Chapters Rainbow Dash lay quietly on the bed in the dark room of Sweet Apple Acre's farm house. She had been thinking long and hard, carefully planning out her words and predicting every possible outcome of the conversation that she could fathom. Finally she felt ready enough and nudged Applejack softly with her muzzle, "Applejack, I've been thinking…"
"Oh Really? Well that's a first!" Applejack said sarcastically with a toothy grin.
Rainbow Dash had actually hoped this would be the first response she received, giving her a chance to lighten the mood. She bonked the orange pony on the head, "Hey, I'm being serious!"
Applejack giggled and turned towards Rainbow Dash, "Sorry, so what is it hon'?"
"It's been what, half a year since we got married?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah, so?"
Rainbow scooted in a little closer, "Well, I think we are ready to take the next step."
Applejack looked confused, "Uh, the next step?"
"I've been thinking…" Rainbow Dash paused and took in a deep breath, "I… I want to adopt a filly…"
Applejack's eyes widened, still staring at the Pegasus in disbelief, "R-really? Are yah sure?" she asked, "Ah mean, it's just never really thought yah tah be well… the parenting type."
Rainbow Dash's blue cheeks turned bright red, "I know it's sudden, but… I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and it's something I really want to do."
Applejack quietly gazed at Rainbow Dash and studied the glistening magenta eyes that stared back into hers and was still unable to find any indication that she was being played. She couldn't deny that she'd thought about it, but the idea frightened her, "Rainbow… ah don't know."
Rainbow Dash could tell almost instantly what was bothering her, "Applejack, you don't need to be afraid, you aren't anything like your father. I know you would never abandon your own family like he did." She said placing a hoof on Applejack's cheek.
Applejack frowned, "Can ah think about it?"
Rainbow smiled, "Take as long as you need." She then imagined them both old and gray before the decision had been made, "Err, actually, don't take too long, and remember, you aren't anything like he was."
"Ah'll try not to over think it." Applejack gave Rainbow a quick kiss on the lips before shifting back onto her side facing away once again. She tried to take Rainbow's assurances into consideration, but she couldn't help but begin comparing herself to her father once again; he had always been short with her as a filly.
What if she ended up just the same way, nothing more than an ill tempered mare spending her days screaming at the child's every fault and mistake. What if one day Rainbow Dash became seriously ill and instead of caring for both of them, she walked out on them, just like her father had the day her mother died. She repeatedly told herself she would never do the things that he had done, but the feelings continued to linger.
Hours passed, she rolled from side to side restlessly on top of the bed covers, waves of negative thoughts rummaging through her head, she decided to change her approach and focus on the positive. With a single form of paper she could potentially change a pony's life for the better. She could bring them in from a cold and run down building, and raise them in a warm home with a loving family.
In some way, she began to feel she would also be leaving apart of herself in the world when she finally parted it. The new ideas overwhelmed her with a sense of pride and excitement as the feelings of love began to bloom for the filly she had yet to even meet. Applejack took in a deep breath, "Okay…"
Though it had been hours and was well into the night, Rainbow Dash had been unable to fall asleep. The anticipation of the answer, the long wait had made her completely frazzled. At first she thought she had imagined hearing the answer. "What?" Rainbow asked.
Applejack grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her close, "Ah said okay, but ah want a girl… Also, where are we going to go?"
"Trotsdale." Rainbow Dash replied instantly. The place held a special spot in her heart. It was where she had been raised for the first few years of her life. Although she didn't exactly look back fondly at the place, in fact it mostly filled her with depression and loneliness, it would always be a part of her, and helped contribute to who she was.
Maybe it was her desire to have a basic connection with the filly of having shared the same home. It could be that she wanted to spare just one pony from having to experience the youngest years of her life in such a lonely environment, either way her mind had been made up. Rainbow Dash rested her head on Applejack's shoulder, "I want to adopt her at Trotsdale Orphanage."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood at the doorstep of the red faded bricks that barely held together, staring at the withered door, chips of peeling green paint knocking off in the cold breeze. Rainbow was surprised at how little the town of Trotsdale had changed. Apart from a few inches of snow covering the rooftops and roads, the buildings still seemed as warn, gray and lifeless as they had been in her memories.
"Yah sure yah wanna do this hon'?" Applejack asked nervously.
Rainbow Dash answered her by knocking on the wood.
"Come in!" An elder female voice called out from inside.
Rainbow Dash pushed open the door and walked inside, Applejack hesitated for a moment before following.
"Rainbow Dash, is that you?" the voice called out again. The pony pulled herself off of her seat and wobbled over. "It is you!" she let out a rattling laugh and pulled the Pegasus in close for a hug.
Applejack was lost, "Uh, Pardon, but how do you two know each other?" she asked.
"I was Rainbow Dash's house mother!" she said cheerfully.
"Rainbow… Ah knew yah never met yer parents, but yah never told me yah came from a place like… this" Applejack said, gesturing at the falling apart building around them. Rainbow Dash nodded quietly.
The housemother chuckled, "There was quite the ruckus when Rainbow Dash disappeared. She's the reason we had to put up a fence roof in the backyard."
"Wait… yah ran away as well?" Applejack found hundreds of questions suddenly bouncing up into her head. She gawked at Rainbow, who just smiled and nodded again.
"So," The housemother removed her grasp from Rainbow, "I'm guessing you didn't come here just to say hello to your old caretaker."
"Well no act-"
The housemother interrupted her, "That reminds me, a few days after you vanished, a pony came looking for a filly by your description Rainbow…" she waddled over slowly to a dresser and unlocked it with a key from the lace that dangled from her neck. "She made me promise to give you this if you ever came back." She withdrew a shining golden medallion from the drawer and handed it to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow read the engraving aloud, "'Starflash'" she pressed at the tiny button and the latch popped open, only to find it empty, "Who… who did you say gave this to you?"
The housemother shrugged, "She never did say her name. Anyway, that really isn't important right now, so what really brings you here Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head, she had almost completely forgotten about the task at hoof, "Well we…" she grinned and grabbed at Applejack resting her hoof around her neck, "We're here to adopt!"
The housemother said nothing back. She smiled and directed them into the room that Rainbow Dash remembered spending most of her time in as a filly when it was too cold to go outside. Amongst the dozens of laughing earth ponies that filled the room, a single filly caught her eye immediately.
In the corner of the room, completely by herself, was a quietly sitting dusky gray Pegasus, her obsidian mane waving like black fire. It hadn't been her physical features, nor that she was a Pegasus that had called out to Rainbow Dash. It had been her eyes that captured her attention. They emitted emotions that Rainbow had been all too familiar with her during her own childhood.
The filly's sapphire eyes sparkled with loneliness and abandonment. They seemed hopeless and fearful that they would never know real friendship, nor love. They were the same eyes that Rainbow Dash had worn for the better part of her life, plaguing her with every passing day.
Rainbow Dash walked through the mass of laughing and running ponies straight toward the lonely filly and knelt down next to her, "Hi, my name's Rainbow Dash, what's yours?" she asked extending a hoof at the pony.
The filly looked around to see if it was in fact her that was being asked the question, "Um…" she whimpered quietly, "My name… my name is Raven Flame…" she whispered, staring frightened at the hoof that was held out to her.
Rainbow Dash smiled, "It's nice to meet you Raven Flame, would you like to come home with me and my marefriend, Applejack back to our farm?"
Raven's eyes lit up, "A… farm… what's it like there?" she asked softly.
Rainbow Dash nodded, "It's beautiful there and there will be plenty of room for you to run and the skies are so warm, they are perfect for flying!"
Raven Flame grinned at the enticing idea of large open spaces and warm air. What was most important to her though, was that she was being offered a home and a family. "Yes!" she squeaked excitedly, leaping onto Rainbow Dash and clinging to her neck.
The tender filly's grasp let loose a few droplets of joyful tears from Rainbow's eyes as her heart fluttered joyously. She walked towards Applejack with an uncontainable grin spread across her face, the younger Pegasus still attached to her neck. "I found her Applejack, and she's perfect."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash trotted up to the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, the small filly sleeping atop Applejack's back, the excitement had worn her out before the three of them had even began the long journey back from Trotsdale. Rainbow Dash softly nudged open the front door and flew ahead to prepare a spot for the still sleeping Pegasus to rest.
Rainbow Dash returned from setting up the guest bed upstairs when she noticed a large pile of envelopes near the door where Applejack had been standing. She floated over to them, scooped them up and moved them onto the kitchen table. The most recently sent envelope was stamped in bright red letters reading, 'Urgent Notice'.
Rainbow ripped open the seal and read silently as Applejack walked in, the gray filly no longer resting on her back, "What's that?" she asked.
"It's nothing." Rainbow said quickly, attempting to hide the papers.
"Tell me!" Applejack commanded.
Rainbow Dash frowned, "Bills…"
Applejack trotted over and looked at the paper, "Ah don't understand."
Rainbow Dash took a seat and scanned over the sheet once more, "I mean, I tried to keep everything paid for…" she let out a sigh, feeling ashamed for not having been able to have done better at managing everything, "But the orchards were ruined and weren't bringing in any money."
"So what, yah just stopped paying fer the land?" Applejack's voice began to rise in anger.
"I didn't have a choice!" Rainbow Dash cried out, defending herself.
Applejack slammed her hoof on the table, "Of course yah had a choice! What could've been more important than mah farm?"
"I'm sorry Applejack…"
Applejack glared at the slumped Pegasus, "Yah still haven't answered the question!"
"You were more important!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "I had to decide between paying the hospital bills or paying for Sweet Apple Acres and…" She shifted her head away hiding her eyes, "I chose you…" her breathing grew soft and her voice quiet as she tried to conceal her growing tears of shame, "They said you might never wake up Applejack, but there was still the slightest chance you would, and I wasn't going to give up on you."
"Ah'm sorry…" Applejack moved closer to Rainbow Dash, a dull aching setting into her head and the room beginning to spin as she moved closer. She began to wobble in her steps and soon fell to the floor.
Rainbow Dash hopped off her chair and lifted Applejack's head off the floor, petting her forehead gently, "Are you okay?"
"Ah'm fine, guess ah just wore mahself out from the trip is all…"
"Applejack, you need to relax, you don't need any extra stress, not after what happened last time." Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack off the floor and helped her towards the couch in the living room. "And don't worry about the bills, we'll figure something out."
"Ah know we'll figure it out but…" Applejack lost her train of thought when she noticed the filly across the room staring quizzically at them, "Ah thought yah were asleep sugarcube, everything alright?"
Raven Flame glanced at her hooves, "I was… but I heard shouting and it woke me up. What's going on?"
Rainbow Dash trotted over, "Don't worry about that, how about I take you on a tour around the farm!"
"Okay!" Raven said bouncing excitedly, she paused and looked over towards the couch, "What about you Applejack? Are you coming too?"
"Ah'd love tah sweetie, but ah'm plum tuckered out and ah need mah rest."
"Aww…" Raven Flame whined, puffing her eyes out at Applejack.
Applejack frowned at the filly's face she was making, "Ah'm sorry, but ah really can't. Y'all go on an' have fun without me. We'll go later."
"Promise?"
"Ah Promise!" Applejack said, poking her own eyeball with her hoof.
"Good!" Raven Flame hopped over towards Applejack and gave her a short hug, she thought for a second and finally said, "Bye… mom!" and ran away quickly towards Rainbow Dash who gave Applejack a wide grin.
