy remarked as she readed a pot of late-night tea. “But still! I… I always thought of you for the longest time as a bully, and I never got the chance to apologize for that, even long after I’d seen that you weren’t one. Just somegriffon who needed help, but nopony was kind enough to listen…” Fluttershy whispered, a trace of guilt in her tone. “Hey, no way you could have known man,” Gilda replied while waving a paw dismissively, in that cool and casual demeanor of hers. As if all of this was no big deal to her. “Honestly, I didn’t really help matters much for myself, blowing up at you and Dash like that, making a show of myself in front of your friends. Sure, I didn’t really know how to interact amongst you ponies, but still hardly an excuse really. I was a bitch, and no need to correct me on my language as we both know it’s true.” Fluttershy raised a hoof to do just that, but then lowered it right as the tea kettle whistled. “Yeah… Suppose you’re right about that...” she murmured to herself as she continued prepping the tea. “I’m surprised you’re even willing to talk to me, after all the crap I’ve pulled with you and your friends,” Gilda muttered to herself in a tone that held traces of self-disgust. “I was a bully, simply put! So… So why aren’t you afraid of me?” “Honestly, probably because I’ve grown up over the years, just like you have. Besides, you? You’re nothing compared to what, and who I’ve dealt with since our first meeting,” Fluttershy told her with a small smile. “Yeah,” Gilda chuckled as she took a sip of the tea and grimaced. Needed more sugar, this blend. “I mean, the Spirit of Chaos himself, and you befriended and helped reform him? That’s… That’s seriously cool man!” she continued, more than a trace of respect in her tone for the normally reserved pegasus. “Yeah… Yeah, I guess it is…” Fluttershy whispered to herself before she took a sip of her own tea. “Dude, you’re seriously underplaying your heroics!” Gilda phrased. “I mean, what if you’d failed? Discord -Celestia, sure don’t hope he even shows by me merely mentioning his name- would have been free to cause his signature brand of chaos again, completely unrestrained!” Gilda, with more than a trace of fear, took a quick look around the room, just to make sure the Chaos Spirit wasn’t anywhere near. She sighed in relief when she saw he wasn’t. Fluttershy, in the past, admitted to herself she would have smirked in satisfaction upon seeing the griffon so afraid of something, but not now. It just seemed… wrong, after all they’d been through together and after Gilda’s confession. Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on Gilda’s shoulder. “Hey, to him, any friend of mine is a friend of his. Like you said, I have him completely under control,” she reassured. “Long as you don’t cause trouble again, he won’t do a thing to you. Pinkie Promise.” Gilda sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from her brow, before she realized something. “Hey, where’s the kiddo?” she asked, before she followed Fluttershy’s gazed and let out a soft “Awww…” as she saw Scootaloo snuggling herself up to her mother and nuzzling into her mane, holding her tightly. “You think they’ll be alright?” Fluttershy asked in concern. “Oh, I know they will. Families may fight, but in the end, they forgive each other don’t they?” Gilda asked with a soft smile as she pulled the covers back up over both of the sleeping pegasi. As she did so, she was reminded of an old song she’d heard on the radio once and began to hum it. “And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon “When you coming home, son?” “I don't know when But we'll get together then, dad We're gonna have a good time then…” She sang with a small smile before kissing her newfound niece’s forehead. Cloudsdale: Wonderbolts Academy: Rainbow, with a reinvigorated smile on her face, touched down on the main landing strip at the Academy. Heading to the locker rooms, she found her uniform and pulled it out. Quickly throwing it on, she zipped it up and pulled her flight goggles down over her face. While she did this, she thought back to earlier this morning… “Squirt…?” Rainbow asked, as her cerise eyes -Widened in considerable shock- gazed in her daughter’s purple orbs. “Wha...What are you doing here?” she asked groggily. “Spending time with you,” Scootaloo said. “What does it look like?” “But… But I thought you hated me…” Rainbow whispered as her still half-asleep brain tried to comprehend this new information. “Oh, I’m still a bit ticked off with you, make no mistake about that,” Scootaloo clarified as she got up off the couch, with Rainbow following. “But the way I see it, we need each other, don’t we? Far too alike to just not stick together.” “Where’d you hear that one? Because by Celestia, it sounds cheesy. You haven’t been dipping into Fluttershy’s dime-store romance novels have you?” Rainbow remarked in a slightly joking tone before it became stern. “Please tell me you haven’t, half of the stuff in those books you shouldn’t be reading about anyways…” Scootaloo made a face of disgust. “Please, that stuff is way too mushy for my tastes. Auntie Gilda may have sorta gave me a good hard talking to last night, that’s where I got that.” “Wait, Auntie Gilda?” Rainbow asked in surprise, her eyes blinking. She swore she could have misheard. “Yeah, we may have… Talked about a few things, and she gave me a few hard truths. Ended up seeing her as an adoptive aunt. Can’t really call her Grandma Gilda, she’s much too young for that really.” “Well, if my mom and her have their way, you probably will be soon enough…” Rainbow muttered, still incredibly weirded out that her childhood friend and her own mom were dating. “True…” Scootaloo muttered. “Still, I have to wonder, if you just dropped me on Icy Wind’s doorstep -Still haven’t forgiven you for that by the way, and I probably never entirely will- how’d she know I was your daughter?” “Well, like you said, we’re too far alike for anypony with a brain to wonder if we’re not related in some way,” Rainbow explained, wincing slightly at the bitter tone in her daughter’s voice even if she knew she deserved a few stinging remarks here and there. “Plus… Birth records are fairly easy enough to find if you’re a smart enough mare and know where to look…” “Yeah, guess so…” Rainbow found herself snapped back to the present by her commander’s voice. “Well, you seem to have an extra spring in your step today Crash,” Spitfire remarked. “Have a good night?” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows slightly. Rainbow groaned, her commander -Although she wouldn’t trade her in for anypony else in the world- could be such a pain in the flank at times. “Hardly, the aftermath of that damn trial and all…” Rainbow muttered as she walked back outside alongside her commander. Spitfire winced. “Yeah, saw the entire thing in the papers,” she replied. “Nasty piece of work. That bitch of a mother you dropped your child off with… Brings a disgrace to the pegasi name really. Actually, I want to talk with you about your daughter. I know I’m not one to normally inquire in my team’s personal lives, as that’s their own business and not mine, but I am a bit concerned...” “Yeah, you and about half the team really,” Rainbow muttered in distaste. “Earlier today, had Fleetfoot and Misty Fly butting their noses in about why I exactly left my own daughter on somebody’s doorstep. Bad enough Scoots is angry with me about it, but-” “And she has every right to be, along with the rest of us. What you did… Hard to look over. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about. It’s something I noticed when I was at your in-laws' home. Her wings, Scootaloo seems awfully underdeveloped for her age…” “Eh, maybe she’s just a late bloomer. You were, remember?” Rainbow reminded, having grown up near Spitfire and even went to the same Flight School. “Fair enough, though let’s try and keep that from getting out eh?” Spitfire said in a low tone and Rainbow nodded. “But I got to thinking, and I’m sorry for how this sounds, but you didn’t by any chance have a few drinks while you were pregnant with your daughter did you? We both know the possible side effects of that…” Rainbow glared at her commander harshly. “No, I would never! I swore never to even touch a bottle of booze, not even the light stuff! Not after how my father treated me!” Rainbow snapped, not even caring the tone she was taking with her boss. “So if you’re going to accuse me of that kind of shit, you better have some really good proof to back it up!” Spitfire took a step back, and sighed. Right, this was Rainbow she was talking to. One of the most anti-alcoholic ponies she’d ever known. “I’m… I’m sorry, you just can’t blame me for being concerned you know? Looking out for the young girl. Not just because she’s your daughter, but because she’s a fellow pegasus. We stick up for our brethren, our flock if you will.” “Yeah, I understand… Sorry boss.” Rainbow apologized. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. My remarks, they hit a little too close to home. More than they should have…” “It’s alright commander,” Rainbow replied, giving Spitfire a smile. “Let’s just hit the skies alright?” Spitfire smirked. “Gladly Crash. Last one to the end of the course is cleaning the dishes tonight!” With that, she took off like a rocket leaving Rainbow to shout: “Hey, no fair! Didn’t even say ready set go!” Author's Note Okay, few things to say about this chapter. A few people pointed out and questioned on how Icy Winds knew that Scootaloo was Rainbow's daughter. So, provided an explanation for that. Also, Scootaloo's still a little bitter with Rainbow, as she has every right to be. So not all's forgiven. Also, picked up that plot point from earlier about Spitfire suspecting Scootaloo's lack of flight may be Rainbow's own fault, and elaborated on it a bit more. Also, had another pony give Rainbow shit on what she's pulled. Now, the Fluttershy/Gilda scene. Point of pride for me personally, as one must wonder at times how Fluttershy puts up with Gilda given their first interaction. Flutters would still remember that little incident, so I decided to have both parties get everything out in the open. Reoccuring theme here, unexpected character interactions and long-held secrets being told to others. As always, thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Part 14: I'm OK (The Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41) “Once upon a time there was a girl In her early years she had to learn How to grow up living in a war that she called home Never know just where to turn for shelter from the storm “Hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face Everytime my father's fist would put her in her place Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room Hoping it would be over soon “Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so afraid Strength is my mother for all the love she gave Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday And I'm OK” “I often wonder why I carry all this guilt When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door The echo of a broken child screaming "please no more" Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done To you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on “Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid Strength is my mother for all the love she gave Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday” I’m OK: Christina Aguilera: Stripped: 2002 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Eventually, everything settled down into a peaceful state, as things always did. Gilda had left a few days back to return to Cloudsdale with Windy, and sad goodbyes were exchanged. “I’m… I’m sorry we have to leave this early, and not spend more time with my darling granddaughter on more peaceful terms,” Windy said sadly, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane and making her giggle. “But a new case just came up. Somepony accused of beating his wife, and I have to be the defendant for this as-” Fluttershy shot her a look, and Windy quickly corrected herself as Gilda covered Scootaloo’s ears briefly. “Er, sorry, defendant for this jerk, sadly…” Windy finished, and she noted the expression on her daughter’s face. “Sure this case won’t get too personal for you?” Rainbow asked in concern. “I mean, you just finished dealing with one case of domestic abuse…” she trailed off, looking towards her daughter briefly. “That was a member of my family,” Windy replied, and Scootaloo felt a surge of… Well, she couldn’t narrow down the feeling of what it was exactly. It was some sort of warmth, really. Then Scootaloo smiled as she figured out what it was. Happiness, something she really hadn’t had a chance to feel around a family member for a long time. “This isn’t. It’s just some pony I don’t even know, haven’t even heard of till now before I got the case. I’ll be calm and collected during this.” Windy continued. “If you say so…” Rainbow murmured. “Promise to call, or at least send a letter?” she asked hopefully, any previous ill feelings towards her mother vanishing. She’d done so much for her and Scootaloo, putting her career on the line trying to help them get away from Icy Winds and throw her behind bars. Windy smiled. “Don’t worry, I will. I’d love to keep in touch with all the members of my family, new and old…” she said, looking at both Rainbow and Scootaloo, kissing them both on their cheeks. With that, she extended her wings -Gilda doing so as well- and took to the sky, flying west towards the direction of Cloudsdale. “Think they’ll be okay?” Rainbow asked in concern, and Fluttershy nuzzled her reassuringly. “Yeah, they’ve got each other, and that’s all they need,” her wife replied. “Never thought I’d say this about Gilda, but she makes a good counterpart to Windy, and vice versa. They know when to reign each other in, and they both bonded over a similar pain in their lives… You.” “Yeah…” Rainbow trailed off. “I suppose. Still gonna be weird calling one of my childhood friends my mom someday…” Fluttershy giggled, Scootaloo soon to follow, as the threesome walked back inside the small cottage they called home. However, they might have been more concerned had they been partial to the scene that occurred as soon as Windy touched down outside her home in Cloudsdale. She began to find it hard to catch her breath, and she felt a pressure building up inside her chest. It was soon to fade, but Gilda noticed. “Hey, you alright?” She asked in concern. “Looked like you were trying to catch your breath there for a sec. Sure I wasn’t flying too fast for you?” “Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine.” Windy