My Little Rainbows 2: Rainbow Harder

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It wasn't a very interesting day. Hot, sure, but so were the past few days. It was mid-summer, after all. The hospital was much the same that day. Hot and uninteresting, only the lack of a gentle breeze made the heat more of an issue. Not by much, but just enough to stick in your skin and make you a little uncomfortable.
It was quite cramped in the waiting room. Everyone had a seat to themselves but they all felt too close anyway. As it should be no one wanted to be there.
Those not deemed serious enough to see right away were forced to sit there, clutching at sprained hooves and willing the pain away. Others were there for check-ups and felt that it was ridiculous to have to spend an entire day there when no one seemed to be moving.
One mother was at the end of her rope. It had already been a stressful morning with her toddler refusing to cooperate, and now adding on top of that the inactivity over the past few hours in a cramped room causing her child to become restless was too much.
It was coming to that moment, the pivotal moment for any young child, when boredom was too high and the energy pent up inside was too great. He had already been restless in his seat, sighing in frustration, but he snapped. With a great inhale of breath he readied himself to scream the place down, and all his mother could do was cry on the inside as it was all too much for her.
It never came to this. Someone had beaten the toddler to it.

The door burst open, impressive for an automatic one, and an exhausted mare trotted in, panting for her life, hauling a trailer carrying a screaming mare.
Everyone looked. The one pulling had now collapsed. She wasn't particularly overweight or unfit but she had been booking it. The one in trailer was clearly heavily pregnant, so much so she was probably in labour, which would explain the screaming, thought most of the onlookers.
The situation did not do her justice. She was tall and blue with a rainbow flowing behind her, beautiful and understated as most notice the vibrant colour and little else as she walked by. Right now, however, she was in massive pain, dripping in sweat and tears as three small babies pressed against her insides.
A squad of nurses appeared at once, one to help the poor mare collapsed on the floor trying to catch her breath and two more to help the rainbow one into a wheelchair and take her to the maternity ward.
They were gone in seconds. Vanished as the double doors beyond which the hospital swung closed behind them. There was no sign it had even happened, other than the abandoned cart that lay in the sensor of the doors and kept them open. A breeze drifted in and replaced the hot, stale air with something more refreshing, and the cart itself provided some relief for the small child as it curiously investigated it, and the mother felt a wave of bliss as he did so.

Those in the corridor parted like a wave as the rainbow mare was wheeled before them. Each stole a quick glance, as one would, out of curiosity.
The one nurse not pushing the wheelchair took no time for pleasantries and got straight to the point, not being one for faffing. “Name?” She added as an after thought “Please.”
In a break of the intense pain the mare could answer “Rainbow Swirl,” she panted.
“What about you?”
The mare that had brought her in walked briskly by their side, sipping at the water she had been given, coughed her reply. “Cloud.”
The nurse had a look in her eye as if to insult the mare's parents for giving her such a bland name. “How do you know Rainbow?”
“I'm her neighbour. I heard screaming when I was in my garden and I figured it was about due so I hauled her into my cart and brought her here as fast as I could. My cart is going to be alright in the lobby, isn't it?”
The nurse had stopped listening sometime ago after getting the information she needed. “Now, Rainbow, it sounds like you're quite far along already so we will get you into the appropriate room.”
They took a sharp turn into the maternity ward. Rainbow screamed again, filling the halls with her pain.