"Bye you two, ah'll see yah later!" Applejack called out after them as they walked out the front door.
"So…" Rainbow Dash stared trying to think of something to say to keep Raven Flame entertained as she began the tour, "This… is a tree…" she said dumbly, pointing at one of the growing saplings.
Raven Flame giggled, "I know what a tree is you know."
"Well look at who's a smarty four-hoof over here!" Rainbow Dash said, prodding Raven in the stomach playfully.
Raven Flame prodded back, "Actually, I was wondering if you could…" she scraped her hoof at the ground bashfully, "maybe fly me around?" she crinkled her nose, "I'm still just a little tired is all."
Rainbow Dash grinned and knelt down next to the filly, "Hop aboard!" she shouted with new life. The idea of an aerial tour of the farm was something she could do, and it would definitely be much more interesting for the both of them than walking.
Raven Flame climbed onto Rainbow's back, wrapping her hooves tightly around the Pegasus's neck, "Ready!" she called out loudly, despite being only a few inches from Rainbow's ears.
Rainbow flinched and rubbed her ears with her hoof then began to flap her wings, ascending away from the ground. Only a few inches off the ground and Raven flame had tightened her grip around Rainbow's neck so much that she could barely breathe,
"You're… choking… me…." Rainbow gasped, she landed back on the ground and pulled at the hooves clinging to her throat.
Raven Flame quickly softened her grasp, "Sorry! Err, I didn't realize I was holding on so tight."
Rainbow Dash took a moment to recover her breath and lifted off once more, the filly's grip tightening again, but not enough to bother her this time.
Just as they were about take off Applejack called out to them from the porch, "Ah almost forgot, ah need tah talk tah yah two 'bout something!"
The two Pegasi let out an almost synchronized sigh. Rainbow Dash floated them back over to the farmhouse and brought them back inside.
"Sorry tah cut your little tour short."
"What is it Applejack? Rainbow Dash asked anxiously, wanting to get back to spending some time with the filly.
"Well, ah wanted tah let y'all know, that yer starting school tomorrow Raven.
"School?" Both the Pegasi cried out in unison, one in confusion and the other in disbelief.
"Yes, school."
"But Applejack, school is for eggheads!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"Oh hush!" Applejack waved her hoof at Rainbow then looked back towards Raven Flame who was still hanging onto Rainbow's neck, "That's okay with you, right sugarcube?" she asked sweetly.
The filly thought for a moment, the thought of school and all the other ponies that would be there frightened her a little, "I guess…" she said reluctantly.
Applejack smiled, "Alright, yah two can go now."
"Okay, we'll see you later!" Rainbow Dash said quickly, turning around and preparing to take flight again when her tail was grabbed.
Applejack turned the retreating Pegasus back towards her, pressing her lips against Rainbow Dash. Raven Flame let out a quiet sound of adoration beneath her breath. "Okay, now yah can go!" Applejack said with a grin after the kiss ended.
Rainbow Dash's desires to climb into the sky almost instantly vanished and were replaced with the want to cuddle up beneath a blanket with Applejack. However the filly atop her back continued to wring softly at her neck in anticipation for the trip she had been waiting for and finally Rainbow Dash launched off outside.
"So, what do I call you?" Raven Flame asked loudly, trying to push her voice past the rushing wind.
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "I hadn't really thought about it."
Raven giggled, "Can I call you 'Dashie'?" she asked even though she intended to use this nickname regardless of the answer she received.
"I'd rather you didn't."
Raven smiled mischievously, "Oh… well, take me over to the barn, Dashie!" she commanded, letting one hoof go of Rainbow Dash's neck to point in the direction she wanted to go.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash cried, but did as she was told and flew to the barn and landed on the roof. The farm began to grow dim as the sun slowly started setting, "It's getting late, and I guess you have a big day tomorrow, so I think it's time for you to go to bed"
"Aww…" Raven Flame duplicated the previous whine and facial expression she had earlier with Applejack even though Rainbow Dash couldn't see it.
"Sorry!" Rainbow said, flying back off the barn towards the large open glass window on the second floor of the house. She landed next to the bed she had set up earlier for Raven Flame and waited for the filly to climb off of her.
"Dashie, do you know any flying tricks?" Raven Flame asked as she hopped off of Rainbow and onto the bed.
"I know a few." Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound modest.
Raven's sapphire eyes brightened, "Will you show me some?"
"Of course, but not tonight though." Rainbow Dash ruffled the filly's fiery black mane, "I'll show you a couple of them after you get home from school tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." Raven Flame replied sounding disappointed.
Rainbow Dash closed the open window and headed towards the door, "Good night Raven!"
"Good night, Dashie!" Raven grinned, "Good night Applejack!" she then shouted out as Rainbow Dash walked out the bedroom door and closed it. Now Raven Flame found herself alone to her thoughts, which she found were mostly on her growing terror of what school would be like. She tried not to think about it and instead she focused on what she thought of her new home.
The new place felt foreign and strange to her, but it wasn't in a bad way. It was an exciting and almost in some ways cozy sensation. For the first time in her life she felt she wasn't alone and that she was cared for and special. The warm feelings helped to cloud her rapidly tiring mind as she drifted into a much needed sleep.
An excited gasp escaped a pony's mouth, causing Raven Flame to stir, and slowly pull away from her dreams back to the real world. A pair of wide peach-colored eyes hovered in front of Raven's face as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from her vision. She rubbed at her eyes with a hoof clearing away the rest of the mist, allowing her to make out a vanilla pony with an unkept scarlet mane gawking at her.
"Sorry tah wake yah, but Applejack asked me tah." Applebloom hopped up and down, "Ah thought she was joking when she said there'd be a new pony staying with us!" she said loudly, "Ah can't wait to introduce yah to the rest of mah friends! Oh, mah name is Applebloom by the way!" she grabbed at the tired Pegasus's hoof and shook it ferociously.
Raven Flame blinked to adjust her eyes. She was glad another filly would be staying with her, but it still surprised her having no one told her this. "Uh.. Hi, I'm Raven Flame." She yawned as a question popped into her head, "Um, are you adopted too?"
Applebloom laughed, "Oh heaven's no! Ah'm Applejack's sister!" She looked towards the clock mounted on the wall, "School starts in half an hour, so yah best get up and get ready!"
Raven Flame let out another yawn, then hopped off the bed, gently prodding at her mane to feel if it was suitable for an occasion such as school. She flattened it slightly and accepted that this would be adequate enough and followed Applebloom down the stairs towards the warm scent of cinnamon.
As they reached the base of the stairs, Rainbow Dash let out a roar and swooped from across the room scooping up the both of the fillies. Rainbow still felt strange about the whole situation. She thought she was supposed to know what to do and say, but whenever the moment actually came, she just felt silly. She asked the only thing her mind could muster ,"So, how'd ya sleep Raven?" she asked dully, placing the two fillies back on the ground.
Raven Flame shrugged, "I slept okay." She said disinterestedly, more focused on the scent that was wafting in from the kitchen. She had never smelt anything like it before, back at the orphanage they had a small serving of hay, or on rare occasion a hoofful of oats.
Applebloom started bouncing excitedly and grabbed at Raven's hoof again and started pulling her to the kitchen, "Sis is making her cinammon apple-sliced pancakes!"
"Uh, probably a stupid question but…" Raven Flame paused trying to answer it herself before asking, but was unable to. "What's a pan...cake?"
Applebloom tried to think of a way to explain it, but couldn't really come up with a way to describe it, "Uh… well, you'll find out soon enough ah guess. And yer in fer a treat!"
"Mornin!" Applejack called out placing a large tray of golden brown of flat circular doughy discs with cinammon sprinkles swirled from the center of them, "Yer gonna have tah eat fast girls, we're already behind schedule."
Applebloom pulled up a chair and indicated for Raven Flame to sit down. Once the Pegasus did as she was told, Applebloom plopped one of the large objects onto a plate and slid it over to her, "This is a pancake!"
Applejack turned around and looked at Raven, "Wait, y'all never had a pancake before?" she said in disbelief.
"Uh… no?" Raven Flame replied, now feeling embarassed.
"It's okay Raven." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on the young Pegasus's shoulder, "I hadn't even heard of a pancake until I was almost a year older than you were." Raven felt lessembarassed, but now she was curious as to why. Rainbow seemed to know what she was thinking, "I was from the same orphanage you were from, now eat up."
Raven Flame nodded and gingerly took a bite of the floppy food. Her taste buds fired with the bombardment of the texture and combination of sweet yet slightly spicey flavors. She hadn't even known food could taste like this. She had been stuck eating the same thing for so long she had started to believe that hay and oats were the only thing in the world. She rapidly started putting more of it into her mouth, savoring each bite and quickly finished off the pancake.
Applebloom giggled, "Ah bet yah could get a cutie mark for food eating competitions."
"Cutie Mark?" Raven asked dumbly
Applebloom pointed at her blank hip, "A cutie mark is something every pony gets when they discover their special talent! I've been trying to get mine for years now."
"Special talent?" Raven thought to herself trying to think of what hers could be. Having been stuffed in a tiny orphanage her whole life, she hadn't tried nearly anything, her whole world was expanding vastly with all the new windows that had been opened from being taken from the place.
"Applejack, we're gonna leave a little early so we can pick up Scootaloo and Sweetiebell, 'Kay?" Applebloom said, her mouth stuffed full of pancakes muffling together her words.
"'Kay." Applejack shifted her glance towards Raven Flame, "Raven, do yah want me and Rainbow to come with yah?"
"No!" Applebloom protested, "Applejack, if y'all come with us, you'll just embarrass Raven!" she looked at Raven, "Trust me!"
"I guess not then." Raven Flame said sounding a little unsure.
"Well would yah look at the time!" Applebloom said quickly, "Ah guess its time fer us tah get going! Come on Raven!" she grabbed at her and dragged her out the front door before either of the other three ponies could react.
Once the two fillies were clear, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and asked herself "What did I get myself into?" She flopped her head onto the wooden table, "I can't believe I thought I was ready for a filly. I don't even know what to say to her!"
Applejack trotted over, "Oh hush, yer doin' fine, just give it time."
Rainbow Dash grumbled, "You don't seem to be having these problems! She's already calling you mom. She calls me Dashie"
Applejack chuckled, "Yer being to hard on yerself Dashie. And besides, yah have spent most of yer life alone, Ah've been taking care of Applebloom since…" her mood changed almost instantly, her smiling fading just as fast, "Do me a favor and go watch them. Ah know they don't want us there, but ah still can't help but worry 'bout."
Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a peck on the cheek and took off quietly through the kitchen window. She took cover above the clouds hovering just above the fililes. Every few seconds she flew ahead and hid behind the next closest cloud.
"RAINBOW, AH KNOW YER THERE!" Applebloom shouted at the sky suddenly.
Rainbow Dash popped her head out from one of the clouds, "Oh hey… I was just, uh.. taking a nap!" She grabbed a handful of cloud, held it to her face and imitated a snoring noise.
Applebloom rolled her eyes, "Yah woke up like an hour ago."
Rainbow Dash floated down closer to the two fillies, "Those pancakes just wore me out is all."
"Yah didn't eat any of them." Applebloom said flatly.
Raven Flame watched as the two went back and forth for a few minutes before finally breaking in, "Dashie, we'll be fine, you can go back to the farm."