said, even though she knew perfectly well that she wasn’t fine. She recognized those symptoms, and Gilda recognized them as well. They both knew Windy’s side of the family had a history of heart problems, and Gilda couldn’t help but wonder if… No, she didn’t want to dare think about it. Windy was finally finding happiness again, and she didn’t deserve this. She’d found herself love again, and was just starting to connect with her granddaughter and reconnect with her daughter. For this to happen now, well… Gilda hated to even think about it. “I’ll be fine, my Leannán,” Windy reassured, trying to quell her fiancee’s fears. “Don’t you worry about me.” “I’m your fiance, it’s my job to worry about you Windy…” Gilda replied, cupping her fiance’s face with her paws and kissing her softly. “Now, as your Leannán, I would suggest you go lie down and take a rest. You’ve had a long week, and things are only about to get worse for you now with this new case of yours…” “Yeah… Everything will be fine.” Windy muttered. If she only knew how exactly wrong she was… The letter came like a bolt from the blue, completely unexpected a few days later. Gilda’s worries, as it turned out, turned out to be more than just that. Sadly, as Rainbow Dash found by reading the letter her old flight school buddy had sent, her mother’s heart problems had gotten the best of her. Dear Rainbow Dash “I don’t usually like writing these kinda things, but… it’s pretty important. Like, REALLY important. “You know your mom, Windy Whistles? Well, I’ve been by her side for the past couple of months and… I don’t wanna break your heart or anything but… she’s dead. She had one of those heart-attack things and just died. I’m terribly sorry about that. “I… I wanna try to stay strong like I always do, but I’m just so torn up right now that I can’t even speak. So that’s why you’ve got this letter. You’re probably in tears right now, knowing your mom’s dead and all, but I want you to be strong; something I wasn’t for once. “If you wanna come say goodbye to her one last time, the funeral’s in two weeks’ time at Cloudsdale. I’ll be there, totally. I’m just hoping you’ll be there too.” Sincerely: Gilda. Rainbow Dash trembled, dropping the paper out of her hooves. Her mother, the most awesome—Although, sadly, she hadn’t realized that until just a few weeks ago- pony she knew, was gone and wouldn’t be coming back. She turned towards Tank with tears fighting to break out of her eyes, before barrelling into him and crying as loudly as she could. “Moooooom!” Rainbow Dash wailed into her pillow, hugging Tank as tightly as she could. “It’s not fair! You weren’t ready yet!” The tears streamed down her face, dampening her pillow and bedsheets, with the rest landing on Tank’s hard shell. “Why did you have to go so soon?!” Rainbow had never been so broken in her whole life. Sure, the issue with Tank hibernating was a close second, but that was only temporary. This was permanent. Her mother wasn’t coming back, no matter how hard she wanted to believe it and deny the letter Gilda had sent her. All she could do was cry at the news, unable to feel any sense of bravery as miniature waterfalls tumbled from her eyes. “Tank…” Rainbow looked deep into his eyes. “You… you’re all I’ve got now.” She squeezed him so hard, she nearly popped his body out of the shell. “Promise me right now, that you won’t leave me, OK?” Tank just blinked and slowly nodded, receiving a reward of more tearful hugs from Rainbow. Fluttershy soon came in, hearing the wails, and just instinctively wrapped her forelegs and wings around her wife and let her cry into her shoulders. “Shh… It’s going to be okay Dashie…” Fluttershy whispered, doing and saying all she could. After all, what else could she do? She looked towards a picture of Rainbow, Windy, and Scootaloo, just taken a few short days before. Everything had seemed so perfect then. It was like nothing could go wrong. Just when Rainbow was starting to rebuild her relationship with her mother, and then this happened. For one of the few times she could ever remember, Fluttershy swore softly to herself. “Celestiadamnit… Just, damn it….” she thought as Rainbow cried herself to sleep, her energy spent. The Prancing Pony Inn: That next evening the Prancing Pony Inn found itself home to a most unusual visitor. Stepping inside the inn’s tavern, soaked to the bone, and her eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep was a very familiar mare. Whispers echoed through the bar, news of Windy Whistles’ passing -Although it had yet to hit the papers- still found themselves in the minds of ponies through sheer word of mouth. She was an upstanding citizen in Cloudsdale, and the mother of one of the Elements of Harmony so this was hardly surprising really. Some were sympathetic, others were more curious. “Hey, is that Rainbow? ...Oh, sweet Celestia, wonder if she knows about her mom?” someone, a voice Rainbow recognized as Raindrops whispered. “Oh Rainbow... “ Cloud Kicker muttered, shaking her head in pity. “...You didn’t deserve this. Sure, you may have left your only child out to fend for herself for years, but…” Her words were sympathetic, but her tone was anything but. One pegasus, one with the Orion Constellation on his flank sighed to himself as he looked towards Cloud Kicker. Her latest fling he may be, but that didn’t mean he had a heart. “By Luna’s moon, at least show some common decency!” Star Hunter hissed towards Cloud Kicker. “You sound like a completely contradictory pony! One minute, you’re berating Rainbow… The next, you’re sympathizing towards her! Make up your own damn mind, eh?” His thoughts about having a one-night stand with Cloud Kicker, even if she was… renowned for her abilities shall we say, were fading fast if she was going to be this much of a bitch. Honestly, Cloud Kicker didn’t know what to think. On one hoof, she hated Rainbow for kicking her off the weather team and for what Rainbow did to Scootaloo, but on the other, nobody deserved to lose their mother. “Shut it, you two!” Blaze, a member of the Wonderbolts and Spitfire’s twin sister hissed out. “Doubt you’d want ponies gossiping ‘bout you if you were in Rainbow’s place! God knows if it was my mother, I’d be punching you both in the face right about now!” Both Star Hunter and Cloud Kicker took that as their cue to shut up. “Now Rainbow, what will you do?” Blaze had to ask herself. “By the creator’s wings, she really must be broken up inside to come here…” the owner of the tavern, one Berry Punch remarked sorrowfully as she poured glasses to ponies at her counter. She watched sorrowfully as Rainbow stepped up towards the bartop. “One glass, that’ll be fine…” Rainbow muttered. In a more organized state of mind, Rainbow wouldn’t even think of doing this, but right now… Honestly, she felt she needed something to just forget. “You sure Rainbow?” Berry had to ask, a tone of concern in her voice. One of surprise as well. She knew Rainbow was one of the most hardline anti-alcoholics she knew. “Yes, I’m sure,” Rainbow growled. “Now, some hard cider, on the rocks.” With more than a hint of nervousness, and a sigh of sadness, Berry poured Rainbow a glass and thought to herself: “Oh Rainbow…” Author's Note Okay, so first... Yes, this was a collab between me and Shadowmane. While he only wrote Gilda's letter and Rainbow's reaction to it, it was still a major contribution all the same. Bit melodramatic maybe, I admit, but... Anyways, you can see this is why the Narcotics tag got added in. Now, I'm sorry for killing off Windy like that, but I discussed this on my Discord with Ruinqueen amongst others, and they told me, if Rainbow was to fall off the wagon as it were, something major had to happen. One suggestion that was thrown around was Rainbow accidentally hurting one of the CMC, but I didn't think that would be enough really. So, this had to happen. Feel free to shoot me. As ever, if you don't want me dead now, comments and thoughts are appreciated as ever.
Part 15: Crashed“Well, I was movin' at the speed of sound Head spinnin', couldn't find my way around, and Didn't know that I was goin' down, yeah, yeah “Where I been; well, it's all a blur What I was lookin' for I'm not sure Too late and didn't see it coming, yeah, yeah…” “Then I crashed into you And I went up in flames Could've been the death of me But then you breathed your breath in me “Then I crashed into you Like a runaway train You will consume me But I can't walk away…” Crashed: Daughtry: Daughtry: 2006 Fluttershy’s Cottage: Fluttershy, to say she was concerned about Rainbow right now, well that would be like saying Twilight could be a neurotic mess. Simply put, it was an understatement. “Oh dear… Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered as she opened the curtains just a tad, just to see if she could see Rainbow walking up the small footpath. Sadly, no such luck. The fact of the matter was, she knew something was wrong. She hadn’t been sleeping well, as evidenced by the bags under her eyes. At first, it started out with Fluttershy not being particularly worried, as she knew Rainbow would probably need some time to herself. Fluttershy -Amongst others- had offered to try and help Rainbow through this as much as possible, but her wife had brushed her off, saying that she was completely and utterly fine despite all evidence to the contrary. That she just needed some time to re-center herself, get her bearings straight. But that had been a few days ago, and now Fluttershy was starting to get really worried. Knowing her wife as well as she did, Fluttershy knew Rainbow had probably done something completely rash and rather stupid. “No… No.” Fluttershy whispered to herself, choking on some of her own words. While she hadn’t spent as much time around Windy as Rainbow obviously had, she’d seen why her wife had cared for her so much, even if their relationship had started out… rocky to say the least. “Keep chomping at the bit like that, and you’ll wear yourself out,” A familiar voice said as the sound of claws tapping against the floor, followed by a pair of hoof-steps made themselves known. “The egghead’s right. You need to just sit down and relax for a bit.” Rainbow looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar set of white and lavender tinged feathers on a face she knew all too well with a sharp yellow beak at the end of it. But that wasn’t the only familiar face as well. Following her was a mare with Rainbow’s coat color, but with a short cropped scarlet mane style. “Gilda, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in shock. “No, actually a better question is what are you doing here with my mother?” “...No offense Dashie, but I was expecting a warmer greeting.” Windy said. “Well, considering I haven’t seen you in the past… Oh, what was it, fifteen years since you walked out on me and dad and then just show up out of the blue you should have expected something like this.” Rainbow growled. “Y-You have to understand,” Windy stuttered out, as Twilight quietly stepped out of the room knowing this was a personal matter and she had no business being here. “I was scared of your father, we all were! I… I just couldn’t take it anymore!” “But you could have done a better job of protecting me, instead you just walked out!” Rainbow snapped. “Listen, Dash, your mother…” Gilda began. “She’s here for a reason, and not just to catch up on old times.” “Yeah, what’s that?” Rainbow grumbled. “Dashie, you’re not going to like this, but Scootaloo’s adoptive parents…” Windy began, being careful not to say their real names as she knew Rainbow would get even more furious if she did. “They asked me to be their defendant in the court case.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “...Please tell me you’re joking.” She muttered, hoping she’d fallen asleep from boredom and that this was all a bad dream. “M-Maybe you’re just getting worked up over n-nothing. Yeah, nothing at all!” Fluttershy whispered, choking on her words somewhat. “M-Maybe Rainbow really does need as much time as she said she did to re-center herself, or s-something like that…” she continued. Windy had been nothing but kind, putting her all into helping Rainbow deal with Icy Winds and Last Drop even after she’d been officially taken off the case. Fluttershy smiled -A smile that was a mix of wistfulness and sadness- as she thought back to a time a few weeks ago, when Rainbow had been working hard on the case and Windy had suggested a spa trip for both her and her daughters. Rainbow groaned as she set hoof in Aloe and her sister Lotus Blossom’s spa, clad in a bathrobe and Tank-themed slippers. This honestly went against every fiber of her being, stepping into a place that was very frou-frou, as she oh so delicately put it. Fluttershy, although she knew perfectly well Rainbow wouldn’t take being called as such so well, thought she looked rather cute. Humorously enough, Pen-Pen had come along and was getting a hot stone massage on one of the tables by Aloe. Two small cucumbers had been placed over the penguin’s eyes and a towel over his head. “Can’t believe you talked me into this mom…” Rainbow muttered as she slipped out of her bathrobe and slippers and with some reluctance, into a hot steam bath not too far removed from the ones popular in the Neighponese countries. “Trust me dear, really relieves all of the stress,” Windy replied as she joined her daughter in the warm, refreshing waters. “Quite, quite refreshing. Celestia only knows I’ve needed this from time to time when working with particularly difficult cases. Gilda would have happily come along, but she had to stay behind and watch Scootsy.” Rainbow gaped at her mother’s statement as Fluttershy meanwhile, took the chance to get her mane done by her brother, who’d taken up a full-time job at the place, Shockingly, he hadn’t actually been kicked out and seemed to have taken to the job with an enthusiasm. Apparently, if Aloe was to be believed, Zephyr actually liked styling ponies manes and relieving them of their worries of their daily lives just for a few moments in time. Fluttershy was actually quite proud of her brother, he finally seemed to have found his place in life. “Just a little like that?” Zephyr asked as he did his sister’s mane, while Lotus lent him a hoof with a hooficure treatment. Fluttershy nodded, as Rainbow turned to her mother in shock. “Gilda, you’re honestly saying Gilda -Who, I might add, is even more of a tomboy than me- actually comes to places like this?” Rainbow asked in disbelief as she slipped into the waters and let out a sigh. She had to admit, it was rather warm and relaxing. All of her tired muscles began to