“A doctor will be with you shortly,” one of the nurses said as they left the room.
Rainbow reclined in a bed, catching her breath in this brief window when the pain was only severe and not catastrophic.
By this time Cloud had recovered, still a little dehydrated and woozy, but was now there for her one hundred percent. She moved to Rainbow's side and held her hoof. The smile on her face grew only wider and wider as what was happening dawned on her. “I can't believe it. Today's the day!”
Rainbow managed a weak smile between quiet panting breathes and a chuckle. “Yeah. Two weeks early but the doctors said that might happen. And to be honest I'm relieved.”
“I can imagine. Well, I can pretend to.” Cloud managed a laugh. “I've heard one kid in your belly is bad enough, but three?! It will be worth it though. I wonder what you'll get?”
“Oh yeah. I hope there's a filly in the bunch. If I'm honest that thought is what's been keeping me sane during the pregnancy.”
“Trust me, you weren't that subtle about it. We all knew.”
A doctor walked in with a brisk pace in his step. “Hello,” he said in a friendly voice.
Rainbow looked up at hearing the familiar voice. “Doctor Nurse?” She smiled wide.
“I'm so glad I was on call today.” He walked around the bed, smiling all the way. “I was there at the beginning and now I'm here at the end.”
“Yeah. It's always good to see a friendly face.” Rainbow let out a nervous laugh.
“So, how are you feeling? Excited I bet.”
Rainbow screamed in pain, answering his question perfectly. Cloud was quick to grab her hoof. “C'mon now Rainbow, just breath through it. In and hard, nice and big.”
Rainbow did as she was told. A large breath in and a large breath out. It hurt to breath like that, but maybe it distracted her from the far greater pain elsewhere, making it not seem as bad.
“No time to chitchat,” Nurse muttered as he went to the end of the bed. He adjusted his glasses and peeked under the gown. Where the expression on his face had been quite professional before it was now of calm panic and mild surprise. “That's very good timing,” he said to anyone who was listening. “NURSE!”
A squad of nurses appeared at the door, spent a second staring at him before getting the picture. Necessary preparations began for the birth.
“What?” Rainbow said in an exasperated breath. The nurses were not gentle. They jerked Rainbow's body around, propping her legs up, moving anything that could get in the way. Now, Rainbow knew that this wasn't going to be a comfortable time, but they certainly weren't helping.
“Well, Rainbow, it would seem you are ready to, you know, get things going.” Nurse was still surprised. “You're lucky. I've had mares in here for a whole day waiting before.”
Rainbow didn't take comfort in that.
“Normally we would offer some kind of painkiller but it is far too late for that, I'm afraid.” Nurse took position and readied to birth some babies. “Triplets, right?”
Rainbow screamed, so Cloud answered on her part.
“Yikes. Today is not going to be fun.”

They babies were not taking their time. Numbers One and Two were out, checked, cleaned and wrapped as the next was one its way. Not even a moment to introduce them to their mother, or give their mother a breather, for that matter.
“Okay, Rainbow, that's two now. One more to go, and its not waiting.”
Rainbow nodded but her body and mind were exhausted. Nothing had ever tired her out so much, and to have to go through it one more time was an unbearable thought. Her eyes drooped and slowly shut, her head fell back into the pillow. The pain seemed to subside and everything was going black, only a few words entered her mind.
“Rainbow, stay with me. It's important. Oh jeez. Nurse!”
She passed out.

She woke up, still exhausted only numb from the waste down. It was different. Nothing made sense. It was a different ceiling from before. The bed was comfier. It was warmer.
“Oh, nurse. She's awake,” Cloud said softly.
Hooves trotted swiftly from across the room to Rainbow's side and quickly began checking her vitals. “At last. You gave us quite the fright.” This nurse was quite bit friendlier than the one who had brought her in. There was more care in her voice.
“What happened?” Rainbow asked. “Where are my babies?”
“They're fine. Happy and sound in the corner. I'll bring them over in a second after I make sure you're okay.” Her hooves were busy as she spoke. “See, you did a very risky thing.”
“What?”
“You fell asleep during childbirth. Well, more passed out from exhaustion. Not uncommon, but it is not a good thing.”
“Are they okay?” Rainbow blurted out. The heart monitor quickened its beeping.
“Oh yes, they are perfectly healthy. All three of them. You're lucky you had such a good doctor. He's a wizard when it come to babies.”
Rainbow breathed a loud sigh of relief.
“Now, I would be telling you to go back to sleep and rest proper, but I know of three little things who would say otherwise. They have very much been looking forward to meet you.” The nurse went to collect the first of the three.
Rainbow felt touched. “Really?”
“Of course they have.” The nurse picked up the first of the restless babies. “There is already a connection between you and your children, like with every mother, and as soon as they lay their eyes on you they will feel it as much as you do. It's a connection that will never break, and there is nothing else like it in the world.”
Rainbow watched the nurse come back with the first of three. It was so small. “Is that...?”
The nurse smiled lovingly. “Yep. This is number one.” She placed into Rainbow's hooves a tiny pony, of blue and rainbow, wrapped in a soft, pink blanket.
The feeling inside was nothing she ever felt before. It was as if a part of her had been added, a part had been missing. She stared wide eyed and slack jaw at the little her, and the little her stared back. She could feel it deep inside her heart that this filly already loved her unconditionally. She moved her hoof to stroke her face, and the filly didn't flinch as she gently rubbed her cheek. It was too much. She began to cry.
“If you're going to cry,” Cloud started, “after just one of them I think I'm going to give you some room. Now that you're awake I'll go get your family.” She leant over and kissed her friend's cheek. “Back in a bit.” With that she was gone.
“Ready for number two?” the nurse asked.
Rainbow nodded slightly, but her eyes remained firmly fixed on number one, so much so she never noticed the nurse go and come back with number two.
“And number two.”
The next one was placed snugly next to its sister. Another little her. Blue coat, rainbow mane and wrapped in a pink blanket. She squirmed her hoof free before staring at the huge version of herself.
Rainbow found herself laughing somewhere between giddy with excitement and hysteria. Two fillies? This was more than she thought. She was half expecting to have none just because the world can be like that sometimes.
The nurse came back once again with a third bundle of blankets squirming in her grips. “This one's a feisty one,” she muttered as she pulled away the blanket that the child so desperately wanted to be free of.
“And there. Filly number three,” she said as she placed the filly with the others.
Rainbow was speechless.