Rainbow Dash glanced over, she felt a little hurt that she was being dismissed so quickly by the pony, "Fine…" she began to fly away, "You still want me to show you some tricks?" she turned around asking hopefully. Raven Flame grinne, nodded and waved her hoof good-bye.
"Finally! Okay, lets go! The others should be waiting at Ponyville's fountain, its only a few minutes away." Applebloom began to skip onward, Raven Flame followed with much less enthusiasm.
They made a few turns through the streets before coming across a large white marble fountain, a white unicorn, and a burnt orange Pegasus poking at each other playfully.
"Hey guys!" Applebloom waved, beckoning them closer.
"Hey Applebloom." The white unicorn said, her eye catching notice of the black Pegasus nearby. "Who's that?"
"Sweetiebell, Scootaloo, this is mah new… neice I think." She made strange hoof motions as she silently worked it out in her head, "Yeah! Anyway, her name is Raven Flame!"
"It's nice to meet you!" Sweetiebell said, reaching out her hoof to the Pegasus, who took it in her own and shook softly.
Scootaloo just stood there.
"Aren't yah gonna say hi Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, waving her hoof in front of the staring orange Pegasus's face.
"H-hi..." Scootalo said softly, still unable to move her gaze away from Raven Flame.
Applebloom raised an eyebrow, "Okay… anyway, school is about tah start, so lets hurry."
Both Sweetiebell and Applebloom stayed at the front of the group leading the way. Scootaloo walked clumsily behind the black Pegasus. Raven Flame followed silently, looking back at Scootaloo every so often, whenever she did, the orange Pegasus shifted her eyes somewhere else.
"Here we are!" Applebloom said, walking towards the large red building with a bell tower on it's roof. She held open the brown wooden door for the fillies. Raven Flame looked inside for a moment to see rows of desks aligned next to one another. Finally she stepped inside, the other three fillies following her.
Raven Flame sat down in the empty seat in between Scootaloo and Applebloom. Miss Cheerilee handed a stack of papers to each row of desks, the ponies passing them back to the pony behind them. The entire class let out a groan except for Scootaloo who immediately placed all of her focus onto the paper the second it was within her grasp. Raven Flame looked down to find what most would have percieved as a simple sheet of arithmetic.
Raven continued to glare at the numbers, everypony around her seemed to be hard at work. She stared at it feeling frustrated and to embarassed to ask for help. In an effort to appear she knew what she was doing, she picked up her pencil and started scribbling down random nonsense.
Half an hour passed of her sitting there doodling when Scootaloo suddenly hopped off her desk and dropped off the sheet onto Cheerilee's desk. A few more minutes passed then other ponies began to do the same. Eventually she would be the only pony to not have turned in the paper.
While a swarm of ponies were huddled around the desk Raven Flame grabbed her sheet and crumpled it up into a small ball. She then slipped through the rest of the crowd and discarded the sheet into the trash bin filled with other discarded papers. She bolted back down to her seat and looked around, no pony was looking at her.
The mass of ponies returned to their desks and Miss Cheerilee stood up, "Did everyone hand in their papers?"
"Yes Miss Cheerilee." The entire class replied with the exception of Raven Flame who sat quietly.
"Alright, well since it was test day and it's such a gorgeous day outside, I'm going to let you all leave early!"
The entire class cheered and rushed to the door. A sudden sinking filled Raven Flame's stomach, "A test?" she thought to herself as she carefully stepped behind the other ponies who vacated the classroom. Once outside the room she waited by the door for the other three ponies.
Scootaloo was the second to emerge from the room. "Hey Scootaloo." Raven Flame called out, waving her hoof.
"Oh, hey." Scootaloo replied weakly as she stumbled closer.
"Um, I was wondering… I saw how quickly you finished the test. Well I was hoping maybe you could…" Raven Flame pushed aside her pride and whispered, "Tutor me?"
"Okay." Scootaloo said in the same quiet voice when a piece of paper pinned onto the wall captured her eye. She moved towards it and pulled it off with her teeth and read it silently to herself. It was a flyer for an upcoming Pegasus race, although it was for older ponies she could still give it to Rainbow Dash who she had been dieing to see race again since the accident.
"What's that?" Raven Flame poked her head next to Scootaloo's and peered down at the sheet.
Scootaloo lit up, "There's a Pegasus race tonight! I'm so gonna tell Rainbow Dash about this, she just has to race!" she was practically squeaking with excitement.
"Rainbow Dash?" Raven Flame was confused, "Why do you want to see her race?"
"Rainbow Dash is like the greatest flier in all of Equestria!" Scootaloo squeaked again, "Well, she was before her accident, but that's behind her and she wouldn't let that stop her!"
"Whatcha talkin' bout?" Applebloom asked joining them by the schoolhouse wall.
"Apparently how great of a flier Rainbow Dash is." Raven Flame said doubtfully.
"That again?" Sweetiebelle asked from behind Applebloom.
"Ah swear Scootaloo, yer gonna get a face of Rainbow Dash fer yer cutie mark with how much yah obsess over her." Applebloom prodded the orange Pegasus's hip.
"I am not obsessed with her!" Scootaloo could feel her cheeks covering with a shade of bright pink. Embarrassed she pushed herself through the other three, "I have to go, make sure Rainbow knows!" she called out and started running.
The three of them watched as the pony retreated, "Ah don't think ah've ever seen her act so weird before." Applebloom shrugged and started walking towards the road they had come down on their from the farm.
Sweetiebelle patted Raven Flame on the head, "Sorry your first day of school had to be on a test day Raven. Usually class is more lively than that."
"Yeah, sorry. Well, ah guess we better go tell Rainbow Dash about this race thing like Scootaloo asked." Applebloom said.
"Tell me what?" Rainbow Dash blurted out from a cloud above the schoolgrounds.
"Rainbow, how long have yah been there?" Applebloom asked suspiciously.
"I just got here, I promise!" Rainbow Dash replied, "Now tell me what?"
"Theres going to be a Pegasus race tonight." Raven Flame answered.
Rainbow Dash grinned, she had been training for months on end but there hadn't been any competitions being held. She had almost decided she was going to compete when she remembered her promise to Raven Flame, "Hey Raven, I know I promised to show you a trick but do you want to see me race instead?"
Raven Flame's eyes narrowed with excitement, "Okay Dashie!" she said with almost no hesitation.
The stifling stadium filled with the stench of sweat and the spark of excitement. Twelve Pegasus approached the white line taped down into the dirt. Each Pegasus secured a headband around their mane and placed their hooves into a starting position to give them the best possible push for when they launched from the ground.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and tilted her neck downward. She scraped her hooves at the dirt, giving her a feel of the terrain as well as molding it slightly for a better boost. Rainbow had learned that the start of the race was always one of the most crucial moments as it provided the initial speed that would typically make or break the race.
A pony held a black and white checkered flag with her teeth. She waved it once and the row of Pegasus all pushed their hooves down hard into the ground. She waved it for a second time and their bodies redirected most of their energy to their hind hooves. An exploding sound echoed through the stadium, the crowds that filled it letting out a roar of excitement.
The twelve Pegasus emerged from the settling cloud of dust they had made from their lift-off. Just slightly at the head of the pack was a green Pegasus, his wingspan slightly larger than that of the ponies behind him. Trailing behind the group was a slender dark-blue pony with tiny wings that made the spectators wonder how he was even capable of flying.
Amongst the center of the mass of Pegasus flying around the track was a barely visible multi-colored mane that slowly pushing its way forward away from the group. They circled the track for the third time, the group started disintegrating as each ponies stamina began to drain away. The green Pegasus continued to hold the lead with a pink Pegasus and Rainbow Dash following closely behind.
Rainbow Dash could feel her bad wing starting to twinge from the pressure as she tried to work it harder. She decided to save her strength as Twilight had taught her during the Running of the Leaves and kept at her current pace. She passed the end line for the seventh time, her wing barely holding out.
"Just a few more laps." She told herself.
The pink Pegasus started to push onward, leaving Rainbow dash behind and she soon was overtaking the green Pegasus taking his place in first. They passed the line for the eigth time, a thick layer of sweat was coating Rainbow Dash's body. Her muscles burning intensified with each flap of her wings. Her breathing became labored as the air rushed past her face making it difficult for her to take in any oxygen.
"FINAL LAP!" A pony screamed through a microphone.
Rainbow Dash let loose her reserved energy into her wings and forced them to move faster. She tucked in her legs against her stomach the best she could to remove as much wind resistance as possible. She pushed away from the green Pegasus and pulled back up next to the pink who lead the pack.
Rainbow Dash and the pink pony were now neck and neck, the finish line only a hundred yards or so away. Rainbow was slowly nudging past her competitor when the searing in her wing overwhelmed her and it started to lag severely. The beat of her wings soon became desynchronized and she lost balance, crashing down hard into the dirt. The crowd let out another deafening cheer as the first pony passed the finish line, then a second. She pulled herself from the dirt and thrust herself forward, just as she was about to cross the finish, one last Pegasus zipped in front of her claiming the spot for number three.
Rainbow Dash stared down at the ground, "Fourth place?" she thought to herself. She looked towards the crowd spotting her group of cheering friends. She looked away quickly as her entire body filled with shame at her performance. She took off the ground and flew away from the stadium, ignoring her friends as they beckoned for her.
Rainbow flew for several minutes towards a forest she had not returned to since she was a filly. The slowly decaying wooden debris of the cabin her mother had once cared for her in. She landed next to the shining stoneslab and placed her head onto it, "Mom…" she whispered to the grave, "I know I promised you I'd be the best, just like you were."
Tears swelled up into Rainbow Dash's eyes, "But… I don't think I can anymore." She said softly. "You must think I'm such a disappointment." She continued to lay there and cradle the carved stone as she let her emotions flood out, "I'm sorry…"
Realizing the other ponies would have seen her fly off, they would be back at the farm soon. She didn't want any pony to worry about her so Rainbow Dash launched away from the ground and headed back towards the farm. She hurdled herself through the open upstairs bedroom's window and onto the bed hiding her face beneath the pillow and blanket when she heard the sound of hoofsteps clambering up the staircase.
"Rainbow, are yah alright?" Applejack called out from behind the door, giving the doorknob a little jingle and nudged it open. She peered inside locating the lumped up blanket, "Oh sugar cube, it's only a race." She said as she pulled off the blanket from Rainbow Dash.
"I know it's just a race!" Rainbow said as she dried her puffy eyes with a hoof.
Applejack lay down next to Rainbow Dash and looked her in the eyes, "Then why are yah beating yerself up about it?"
"Because Applejack" Rainbow Dash drew in a sharp breath, "This is my future and I can't even beat a bunch of no ponies in some race. I'm a failure…"
"Yah are not a failure!" Applejack said firmly she noticed Rainbow flinching as she said it and decided to change her approach, "Yah know what ah saw there in that stadium?"
Rainbow tilted her looking curiously at Applejack.
"Ah saw a Pegasus who shouldn't even be able to fly at all, yet somehow managed tah come just a few seconds short of first place." Applejack squeezed Rainbow Dash, "What ah saw wasn't you being a failure, it was you being simply spectacular."
Rainbow Dash smiled and wrapped a wing around Applejack and placed her damp face against Applejack's and gave her small frequent kisses that continued to grow in length.
"Ah-hem." Raven Flame cleared her throat from the doorway and the two ponies pull themselves off each other.