feel at ease. Windy smirked as she saw her daughter practically ooze into the waters. “And now you see why. Release all the muscle tension, opens up the pores in your skin underneath all of that fur of ours.” Windy explained, and a familiar scratchy voice agreed with her. “Windy’s right,” Blaze said from nearby, and now Rainbow was really gaping at seeing another member of the Bolts here. “Seriously, been trying to convince my sis and all the rest of the Bolts to come down here and have all of their sore wings and that stuff dealt with, but they say they prefer the hot springs down by the Whitetail Woods. Go figure, right?” Spitfire’s twin sister continued with a small shrug. “Well, to be fair, there’s nothing quite like a natural hot-spring,” Zephyr replied, still in the midst of styling his sister’s mane. “Plus, much, much cheaper as well…” “Aren’t you trying to keep customers in this place, not persuading them to try rival treatments?” Blaze snarked at him. “Pff! Hardly call one natural hot-spring a “rival treatment”,” Zephyr scoffed and then said in a deadpan tone, making air-quotes with his hooves. “Plus, natural hot-springs don’t offer the treatments this place does. Seriously, no seaweed wraps or hot stone massages, and let’s not even get started on the herbal bubble baths that Zebra popularized!” he commented before murmuring “...Really must get around to thanking her for that one day.” Fluttershy let out a small cough, and Zephyr flushed and mumbled a quick apology before getting back to work. “Okay, I suppose this place isn’t so bad…” Rainbow mumbled, continuing to slide down into the waters. “I mean, if Blaze likes it, and so does Gilda of all griffons…” she admitted before letting out a moan of pleasure as she continued to feel all the stresses of the past few days beginning to just fade away. Windy just smirked, and rested her forelegs behind her head and shut her eyes letting the what the waters did for Rainbow, do for her. “Just wait till you try the massages, dear,” Windy told her daughter. “Really does a wonder for the wing muscles!” “I concur with that!” Blaze said in agreement. Then, someone got an idea. “Oh oh!” Aloe piped up, wiping away a happy tear from her eye. “Can I have a picture, just for prosperity’s sake? Mother and daughter, reuniting and spending time together after so long?” Rainbow groaned again and muttered something about gossipy frilly fashion horses sticking their noses in where they didn’t belong, but eventually relented and sighed out: “Fine…” There was a flash as a camera shutter went off. Fluttershy wiped away a tear from her eye as she picked up that very same picture off a shelf, showing that day. They’d all looked so happy, not even knowing what was to come. She sniffled upon seeing Rainbow so happy, one of the few times during those trying weeks she actually had cracked a smile. Being reunited with her mother, and being around Scootaloo full-time, it had done wonders for her. She’d been willing to open up more, and get the courage to work up the nerve and speak to her mother and wipe away some of their shared painful past and actually apologize for all the bitterness she’d held towards her for all these long years. But in one sweeping moment, it had all been swept away by a simple twist of fate. Fluttershy somehow suspected that Fate had it out for Rainbow at times, making sure there was always a balance. When something seemed to be looking up for her, whenever she got too happy… Something tragic had to occur. For example, Rainbow and Fluttershy having a blissful five-year marriage without much incident. Then, Rainbow had to discover the loving parents she dropped her daughter off with were in actuality abusive -And there was no beating around the bush when it came to it- bastards. And when Rainbow was patching up her relationship with her mother and getting used to the idea of having Scootaloo around as a daughter full time, Windy had to die of a heart attack. It peeved Fluttershy to no end that someone high up seemed to have it out for Rainbow this much. When she died, and went to Skyhaven, she was having some very choice words with those who dictated everypony’s fates, to be sure. Fluttershy then had a thought occur to her. Gilda, how was she taking all of this? While she admittedly found her relationship with Windy quite odd to say the least, she could tell the two loved each other. Picking up a pen in her mouth, and sitting down at a table with Angel Bunny watching her in concern, she began to compose a letter to the griffon. “Dear Gilda: “First off, I’m very sorry for your loss. Rainbow’s been taking it… (Oh, how do I put this?) hard. Few nights back, after she received your “Letter”, if I can even call it that as it was rather insensitive in my honest opinion, (Yes, I read it as well) I found her sobbing her little heart out into her pet turtle and holding him tightly like he was her only lifeline in the world at that moment. “Honestly Gilda, I know you’re not very good with words, and I know you’re probably hurting even more so than Rainbow herself is, -Which is perfectly understandable given the situation- but you could have broken it to her a little more gently I think. “I’m honestly beginning to get concerned about her, she’s practically vanished and hasn’t been to the house in days. Scootaloo’s starting to get very worried. I’ve seen her pacing back and forth in her room wondering when her mommy is going to come home. I don’t think she’s sleeping very well, and neither am I for that matter. We’re all very worried about Rainbow, and if you call yourself her friend, you’d start showing some care and concern. “Please Gilda, I know we’re all hurting, but I need your help. You were Rainbow’s best friend, aside from me, growing up in Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp. Remember that? I do. “I remember the day when you found out all those students and her teacher for Celestia’s sakes laughed at her when she got her Rainbow Crash nickname. You actually went out and punched them one by one severely risking expulsion -And I know how much you wanted to be in the Flight Camp and make friends, Rainbow told me herself- after you learned what happened. Thankfully, after the Principal learned what happened, her teacher got fired for poor conduct and the bullies put in suspension and you stayed in school. “My point is, if we’re all hurting, we might as well shoulder this burden together. “Sincerely, Fluttershy nee Dash.” Sighing to herself, Fluttershy handed the completed letter to a homing pigeon and asked for it to find Gilda. She whispered a silent prayer as she saw the pigeon fly out a nearby open window hoping for it to reach its destination, before hearing a gentle rapping sound on the front door. “Dear? Are you alright?” her mother’s voice asked in concern, and Fluttershy smiled in relief and sighed. Just what she needed right now, a little motherly advice of her own. “H-Hold on,” Fluttershy stuttered out, before getting up from her chair and going for the door. With a gentle turn of the knob, she let her mother inside and was almost at once wrapped in a nearly bone-crushing hug. “Oh dear…” Mrs. Shy said as she embraced her daughter. “Soon as I got the news, me and your father came here as fast as we could. How are you holding up?” she asked. “As… As well as could be expected I-I suppose…” Fluttershy sniffled. “We’ve been taking this all very hard. I… I might not have been as close to Windy as Gilda or Rainbow were, but…” “I understand dear, and it’s alright,” Mrs. Shy said. “That’s why we’re here, to help you as much as we can through your time of need…” she continued, before she let out a small “Oh!” “What is it?” Fluttershy asked. “Your mother…” Fluttershy’s father said as Mrs. Shy fished something out of her saddlebags. “She’s started taking knitting classes recently, you remember that right?” “Yes, I do…” Fluttershy smiled. Her mother had a love for art, and anything beautiful in all its many myriad forms, and quilting, sewing, and knitting was a special favorite of hers. “Well, I managed to create this a short while back,” Mrs. Shy continued, fishing a beautifully hoof-stitched quilt featuring both Windy and Rainbow on it, with a rainbow shining after a passing storm cloud behind them. The care that had gone into it was quite evident, by the intricate needlework and sewing, getting every last detail of it right down to the manes of the two ponies on it, and the many colors of the rainbow with the hoof-stitched sun shining on it. “That’s…” Fluttershy whispered, finding herself at a loss for words briefly. “Rainbow is going to love it…” she said, after regaining her voice before pulling her mom into a hug and saying: “Thank you…” Mrs. Shy blushed. “Yes, well, I planned on giving this to them both, but…” she trailed off, and sniffled a little. “That sadly can’t happen now. Instead, only Rainbow will get to see it,” she sighed sadly. “It’s the thought that counts,” Fluttershy told her mom. “Yes, I suppose it is…” Mrs. Shy said. “I plan on knitting Gilda, the poor dear, a sympathy quilt when I get the time. Just something for her to remember her fiance -Here, Mrs. Shy had to suppress another sniffle- by,” Both of Fluttershy’s parents then flushed red. “Oh, look at us, standing around here at your house with the front door swung wide open!” Mr. Shy exclaimed. “We must be attracting so much attention!” “Please, come in,” Fluttershy told them kindly, gesturing with a hoof for them to come inside. “I’ll start making a pot of tea, if you’d like.” “Oh, now that would be grand!” Mrs. Shy said. “I know you’ve inherited your father’s tea-making skills, and it’s always a delight to take a sip of your work!” Both parent and child flushed red as they walked back inside, with Fluttershy using her wing to pull the door shut. As Fluttershy began walking to the kitchen, both she and her parents heard the galloping of little hooves down a wooden staircase. An orange form with a purple cropped mane flew into view and hugged her grandparents tightly sobbing as she did so. “Hey Scootaloo,” Mr. Shy smiled before wrapping his wings around his granddaughter -He was going to have to get used to saying that- tightly. “It’s alright, we’re here now. Everything’s going to be just fine…” he said, in a soft comforting tone. Scootaloo just sobbed again, and nuzzled into Mr. Shy’s sweater before she pulled away. “Oh… Oh, I’m sorry! I… I got it all soaked from crying… Celestia, you must think of me as such a big crybaby, when I’m supposed to act all tough,” she muttered in shame. “It’s okay, it can always be washed. Besides, we all need a good cry now and then, we don’t need to put up false fronts to hide our true feelings.” Mr. Shy said reassuringly as Fluttershy returned with cups of tea and she sat them down on a table, before pulling Scootaloo up into her lap on a couch. “Listen,” Mrs. Shy began as she sat the quilt aside and drunk a small sip of her tea. “We didn’t just come here to offer sympathies. We’re here to offer advice if you need it.” “T-Thank you…” Fluttershy whispered. “First piece of advice I can offer you is this, give Rainbow time. Ponies handle grief in different ways,” Mrs. Shy said. “I know when my mother passed away, her husband barely spoke for a week. And me… I just stayed shut up in my room half the time remembering her, only coming down for dinner.” “I… I remember…” Fluttershy said, thinking back to her very early foalhood days when her grandma passed. It was true, her mother barely ever came down from her room except when it was time for dinner. “Just remember this, when Rainbow returns, and rest assured, she will return, no matter the state she’s in,” Mrs. Shy continued, with her daughter and granddaughter listening intently. “Just be there for her, offer her all the support she needs. Take it from someone who knows, she’s going through a hard time, and it will only get harder from here on in. The pain will pass in time, may take a little while, but for now, she needs your undying love and support. Do you understand?” “Yes… Yes, I do,” Fluttershy nodded. “Thanks, mom.” “That’s what I’m here for sweetie…” Mrs. Shy smiled. “Remember that.” Author's Note Okay, so first off, a chapter showing how Fluttershy's taking Windy's death and more accurately, how her wife is reacting to it. Now, originally this chapter was slated to have Spitfire appear alongside Blaze to give advice to Fluttershy alongside the Shy parents, but I thought it a bit much, and I have plans for the Wonderbolts captain and her sister in the next chapter anyways. I haven't forgotten Aunt Holiday and Lofty either, and rest assured, they will be appearing again in a future chapter. Well, at least one of them will. Now, Black_Knight pointed out to me how Gilda's letter, if it hadn't been acknowledged by Gilda herself that she was poor with words would have come off as extremely insensitive, so I decided to take that into account and have the new bolder Fluttershy call her out on it. Also, on credit where it's due, thank you Shadowmane for helping me get into Fluttershy's mindset here. While he didn't write anything directly, he did offer me advice on what feelings the poor mare would have been going through. Next time: Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye...