It was a beautiful autumn day. The sun from summer was still hanging around and the clouds were still in production so there was nothing blocking it. Rainbow thought it best to let her fillies roam the garden as they loved before the cold set in.
She sat there with her Nana, watching her children playing about, entertaining themselves with things only a child's imagination would find entertaining. Shine was digging her hoof at the grass while Dash tried in vain to climb the huge tree in at the back.
“So, just to make sure I actually have this,” Nana started, more to herself than anyone. “That's Dash with the rose coloured eyes.”
“Yep. Just like me and you,” Rainbow confirmed.
“Shine has the black eyes.” Nana paused for Rainbow's confirmation. “And Swirl has blue eyes, just like my girl.”
“That's right.” Rainbow could never tire of describing her children. She was, however, getting tired of people not being able to tell them apart. Seriously, how could anyone get confused, she thought, but failed to think how they are nearly identical unless you get right into the nitty-gritty details.
“It's weird that, isn't it?” Nana remarked. “Why is it some foals get the pupil and other the iris?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I don't know. I asked the doctors but apparently it's not something ponies have been bothered to research. All they know is it makes no difference.”
Nana nodded. They drifted back into silence again as Rainbow didn't have the strength to keep talking. It was a delight to watch though. Small children playing made her feel young again, despite now being a great-grandmother, and finally seeing her granddaughter so happy again made her feel all the more better.
“Is Swirl still...?” Nana asked first but went to check anyway. She lifted her granddaughter's thick mane, revealing a sleepy filly dozing off in the warmth and softness of her mother's mane. It would always make her heart do backflips. It made her giddy. “She is just precious!” she whispered.
Rainbow beamed. “I know! She adores my mane. Especially the green bit.”
Nana lowered the mane again so the filly could nap in peace. “You know, we've been so preoccupied with the fillies I haven't even asked how you are holding up.”
“Not much has changed since the other day. I'm just so, so tired.”
Nana looked at her, it wouldn't be surprising if she konked out right there and slept for a week. “Do you get any sleep?”
Rainbow genuinely couldn't answer. “I don't know. Maybe. I nap when they do, if I can. Otherwise nights are busy making sure they're seen to and fed, and that takes longer than I would like.”
“How come? I'd thought it would be over quickly.”
“I can only feed two at once. Plus Swirl needs feeding twice in the night. Doctor's orders,” she added before Nana could ask why. “When she came round she said Swirl is looking like she's not getting enough, which is apparently common with triplets, so she needs feeding more often. So that's two night feeds instead of one.”
“Oh, wow!”
“I feel like I've been sucked dry.
“Oh Rainbow,” Nana chuckled. “I don't need to know that!”
“Speaking of which it's probably time again.” As if on cue a dainty plop was heard as a small filly rolled off her back. “Hello there,” she said in a way one would talk to a baby. “Did you have a nice nap?”
Swirl didn't answer but instead started poking her mother's belly. A subtle sign she wanted feeding.
“I knew it.” Rainbow rolled over and her daughter started feeding. With a wing she shielded her daughter's head from the sun. The other two weren't far behind, with Shine only stopping to put a flower in Nana's mane, who accepted it gratefully.
Rainbow winced. “I need to start bottle feeding them. I thought I would get used to this sensation but it still hurts. Like, a real uncomfortable kind of pain.”
“Oh but doesn't it feel amazing?” Nana said with a wisp of nostalgia. “Don't you feel so close to them in a really intimate way?”
Rainbow could only screw her face up. “You're joking right? I feel close to them because I'm their mother, not because they are sucking milk out of me.”
Nana winced at the imagery. Somehow she had never made that connection. “I see your point. How about a pump? Would that help?”
“Ha!” Rainbow snorted obnoxiously. “I already feel drained so imagine doing it in bulk! Plus I would need a second fridge just to store it. Might as well give it them fresh.”
Nana smiled. “Well, it has been two months now so you should be able to swap if you feel it's right. That milk powder has come leaps and bounds since my day.”
Rainbow thought for a second before nodding. That wasn't a thought that struck her mind.