"Sorry, did yah want something?" Applejack asked, her cheeks still bright red.
Raven Flame nodded, "I was wondering if I could talk to Dashie, privately."
"Uh, okay." Applejack said giving Rainbow one last kiss before parting.
Once gone, Raven Flame sat down next to Rainbow Dash on the bed, "I thought you did amazing at the race."
"Thanks..." Rainbow Dash sniffled, and the room filled with silence. The two sat there awkwardly for a few minutes.
"I don't… I don't know how to fly…" Raven Flame blurted out suddenly.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, "Wait what?"
"I don't know how to fly! Raven Flame cried out again, "I was wondering… could you teach me?"
"You don't know how to fly?" Rainbow Dash scolded herself silently as she acknowledged how the filly already must have felt, "Sorry. Sure, I guess I can teach you." She answered.
Raven Flame hopped off the bed and trotted towards the door, "Can we start tomorrow?" she asked.
"Sure, I guess." Rainbow repeated.
Raven Flame ran back and tossed her hooves around Rainbow Dash, "Thank you!"
"I am not obsessed with Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo grumbled to herself as she placed her scooter against the wall of a worn down shack near the edge of Everfree forest. She reached for the knob and stopped for a few minutes to prepare herself. Reluctantly, she turned open the knob as quietly as possible and pushed open the door.
A fat orange stallion Pegasus lay snoring on the tattered couch placed against the wall. A small trail of drool dripped from his mouth and with each snort of his breath the pony made the putrid scent of alcohol waft towards Scootaloo stinging her nose. She padded away from the snoring pony and headed through the open door of her bedroom, closing the door just as quietly as she walked.
Scootaloo looked around her room to find her belongings had strewn about the floor whilst she was gone. The posters nailed to her walls room's walls had been torn down and shredded littering the floor. She walked sadly to a nail that had been hammered into the wall, the base of a poster still intact. In black letters, "SPITFI-" had been written on it, the torn page cutting off the rest of the letters.
Scootaloo flooded with anger and slammed her hoof into the light wooden wall. The knocking echoed through the tiny shack and the snoring ceased shortly after. There was a loud irritated grunt and then the sound of heavy hoofsteps approaching her door.
"SCOOTALOO!" A voice screamed from outside her room.
Scootaloo spun around and ran towards the door. In a panic, she pressed down the knob's lock and began to slide her dresser in front of the door. There was a rattling on the knob followed by a fierce pounding that caused the door to shake.
"OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!"
Scootaloo sat herself against the dresser, "I'm s-s-sorry dad, I d-didn't m-mean to wake you." she whimpered.
"YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE, OPEN THE DOOR NOW!" The voice commanded.
"Please…" Scootaloo begged as her eyes filled with fearful tears.
The shaking of the door intensified, the dresser bouncing slightly. As each powerful thump hit the wood behind it, the hinges of the door began to creak and dust from the wood began to float off the wall. Scootaloo looked up anxiously at the hinges and silently prayed her father would give out before they did.
After one last deafening crash the noises stopped and the hoofsteps retreated back away from the battered door. Scootaloo continued quivering on the floor repeating comforting words inside her head as her body stayed completely paralyzed with fear.
Hours slowly passed and the sound of enraged curses faded into snores that reverberated around the wooden walls of the shack once more. The snoring removed the paralysis that froze Scootaloo, shakily she pulled herself off the floor and peeked through the small hole in the wall to find the sun no longer present. "Looks like I missed the race…" she thought to herself as she crawled into her bed.
Scootaloo desperately wanted to leave and stay at any pony's house so long as it wasn't here. Unfortunately she feared that moving the dresser would make too much noise and awaken her father for a second time. She stared at her bedroom door for hours, scarcely even blinking, hoping the rest of the night would be uneventful.
Scootaloo held her breath as the snoring stopped for the second time. Her heart pounded as the doorknob jingled for a few seconds then stopped. The sound of the front door squeaking open and slamming shut calmed her. After waiting for a few minutes she pushed her dresser back to its original spot and poked her head out the door to find the couch empty.
Scootaloo ran towards the door but she hesitated when feelings of doubt that she was safe coursed through her. She backed away and turned towards the single window of the building, pushed it open and climbed through it. She scouted carefully around the shack's corners finding only a trail of stubby hoofprints that lead away.
Relief washed over Scootaloo, she grabbed her scooter from its resting place against the wall. She pushed herself off with one hoof and started flapping her wings rapidly to help propel her forwards. The rush of adrenaline slowed as she moved further and further away from the Everfree Forest.
Scootaloo heart's beat returned to its normal pace once she reached the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. She took a sharp turn onto the dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres. She wondered where she was supposed to start with tutoring, and her stomach fluttered a little and her mind blanked itself as she thought of Raven Flame.
Yesterday she had felt like a complete idiot, she had only managed to muster a few words. Normally it wouldn't have bothered her that her friends were teasing her about her so called obsession with Rainbow Dash, but with Raven Flame present it made her feel silly and it just embarrassed her.
Scootaloo suddenly remembered the race she had missed due to being locked up in her room. Now she was curious as to how the race turned out. She imagined Rainbow Dash standing triumphantly atop the first place podium holding a shining golden trophy.
Scootaloo was glad she would be tutoring Raven Flame. She did want to see the filly again even though she didn't know why, but it also gave her an excuse to find out about the race. Slamming her hoof into the dirt road beneath her she halted herself just a few yards in front of the open gates of the Apple Orchards.
Raven Flame, terrified, leaped out of her bed when the ringing of a whistle pierced her ears. Grumbling tiredly she climbed back into her bed and pulled the sheets back over herself which were removed shortly afterwards. She turned to search for her blanket and instead found Rainbow Dash standing at the bedside wearing a black and white striped coach hat.
"What time is it?" Raven Flame yawned.
"Time for you to get your flank out of bed and march down those stairs! That's what time it is!" Rainbow Dash grinned, she began to think she was more excited to teach the filly to fly then the filly was to learn. Raven Flame sat there stretching her limbs as slowly as she could just to irritate the Pegasus.
"Come on!" Rainbow Dash whined and began to tap her hooves floor impatiently.
"Okay, okay!" Raven Flame started to move her hooves towards the wooden floor but the pace was to slow for Rainbow Dash. Within the blink of an eye she found herself on top of the blue Pegasus's back and they were bouncing down the stairs. "Can I at least have something to eat first?"
"Ugh! Fine!" Rainbow Dash began pouting childishly, "But hurry it up, I want to get started!"
Raven Flame hopped off Rainbow Dash and ran into the kitchen, two things capturing her eye. The first was the pile of shining red apples which decreased in size drastically as she stocked up for whatever Rainbow Dash had in store for her. The second was a glinting golden locket that lay next to the large stack of torn envelopes and papers. She scooped up the piece of jewelry and trotted back into the main room.
"What's this?" Raven Flame held out the pendant, dangling it from its golden chain.
"It's a necklace." Rainbow Dash pointed out quite bluntly.
"Well I can see that." Raven Flame covered her face with a hoof, "The housemare at the orphanage, I saw her take it out of a locked drawer and give it to you."
"It was my mom's. I guess the pony who found me and brought me to the orphanage came back to give it to me." Rainbow Dash studied it for a moment then took it from Raven and slid it around her neck, "I think it looks good on you. You should wear it."
"R-really?" Raven Flame asked in disbelief, staring down at the glittering jewelry that now weighted down on her neck.
"Mm-hmm!"
"Thank you!" Raven Flame leapt up wrapping her hooves around Rainbow Dash whose cheeks turned bright red.
"Alright, alright!" Rainbow gently shook off the clinging filly. "Now can we please get started?" she asked as she started jogging in place. Raven nodded and bounced joyfully outside the farmhouse just behind Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash turned her hat sideways and began to pace back and forth, "The next couple of weeks are going to be rough! There's going to be cuts and bruises. You may even die several times, but that will not stop me from teaching you to fly. DO YOU GET ME?" she boomed at the wide-eyed filly.
"Sir, yes, ma- wait what?"
Rainbow ignored her still pacing back and forth, "Some of you are going to think that you won't fly, others that you can't. They all say that until they're out there."
Raven Flame raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? Out where? And who is they?"
Rainbow Dash sighed, "Your killing me here Raven, I'm just trying to have some fun! Can't you just go with it?"
"I guess?"
"Good!" Rainbow Dash resumed her pacing but didn't say anything, "Aw horse radishes, now I can't remember where I was at!" Raven Flame tried to suppress a giggle which Rainbow heard, "You think that's funny, soldier?"
"N-no, s-sir…" Raven Flame said as she tried to keep a straight face which she couldn't maintain and she burst out into laughter, "I'm sorry, it really isn't funny." She said in between laughs. Her laughing slowed and then stopped altogether, "Okay. Continue."
"Oh forget it, let's just cut to the chase!" Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, "Okay we'll start off with the basics, hovering. Why don't you give it a shot to see where you're at."
Raven Flame kicked her hoof against the ground nervously after several minutes she finally extended her wings and flapped weakly. The feeble flaps were barely strong enough to create gusts of wind strong enough to make a small cloud of dust from the dirt.
Rainbow Dash examined her for a moment, "Stop, stop, stop." She said finally, "You'll never get enough lift off the ground with that. You have to put more strength into it, or as Applejack would say…" Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, "Y'all gotta beat those wings like an apple on a turnip farm." She said with a near perfect imitation of Applejack.
Raven Flame was confused again, "That doesn't really make sense."
Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Okay so she probably wouldn't say that, but it doesn't change anything. You need to flap your wings harder and faster or you'll never get off the ground."
The two ponies stood in the field for hours as they stretched their wings out with various exercises. Every so often they would take a break but they were determined and kept at it. As they worked an orange filly rolled herself up towards them.
"H-Hey, whatcha guys doing?" The filly called out hoping they couldn't detect her shaky voice.
Raven Flame's heart skipped a beat when she Scootaloo's voice. She was so busy trying to think of an explanation for what they were doing that she paid no attention to her still beating wings that slowly lifted her off the ground. "Rainbow Dash asked me if I wanted to train with her!" She lied.
"Um, Raven" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, she is uh, training, for uh, the next race." Raven Flame started to babble. She tried to shut herself up but she just couldn't seem to get a hold of herself.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Raven, you're flying." She said pointing at the dark hooves that hovered inches off the ground.
Raven Flame looked down her wings locked in place at the realization and she fell back to the ground. She began to skip in circles excitedly, "I flew!" she squeaked with each bounce. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash both let out quiet laughter at the display. Raven Flame again realized what she was doing and fell back to the ground as she averted her eyes in embarrassment.
Rainbow Dash decided it best to give Raven a minute to collect herself, "So what are you doing here Scootaloo?" she asked.
"I uh, err. I came to ask how the race went last night. I was kind of stuck at home." Scootaloo said with a frown.
The question stabbed at Rainbow Dash, "I don't want to talk about it…" she said glumly as a depression began to cast over her.
Raven finally recovered from her excitement and she could tell Rainbow Dash would need some time alone, "Scootaloo promised she'd tutor me. So, we're gonna go inside now, kay?"
"Okay." Rainbow Dash said dejectedly.
Raven Flame started running towards the farmhouse porch; she waved her hoof at Scootaloo silently telling her to follow. As the door shut behind the two fillies Rainbow Dash plopped herself onto the ground and sat there in deep though, repeating the race inside her head again and again, wondering what she could have done different.