Part 16: Hurt (Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41)Author's Note Please don't kill me or Shadowmane, Ruinqueen. Part 16: Hurt (Bricklayer and Shadowmane PX-41) “I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that's real “The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything “What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know Goes away in the end “And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt…” Hurt: Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around: 2002 Ponyville: The Prancing Pony: Rainbow, not for the first time within the past week found herself sitting at Berry’s bartop drinking away the pain and the hurt. The news of her dead mother still swamped all of her thoughts, and she tried to bury those with alcohol and tears of her own; devoid of any sense of courage or bravery. As soon as one pint went down, another just appeared before her. “Rainbow,” Berry said softly, as she placed a worried hoof on the prismatic maned pegasus’s shoulder. “I’m getting worried. It’s been like this for the past few days. You come down from your room, drink your troubles away, and then the cycle repeats. You need help!” Rainbow looked up at her, her mane a complete mess. “Why should I give a flying fuck?!” the pegasus slurred out, slamming her hoof sloppily over the table.. “Not like it matters anyways… I lose everyone in the end, we all do,” She threw her head back towards the counter. “Hell, I screw up all of my relationships, Just ask Gilda, my daughter or my mother. They could all tell you the same. I’ve screwed up my relationships with them at one point or another. I deserve this, you hear?” She took another pint of beer from a fright-filled bartender and glugged it down rapidly. “I deserve this! I break everything I touch! Everything dies… Hell even Fluttershy and Scootaloo are going to die in the end, so why, I ask you, should I give a flying fuck?!” “Rainbow, you’re having way too much…” Berry tried to pull Rainbow’s drink away, but received a slap around the cheeks from the intoxicated pegasus. “You need to stop. Don’t make me get the staff to throw you out.” “Eh, screw ‘em. Screw everyone, am I right?” Rainbow let out a monstrous belch, filling the air with her beer breath. “We all die sooner or later. Might as well join mom while it’s still fresh, right?” “Rainbow, if you excuse my language,” Berry replied, her voice a tranquil fury. “You are an asshole. I gave up drinking a long time ago after I saw how it nearly ruined my relationship with my daughter, Ruby Pinch. One day, I came home drunk as a skunk and shouting at her when she accidentally broke my favorite vase after getting too rowdy in her playing, and I nearly hit her! Hit my own daughter! Do you understand what I’m getting at here? You, if you’re not careful, I can see you going down the same path and doing the same with your own family. Hurting them! Hell, that’s what you’re doing right now by stayin’ here and drinkin’ your troubles away!” she roared. “Family? Hah!” Rainbow finished her drink. “What family do I have now that my mom’s DEAD?!” She spat in Berry’s face. “Your parents are probably dead as well, Berry. Just admit it!” She let out another belch. That really did it, and Berry lunged across the countertop and began punching Rainbow in the face with a shriek of “How dare you!?!” Now, if it wasn’t before, everypony’s attention was drawn to the enveloping chaos surrounding them. Like a trainwreck in progress, no-one could dare to look away from the ensuing scene. Despite how groggy she was, Rainbow still fought back against Berry, pushing her off of her chest and smashing her body into the bar, breaking all of the bottles behind the desk and spilling the contents all over her and the bartender. “Bar fight!” A random pony called out, before everyone started to battle each other, sending kicks and punches to each other as generalized pandemonium ensued. Discord, in his pre-reformation days, would have been proud of the scene really. Hell, Rainbow probably already had been “Discorded” in a way, and was pretty much rejecting her own Element. “You think anyone gives a shit about any of our problems?! Huh?!” Rainbow socked Berry across the jaw and threw her into a table, collapsing it under her weight. “We all suffer every day, and NOPONY comes to help us! My mom is gone, because NO-ONE HELPED HER!” Rainbow roared back in fury, not even thinking that there was the possibility that someone could have been watching. Someone that knew her, and someone that cared for her. But sure enough, Fluttershy was in the room hiding behind a keg scared for her life. Scared of Rainbow, in fact. “Rainbow… w-why?” she whispered to herself. She’d come to the bar, having a sad, sneaking suspicion that was where Rainbow had gone and despite hoping it was hardly true, her fears turned out be more than just that. They were quite real. Seeing Rainbow lose complete control over herself, and hearing what she was saying, essentially having a death wish… It scared her. And that was something she never wanted to feel from her wife, pure fear of her. As she watched, the fight only began to get more brutal as glasses and tankards were thrown, along with punches and kicks. Words were said, none of which could probably be taken back. In all honesty, it was absolute madness and mayhem personified in a form other than a certain chaos spirit. Fluttershy honestly was torn from breaking down in tears, and taking Rainbow and shouting furiously at her over how much of a fool she was being, throwing her entire life away like this and probably alienating her entire circle of friendships and ruining her reputation. Unknown to anyone, far away in the Everfree Forest, a red bulb with a lightning bolt symbol inside it on a tree made of pure solid crystal shattered into pieces. Berry then decided to headbutt Rainbow. “What she had… no one could have helped her. Heart problems like that… They’re only a matter of time before they get to you. Best thing Windy could have done, was take her life slow and not stress herself…” “I have the right to act as I want! And if that means that I wanna die right now and join mom, then that means I want to die and I WILL die just to see her again!” Rainbow rammed into Berry, smashing her into two buff stallions and knocking them out. Another stallion sighed, and just took a swig of his drink at all of this. Probably just another day in Ponyville for him. Whole town was crazy anyhow, as the song went. Berry, wiping blood away from her mouth, -Lip was probably busted- shouted: “Security!” and then punched a swaying Rainbow in the face, knocking her out. “Fine by me, world’s better off without you and your foolishness right now anyways…” Berry thought. Rainbow, unable to fight back any longer, blacked out just as security arrived on the scene to take her out of the bar. She could barely even feel them lifting her up and throwing her out the front door in quite unceremonious fashion, as blood leaked out of her mouth and nose. This was then accompanied by the rain pouring down over her, washing away all of the blood that she was quickly losing down into drains and into the muddy streets. The Next Morning: Rainbow, groaning, awoke to the biggest splitting headache she’d ever had in her life. Whether that was to the fight she was in last night, or the hangover, she wasn’t sure. “Celestia…” Rainbow murmured to herself. “What the Hell happened last night?” She tried to stand up, but just wobbled and lurched around like something out of a horror movie just trying to get into a kneeling pose. As she collapsed to the ground, she saw a silhouette of a pony walk up to her. She couldn’t make out who it was though, and blacked out again as the pain from her drunken bar fight resurfaced. “Sweet Celestia, Rainbow Dash! Where the hell have you been?!” Auntie Holiday approached, using her hooves to lift Rainbow up off of the ground and onto her back. “Me and the others were worried sick after you lost your mom!” Rainbow let out only a moan in response, the sheer stench of beer wafting off of her giving Holiday her answer. “You’re terrible, y’know that?” Holiday wafted a hoof in front of her nose to dispel the alcoholic air. “I saw Berry Punch this morning and she looked completely devastated about the whole thing. You can’t keep on drinking like this just because your mom died. It’s not good for you, or the rest of Equestria.” “What good is the world when I don’t even…” She couldn’t even muster up the rest of the sentence and just mumbled incorrigible gibberish. “Rainbow. I’m taking you back to Ponyville and you’re gonna get straightened out by your friends,” Holiday patted Rainbow’s head as the intoxicated pegasus struggled to stay awake. “You need this. Even if it doesn’t look like you want it, this is for your greater good. You can’t mourn losses with endless drinks at the bar, after all.” Holiday looked skywards, and wondered aloud: “What the Hell am I going to tell the Wonderbolts about this? Celestia knows she’s supposed to show up for their weekly practice, after all…” she murmured. “Everyone hates me, don’t they?” Rainbow finally mustered up before falling back asleep; fighting tooth and claw to shake off the heavy hangover. “Probably,” Holiday said bluntly, straight and to the point as ever. “Sorry, but that’s probably the cold hard truth right now…” “Nnngh…” Rainbow couldn’t hold it any longer and passed out once more, entering a catatonic state that most other ponies wouldn’t be able to wake from if they’d had as much beer as her, mumbling nonsense under her breath. “Mommy? Where am I? Where are my friends?” Holiday honestly felt her heart break for the younger pegasus right then and there. Rainbow wanted, wanted to regress back into a younger state of mind, back when everything was so innocent and pure for her, back when the world was alright. (Mind you, that was far from the real truth. If Holiday knew what Rainbow’s father was like and had met him when he was still alive, her heart would probably shatter even more.) Given everything that Rainbow had gone through herself, she couldn’t find any other solution to her predicament other than suicide. As much as she wanted to go back in time and find a cure for her mom’s ailments—or at least, a way to make sure that she didn’t overwork herself to death—that was completely impossible. Instead, all that she could focus on was her younger days, before she got her Cutie Mark, back when her only companions were Gilda and Fluttershy, back before she met Twilight and her friends, and before any of the bad stuff happened to her. “Celestia above Rainbow…” Holiday muttered as she took the younger pegasus to Twilight’s Castle, and knocked on the door. “How… how just can I help you? You’re family now, even if you’re a terrible example of it at times… Twilight, I hope you can help me because by Celestia I don’t know what to do right now…” The door was opened, and Twilight’s jaw dropped in shock when she saw the state of Rainbow. “R-Rainbow, what happened to you?” Twilight stammered out, when she saw her friend. Her eyes narrowed at Holiday. “Explain, now.” she growled out with a unexpected ferocity. “I wanna ride my little horsey toy…” Rainbow mumbled as she collapsed off of Holiday’s back and slumped like a ragdoll before her. “Can you lift me up, mommy?” “I just found her at the Prancing Pony bar, completely gone from it all.” Holiday patted Rainbow’s head tenderly. “She’s been drinking nonstop since Windy Whistles died and she doesn’t want to believe it at all...” Holiday trailed off, barely fighting back tears. Twilight tried to find words, but found none at all, and instead collapsed in a dead faint. She was soon revived, and placed in a armchair. “This whole thing’s been terrible for her. I hope that you and your friends can fix her before she goes too far…” Holiday gave the slumbering Rainbow Dash to Twilight. “I like Rainbow Dash, stupid as she is. I really do. Scootaloo seemed to love her as well. So, please, Twilight. You and your friends have to save her,” “I want to, Holiday,” Twilight replied. “I… I just don’t know how….” she trailed off before becoming lost in thought. “Perhaps, yes… Yes, that could work… I need to find her though....” she murmured. “Find who?” Holiday asked, lifting a brow. “Gilda. She was, and still is one of Rainbow’s two best friends from childhood. If anyone knows how to help, it’ll be her. Also, I think I should get into contact with Spitfire and inform her of the situation at hoof here…” Twilight explained. She, at once, went for her quills and began writing down letters, tears falling down her face with every word. Sadly, Spike was helping Ember over in the Dragonlands at the moment, so he wasn’t around for the usual spell so Twilight had to perform it herself. With a flash of fire, the letters were sent off to their destinations, and now Twilight could only sit and wait… Griffonstone: Gilda’s Hut: Gilda sighed to herself, and let out a small sniffle as she picked up a picture of her and Windy smiling. Knowing that it would be the last time she would ever see her, she hugged the picture to her chest with her wings. Outside a window, a blue feathered griffon, about maybe thirteen or so flew by the home. “Goddamnit…” Gilda snarled, as she placed the picture back on it’s perch on the shelf. “Why now, Windy? Why’d you have to die on us like that? I… I wanted us to get married, have kids of our own, and let you raise a child in a proper environment, not the one that that damned husband of yours let Rainbow grow up in!” she snarled out softly. The clock in her house ticked on, and Gilda knew full well that there would be no way to bring her back. Unfurling her wings, she went out of her house in Griffonstone and flew off, hoping that a quick fly would help try and ease the pain a bit. Suddenly, she smacked right into a small, dark gray form. Another griffon, with the daily mail in her bags and a wooden shield on said bags. Gabby, if Gilda remembered correctly. “Gabby! Watch where you’re going, dingus!” Gilda snapped, throwing her claws down. “I’m… I’m sorry,” Gabby squeaked out, in terror of the older griffon. “Look. Unless you have something good for me, I don’t really wanna hear it right now!” She spat, her wingbeat increasing with every second. “It’s… It’s a letter for you,” Gabby stammered out quickly. “Right from Princess Twilight! Didn’t look at it, but it looks real bad. She actually seemed to be crying while writing it!” “Did her wimpy princess tears get all over it?” Gilda ripped the letter open, feeling some lightly damp spots on the actual letter itself. “Figures.” Gilda’s beak dropped at what she saw on the letter, and her eyes widened. “I… I gotta get going. Sorry Gabby, but a friend needs me!” Gilda said quickly, and rocketed off at a speed that would have made Rainbow herself proud. The letter slowly dropped to the ground, and curiously, Gabby picked it up. Here’s what it said. Dear Gilda. “I… I don’t know how I can say this without keeping a straight face, but… Rainbow Dash has changed. “She spends all of the time away from me and my friends in Celestia-knows-where doing Celestia-knows-what. Just recently, she was found at the Prancing Pony tavern, completely wasted and out of it. I was practically in shambles when I saw her this morning… “I’m not sure if she can survive another day if she keeps up this destructive downward spiral she’s in. The Wonderbolts are coming as we speak to have a talk with her, and I fear the worst. Please, Gilda. She needs some friendly support right now. Not just from me, but from all of her friends. She’s never going to accept that her mom’s dead, and only we have the power to change her mind. I’ve already contacted Spitfire, and she’s… hopefully going to help as well. God knows she needs the support of her Captain and her team as well. “Please… Just please, get here as fast as you can…” Sincerely yours, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Gabby’s eyes, even as they watered up with tears, whispered a silent prayer. “Be safe