After the fillies filled their bellies they piled up in front of their mother, fighting over who gets to be closest, a contest which Dash always won, and fell asleep. Rainbow was quick to follow suit. After all, the sun was at its highest and the warmth soothed her tired muscles. She needed it a lot more than she realised.
Nana watched as her precious granddaughter and great-granddaughters napped in the afternoon sun for longer than noticed. Seeing Rainbow happy again, after all she's been through, was all that mattered.
She stood up to busy herself to make Rainbow's life a little easier, and the way her bones creaked reminded just how old she is. As she moved slowly as she gathered the few toys scattered about the garden a friendly face popped over the fence.
“Isn't it adorable?” said a nosey neighbour as she looked with a far off admiration in her eyes at the mother and her children.
“Almost too much,” Nana remarked.
“I get a glance whenever I can. I was there when she gave birth so I feel oddly involved with their lives now.”
“Oh,” Nana said loudly. “You're the one that took her in. I wondered how she knew you.”
“Didn't you know?”
“I think so but, y'know, I was a bit preoccupied. Thank you though.”
“It was my pleasure.” The neighbour gasped as a great idea came to her mind. “Take a picture!” she said in a loud whisper. “She's always taking pictures of them. I bet she would love one with her in it as well.”
“Ooo that's brilliant.” Nana snook off and came back with the camera, snapping a picture just in time.

It was only a short nap but it did a world of good for Rainbow. As she woke so did her fillies with a smile, although they wasted no time in getting up to play again, and Rainbow couldn't help but join this time.
Dash was still determined to get into the canopy of the tree, and no amount of failed attempts was going to put her off. The others two, however, were more curious about a large rectangle of charred grass and dirt somewhere towards the back of the garden. As they rolled in the dirt, which Rainbow didn't mind as it was they were going to be bathed anyway, Rainbow thought dark thoughts, about a dark time. Ones that should be looked back on fondly yet had been fouled by one event. One person. Her husband. Red...

She had been ill for two weeks now, and of course she blamed it on him.
“How dare you do this to me?” she scolded jokingly.
“Hey hey hey. Don't bring me into this,” he replied, obviously not getting the jestful undertone in her voice.
“But... you were the one to give it to me.”
He remained silent. There was no arguing with her as he did, in fact, give her the stomach bug.
The mornings were getting chillier as the tail end of summer was passing, but it was still peaceful and calm. Dew forming on the grass and leaves still retaining their green lustre, just days before the first ones would turn.
“I think I'm on the mend though. Only seem to feel this way when I wake up. Come on.” Rainbow hobbled slowly out of bed, not wanting to disturb her churning belly. “I need to eat something.”
Red followed for he too needed something to eat.

There she was. The mare that he loved watching. The mare that made him feel an excitement deep down that he couldn't described. All she was doing was flittering gently in the kitchen as she reached for the jar of coffee kept in a cupboard up high, but the way the sun shone through her mane and how her elegant body stretched was like honey on his eyes; incredibly painful.
Rainbow landed with a little tap on the tiles and a small grunt. As she stretched and rubbed the wing that felt oddly sore, as if she had slept on it funny, she felt some hooves grab her roughly, spin her round. Staring into her was her husband and, with barely a thought and no time to put the jar down, he pulled her in for a long kiss. It was unexpected, yet blissful. Any longer and the jar would have smashed on the ground.
She fell back as the embrace ended and stared dreamily at him. There was no room in her mind for the illness in her belly or the problems she faced. For a moment there was a complete peace. Nothing but the sun and the birds, and the butterflies in her stomach.
But she soon learnt that they weren't butterflies but, in fact, last night's dinner making an appearance.
She gagged and coughed the last of it that lingered in her throat onto the floor, along with the half that was already there, as Red stood in shock, pale faced and disgusted, coated in a thin layer of bile that stung the eyes.
“You're going to the doctor.” Red rinsed his face and thrust some paper towels at her while Rainbow begun laughing hysterically. It was a image, an event, she would come to remember fondly.