Applejack revealed herself from behind a tree, "Yer beatin' yerself up again."
Rainbow Dash bounced, "How long have you been there?"
"Shucks, ah've been out here all day watchin' you two. Just 'cause I ain't got no wings tah fly with doesn't mean ah can't watch." Applejack chuckled, "'Beat those wings like an apple on a turnip farm', now what in the hay does that even mean?"
Rainbow Dash's cheeks turned bright red, "I was just trying to be all charismatic and inspiring or whatever…"
Applejack laughed again and trotted closer their faces only inches apart, "You missy, were being a goof" she said with a grin and pressed her lips against Rainbow's before she was able to get a word out.
Once Applejack was sure the two fillies were inside and not listening in, she allowed herself to speak her mind, "Actually, Rainbow ah've been wanting tah talk tah yah 'bout something…"
"Okay..."
"Well, that Canterlot Rodeo starts tomorrow and ah want tah go." Applejack said bracing herself.
"What? No!" Rainbow Dash protested taking a step away.
Applejack grumbled, "Ah knew yah'd react this way."
Rainbow looked as if she were on the verge of hysteria, "Of course this is how I'm going to react! You CAN'T Applejack!"
Applejack lit up with anger, "Don'tcha dare tell me what ah can and can't do." She hissed.
The sudden hostility frightened Rainbow Dash, "Th-that's not what I meant. The doctor said if you-"
"I know what the doctor said, if yah didn't notice, ah was in the room when he said it."
Rainbow Dash choked a little, "But what if-"
"Ah can't spend the rest of mah life cooped up because of something some pony said. Of all ponies, ah thought yah'd understand that."
Rainbow looked at the ground trying to hide the fear in her eyes, "But…"
Applejack trotted over and nudged Rainbow Dash's chin up, "Look, ah know yer scared and yah just want me safe, but ah have tah do this, or else ah'll spend the rest of mah days afraid of what could happen."
Rainbow's eyes swelled, "What if something does happen?"
Applejack reassured her with a small kiss on the cheek, "Ah'll be fine."
"But what if-"
"Nothing is gonna happen!" Applejack interrupted. "Ah need this. WE need this, even if ah don't place first there is still some good prize money and we're hurtin' for the money badly."
"Applejack… I'm scared."
"Ah know yah are, but it'll be fine." Applejack pulled the Pegasus in, stroking her rainbow mane comfortingly.
"We've never really been apart…" Rainbow Dash said with a quiver in her voice, a gentle stream of tears running down her cheeks.
"Ah know, but it'll give yah plenty of time tah get tah know Raven, and lord knows that filly probably needs it given where she came from."
"Do you really think leaving for a few days after she just moved in is the best idea?" Rainbow Dash asked hoping it would change her mind.
"Ah'm not just going tah leave without saying good-bye. Ah'm gonna spend some time with her before ah go." Applejack smiled, "And the two of yah so much in common, and yah've already bonded so much. Yah can relate with her in ways ah never will, so she'll be fine."
"We could always come with you…" Rainbow suggested weakly.
Applejack smiled, "Ah'd love that, but ah think Raven should stay here, moving around so much won't necessarily be good fer her, and she'll need someone tah look after her."
"I guess…" Rainbow Dash nuzzled her face against Applejack's, "So just for a few days?"
Applejack nodded, "Just fer a few days."
Rainbow Dash squeezed her tightly, "You promise you'll be okay?"
Applejack whispered in her soothing and caring voice she had used dozens of times after the incident in the forest, "Ah promise, sugar cube." She dried off the tears from Rainbow's face, "Now why don't we go inside and see what those two fillies are up to?"
"Okay."
Applejack took off running towards the farm house, "Race yah!" She called out.
"Hey! No fair!" Rainbow Dash picked herself up off the earth and zoomed past the running pony. Applejack quickly bit at the multi-colored tail and pulled the Pegasus back and tackled her to the ground. The two continued wrestling for the lead. They slowly made their way up towards the front door of the house which they finally reached after several minutes.
Rainbow Dash struggled to reach for the door knob from beneath Applejack who grabbed it just seconds before her. "Ah won!" Applejack grinned.
Rainbow Dash folded her hooves, "Only because you cheated!" she said childishly.
Applejack chuckled, "In yer dreams."
"You did to!"
"Oh stop yer fussin'" Applejack leaned down and kissed the pinned pony.
Rainbow Dash rolled over trading places with Applejack, "I like being on top." She giggled.
Applejack rolled her eyes, "Lord, ah bet yah do." She said and nudged Rainbow Dash off of her.
"Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash whined, "You'll be gone for like… three days!"
"Geez, Rainbow Dash, yah could at least try to be subtle!" Applejack paused for a second, "Ah'll think about it." She said with a sly wink as she stood outside the front door.
Scootaloo peaked through the farmhouse curtain and watched as Rainbow Dash and Applejack held each other lovingly in one another's hooves. Though she would never admit it, she was envious of the two. She wished she had some pony she could go to when she was scared or upset, some pony she could trust.
"So, what happened at the race?" Scootaloo finally asked, breaking away from the window.
Raven Flame shrugged, "I'm not really sure, she was just taking the lead when she just sort of crashed." She trotted over to the window and poked Scootaloo in the stomach, "Why are we talking about Rainbow Dash? Aren't you supposed to be helping me with math?"
Scootaloo bounced up a little as a reflex from the prod. She looked around till she spotted the writing desk in the corner of the living room and moved toward it. She hummed to herself in thought for a moment, "I'm not really sure where to start so… what part are you having trouble with?"
"All of it?" Raven Flame said slowly.
"Right…" Scootaloo pulled off the top sheet of paper from a stack and dipped the quill into the jar of open ink and scribbled on some basic multiplication problems and laughed, "Guess we should start off with teaching you how to count."
"Har-har. You're hilarious." Raven Flame replied sarcastically, but she couldn't help but grin a little.
"Anyway, it's really not that difficult. All multiplying really is…" Scootaloo thought for a moment, "It's just adding sets of something I guess. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Raven Flame laughed, "Not really."
"Okay…" Scootaloo tried to think of another way of explaining it, "Got it! Okay let's take as an example, one times three. Each of our hooves represents one set of one, and we have three of them so you add them together." She waved her two hooves in the air, "So that's one, and two." Without thinking she grabbed at Raven's hoof.
A faint pink filled Raven Flame's cheeks at Scootaloo's touch, her eyes locking with the twinkling lavender eyes for a few brief seconds "Three…" she finished.
The two broke away from the gaze and a silence filled the room as the two sat there awkwardly. Scootaloo cleared her throat, "So, anyway… Division is basically the same thing, just instead of finding out much it makes, you are finding how many sets it takes to make that number."
Raven Flame nodded, "So, twelve divided by two would be six then?"
"Pretty much, I mean it gets a little harder with the bigger numbers, but nothing really changes and we haven't gotten into long division yet so I think you'll be fine."
Raven Flame batted her pendant back and forth. She didn't want to sound rude but curiosity finally got the best of her, "Why are you always so interested in Rainbow Dash?"
"I am not always interested in Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo argued.
"We've had like three conversations and they have all ended up talking about her at one point or another." Raven Flame giggled, "Do you like her?"
"What? No!" Scootaloo's cheeks brightened, "I don't like her, it's just... never mind it's stupid."
"Oh it's stupid? Now I really want to know!" Raven grinned.
"I don't think you'd understand."
"Pfft, I just learned both multiplication and division in five minutes!" Raven said sarcastically.
Scootaloo let out a frustrated sigh, "Fine." She said but didn't continue.
Raven Flame tilted her head, "Well?"
"I wish I could be her…" Scootaloo said shamefully.
Raven Flame laughed a little, "Why?"
Scootaloo hopped off the writing desk's chair, she wasn't even sure why she was saying this in the first place, "She's so much stronger than other ponies, and I don't mean athletically. With everything she's gone through, I think most ponies would have given up. But not her, she keeps on fighting."
She began to pace towards the fireplace, staring at the dozens of pictures placed on the mantle, "She's loyal and she puts everyone before herself. Not many ponies realize the sacrifices she makes, or just how far she is willing to go for a friend."
She moved away from the fireplace and sat on the soft cushiony couch, "She is so brave. She isn't afraid of anything. Most ponies would cry and run away screaming like hysterical ninnies, but not Rainbow Dash, she has the courage to face it. I wish I could be as strong, or as brave as she is."
Scootaloo turned towards Raven Flame and put up an unconvincing fake laugh, "Stupid, huh?"
Raven Flame shook her head, "Not at all, I thought it was kind of sweet, and I do understand." She sat down next to the orange filly on the couch, she could tell there was something else she wasn't saying, "But why would you ever need to be that strong?"
Scootaloo froze at the question, silently debating whether to tell the truth, only fear holding her back and eventually the fear won over, "No real reason I guess."
Raven Flame eyed the Pegasus suspiciously who was wearing an awful poker face, "Okay..."
"Hey where's Applebloom, I haven't seen her around." Scootaloo asked, hoping to change the subject.
Raven Flame shrugged, "She went to Sweetiebelle's last night. Said something about about a croquet mallet and a pair of skis."
Scootaloo blinked, "I'm not sure I want to know..."
Raven Flame nodded in agreement.
Another silence filled the room. Scootaloo relaxed a little and thought to herself that maybe she did have some pony she could trust. She stared into Raven Flame's large sapphire eyes and for the first time in her life she felt safe, "Thank you."
Raven Flame raised her eyebrow, "For what?"
"No pony has ever actually bothered asking me… well anything really. It's nice to talk to some pony, so… thank you." Without warning Scootaloo grabbed Raven Flame and hugged her.
The hug caught Raven Flame off guard; she sat there paralyzed for a moment before slowly hugging back, "Your welcome."
Rainbow grinned widely and the two finally went inside, spotting two fillies on the couch hugging one another tightly. "What're you two up to?" she said obnoxiously loud.
The fillies pulled apart, "We were just talking." Raven said quickly, her cheeks still bright red. Scootaloo nodded in agreement.
"'Kay." Applejack walked towards Scootaloo, "Ah know yah haven't been here long. Ah mean no disrespect or nothin' but would yah mind coming back some other time?"
"Sure." Scootaloo hopped off the couch, "I'll see you later Raven!" she shouted as she rushed out the door.
"Raven, can ah talk with yah upstairs?"
"Okay…" Raven Flame said nervously, the sudden feeling that she had done something wrong filling her mind. The two walked silently up the stairs, Applejack closing the door behind her when they reached the bedroom, "Did I do something wrong?" Raven Flame asked innocently.
Applejack chuckled, "No, not at all. Ah just wanted tah talk with yah in private."
"About?"
Applejack placed her hoof on Raven's shoulder, "Well ah wanted to tell yah that ah'm going out of town fer a few days."
"But you're coming back, right?" Raven Flame asked sounding anxious.
"Of course ah'm going tah come back sweetie." Applejack noticed the golden necklace hanging from the filly's neck, "Hey isn't that Rainbow's?"
Raven smiled, "She said it looked good on me, and that I should keep it." She explained.
"Well that was mighty nice of her. Anyway, yah have mah full attention fer the evening, is there anything yah wanted tah do?"
Raven Flame hopped onto her bed, "Can we just talk?"
"Course we can talk." Applejack joined her on the bed, "What do yah want tah talk about?"