Gilda, be safe. And help Rainbow please, her daughter’s one of my best friends…” Cloudsdale: Wonderbolts Academy: Spitfire was out on the training field of the Wonderbolts Academy, observing as all of the new recruits zipped and soared through the air, trying to best each others’ times or work together in tandem to bust clouds and perform tricks. Knowing how big a responsibility being a Wonderbolt was, she knew that the recruits had to be trained long and hard before they were even able to don a Wonderbolt coat. She was so enraptured with the recruits that she barely even noticed her twin sister, Blaze—who had a similar manecut and color to her own except without the yellow detailing—flew up to her side with a scroll in her mouth. “Blaze,” Spitfire said, noting her sister’s state, sweating and seemingly out of breath. Normally, this wasn’t that strange, but Blaze seemed even more worked up than usual for a ‘Bolt. “What’s up?” she asked, taking off her trademark sunglasses to look at her sister more closely. “You…” Blaze panted out, dropping the scroll. “You need to read this. It’s… It’s about Rainbow!” Spitfire’s eyes shot wide open at that, noting how scared her sister sounded. She grabbed the scroll in an instant and read through it, her amber orange eyes darting right and left. “Dear Captain Spitfire: “I… I don’t know how to say this without breaking down, but you need to get here fast, and I mean really fast. It’s Rainbow, ever since her mom died, she’s… Oh, how do I say this? “Screw it. Her life, it’s gone down into a death spiral, and I do mean that. For the past few days, she’s been drinking right and left in a bar in Ponyville. Friend of hers, Holiday found her out on the street nearly unconscious. “There’s no easy way to say this, but Rainbow WANTS to die. She doesn’t care about life anymore, she just wants to join her mom. So… So please, get here as soon as you can, she needs all the support you can get. I’ve already contacted one of her fillyhood friends, that griffon you wanted for your team, Gilda. She’s hopefully on her way as we speak.” Wishing and praying, Princess Twilight Sparkle Spitfire shot up from her chair within less than a second, and turned to Blaze. “Tell Soarin he needs to take over for the week, and then come with me. We never leave one of our own in the dust, and I’m sure as Hell not breaking the rule today!” “Yes, ma’am!” Blaze responded before dashing off as Spitfire broke into a gallop, and as soon as she was out the front door, took to the skies and rocketed towards Ponyville… Princess Twilight’s Castle: Rainbow Dash slurred around in Twilight’s armchair, deeper into her mental dead zone. She was too far gone into thinking about Windy and now it was playing havoc with her body as well. All of her other friends just watched as she sat there, moaning and groaning, like she was a vegetable. Pinkie’s hair had deflated, and she was far from her usual bubbly self. “What do we do?” Rarity was the first to break the silence. “We can’t just leave her like this, can we?” “I don’t know…” Pinkie murmured in an almost emotionless tone of voice. “I… I really don’t know.” Heartbreakingly, Tank sat by Rainbow’s side, but even when he nudged his owner, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence. “Dear Celestia, I’m just glad Scootaloo isn’t around to see this…” Rarity whispered, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. “Yes, ya made a wise choice telling her to visit Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for the day, Rares…” Applejack said sorrowfully, hating to see her best friend/rival like this. Out of rage and frustration for not being able to do anything to help, she punched a wall, cracking it slightly. “I still can’t believe how far she’s taken it all…” Fluttershy stared at the wreck of a pony that was once her friend. “Are we… still friends after all of this? Or will Dash only drag us down with her?” “I… I don’t know dear, I really don’t.” Holiday said to her friend, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly, much like she would do with her own wife when Lofty was upset. Suddenly, a sound like a sonic boom was heard from outside, followed by the roaring of jets. It could only be pegasi, closing in on the castle. “They… They actually came…” Twilight whispered in shock and rushed outside followed by her friends to see the Wonderbolts landing nearby. One of the ‘Bolts with Spitfire had a suspicious resemblance to Pinkie, looking like a white furred, yellow maned pegasus version of her. “A-Auntie Surprise?” Pinkie asked in shock. “Hey, Pinkie,” Surprise looked chipper, but her voice said otherwise. “I came as soon as I heard about Crash. How… How bad is it?” she asked, not having been completely informed of the seriousness of the situation. She just knew Rainbow was in trouble, and that was that. “It’s pretty bad, Auntie,” Pinkie’s hair wouldn’t inflate again. “She’s been fast asleep for an awfully long time now.” “Let me see her,” another voice said, again familiar and the crowd of pegasi and ponies parted to reveal Gilda walking up. There was another crowd as well, the paparazzi. They’d come as soon as the Wonderbolts had landed, and as ever were hoping to get snapshots and interviews, the vultures. “Get outta here, bozos!” Gilda screeched and unfurled her wings at the camera-happy ponies. Everyone knew what was coming next, and on instinct, Fluttershy used her wings to cover her ears. “This is something personal!” With that, she sent them scrambling with a good old-fashioned griffon battle roar. With a snarl, she marched into the Castle, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Rainbow. She whirled on Rainbow’s friends. “And none of you saw this happening until right now!?!” she bellowed in rage and fury. “Seriously, Rainbow drinking and drinking, and none of you noticed this until she was found out on the street nearly dead?!” “Rainbow hadn’t spoken to any of us for days after her mother died,” Twilight approached Gilda sternly, with a hint of caution. You didn’t just walk up to an angry griffon and chew them out after all. It was pretty much asking to have your face slashed open, really. “It was like she disappeared off of the face of Equestria!” “Why I oughta… Some friends you are…” Gilda growled out, looking ready to punch someone, until Spitfire stopped her. “Hold it, both of you. This isn’t the time to be fighting, and you know it,” she said sternly, in full Wonderbolt Captain mode. “Now, I know we’re all hurting, but we’re supposed to be helping Rainbow, not trying to kill each other.” “Spitfire, as much as I’d love to help Dash right now, she nearly died of an alcohol overdose!” Gilda tipped her claws towards the doors of the castle. “How would the fans of the Wonderbolts react when one of their own is drunk as a skunk?” “So, you’re saying we care about our own reputation more than our members, is that it? That's why you think we’re here?” Blaze hissed out, showing her fiery temper and the reason behind her naming. “Cool it! Geez!” Spitfire just stomped off, leaving her cadets behind with Gilda. “We’re gonna get nowhere at this rate…” “Oh, this is not going good…” Pinkie murmured, her hair deflating even more. “S-Spitfire, wait!” Twilight stammered out. Everyone else just went back inside, with Gilda and Twilight being the last ones to follow. “Oh Celestia, what do we do now…?” Twilight whispered, and Gilda put a claw on her shoulder in a rare showing of kindness. “Just hope and pray Princess, just hope and pray…” She replied, and Twilight looked at her in shock. “Windy really did have an effect on you, didn’t she? The Gilda I knew… She’d never be like this.” “Yeah, I suppose she did. I suppose she did…” Gilda sighed sadly, when she heard a low groan and her, along with Fluttershy’s attentions turned to Rainbow as her eyes slowly opened. “Oh. Hey, everyone…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t even find the strength to muster up their names. “Look at me. The famous Rainbow Dash, ruined forever because of some parents…” she groaned out, basically admitting it wasn’t just her mother’s death that drove her to this, but her father’s propensity for drinking as well. “Guess dear old dad was right all along, I do break everything I touch.” “Don’t say that, Rainbow,” Fluttershy’s hair drooped down over her face. “This isn’t you. You’re not yourself right now.” “Yeah, like you really believe that Flutters…” Rainbow muttered in self-disgust. “Since when have I ever been the best wife?” “You’ve just been heartbroken ever since your mom passed away.” Twilight stepped forward. “And you’re letting that mold you into an entirely different pony. Please, Rainbow Dash. Don’t do this to yourself anymore…” “I… I don’t know what I’ll do anymore. Right now, I just want to crawl into a hole and die…” Rainbow muttered. “Rainbow Dash…” Spitfire stepped forward next. “What have you become?” “I… I honestly don’t know, and that scares me,” Rainbow admitted. “I’m certainly not the Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty anymore. I felt it… I felt my own Element abandon me just because of the way I’ve been acting. I’m acting disloyal to my friends, to my own mother’s memory for Celestia and Luna’s sake!” “Rainbow… Is there any way that we can make this all better?” Spitfire asked. “We can’t have a Wonderbolt with low morale on the team. It’d just hurt everyone else’s morale all at once.” “I… I honestly don’t know.” Rainbow muttered. “I’d say that you’d need some more time alone, but it doesn’t seem like you’re taking that too well. And yet, at the same time, having you with us might not garner the effect we want either...” Rarity paced back and forth. “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. You really are putting us between a rock and a hard place.” “Well, maybe I just-” Before Rainbow could finish, Rarity continued. “And before you say you need time to yourself, that’s not true. That’s obviously not going to work. I think… I think you need to spend time with your daughter, give yourself a reason to live again.” “Oh gods…” Rainbow realized. “Scootaloo. What’ll she think of me now? I’m an even worse mom than when I left her with Icy Winds and Last Drop!” “Well, it certainly can’t be any worse than what you’re in now, Crash. I say go for it.” Gilda had a cold glare that could shatter diamonds. She knew Rainbow’s childhood nickname would get her angry enough to follow through with Gilda’s wishes. “Spend some time with the kid. She deserves it. And so do you.” “You’re… You’re absolutely right. Thanks, Gils.” Rainbow smiled. “What I’m here for, to give you a swift kick up the ass when needed.” Gilda smiled. “Can… Can we be alone for a minute?” Fluttershy asked, and everyone nodded before leaving the two to their privacy. Once Fluttershy and Rainbow were alone together, Flutters gave her wife an icy cold glare. “What were you thinking?” Fluttershy asked. “I… I wasn’t…” Rainbow admitted. “Exactly,” Fluttershy responded. “I… I saw you in the bar fight, and it scared me beyond belief, knowing you could get like that.” “You saw that?!” Rainbow looked mortified, to know that her wife had seen her in such a monstrous state. “Fluttershy, I was drunk! There’s a huge difference between drunk mad and regular mad!” “But it scared me nonetheless. I’m… I’m sorry Rainbow, but I can’t be around you right now…” Fluttershy whispered, tears in her eyes before she gave Rainbow a last glance and left the room. “W-What? Why?” “I’m not so sure in our relationship anymore,” Fluttershy was still stoic, but a part of her voice cracked, as if it signaled her broken heart splitting wider. “Where do we go from here, Rainbow? Tell me.” she asked herself, leaving Rainbow alone to think. And to cry.
Part 17: Ghost of a Chance (Bricklayer and RuinQueenofOblivion)Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Final Chapter: Devil in the Bottle (Bricklayer and Shadowmane)“I'm walking down this dead end road, all alone and by myself Wish I could blame the whiskey, but I can only blame myself Running out of chances, and Lord that's such a crime I got to find the answer before I lose my mind “Oh Lord it’s a crying shame, oh Lord I've caused so much pain I only hurt the ones I love There's a devil in a bottle that just won't let me be So many times I've been hurting my soul and family “But I got free on the day I fought the Devil in the bottle The next time that ol' devil tries to get the best of me I'll smash that bottle against the wall and know I'm finally free…” Devil in the Bottle: Lynyrd Skynyrd: Endangered Species: 1994 Yeah, remember that moment when Discord sent a certain group of reporters packing? Well, evidently he wasn’t done with them yet, as I shall now explain. “Well, aren’t you the definition of pests?” He remarked, placing both his paw and his hand on his hips and looking down at them. “Heck, if I look up in a dictionary, bet I’ll find a picture of you all!” To prove his point, he snapped his paw and with a white flash, a dictionary did indeed appear. Discord put on his reading glasses and then skimmed through the pages before shouting out “Aha!” He showed the book’s definition of pests, and sure enough, there was a picture of a reporter. He snapped his paw again, making the book vanish and then all of the reporters’ cameras sprouted wings and flew off into the skies. To make sure they wouldn’t be caught, he then snapped his paw again and any pegasi reporters suddenly found themselves to be Earth Ponies. He dusted his hands off and smirked. “There, that should be enough to deal with you all for now, least until a certain bookworm sends the Guard after you for harassment and loitering. Toodles!” As he watched Fluttershy and her wife make a break for it, with Scootaloo in tow, he turned back towards the reporters. “Now, normally, I’m a bit of a sucker for some juicy gossip as it often leads to prime sources of chaos, but when you point those things at Fluttershy and her friends, then you answer to me,” He looked the reporters in her eyes, which diluted as flames began to roar in them. Said flames quickly went out as Discord leaned back in a lawn chair sipping a martini. “But, I’m a generous spirit of chaos, so all this—” he pointed to the almost emptied house behind them “—will all seem like a slap on the wrist if you just leave me and my friends alone. Otherwise, let’s just say you could make the headlines next.” He materialized a newspaper, with a picture of the reporter ponies all on the front, with the headline “Ponies Put In Peril For Paparazzi Palaver!” “Are we getting the message yet?” Discord asked. Evidently, trifling with a angry spirit of chaos was way above these ponies