It was a very clean, sterile room. No emotion in the décor, just cost effectiveness. Rainbow sat on the rubber bed where patients normally sat while the doctor and Red had some far comfier chairs.
“So he was ill a couple weeks ago, like, super ill-”
“It wasn't that bad,” Red said disdainfully.
“Dude, you weren't the one cleaning up the bathroom after you were in there for nearly an hour. Or the living room for that matter.”
Red rolled his eyes.
Rainbow watched him for a second. She didn't enjoy when he was like this. Overly defensive. “Anyway. He was ill for, like, four days. Then there was nothing for a couple days. Then I got ill but it has been two weeks now.”
The doctor, who had been nodding along to all of this, took a moment longer to respond with an unhelpful “I see.”
It was silent for longer for Rainbow as she impatiently waited for the doctor to say something actually helpful. “Well?” She said with a hint of contempt.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.” The doctor loudly cleared his throat. “It seems to me like it's just a normal stomach bug. There's been one going round the past few weeks. However, I do think it would be worth your while having a small blood test.”
Rainbow pushed herself of the bed in a fit of panic. He eyes darted wildly, like a cat in front of a hungry dog, searching for an out.
The doctor leant over to Red and whispered, “Is she okay?”
Red was clearly annoyed. “She hates needles.” He let out a loud, disappointed sigh.
The doctor exhaled a laugh from his nose and looked at Rainbow's panic stricken face. “Are you really?” he asked, but the way she backed herself further into the wall was as much an answer he needed.
“Come on now. Stop being childish. It will only take a few seconds.” Red would have been red with embarrassment if he wasn't naturally red.
Rainbow whimpered as she saw the doctor prepare a needle.
“Your husband is right, Rainbow. You'll barely feel a thing.” He approached her, ready to jab the needle into her, but as he almost made contact Rainbow lashed out and punched him in shoulder.
Tears streamed down her face as her mind raced in fear, flickering as much as her eyes. The doctor was not perturbed and now, if anything, he was spurred on with a feeling of determination and a little vengeance. With a quick motion the needle was in her rump, slowly drawing blood into the vial.
At the sight of the needle in poked through her skin Rainbow let out a short scream before fainting.

Rainbow woke up tired. Mentally exhausted from a sudden influx of fear. The bed was stiff. The husband she was using as a pillow wasn't much better.
Before she sat up she looked own at her rump, and at the plaster stuck down over where the syringe had been stuck. Her sharp intake of breath woke her husband from his stupor.
“Finally,” he smirked.
“Sorry,” Rainbow groaned. “I just wasn't expected it.”
“It doesn't matter.”
Rainbow giggled at a thought. “Do you think I'll still get a lollipop?”
Red sighed with a smile. “Come on you. Let's get you home. He said we will get a letter when the results are in in a couple weeks.”
“Nice.” Rainbow stood up slowly. Her legs were shaking under her weight. “Red?”
“Yeah?”
“I want a new doctor.”

She wanted to treat herself for a change, so Rainbow, when doing the weekly shop, went to grab the coffee blend she liked. Slightly weaker but from more expensive beans with a much mellower, sweeter taste. Or so the label read. Rainbow couldn't taste it in that much detail but it was definitely nicer. So nice, in fact, that it was on the top shelf.
She drifted down and winced at the tightness in her belly when a familiar face turned up. One that made her scared and uncomfortable. The doctor.
“Hi Rainbow,” he said quietly and full of shame.
Rainbow said nothing more than a grunt and made a point of not making eye contact.
“Look,” the doctor started with a serious tone in his voice. “I want to say sorry for the other week. It was mean, unprofessional and frankly worthy of a lawsuuuuuu-.” He trailed off at the sight of the sudden gleam in Rainbow's eyes. “I got your result back this morning,” he said quickly to change the subject. It worked as Rainbow had become visibly nervous. Almost shaking.
“What?”
“Well, brace yourself. You're pregnant.”
It didn't sit right in her ears. It was nothing like whatever it was that she expected. All she said was nonsensical syllables that poured out without thought, culminating in something that sounded like “Wha?”
“You're pregnant, Rainbow. You're going to be a mother.”
This time the point landed firmly. She came over in fits of giddiness. “Really?”
“Yes!” the doctor said with forced enthusiasm. “I had a hunch in the office but I didn't want to get your hopes up. After all, all I had to go on was morning sickness. And that's one hell of a cliché as it stands.”
Rainbow had not been listening. Thoughts ran through her mind, amazing ones. Ones she had been thinking for years now but they were finally about to be reality.
With only a passing thanks she bulleted passed the doctor and out the store, abandoning her shopping, and headed home to spread the good news.