Raven thought for a topic, finding almost everything she wanted to talk about seemed to involve Scootaloo. Eventually she thought up a question about Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "When did you first realize you liked Rainbow?"
The question surprised Applejack a little. Of everything they could have been talking about, she hadn't expected it would be about her, "Uh, well, ah reckon ah always liked her. It took me almost mah whole life tah realize it though."
"What happened?"
Applejack blushed, "Ah thought she was seeing some pony. Of course she wasn't, but that didn't stop me from makin' a whole mess of things first."
"And then?"
"Well, she saved my life. While she was recovering in the hospital, she finally fessed up her feelings fer me." Applejack smiled at the memory.
Raven Flame had dozens more questions, but one was clawing at her to be asked, "How… How do you feel around Rainbow Dash?"
Again it was another question Applejack had not expected to hear. She thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to describe it, "Well, mah heart starts to race, and there is a fluttering in mah chest. Nothin else really seems tah matter when ah'm with her." Applejack laughed feeling embarrassed with herself, "Something like that anyway. Why are yah asking all these questions about us?"
"I was just curious." Raven answered softy, turning away from the orange pony.
Applejack stared at Raven Flame suspiciously, "An' why is that?"
"Because…" Raven's voice now barely an audible whisper.
"Because why?"
Raven Flame took a deep breath, "I know it's barely even been two days but… that's how I feel whenever I'm around…"
"When yer around who?"
Raven Flame plopped her head onto Applejack's leg, "Whenever I'm around Scootaloo…" she squeaked.
Applejack ran her hoof through the smoky mane, "And ah take it yer worried she doesn't feel the same way." The filly nodded. "Well ah reckon yah could find out pretty easily."
Raven looked up at her, "How?"
Applejack reflected back on some of the signs Rainbow Dash had presented, that she had just been to blind to see, "Well, there are some obvious signs that some ponies aren't so good at hiding. Does Scootaloo get quiet around you?"
Raven thought for a moment, "Not really. I mean when we first met and the first time we talked after school, but I guess she was just shy."
Applejack let out a chuckle, "Sweetie, Scootaloo is 'bout as shy as much as a pig should be in a chicken coop. And when me n Rainbow found yah two hugging on the couch, did you hug her or was she the one who hugged yah?"
Raven Flame blushed, "Um well she was."
"Mmhmm" Applejack mused aloud, "Scootaloo doesn't hug any pony. Most of the time she is trying tah avoid getting one, let alone give one."
The filly let out a tired yawn, "So, should I tell her?"
Applejack laughed, "Well ah sure as sugar would. Me n' Rainbow didn't and it almost got us killed… literally." She scooted out from underneath the filly's head, "But not right now." She kissed Raven's forehead, "Right now ah think yah should get some sleep."
"Okay." Raven Flame wrapped herself with the bed covers, "Good night mom." She said, feeling a little more comfortable using the word then she had the previous time.
Applejack woke early the next morning and crept silently off the bed trying not to disturb the slumbering Pegasus. She picked up the saddlebag that she had prepared for the trip. She looked at Rainbow Dash who was snoring loudly and smiled.
"Ah'll see yah in a few days sweetie, ah love yah." Applejack whispered before tip-hoofed out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door. As much as she had wanted to wake Rainbow Dash to say goodbye, but she wasn't any good with goodbyes and she knew that the pony would only try and convince her not to go.
The dim morning light provided little warmth as she waited for the early train to Canterlot. She shivered lightly as the harsh wind blew at her. Only a few ponies waited at the station for now, but as the train drew closer, so did the crowds of ponies. As the train pulled to its stop, the platform filled with a thick steam clouding every ponies eyesight as they blindly walked into its cars.
Applejack eventually stumbled onto the train, squeezing through the swarm in search for the booth that her ticked had assigned to her. She spotted the small room labeled 5C and glanced back at her ticket to make sure she had the right one. She slid open the door, unstrapped her saddlebag and sat next to the window. She stared outside, wondering how Rainbow Dash would take it when she awoke alone.
The door slid open for a second time as the second passenger entered the booth. The pony sat down then stared awkwardly at Applejack who hadn't peeled her eyes from the window yet. She cleared her throat as a way to alert the orange mare that she was here.
"Oh, ah'm sorry, was lost in thought." Applejack turned to greet the pony but froze finding herself only able to return the same uncomfortable gaze. "Wh-what are yah doin' here?" she managed to stammer.
The pony smiled, "I'm going to the Canterlot rodeo. I suppose that's where most of the ponies are headed today." She hopped off her side of the booth and sat next to Applejack, "You're going too, right?"
Applejack scooted away from the pony, "Uh, yeah, I'm going as well." She shifted away looked back out the window, watching as the train slowly departed from the station.
"Are you even going to look at me?"
Applejack sighed and slowly turned her gaze back at the fiery mare who's flaming sapphire eyes still stared sadly at her, "What do yah expect me tah say Ice?"
Ice Ember shrugged, "I don't know, but it'd be nice if you wouldn't act like I'm not here."
Applejack tried to hold back her frustration, "I don't have anything tah say to yah."
Ice Ember placed her hoof on the orange mare's shoulder, "You know I think about you all the time."
Applejack shrugged off the hoof, the mere touch was enough to set her off, "I was in a coma for an entire year because of YOUR father."
Ice Ember flinched, "You know that wasn't my fault."
Applejack laughed almost hysterically, "Ah dunno, let's think about it. Yer father was a crazy serial killer pony who targeted fillyfoolers. He just HAPPENS tah kidnap mah marefriend not even a day after ah meet yah?"
Ice Ember looked down at the floor, "I didn't know…"
Applejack went on, "Also, let me ask yah this, of every marefriend you've EVER had, how many of them did yah actually ever see again? Cause when the police ponies finished investigating the place they found dozens of bodies."
The unicorn's lip quivered as she thought back to answer the question. She moved to the corner of the booth and curled herself up. "None…" she said quietly as she began to weep softly.
Applejack realized she had taken it too far, she moved closer towards Ice ember and wrapped her hooves around her, "Ah'm sorry. It isn't yer fault. Ah shouldn't be takin' it out on yah. Yah couldn't have possibly known."
Ice Ember rested her chin on Applejack's shoulder, "I always thought every pony didn't want to be with me…" she whimpered as tears rolled down her cheeks.
It had never occurred to Applejack just how hard everything must have been for Ice Ember. What it would be like to discover that every pony you ever cared about being ripped away from you from the very pony to raise you, "It's okay now, he's gone." Applejack whispered as she petted the unicorn trying to calm her down.
"I visited you in the hospital all the time." Ice Ember sniffled, "I never stayed long though. I always felt so guilty and whenever I came, there was always that Pegasus there by your side. The one I found you carrying that day. I think she was there every day until you woke up."
"Ah reckon she was."
Ice Ember finally pulled away from the hug, "Who is she?"
Applejack smiled, "Rainbow Dash." She pointed at the silver anklet on her leg near her hoof, "We're married now"
"Congratulations." The Ice said, although not sounding very enthused.
The train let out a deafening whistle as it approached its destination. The brakes scraped against the rusted metal of the tracks, letting out a squeaking that caused every ponies hair to stand up. The train finally came to a complete stop, "Canterlot Station" the conductor shouted through a megaphone.
"Well, ah guess this is our stop." Applejack said as she strapped her saddlebag back on, "So, ah never asked, are yah competing in the rodeo?"
Ice Ember nodded, "It'll be my first year, but I've been practicing ever since I was a filly. You?"
"Yup, ah've been competing fer years, although ah'm probably a little rusty now."
The two of them pushed on through what seemed like hundreds of ponies that quickly vanished as they boarded the train. Applejack reached the exit of the station and waited for Ice Ember to catch up. The red unicorn wobbled through the crowds clumsily, "Thanks for waiting." She panted.
Applejack patted the pony on the back, "Well ah reckon this being yer first year, yah'd want somepony tah help yah sign up, but no funny business yah here?"
Ice Ember grinned, "Alright, and thanks." She extended her hoof out, "Friends?"
Applejack nodded and shook the hoof held out to her, "Friends."
Applejack sprinted her way down the path weaving through the dozens of barrels. The crowd cheering as she passed the finish line. She grinned to see she had beaten the current best time by 2 seconds. As she moved towards her next event the dull aching in her head returned for a few seconds before subsiding.
She grabbed at the rope tied to a bale of hay. She yanked the rope upward and transferred the momentum into a spiraling motion causing the bail to circle in the air. She timed herself, waiting for the opportune moment. The wind began to blow in the proper direction providing her with the extra force she wanted. Unclenching her jaw, the bale flew landing just a few inches short of the current furthest throw.
"Shoot!" Applejack muttered to herself moving towards the next contest she had signed up for. Once again the pain shot through the veins in her forehead before vanishing again. She ignored the temporary feeling and moved onto the next event, the bronco buck.
The tiny padded volunteer pony climbed onto the orange pony's back. The cannon fired indicating for her to start. Its initial noise had startled Applejack causing her to jump up almost instantly catching the pony off guard and she sent him hurdling away. She looked at the large timer to find it frozen at .8 seconds, a significant lead from the other ponies.
Ice Ember grinned, "Look at that! I don't think any pony can beat that time Applejack!"
Applejack turned towards the pony, "Oh hey, yah finished already? How'd yah do?"
The unicorn laughed, "Training isn't much like the real thing. I hadn't managed to not get last in a single competition."
"Ah see… Well ah'm on mah way to mah last event, wanna come?"
Ice shook her head, "I'm pretty worn out. I think I'mma go hit the hay."
Applejack nodded understandingly, "Alright, ah'll see yah later."
The two ponies waved and trotted off in different directions. Applejack arrived at the starting line of her final event. The cannon let out its deafening boom and she started to sprint. The first jump was small and she leaped over it with ease. The second was higher, yet still posed no challenge to her.
As Applejack approached the third jump, a pressure in her head began to build. She ignored it and kept on, leaping over the third jump. The fourth and highest jump just a dozen yards or so away. The pressure growing as well as the aching pain returning to her head.
Applejack leaped towards the final jump, as she did her muscles gave out. She smashed into the wooden railing her weight snapping it in half. She pulled herself from off the dirt. Everything seemed to have slowed down and was spinning around her. Finally, her eyes rolled towards the back of her head and she collapsed back onto the ground.
Applejack awoke in an unfamiliar place. She looked around the room of the hospital. She searched the room desperately for something she recognized. She spotted a mirror and stared at the face she felt she should know but couldn't quite remember.
Ice Ember placed a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, "Hey, how are you feeling?"
Applejack instantly shook off the hoof, "Do ah know yah?"
A doctor pony walked in before Ice Ember had a chance to say anything, "Do you know where you are?"
Applejack shook her head.
The doctor jotted some things down on his clipboard, "Do you know what day it is?"
Again Applejack shook her head.
"Mmhmm…" The doctor took down some more notes. "Can you tell me your name?"
Applejack closed her eyes trying to recall anything about herself. "I can't remember."
Scootaloo waited outside of the place she could hardly call her home. She stared at the shack's run down door; the only thing calling to her was the little shelter it provided and her blanket that would protect her from the stinging cold of the night. She held out as long as she could but eventually the frigid air overwhelmed her and she pushed herself into the shack.