pay grade, and they quickly got the message and made a break for it. Discord smirked, and took a sip of his martini. “Another job well done, I’d say.” With that, he pulled open a zipper and stepped into his own personal dimension. However, one pegasus, (Swift Wind) who’d eventually regain his wings and camera once Discord’s magic wore off, would not take this lying down. Something funny was up in the Fluttershy/Rainbow Dash household, and he intended to find out what. Now you’d have thought that would have been the end of things, no? Flash forwards a few weeks, and a good amount of drinks from Rainbow, and sadly it wasn’t. Twilight physically stared at the headline that had been plastered all over the Ponyville Tribune that day. Now normally, she wouldn’t have given a damn on what was in basically the local gossip rag, but Rarity on the other hoof… that was a different matter entirely. See, the thing was, she did actually read the newspaper, if one could call it that, and once she saw what had been on the front page, she’d ran over to Twilight’s and almost threw it at her. Twilight’s eyes nearly bugged out of their skull as she read the headline back to front. In full view, in all of its ugly glory, it read: “Rainbow Crash and Burn!” Somehow, in some way, (Twilight figured that somebody hadn’t been scared off by Gilda’s roar) somebody had snuck into the Castle and had taken a picture of Rainbow in her drunken state. “This… this… this is…” Twilight sputtered out, too angry to even form a coherent sentence, small embers licking her mane. Rarity, wisely, took a few steps back. “Rarity, please tell me you know a good lawyer or two?” Twilight asked as calmly as she could, once she’d regained enough of her composure. Outwardly, she looked to be the ideal of Princess Perfection, as the Ponyville Tribune had once put it ironically enough (It had been an article rating the beauty of the Princesses) but inwardly she was a seething cauldron of rage. “Twilight…” Rarity asked cautiously. “What are you planning to do?” “Well, I sure as Tartarus can’t just let this slide, can I?” Twilight slapped a hoof against the article. “It’s discriminating Rainbow Dash! And for what purpose?” “Ah, unfortunately, and as much as I know this sounds cruel, it can’t really be discrimination if it’s true. Now, invasion of privacy, that’s another matter.” Rarity replied, trying to keep Twilight from doing something completely stupid. Her grandfather had been a lawyer, so she knew all the tricks of the trade, or at least enough. “Whatever it is, it’s completely wrong and we can’t let them get away with this! Especially after we all warned them about not doing this!” Twilight’s wings unfurled as she glared down at the article. “Rarity? Is there a law I can enact where I can legally shut down the Ponyville Tribune? Or do I need to go to Celestia for that?” “Well, considering, and I looked this up once, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are considered part of the armed forces believe it or not, any discrimination, libel, or invasions of privacy are considered grounds for a complete and total shutdown of any business that conducts these acts,” Rarity advised “Now, it’s an old law, mostly forgotten about, but…” Twilight whirled around to stare at her friend. “Then how do you…?” “Know?” Rarity finished. “Well, soon as I saw the article, I went ahead and did a bit of digging around in the Mayor’s office for old law books and the like, and found this to my surprise. Considered a bit over the top by Celestia, I admit, but it seems she never really got to taking it off the books, or maybe she thought she did, and some noble managed to get back on the books in secrecy. Money exchanges hooves you know.” Rarity shrugged. “That’s very good to know. And it makes our lives a whole lot easier,” Twilight sighed and let a small smile appear on her face. “Now, let’s round up the others. We’ve got a newspaper industry to shut down.” “And I’ve got some lawyers to contact, as I imagine knowing you, you’d want to sue for damages am I correct?” Rarity asked. “Yep.” Twilight nodded. “Believe me dearie,” Rarity commented as she ripped the newspaper in half. “I’m not that far behind. Trust me, you’re not the only one who wants to sue this… this rag.” Flash forwards a few hours, and then Twilight was marching into the front hall of the Ponyville Tribune, wearing a nice suit. “Excuse me,” Twilight asked as sweetly as she could to the front desk, a forced smile on her face. “But where can I find the editor?” “The editor’s not here.” A pony with a white mane looked up at her from his desk. “Can I help you, miss?” “I’d like to see the editor… now.” Twilight growled out, dropping all pretenses of politeness. “Like I said. He’s not here.” The pony stood up from his desk. “And I know exactly why you’re here, Miss Sparkle. Any chance you have of suing us is not going to work. We did not spread false or misleading rumours about your friend, Rainbow Dash.” “Unfortunately, that may be true,” Twilight replied, allowing the pony to have a brief smile of smug satisfaction, before she dropped the bomb. “However, you did conduct an extreme invasion of privacy, which is just as illegal.” The pony began to lose his composure. “We-We’re reporters! I-It’s our job to get to the bottom of things, and show everypony the truth!” he stammered out. Twilight didn’t look amused. “Yes. But not when the dealings of somepony is private. Especially not when it’s one of the Elements of Harmony, who are legally part of Equestria’s armed forces. And especially when it’s one of my friends!” Twilight held up the law and rubbed it in his face, metaphorically at least. “You have fifteen minutes to gather your belongings and everyone else’s belongings before we throw you out of this building.” But the pony held firm, to his credit. “Sadly miss,” he said, gritting his teeth. “You will have to speak to the editor to actually do that.” “Forget the editor!” Twilight’s wings burst open as she used a magical blast to disintegrate the desk the pony was on, as well as the article he was writing. “The law is the law; editor or no! And here in Ponyville, I am the law! Now pack up and leave!” Steam was blowing out of her nose. “Ngah!” The pony growled and took his stuff. “Fine! But I won’t ever be worshipping you, your friends, or anything you ever do together again!” Privately, as she watched the pony pack up his things, and trod out of the building head hung low, Twilight knew Princess Celestia would be having words with her soon enough, and she’d just destroyed the lives and probably the reputations of quite a few ponies who were making an honest living in her anger. Knowing that, she let out a whisper of: “What have I done?” Now, back to the present day. Like Rainbow Dash had promised, with plenty of practice, and plenty of actually encouraging words, Scootaloo had managed to finally fly, if only for a brief few moments. But that was enough for Rainbow right now, as it proved her daughter could do it, and in time, (Here Rainbow smirked, as she imagined herself in Spitfire’s place, teaching the next batch of new recruits, one of which was Scootaloo) she’d probably be able to be up there alongside her. To absolutely no-one’s surprise, Pinkie did throw a party for this occasion, with practically everypony in attendance. Well, almost everypony. To Rainbow’s sadness, she noted Fluttershy was absent. “So that’s how it is, huh?” Rainbow thought to herself, shedding a small tear before wiping it away. Couldn’t let anyone see her cry, still had a reputation to uphold after all. “Can’t even celebrate the squirt finally flying, not as long as I’m around…” “Don’t worry, Rainbow. I’m sure that Fluttershy will be delighted to know that Scootaloo can fly,” Twilight said as she came over and patted her on the back. “Even if she’s not here right now.” “Yeah, it’s just…” Rainbow trailed off. “It’d be more meaningful if she was here, y’know?” “Rainbow, all that matters is that you’re here,” Scootaloo came over and hugged Rainbow’s front legs. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.” Rainbow laughed bitterly. “What, you couldn’t have asked for a better mom?” Scootaloo chuckled a little. “Nope. Not really. Even if you have your little accidents,” she said as delicately as she could. “You’re still my mom. And a good mom always looks after their kids.” “Anyone tell you that you sound much older than you really are?” Rainbow asked. “Well, given the environment I grew up in…” Scootaloo muttered, and Rainbow winced a little. She probably deserved that, even if the remark wasn’t actually directed at her in reality. “Yeah. Guess that just makes us even more alike, doesn’t it?” Rainbow asked. She tried to grin at that. “We’ve both had our problems. And even now, we’re still trying to get over ‘em.” “Hey Pinkie, where’s the snacks?” Applejack shouted from somewhere nearby. As if on cue... “Oooooh,” Pinkie chimed in, bringing out a punch bowl. “Who wants punch?” Sadly, what Pinkie didn’t know, was that Swift Winds had followed up on his promise from before, and while she wasn’t looking, slipped some Wild Pegasus Whiskey into the punch before making a break for it. Security cameras would only later catch him. Rainbow shouted out: “I call first dibs on that!” and almost at once began drinking from the bowl. “Honestly Rainbow,” Applejack sighed. “Were ya raised in a barn?” she joked, but her eyes widened as she saw Rainbow fall backwards and she let out a shout. “Rainbow? Rainbow!” the farm pony shouted. “Speak to me, girl!” When no response came, Applejack shouted “Well, don’t just stand around there, mouths gapin’! Somepony call the hospital!” as she thought: “Come on Sugahcube, don’t ya die on me yet…” Meanwhile, Fluttershy had been fast asleep during this whole ordeal, still quite shaken up from Spitfire’s tirade against her a few days before. She hadn’t really worked up the courage to leave the house, and instead spent most of her days in a listless state, only getting up to feed herself, and her animals. Right now however, she was trapped in a nightmare. Images of Rainbow Dash appeared all around her in a dark and purple landscape. As she flew towards one, it shattered. Along with the family pictures that also involved her and Scootaloo. One after another, faster and faster, until finally, the world she was in began to shatter into a world of black as well. The next thing she knew, she was inside a sea of whiskey. Wild Pegasus Whiskey to be precise. She tried to keep her head above the alcohol, but it was violently swishing around her. Soon, she found a massive version of Rainbow Dash’s head lift the drink, which was in an equally large version of the tankard she held in her hoof, and swigged the whole drink down in one, swallowing Fluttershy as well. “Wh-wh-where am I?!” Fluttershy asked as she found herself in yet another black mindscape. To answer her question, a single spotlight appeared in the distance, with Scootaloo crying softly underneath it. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found, nor were any of the other Cutie Mark Crusaders or Fluttershy’s friends. “Scootaloo?” She slowly walked forward towards the crying filly and tried to reach out for a hug, but as soon as she touched Scootaloo, she vanished into mist, and the spotlight erupted wider, drenching Fluttershy in its’ light. “Stop it! This isn’t real!” She called out into the darkness that surrounded her and her singular column of spotlight light. “Where are you, Fluttershy?” Rainbow’s voice echoed in the mindscape. “You’re supposed to get drunk with me. Isn’t that what family’s all about?” “Wake up, Fluttershy. Wake up!” She slapped herself in the face, refusing to listen to the nightmare she had been encased in. “Drinking’s amazing! Why don’t you join in, Fluttershy?” Scootaloo’s voice also appeared, along with another mirage of her knocking back a pint of the same whiskey. “We both do it here. Why not you?” “This farce shall cease!” a very familiar, and very welcoming voice barked out as the entire world shattered like glass, and was replaced with a moonlit, grassy field. A far more calming landscape than before, to be sure. Appearing from the moon itself, was a dark blue alicorn who glided down towards Fluttershy and sat herself down beside her. “Princess Luna…” Fluttershy basked in the glow of the moon princess and slowly approached her. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I forgive Rainbow Dash for any of this?” “Why do you think?” Luna inquired, raising an eyebrow and waited for Fluttershy’s answer. “The alcohol. Her mother’s death, Scootaloo being caught up in all of this… It’s turned her into a different pony,” Fluttershy huddled under Luna’s wings. “What are we going to do, Princess Luna? I don’t wanna leave Rainbow, but at the same time, I also don’t think I can stay with her unless she cleans up her act…” “Have you even paid attention to Rainbow as of late?” Princess Luna asked. “She is, in fact, cleaning up her act as you put it. She doesn’t even realize it, or maybe she does deep down, but she’s already gone through the first five steps of the Twelve Step Program. Now, remind me, what are they again?” Again, she awaited for Fluttershy’s answer. “Step one, admit that you have a problem. Step two, let others know that you have a problem,” she began to recite it. “Step three, find something that you can do to ease the pain a little. Step four, turn to others for help in overcoming the problem… I know all about the twelve step program, Luna. And I want to support her in it too, but what’s the chance that she might end up drinking again and going back on her word?” “She’s Rainbow, Element of Loyalty, that alone should tell you that she’ll stick to her word. Or do you not know your own wife as well as you think?” Luna accused. “I have my own twelve-step problem myself. But it’s for me being a horrible parent and wife,” Fluttershy curled backwards, letting hair droop down her face. “I guess, in a way, me and Rainbow are both suffering from problems right now. Here I am, refusing to have any faith in my own wife, who’s also the Element of Loyalty. If anything, I guess I deserve this nightmare for what I’ve done.” “Maybe, maybe not, but it’s Rainbow I’m worried about right now. I cannot reach her, and that worries me. Fluttershy, wake up. NOW!” Luna shouted in fear, and Fluttershy shot up awake in her bedroom, panting and sweating before she tossed the covers off herself and took to the skies out an open window… Ponyville Hospital: Meanwhile, Rainbow had been caught in a state between life and death, as she was rushed to intensive care on a gurney, with Auntie Lofty and Gilda racing beside her all the way. “Come on Rainbow, you can make it out of this!” Lofty shouted, knowing that her words would reach Rainbow. She just knew it. They just had to. “How could this have happened?” Gilda asked, pressing her claws against the glass of the window. “She can’t have just fainted from drinking some of Pinkie’s punch! Somepony must’ve tampered with it!” “Yeah,” Twilight murmured. “PCSI (Pony Crime Scene Investigative Service) detectives are inspecting the punch now, and from what they’ve told me, someone spiked it with a load of Wild Pegasus Whiskey.