Peaking inside, Scootaloo was relieved to see her father nowhere in sight. "Probably passed out somewhere again." She thought to herself as she trotted towards her small room, looking forward to a peaceful night in the comfort of warm bed. Upon reaching the open doorway of her room she froze at the sight of the fat orange Pegasus sitting on her bed.
Her father rose from her bed, she suddenly remembered what day it was as he approached her. It was the anniversary of her mother's death. It was the day in which her father would act out worse than usual did.
"H-hi d-dad." Scootaloo whimpered.
The Pegasus grumbled, "Where've you been you useless half-wit? You know what time it is?"
"I'm s-sorry, I lost track of time…"
"Of course you did. You should be glad your mother isn't here to see how worthless you are." The Pegasus thought back longingly at the long passed memories which began to fuel his anger and hatred, "You couldn't even keep track of your wings if they weren't attached to you."
Scootaloo backed away from the approaching pony, "I miss her too…"
"Don't you say you miss her." Her father snarled at her, "She'd still be alive if it weren't for you."
The words stung at Scootaloo and finally something inside her snapped. "I didn't do anything to her!" she blurted out instantly regretting her decision to argue back.
He growled, stepping closer, "You killed her!"
Scootaloo backed further away until she backed into the wall. As the pony came ever closer, frightened, she silently wished Raven Flame were here. Angry and afraid she cried out, "I did not! Mom was sick, she killed herself!"
"You made her sick, it's your fault she is gone!" Her father roared with fury as he lifted one of his stubby front hooves. With a single powerful swipe to her skull, the filly fell to the ground, slipping out of consciousness and into her dreams.
A slender yellow pony walked through the damp grass towards the sound of rushing water. Riding on her back a tiny orange filly, "Mom, where are we going?" the filly squeaked. The pony shushed her but said nothing else. She eventually came to a stop at a rapidly flowing river.
"We're going to go for a little swim now sweetie." The yellow pony said gently.
The filly looked at the fierce river, "In that? I can't even swim!"
"Shh, it'll be okay." The pony grabbed hold of the filly, dragging her towards the riverbank and into the water.
The filly struggled to pull away, "Mom you're scaring me, I want to go home now!" she cried as the cold water rushed past her hooves.
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon Scootaloo." The pony cooed just before diving into the water, submerging the both of them. Once reaching the bottom of the river, she clutched the still struggling filly and hugged her tightly.
Water began to fill Scootaloo's nostrils, squirming desperately she broke free from her mother's grasp. She flailed her legs awkwardly, slowly pushing herself back up towards the air. Almost near the water's surface when her hoof got tangled in a net. She prodded weakly at the rock weighing down the net that held her.
Just as the light in her eyes began to fade, a hoof grabbed at her. The hoof pulled at her, yanking her free of the net and out of the water. Before exhaustion overtook her, she looked up to find a blue coated Pegasus with a shining rainbow mane taking her back towards land.
Scootaloo sat up and began to cough loudly, her mind still trying to clear the water that filled her lungs in her dreams. She looked around to find her father had placed her back in her bed after the assault to her head which ached dully. Held awake by an almost paralyzing fear, she grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly.
She prayed silently once again that her father would simply let her be until the morning sun came up once again. She rocked herself back and forth for hours trying to keep calm. Finally when she heard the familiar noise of wobbling hoofsteps followed by the sound of the shack's door opening and shutting she left shortly after.
Rainbow Dash, half awake rolled to the other side of the bed to grab at Applejack. She grabbed at an empty space, "Applejack?" she asked groggily as she opened her eyes. The room remained quiet; she looked around unable to locate the saddlebag that had been packed just last night. She frowned, snailed off of her bed and towards Raven Flame's room.
Rainbow peeked through the door to find Raven Flame sitting up in her bed, already awake. She knocked lightly and entered the room. Saying nothing, Rainbow Dash hopped onto the filly's bed and grabbed at her, hugging her tightly.
Raven Flame squeaked in surprise, "Uh morning?" she tried to squirm free, "Uh, you okay Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash let go of the struggling filly and lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling, "Applejack left without saying goodbye…"
"Aw, I'm sorry." Raven Flame said sympathetically, "Is there anything I can do?"
Rainbow Dash pulled the filly close and hugged her again, "I already miss her."
"She'll be back soon." Raven Flame patted Rainbow Dash on the head, "Do you want to practice flying?" she asked hopefully, both because she wanted to and because it would take Rainbow's mind off of Applejack.
"I guess."
Raven Flame laughed, "You can do your crazy speeches if you want."
Rainbow Dash grinned and bounced up off the bed, "That's okay." She floated towards the doorway, "Come on! We can't practice inside a stuffy old farmhouse!"
Raven was relieved that Rainbow Dash was acting more like her old self. She grabbed her pendant off the bedpost and slipped it around her neck. She bound after Rainbow Dash who teased her playfully as she flew down the stairs.
"I'll meet you outside. I'll be there in just a minute." Raven waved her hoof at Rainbow Dash. She trotted towards the mantle of the fireplace. She popped open the locket of the necklace and removed a picture of Applejack and Rainbow Dash of similar size from a frame and placed the photo inside. She closed the pendant and trotted back out the door.
"Geez, what took you so long, I think my mane is starting to go gray!"
"Sorry, but your big flank was in the way!" Raven Flame smiled her mischievous smile.
Rainbow Dash let out a gasp, "My flank is not big!"
"So what's today's lesson Dashie?" Raven asked, flapping her wings fiercely pulling her off the ground.
"Uh, honestly I hadn't thought that far ahead." Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, "I guess you keep your hooves up and tilt your head and body based on the direction you want to go."
Raven frowned, "Oh gee, that's helpful."
"Hey! My methods are pure genius at its finest."
Raven Flame scoffed, "More like feather brained at its finest." She thought for a moment about the suggestion though and decided to try something. She dipped her head downward and kicked her legs behind her making her propel forward.
"Great, now turn, preferably before you crash into that tree!" Rainbow Dash called out.
Raven dipped a wing towards the ground, turning her sharply. Unfortunately, she turned directly into a different tree. Rainbow Dash swooped in and grabbed her just seconds before she would have impacted it.
"Clearly I'm going to be Equestria's next great flier." Raven laughed.
Rainbow Dash chuckled as well, "For sure, you'll make captain of the Wonderbolts in no time!"
"First thing I'll do is change the name to the Ravenbolts!" Raven hopped back onto the ground out of Rainbow's grasp, "Don't worry, I'll give you a spot on the team. You can wash our uniforms!"
Rainbow Dash pressed her hooves against her cheeks excitedly, "Oh boy, I can't wait!" she squeaked. "Alright, come on, enough fooling around, let's try again."
Raven Flame nodded, and began to flap again. This time she pushed herself upward, higher into the sky. Looking down from the new height she panicked and her wings flapping became desynchronized. She lost air and crashed into the ground. She grabbed at an extended hoof held out to her and picked herself up off the ground and dusted off the dirt from her coat.
"You know have to flap your wings to fly, right?" Scootaloo said jokingly.
Raven laughed nervously, her heart starting to pick up again, "Oh, hey Scootaloo. Uh what are you doing here?"
The orange filly shrugged, "Just thought I'd stop by." A gust of wind pushed her mane from her face, revealing a large bruise on her forehead.
A look of worry struck Raven's face, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Scootaloo brushed her mane back in front of the discoloration, "It's nothing." She answered quickly
Raven gently poked at the covered spot on the filly's forehead, flinching in pain at the soft touch, "That's what you call nothing?"
Rainbow Dash flew over to the two ponies and pulled Raven Flame aside for a moment, "Applejack told me… Do you want me to give you two some space?"
Raven's cheeks turned bright red as she nodded slowly at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow cleared her throat, "So, yeah, I just remembered I had a thing, back at the uh place." She said and flew off towards the barn. Raven Flame covered her face with a hoof and shook her head at the unconvincing story.
Scootaloo watched as the blue Pegasus flew off, "What was that about?"
"It wasn't about anything." Raven blurted out nervously.
Scootaloo glanced suspiciously, "Okay…"
"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Raven Flame asked trying to get the focus back off of her.
"Nothing happened!" Scootaloo shouted turning away.
Raven Flame moved closer, "You can tell me." She placed her hoof on the orange filly, "If you tell me, I'll tell you a secret."
Both intrigued and Raven's warm touch making her feel as if she could tell anything Scootaloo finally gave in, "It was my dad…"
"Your dad?" Raven's eyes went wide.
Scootaloo pulled away, "I don't want to talk about it."
"You can't let him do that to you though! You need to tell some pony."
Scootaloo sighed, "I know… it's just I'm scared…" She turned toward the dark gray Pegasus "So are you going to tell me that secret now?" she asked hoping to change the subject.
"Promise me you'll tell somepony first."
"W-what?"
"You heard me, promise."
Scootaloo looked at the worried blue eyes that stared caringly at her, "I… I promise."
Raven grinned, "Good."
"Well?"
Raven Flame trotted up to orange filly. She moved just off to the side of her, "My secret..." she said nervously. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed her lips against Scootaloo's cheek. "Is that." She whispered, bracing herself for whatever reaction the filly may have.
Scootaloo blinked, her eyes frozen staring forward. Her cheeks felt like they were burning as the pink color seeped past her orange fur. She shook her head, pulling herself out of the love struck daze. She turned towards the Pegasus who turned her neck away from her. She took a hoof and nudged Raven's face back towards her. Staring into the blue eyes, she moved herself closer and very briefly returned the kiss onto Raven's lips.
The two fillies stepped away from one another when they heard the sound of giggling from above them. They looked up to find a blue Pegasus's face pushed through a cloud peering down at them. Rainbow Dash quickly retreated herself behind the cloud in a vain attempt to conceal herself when she noticed the two looking back.
"Dashie, have you been listening this whole time?" Raven Flame shouted both angry and embarrassed.
Rainbow Dash removed herself from the cover of the clouds and landed back down on the earth next to the two fillies. She thought for a moment then answered with a simple "Nope!"
Raven continued to stare irritably at the blue Pegasus, not believing the answer even for one second, "Then what were you doing up in that cloud and why were you laughing?"
"Hey, I said I wasn't LISTENING. That would have meant I could hear you." Rainbow Dash let out chuckle, "I didn't say I wasn't watching the whole time though."
"You said you were going to give us some space!" Raven cried out.
Rainbow Dash mused to herself as she looked up towards the cloud, "I did give you some space, about sixty feet of it."
"You knew what I meant!"
Rainbow smiled slyly, "How could I know what YOU meant, I was the one who offered. I think that means YOU just misinterpreted what I said."
Raven Flame blubbered for a moment as she tried to think of an argument. Unable to, she let out a frustrated groan, "Whatever."
Rainbow Dash let out another chuckle and prodded Scootaloo, "Personally, I think you have some pretty smooth moves."
Scootaloo couldn't help but look up and smile at the compliment, "Thanks."
Raven Flame gawked at the orange filly and clenched her teeth as she tried to hold back her growing anger, "Are you on her side?"
Scootaloo extended out her wing and lowered it over Raven bringing her next to her side, "I don't see much point in getting upset about it. It's not like we can do anything about it now."
"Yeah, but-" Raven Flame found herself interrupted by her mind as it went blank from a quick kiss on her cheek.
Rainbow Dash giggled, "I think you two are adorable!"
Scootaloo's face was covered with a wide grin, however Raven Flame frowned not looking amused in the slightest.
"Hey, what happened to your face?" Rainbow Dash asked when she noticed the bruise behind the orange filly's mane.