“ “Isn’t that the same whiskey she had when she had that bar fight recently?” Lofty asked, looking at the lifeless pegasus in the intensive care ward. “This can’t just be a coincidence, can it?” “No… No,” Twilight slowly realized in horror. “Can you keep an eye on Rainbow, I’ve got to check up on the security cameras of Sugarcube Corner!” Twilight said frantically, rushing off having a sickening feeling as to who was behind this, and how she was involved in this. Meanwhile, inside Rainbow’s head, as she was getting her stomach pumped, she flashbacked to when she was just a little filly. No, that wasn’t an accurate term. It was a mix of a flashback, and a created scenario in her head, as Rainbow, from her perspective, was seeing both herself and Windy as they were in the present time. It was only her father, Rainbow Blaze, who hadn’t aged one bit, and was just like Rainbow remembered him. Angry, and almost always drunk off his ass. She watched, in a transfixed horror, as her ‘father’ slapped her mother across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor and leaving an ugly red mark across her face. “So, try and pour all my drinks down the drain did you?” Blaze snarled. “Well, guess what?” he asked, holding an empty beer bottle over her head. “Karma’s a real ironic bitch!” He laughed when he saw Rainbow, and smirked. “Well, isn’t this surprising, you not working up the courage to save your dear old mom! You know, you could stop me right now if you wanted, but no… you just don’t have the guts! You never do!!” Those words, they lit a fire inside Rainbow’s belly. Sure, she’d been too young and afraid to stop her father when she was just a filly, but here? Well, that was a different matter wasn’t it? “Shut up.” Rainbow snarled out, her nostrils letting out two small puffs of steam. Rainbow’s father gaped at her. “Excuse me?!” Rainbow Blaze’s eyes looked like they could shatter glass as he glared down at his daughter. Windy watched with wide eyes, transfixed at this whole exchange. “I’m not the one who breaks everything I touch!” “I know you do. But do I, ‘dad’?” Rainbow snarled. “If I can even call you that. Only one who breaks everything he touches around here is you!” she growled out, finally working up the courage to tell her father exactly what she thought of him, like she should have all those years ago. Rainbow Blaze delivered a powerful kick to Rainbow Dash’s chest, then threw her away, before picking her back up and pushing her against the wall. “Don’t. You. Dare.” He roared. “You live in MY house, you live by MY rules. Got it?!” “Isn’t your house, not anymore,” Rainbow snarled. “No, right now, in this world, it’s my house now. You know, you often accused me of never being able to fend for myself—” she started, before swiftly being interrupted. “And I still stand by that.” Blaze stood proudly. “You don’t have the guts to continue this fight. Now, go to bed and take your beatings, and maybe I’ll let this all slide!” He thrust his hoof towards the door to Rainbow’s bedroom. To his surprise, Rainbow punched him soundly across the face, sending him sprawling to the floor. She stood over him, as lightning flashed outside the window. “No, that’s where you’re wrong. I have a wife and daughter now, and I’m proud of them. Sure, maybe I’ve never been the best wife, but I’m sure as hell a better parent than you! My daughter… Scootaloo Dash, I’ve never been more proud of a filly than her!” “Family doesn’t matter in your case. You are still a Rainbow, MY rainbow. And as such, that means that I own you and everything you do,” Rainbow Blaze was definitely blazing right now, almost catching on fire in his spat. “And I have just as much right to throw you out of here and get you arrested as you do to live with whatever harlot you call a wife!” Rainbow picked up her father by the scruff of his neck. “You know, I can take a lot of things, insults against my friends, but insults against my family, especially my wife… Well, that’s another matter entirely! Now do me, (Here, she cast a quick glance towards a quivering Windy) no, us a favor and for once… SHUT UP!” she roared, before headbutting her father and knocking him flat to the floor and into unconsciousness. “T-Thank you…” Windy whispered as Rainbow helped her up off the floor, and to her surprise, hugged her tightly. “No, thank you. I… I never really did get the chance to say that, you know? You made me who I am, just as much as dad did, and I never properly thanked you for that. You kept me on the right side of life, kept me from just saying “Damn it all!” and ending my life,” Rainbow whispered, tears in her eyes, as Windy, and the entire dreamworld in fact, began to fade away. “So… T-Thank you. G-Goodbye, mom.” she choked out. With that, everything became a while flash… Rainbow groaned as she slowly awoke to the sight of a hospital room, the slow beeping of a heart monitor in the background. Standing over her bed were Scootaloo and… “F-Fluttershy?” Rainbow whispered in surprise. Outside the room, she noted her friends watching, alongside Auntie Holiday and Lofty. Twilight, with a hoof, motioned for everyone to take their leave, knowing that this was a private family moment. “I… I thought you hated me?” To her surprise, Fluttershy tackled Rainbow and pulled her into a hug, sobbing into her wife’s neck. “I’m so, so sorry!” She bawled loudly. “I’ve been a horrible friend and wife to you, Rainbow Dash! I can’t even believe I brought myself to hate you for what you did!” “Oh Flutters…” Rainbow said softly as she stroked her wife’s mane. “It’s alright, it’s alright. You came back, didn’t you? Isn’t that what matters?” “Yes. And I’m never going to leave you ever again…” She rubbed her tear-ridden face into Rainbow’s neck. “Shh, shh, just let it out…” Rainbow whispered as Fluttershy sobbed. “It’s okay now, it’s okay.” “How… How can you be so forgiving?” Fluttershy asked, her voice raspy from all of her crying. “I just up and left you, and look what happened!” “Hatred, and angry words…” Rainbow whispered. “Got me to where I am today. My father alone’s proof of that. Just… Just what happened after I drank the punch anyways?” she asked in confusion. “You blacked out, and we needed to get an ambulance on the scene as quickly as possible…” Twilight walked over to Rainbow Dash. “The punch you were drinking had been laced with a pretty strong dose of Wild Pegasus Whiskey. Thank Celestia nobody else drank it that night.” Twilight continued, wiping the sweat from her brow and letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Doctors had to get your stomach pumped, that’s how bad it was!” Scootaloo exclaimed fearfully, and Rainbow, in an attempt to cheer her up smiled and ruffled her daughter’s mane. “Someone must have a pretty nasty grudge against me… Well, I suppose somepony as awesome as I am is bound to get enemies sooner or later!” Rainbow joked weakly, making Scootaloo and Fluttershy laugh a little. Rainbow smiled, that worked as planned. Least her daughter and wife were smiling again. “Who was it anyways, did you ever find out?” “We’re still investigating that at the moment, but I have a pretty good idea on who it was…” A fire began to light in her eyes. “...Yikes, I’d hate to be them when you find them…” Rainbow remarked, wincing a little. Anger an Alicorn Princess at your own peril, the old saying went. Well, not exactly how it went, but close enough she supposed. “So, what do we do now?” Scootaloo asked nervously. “Once I’m outta this joint, do you wanna go flying with me and Fluttershy?” Rainbow smiled and held Scootaloo close. “Yeah, of course!” Scootaloo nodded rapidly. “I want to be up there with you, maybe even be in the Wonderbolts someday!” she exclaimed. Fluttershy smiled, trust her daughter to want to follow her wife’s dream. “Hey, who knows,” she added. “Maybe you’ll meet your special somepony along the way hmm?” she teased, making Scootaloo flush bright red. “Ugh, mom!” Scootaloo mock-gagged at Fluttershy, who hid her giggles with a hoof. “Really? Romance? Really?” “You never know squirt,” Rainbow smiled. “I did meet your mother while I was in Junior Speedster’s Flight School, remember?” Scootaloo could only groan even louder at that, as both Fluttershy and Rainbow struggled to hide their laughter. Twilight smiled, as she watched this scene and wiped away a tear before quietly taking her leave. It seemed all would be well, just as things should be. Sure, they’d had a few bumps along the road, and would probably have a few more, but families were never perfect. Fact was, they’d come out of this only ever the stronger she’d like to think. The End Author's Note Okay... Endings. What to say about them? Well, suppose I should thank my cowriters first, seriously... You two rock! Both of ya, seriously. And you guys, the readers, for sticking through this entire tearjerker of a fic, seeing it through to the end. Now, endings, this is where I confess I had something in mind that when I brought it up to RuinQueen over Discord, it was dismissed as far too cruel. Basically, Scootaloo would be lying in a hospital bed, just like the cover art, and needing a organ transplant that would cost Rainbow her own life and it was only then everyone made up, with the epilogue being Scootaloo eulogizing Rainbow at her gravesite. Now, RuinQueen said she wouldn't have minded if I had the eulogy scene sat years later, after both parents had passed, but I wanted to end this fic on a much happier note, even if still a little bittersweet. Again, seriously you guys, thank you for sticking with me throughout all this.
Prologue: Gimme Shelter (The Bricklayer)"Oh, a storm is threatening my very life today. If I don't get some shelter oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away..." Gimme Shelter: Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed, 1969 Equestria: The Year 1005 ANM Thunder rolled and rumbled outside as a late night spring thunderstorm brought its torrential, almost monsoon like rains over the land of Equestria. Lightning flashed in intricate dances of dazzling displays of powerful bolts striking the ground and flashing inside the clouds that generated them. The winds howled through the trees of the Everfree Forest as animals scattered to their hideaways for shelter and safety. In Ponyville, which for the most part was largely unnoticeable to most if it weren't for the rare occasion when some disaster of some sort struck and the fact that it was home to all six of Equestria's national heroes, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, two of which will be the focus of our little story we're about to tell, things were taking the brunt of the storm's fury. Safely snug inside their homes, the good ponies of the small hamlet were watching the pounding rains from the safety of being behind glass windows and thick brick and stone walls, impenetrable to the gusty winds and heavy rain that seemed to never let up and pounded upon their front doors. It was like Tartarus itself had it out for the small town. Now, storms in the kingdom of Equestria weren't like the storms you and I are used to. The storms of Equestria are created by the pegasus ponies at the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, a city, as it's name implied, made entirely from clouds of all kinds and supposedly the grandest of all the pegasi built communities if you were to ask a pony from the city. Of course, if you were to ask a pony from Stratusberg they might say the same thing about their city. National pride really. But we're getting off topic here. To begin our tale, we must travel to a small farm outside of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, where the yearly production of most of the Apple Harvest for most of Ponyville, excluding imports from other towns like Appleloosa, comes from. There, in an older portion of the ginormous apple groves that made up the orchards, sat a tree house. It was here in this very tree house that the third main character of our story lies. Shivering under a small blanket and squeaking at each loud crack of thunder was a small pegasus filly, about thirteen or so years of age with an orange coat and a purple cropped mane cut in a tomboyish style. She had very tiny wings, far too tiny for what a pegasus her age should have. It was a sad fact of life for this filly that because her wings were so underdeveloped, she may never be able to fly and reach the skies like she wanted to and fly alongside her idol Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony alive today and the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. The rain pounded on the CMC Clubhouse's roof, only adding to the noise. KA-CRACK! Scootaloo shuddered. "Celestia... That last one was really loud! And close..." Scootaloo thought to herself as she shivered from the cold. "Maybe I made the wrong choice in staying here tonight..." Scootaloo then remembered why exactly she had chosen to stay in her friend's Clubhouse, their hideaway from the rest of the world, which was an appropriate term right now, considering what and whom she was hiding from. "NO! I can't go back there! Not after what HE did to me!" Scootaloo thought fearfully to herself as she remembered the pain, and the shouting and then felt a sharp pain in her side and turned her head, and even in the darkness, she could see the bruise that had formed on the right side of her body. Another rumble of thunder came. "I'll never get any sleep tonight, not with all that noise, and how afraid I am..." Scootaloo mused to herself and then she remembered something. A few weeks ago, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's older sisters had given them permission for all three of the trio to have a sleepover (Scootaloo having snuck out of her house, she'd become a master of this. Not that it wasn't hard at the time, given how unconscious both of her "Parents", if she could call them that, were from the combination of the booze and the sleeping pills.) and during that time, Sweetie Belle had confessed she was afraid of the dark and Apple Bloom had snuggled up to her to show her that everything