Scootaloo looked down at the ground; she felt a nudge on her stomach and turned to see Raven nodding at her. "My dad hit me…" she said softly finding it easier to reveal the secret then it had been before.
Rainbow Dash's joyful and joking mood disappeared from her face, "Have you told the police?" she asked in complete seriousness.
"No." Scootaloo responded shakily.
Rainbow Dash picked up the two fillies with her teeth and threw them onto her back, "Well you're going to." She said as she launched off into the sky.
"What? No!" Scootaloo shouted, tears of fright running down from her eyes.
Rainbow Dash ignored the protests and landed next to the Police Station's front doors, "Well would you look at that, we're already here!"
The two ponies hopped off Rainbow Dash's back. The orange filly turned around and made an attempt to run away. Soon she was stopped by teeth locked tightly onto her tail. "Let me go!" Scootaloo cried as she struggled to pull herself away.
"You… have to… tell them!" Rainbow Dash said through clenched teeth as she slowly dragged the hysterical filly into the station.
Raven Flame trotted close to Scootaloo, "This is your chance to be brave like Rainbow Dash. Please, you have to do this. You can't let him keep doing this to you."
Scootaloo gulped, "O-okay." She let out a quiet whimper and forced herself to walk inside. She looked back to the two Pegasus who nodded in approval as she approached a uniformed pony. The pony gestured for the filly to follow him and they were soon out of sight.
"You think she'll be okay?" Raven asked as she plopped herself down onto a waiting chair.
Rainbow Dash reassured her, "If I didn't think this was for the best, I wouldn't have brought her here."
The two sat quietly as hours passed. Rainbow Dash occasionally started to drum on her legs to entertain herself, but stopped soon after when Raven kept giving her disapproving looks. Just as Rainbow thought she would go crazy from boredom, the teary eyed orange filly stepped back into sight.
"Well?"
"They're out looking for him now." Scootaloo said sounding both sad and scared.
"That's great! I say we go celebrate!" Rainbow Dash cheered then laughed almost maniacally, "I know where Applejack keeps her stash of Apple Cider."
"Dashie!" Raven Flame gave the blue Pegasus a frown.
Scootaloo put up a small smile, "Actually that sounds nice."
"See Raven!" Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at the filly. "Now let's go, this place creeps me out."
The fillies climbed back atop Rainbow's back and were soon back in the sky. They returned to the farm in record time, mostly because Rainbow Dash pushed herself wanting to get her hooves on a glass of cider.
Rainbow Dash grinned and trotted off towards the barn. "You two wait in the kitchen, I'll go get the cider!" she called out to them.
Rainbow Dash had seen Applejack sneaking in here quite loudly once. The noise had woken her from a nap and she watched as the orange pony vanished. Applejack had scolded her for hours about spying on her, making her promise she wouldn't go in there without permission.
But Applejack wasn't here right now and it was a special occasion. Looking around to make sure no one was around; Rainbow Dash scraped a cluster of hay away from the floor revealing a hidden cellar door. She pulled on the latch and crept down into the dark room and soon returned with a large barrel. She placed it on the ground, covered the door again and rolled it towards the farmhouse.
Rainbow Dash heaved the barrel of cider onto the kitchen table and placed out three large mugs beneath its spout, filling them to the brim. She slid each of the fillies a mug, lifted her own, "Cheers!" she grinned as she gulped hers down in a matter of seconds.
When Rainbow Dash separated the mug from her mouth she let out a sigh of contentment, "You two better not ever tell Applejack about this."
The front door of the farmhouse slammed into the wall as a pony's kick tore it from its lock. The sudden noise startled the three Pegasus causing them to lose grip of their mugs and they shattered on the wooden floor below them. The fat orange Pegasus blundered his way towards sound of breaking glass breathing heavily, filling the air with his alcohol ridden stench.
"Dad!" Scootaloo squeaked.
"What did you tell them you little whelp?" The fat pony screamed as he stumbled closer.
"You need to leave." Rainbow Dash said calmly.
"Shut up you filly-fooling freak." The drunken pony reached the opposite side of the table, "You killed Lemonburst and yet I still raised you, and this is how you repay me? Spreading filthy lies about me, trying to get rid of me just like her."
"Stop blaming me for mom's death!" Scootaloo's eyes filled with tears, "You knew she was sick and needed help, but you ignored her. If anyone killed her, it was you!"
The drunken pony let out a fierce roar. He swung his hooves at the chairs of the table sending them colliding into the walls and breaking on impact. In his blind fury he grabbed at the heavy keg in front of him. He steadied himself, aimed, and hurtled it towards the cowering orange filly.
Raven Flame pushed Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash out of the way. The barrel crashed into the wall behind them leaving the three ponies un-scathed from its force. Rainbow Dash finally took action, she flew at the large Pegasus and pressed his throat down with her hoof, "You need to leave, NOW." She said in a menacing voice and let go of him.
The fat orange pony nodded and scampered off like a cowardly bunny. "Every pony all right?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried out from the floor.
Rainbow swooped over to see Raven Flame had slipped in the puddle of cider. Shards of the broken glass deeply imbedded throughout her entire body. Blood flowed rapidly from her, the pool of cider turning a deep red as the blood flooded the floor.
"Go get help!" Rainbow Dash screamed at Scootaloo who nodded and bolted out the front door.
Rainbow Dash returned her attention to the injured pony, "Hey, how you feeling?" she asked gently.
"It hurts and it's cold…" Raven Flame shivered, "I'm so tired…"
Rainbow Dash put on a small smile, "You're gonna be just fine." she tried desperately to stop the bleeding but nothing was working and it continued to seep out.
Raven Flame ignored the pain and smiled comfortingly at Rainbow Dash, "Thank you…"
Rainbow Dash stroked the filly's forehead, "For what?"
"Everything you've given me."
Rainbow Dash's lip quivered, tears rolling from her eyes, "Don't talk like that!"
"You brought me so much in such a short time." Raven Flame squeezed at Rainbow's hoof. "You opened my world to so many new things. I never imagined there could have been such joys in the world."
"No, shh, you'll be fine." Rainbow said, though now it felt she was trying to convince herself more than the filly. "We've still have so much left to do. You haven't even made the Wonderbolts yet."
Raven Flame laughed weakly, "I wasn't cut out for that anyway."
"Of course you were!" Rainbow Dash nudged the filly's head with her own, "You're going to be the greatest flier Equestria will ever see."
"I guess now they'll only see the second best…" Raven Flame coughed a little and her mind returned to the things she wanted to say while she still had a chance, "You didn't have to take me that day the orphanage. I'm so grateful you did though you lit up my life when you did. That day was the happiest I could ever remember that I'd ever been."
Tears dropped from Rainbow Dash's eyes onto the filly, "It was one of the happiest of mine too." She whispered.
"I didn't have anything and I didn't feel I was anything." Raven's smile widened, "That day you made me feel special. You made me feel important. You made me feel like I belonged, that I mattered to some pony. Most of all though, you made me feel loved."
Rainbow Dash pulled Raven onto her lap and hugged her, "Don't…"
"I'm so tired…" Raven said again her eyes starting to shut.
Rainbow shook her, "No, you need to stay awake, help is coming." She sniffled.
Raven Flame placed her hoof on Rainbow's cheek, "Be strong for me."
Rainbow nodded, "I will, but you need to be strong for me too."
The golden locket popped open, revealing the photograph of both Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rainbow Dash looked at it, and deep down she knew it wasn't going to be okay. "Raven..." she said softly. Raven Flame looked at her with questioning eyes. "I love you Raven Flame."
Raven's fiery black mane faded into an empty white. Her eyes started to change from their lively blue into a dull, empty, and lifeless black. Her breathing slowed down drastically.
Rainbow Dash cradled the filly, squeezing her tightly, "No! Stay with me Raven, just hold on. Just a little bit longer, please!" she pleaded as she held Raven in her hooves. "Don't leave me."
"I'm sorry, I can't." Raven coughed, blood rupturing from her mouth.
Rainbow wiped away the blood from the fillies mouth, "Yes you can! Please, just hang in there for me."
Her eyes started to shut once more, and with her last breath Raven whispered, "I love you... Dashie."
The grayed clouds cast their dim shadow across the fields of Equestria, its gentle trickle of the cold rain damping the earth. Harsh winds blew through the trees and crashes of an infuriated thunder echoed through the air. The joy of the world seemingly sapped from existence for this brief moment.
A pale blue pony trotted through the slick grass to a deep rectangular hole in the ground. She stared hollowly at the box. No pony else came near. Apart from her and an elder pony who was reciting various phrases, the fields were completely empty.
"May you're soul rest in peace." The elder pony said at last and the decorated wooden box slowly lowered into the ground.
"Goodbye, Raven Flame…" the pony whispered, removing the golden pendant she wore from around her neck and dropping it into the darkness. She pulled herself away from the spot, a barely distinguishable stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes burned with hatred and anguish for the world. This would be the last time she would ever allow some pony into her now hardened heart.
The pony thrust herself from the ground and into the air, pushing herself ever faster towards Sweet Apple Acres. She dropped herself just inches from the gate, which for the first time since the farm had ever been built, remained chained shut. She placed her hoof on the foreclosed sign bolted onto the fence.
Since the loss of the Apple Orchards the year Rainbow Dash had proposed to Applejack, the city of Ponyville had slowly started to fall apart. In some way the farm had been the source of the town's economy. No longer hosting an annual sale of cider the tourists who came to Ponyville no longer showed.
Without the outsiders, the demand for sweets dropped drastically and soon after Sugar Cube Corner shut down. Just as Sugar Cube Corner, the Fashion Boutique had lost the majority of its customers. With the plummet of sales, that too was closed down shortly after. No longer having a steady market, the ponies who worked their stalls in the streets began to close up as well.
In just a few short weeks all of Ponyville became abandoned. Those who hadn't left from the economical failure evacuated as the town became destroyed by the repeated assault of visiting looters. Now only she remained the last pony to reside in the town.
Others had tried to convince her to leave, but an empty hope was keeping her there. The hope that held her there was fading and doing so quickly. A promise nothing more than a few words that had been uttered to her nearly a year ago. Those words had been a pledge; a vow of the pony she waited for never straying from her.
"Where are you?"
Her heart ached as it continued its wait. The Pegasus lifted off the ground for a second time, peering at the worn down village from the sky. Her last place of solace, the library, had been scorched to the ground a few days after the market stands closed. There was nothing left for her here now, no family, no friends and no home.
Landing on the cliff's edge of the mountain that hovered above Ponyville she continued to stare, watching as the last train that would ever come to the town started its departure. This had been the only thing keeping her here. With the station having been shut down there would be no way for an earth pony to reach this place. This had been the last chance the pony she waited for would have at last arrived.
Finally she let go of the last thing she knew, that last strand of hope she clung onto desperately. The idea she still might have something left in this world, something she cared for vanished. The small blinding hope that had still bound her here had at last faded. She could stay here no longer.
The Pegasus took one last glance at what she had once been calling her home for years now. It was the place that had once brought her joy and laughter and love. Now it was nothing more than a memory, a painful shadow of what she once had and would never have again.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. Extending her wings, she dove off the cliff and set herself in the direction of Canterlot with her last hope. The hope she could discover what had happened to the pony she had waited for. A chance that she might still be able to find her resting place and at last say good-bye.