would be fine, just like her older sister did whenever she had a really bad nightmare. "Oh, how I wish I had Rainbow here to cuddle up to me and tell me everything will be alright. But nothing will ever be alright, not for me. Nothing ever is." Scootaloo thought to herself and got up off the wooden floor and out of the blanket and looked out the window to the pouring rain. No stars were visible, but she knew they were there, hidden behind the walls of dark cloud. Scootaloo had heard of an old legend, dating back to even before Nightmare Moon about how if you wished on any star, didn't matter which one, that Princess Luna would hear you and grant you one single wish. "Doubt it's true, but well... here goes nothing I guess..." Scootaloo mused to herself and put her front two hooves together in a praying motion. "Star light, star bright, how I wish tonight... I wish for a family, a real one, one to hold and caress me, and give me shelter from the storm." Scootaloo waited for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing seemed to happen. "Guess it was all just a load of bupkis anyhow..." Scootaloo muttered before she heard a mental voice in her head, one she had heard many times before whenever she got scared or lost. "Oh my dear Scootaloo, I know of your problems, and do not fear, they will be solved very shortly." Luna's soft and caring tone said to her mentally. "By you?" Scootaloo desperately pleaded and Luna chuckled. "No, not by I, although I will be involved with events when necessary as I do not like seeing one of my favorite little ones abused by anypony, (Here Luna's voice turned into a snarl but quickly softened itself again) but somepony very close to you, closer than you actually know will be there for you, always. She'll always be there for you, and her loving wife as well." Luna reassured. "Who?" Scootaloo asked. "You'll find out soon enough." Luna giggled before her voice turned into one of fear as she suddenly sensed something coming towards Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, run!" Luna yelled in fright. "W-Why...?" Scootaloo asked, frightened by how afraid Luna seemed. "Just run, dear child, NOW! RUN!" Luna yelled, and Scootaloo took the hint and dashed down the Clubhouse plank that led to the ground just as the mighty winds tossed a tree right where Scootaloo had been sitting just a few moments earlier, the tree piercing entirely through the Clubhouse windows and out the other side of the structure sending glass shards and splinters flying everywhere. Scootaloo's eyes widened in shock, if she hadn't moved, that tree would have struck her small and frail form and surely have sent her to Sky Haven, the place where all... (Here Scootaloo swallowed) dead ponies went. "Get to safety child, go to Fluttershy's home, she'll take you in for the night." Luna said kindly, but with a hint of urgency as Scootaloo, in the darkness and thanks to a lightning flash saw a swirling funnel of clouds cutting through the apple orchards ripping up trees and sending them flying everywhere before it quickly dissipated and went back up into the swirling mass of clouds from whence it came. And so Scootaloo ran, as fast as her little legs could carry her towards the direction of Fluttershy's cottage and safety... Meanwhile... Rainbow moaned in pleasure just as she pulled away from a passionate kiss from her loving wife of five blissful years, Fluttershy. They'd always been there for each other, ever since childhood at the Junior Speedster's Flight Camp and so it was only natural, as their friendship grew it would only progress into something more. Fluttershy smiled as she snuggled up to Rainbow under the covers of their shared bed and wrapped her wings around her. "Dunno where I'd be without you Flutters." Rainbow said in a loving tone after she gave her wife another quick but passionate kiss and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "You saved me, from... Well, you know." Fluttershy nodded, but was surprised somewhat. Rainbow almost never brought up THAT subject, and for her to bring it up, even for just a second was definitely something out of the ordinary for her. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed outside their window as rain pounded on its glass. "Y-You sure it was a good idea to make this storm so strong?" Fluttershy whimpered in fear. "I-I mean, it's so powerful." "Relax Flutters, I gave the weather team explicit instructions not to make this thunderstorm too strong (Although inwardly Rainbow was having grave doubts about her friends listening to her orders, espically with Cloud Kicker, that idiot of a wild and crazy sex loving mare, leading the team for the night.) and just make a lot of rain and noise." Rainbow reassured. "Although I wish the damn thing didn't have to be on our anniversary night. I just planned for you and me to spend a calming night together." "A-And we can still do that, actually w-we already have, given that we danced together to keep our minds off the storm and rather on each other." Fluttershy responded nervously. "Believe you me, my mind is thoroughly on YOU..." Rainbow said seductively and leaned in for another kiss but was interrupted by a rapid knocking on the door and somepony shouting fearfully to let her in. Cursing to herself softly, Rainbow walked all the way through the darkened house to the front door and opened up only to find a shivering and very frightened... "Scootaloo?" Author's Note Okay, finally getting around to this story that I've been promising for weeks on end. Okay, originally I was planning to subtly build up to the fact that Scootaloo was abused, but if you read the main description you'd know it anyways, so I figured I'd introduce Scootaloo's problem from the start. Also, originally, this scene was supposed to have more of Rainbow and Fluttershy in their home, but I liked the focus on Scootaloo so much, I only decided to introduce them at the very end. And if this chapter reminds you of the Abyss's famous TwiDash fic "I'll always be here for you" in some way, that was unintentional although I did pick up on the possibilities of comparison and had Luna make the line "She'll always be there for you" as a joke. As for the chapter title, as the story title itself is named after a rock song, I figured (And I don't know if RuinQueen will be doing the same for her chapters) that I'd challenge myself and find a different song title for each chapter, with the next one being named after Bob Dylan's Shelter from the Storm. Okay, your thoughts on the chapter? Likes and comments are my meat, I devour them and to be honest, I'd really love to know if all the work I put into my fics is worth the effort.
Part 2: Dream of the Sky (RuinQueenofOblivion)"And I take to the skies, With my only friend. Every angel, Begins at the end." Dream of the Sky: Miracle of Sound: Level 3: 2013 Scootaloo's eyes fluttered open the next day and she was surprised to feel the warmth of somepony holding her. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash still asleep and was holding Scootaloo close to her. The events of last night came flooding back to her, the storm, Luna telling her to go to Fluttershy's house, and finally telling Rainbow Dash about her parents. Rainbow must've fallen asleep holding her like this. It felt, nice, safe even, for the first time in awhile, she felt completely safe. "Are you okay, Scootaloo?" Rainbow asked as she woke up and looked up at her, she still looked worried. "Yeah... I'm okay now..." Scootaloo said weakly. "Just, promise me you won't make me go back home to them, okay?" "Don't worry, I'm going to make sure they never hurt you again," Rainbow said confidently as she hugged Scootaloo gently. "You'll be safe, I promise." Scootaloo smiled and closed her eyes again, just enjoying the feeling of being held by Rainbow Dash. It felt like her long nightmare was finally coming to a close, and Rainbow Dash was going to make sure that she was kept safe. At the same time Rainbow was still trying to figure out what to do. She had been trying to help Scootaloo as best she could, but this... this was something that she couldn't handle, at least not alone. "Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy asked quietly as she entered the room. "Physically, yeah, she'll be fine, mentally on the other hoof..." Rainbow said quietly with a sigh. "I'm going to give her a bit, then I'm going to her house... nopony deserves to go through this..." "What do you want me to do?" Fluttershy asked. Rainbow thought for a long moment before coming up with a quick plan. "Take Scootaloo to the Castle when I leave. Tell her what happened and she should be able to get help." "Okay, just promise me you'll be careful Rainbow, don't do anything rash," Fluttershy said. "Oh come on Flutters, when have I ever done anything rash?" Rainbow asked, trying to add a bit of humor to the situation. "Ummm, do you really want an answer to that?" Fltutershy asked. "Haha, very funny," Rainbow said and rolled her eyes as Scootaloo woke up again with a yawn. "Come on, lets get some breakfast." 00000 Rainbow took a deep breath as she flew towards Scootaloo's house. She had made sure that Fluttershy and Scootaloo made it to the Castle before she went on her way. As she flew towards the house her anger started to rise. She had been trying her hardest to be there for Scootaloo even if she couldn't be her mother, she wanted to be there for the filly as much as she could. Now... she was going to do everything she could to make sure that Scootaloo's adopted parents would pay for hurting her daughter. She came in for a landing outside the house and pushed the door open. She wrinkled her muzzle when the smell of alcohol and vomit reached her nose. It was a smell that she knew all too well. "Who the hay is bothering us now?" A stallion's slurred voice said from the other room. "Probably that good for nothing filly, come crawling back to us." "I'll go get her," a mare's voice said and a pony that Rainbow Dash recognized as Scootaloo's adopted mother Icy Wind stepped out and her eyes went wide. "What the... what are you doing here?" "Scootaloo came by my house last night," Rainbow said, affixing a glare on the mare. "She told me what you've been doing to her." "What kind of lies is that worthless brat telling now?" The Stallion Last Drop said as he came in. "I assure you that we will make sure she doesn't bother you with this..." "Scootaloo wouldn't lie to me, not about this!" Rainbow snapped, causing the two older ponies to recoil a little. "I trust Scootaloo a heck of a lot more than I trust the two of you right now!" "Why do you care? You're not her mother, you're not even her sister, you're just a mare who she looks up to," Last Drop said. "You're just a..." Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, she swung her hoof at Last Drop, catching the stallion off guard as she punched him hard, drawing blood from his muzzle. He growled at her and swung back, hitting her briefly, but it only seemed to make her angrier. As Icy Wind tried to move behind her she bucked hard, sending the mare sprawling. The two older ponies where trying their best, but Rainbow Dash had dealt with a lot worse than them. "Freeze!" A commanding voice said and several ponies dressed in guard armor stormed in, causing the fight to stop, leaving the two older ponies looking rather bloody. "Oh thank Celestia, this crazy mare broke into our house and attacked us for no reason!" Icy Wind said, trying to put on an innocent face. "Take her away, lock her up and throw away the key!" "Icy Wind, Last Drop, you're both under arrest," the lead guard said as he entered the house. "What? What did we do?" Last Drop demanded as they where locked in hoofcuffs. "You know exactly what you did, don't lie!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, she couldn't believe that they where actually trying to weasel their way out of this. "You are under arrest for foal abuse and neglect," the guard said as they hauled the two ponies off. "This isn't over Rainbow Dash!" Icy Wind shouted. Rainbow Dash cringed a little at that and watched as they where taken away. She sighed a little as she started to calm down a little. "Mrs. Dash, we're going to have to get a statement from you later," one of the guards said and Rainbow nodded. "Somepony will stop by the Castle, are you okay? You're bleeding." "Huh?" Rainbow asked as she ran a hoof along her muzzle, coming up with blood. "I'll be fine, I'm going back to the castle." The guard nodded and Rainbow left the house. "Oh my gosh Rainbow, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked as she saw Rainbow as she arrived at the castle. "I'm fine, is Scootaloo okay?" Rainbow asked and looked around worriedly. "She'll be okay Rainbow, she's been more worried about you," Fluttershy said with a sigh. "What about her parents?" "Those ponies gave up any right to be called that a long time ago," Rainbow said with a sigh. "The guards took them away, here's hoping that they'll never hurt Scootaloo again." "I'm sure they won't Rainbow," Fluttershy said with a reassuring smile, she looked around then spoke even quieter than usual. "Rainbow, given the circumstances, maybe you should tell her..." "No, not yet..." Rainbow said with a sigh. "Its not that I don't want to, but, she's in a very fragile state right now... I don't know how she'd take it." Fluttershy sighed, she had known Rainbow Dash's secret since before they had even started dating. She had always felt it would be best for Rainbow to come clean to Scootaloo, but she wanted to give her wife a chance to tell her on her own. Rainbow ultimately was afraid that she would be like her own parents, like Scootaloo's adopted parents. "Come on, lets go check on her," Rainbow said and Fluttershy nodded and they went to go find Scootaloo and Twilight. Author's Note Okay, so while RuinQueen's work isn't as long as the two chapters I worked on, (I would have added on to it, but I need RuinQueen's permission to do that.) it does provide us with what we've been waiting for, the showdown with Scootaloo's "Parents" and the guards showing up to arrest them (I don't know which Princess they work for, probably either Twilight or Luna but as their affiliation is never given, who's to say?) Now normally, I'd go on a somewhat long ramble about the chapter itself, but as I didn't write it, I can't really do that. Okay, so the next chapter will focus on Rainbow meeting up with Princess Twilight and discussing various details including Rainbow revealing to her Scootaloo's real heritage and the upcoming trial and a few cutesy scenes between Rainbow, Fluttershy and their daughter.