The front door nearly blew off its hinges as Rainbow blasted her way in.
“RED!” she shouted into the house, certain he was inside. “Get your butt down here!”
Red appeared over the banisters, drenched in sweat and fear. “What?” he panted.
“I said get your butt down here! I've got some great news.”
Red made his way downstairs slowly so he could mask him catching his breath. “What is it? I thought you were out shopping today?”
“Well, I bumped into the doctor at the supermarket and he had some results for me.” She was beaming. “We're pregnant!”
Red was taken aback. More shocked than happy, but Rainbow thought it was still setting in.
“Can you believe it?” She moved in and took him in a loving hug. “We're finally having a baby.”
Red took his wife in his embrace. They stayed there for a long moment, soaking up the news and picturing their new future together.
“Why are you so sweaty?”
“Oh err... I was doing some exercises.”
Rainbow bought it. He never exercised, but in all the excitement she accepted whatever he had said.
Meanwhile a mare had long since flown out of the bedroom window.

Rainbow had begun showing a bump. Enough that ponies would double take just in case she wasn't just putting on weight.
There was a group of them. Three ponies including Rainbow, her childhood friend, Dove, and neighbour, Cloud.
“Is this really a sensible idea?” Rainbow remarked. “Leading a pregnant mare who can barely fly blindfolded through a city 1000 feet in the air?”
“Nearly there now, Honey,” Dove muttered over Rainbow's giddy laughter. “This way!” She lead the group off to the fancier, more expensive district.
“I hope this surprise involves food. I'm starving!”
The girls looked about each other. None of them had thought about eating.

A little ways down the road they came to a stop in front of a large building that wafted with a strong smell of fancy soaps and incense that bothered the nose.
“Okay. Stand here.” Cloud positioned the mare purposefully on the street before pulling off the blindfold with a loud “Ta-Da!”
Rainbow gasped. The sight of an obese, yellow mare filled her vision. “Sass! You're here too!” She ran up and hugged her. “It's so good to see you.”
Dove and Cloud stood waiting, wondering if she noticed the actual surprise and the reason they brought her to this part of town.
As Rainbow let go, all the more happy to see her old university friend in ages, she asked, “So, now what?”
None of them could believe that she managed to miss it. “Are... are you serious?”
“What?”
In perfect synchronisation they all pointed to the spa behind them. “I know I was standing in front of it but even I'm not that fat,” Sass joked.
Rainbow turned and looked up the building at the softly glowing sign. “Cloud 9? Cloud 9?!” she screeched. “You're kidding? You're kidding right?”
Her friends just smiled at her. “No. Freaking. Way!” She found herself bouncing on the spot. “This is, like, the most expensive spa outside of Canterlot!”
“Yep.” Sass put her hoof over Rainbow's shoulder. “And we've got a whole half a day to get pampered into a coma. We figured this was the best excuse.”
Rainbow's hooves began pulling her forwards. “I've never been pampered before.”

“Hello, and welcome to Cloud 9. How may I help you?” said the receptionist with an unbearably airy voice, and to top things off she was wearing just a little too much make-up.
“Hi. I'm Dove. We've booked a spa day.”
“Of course.” The receptionist went to check the book. Every movement spread an offensive odour through the air, one of several perfumes and an odd eggy undertone. “Yes. Right this way.”
The group followed her through the doors into a corridor where a much nicer smelling pony took them off her hooves. They all nearly swooned at the sight of such a dreamy stallion.
“Please, follow me.” His voice was deep and soothing, yet they didn't follow at first as they spent a moment watching him walk away.

They left the sauna thoroughly sweaty and some workers began drying them off with the softest of towels so they were ready for the next item on the list.
“I don't know how much more of this I can take,” Rainbow blurted out.
“What?” Dove, the nearest and most with it of her friends, asked.
“I feel almost too relaxed. It's almost unbearable. My brain is knackered.”
Dove smiled. “Don't be like that. It's not everyday you get to experience this.”
As the third fresh dressing gown of the day was placed on them Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “True. But I wouldn't mind a break. What's next anyway?”
“Massages!” Dove sang. “The best part.”
Rainbow had no emotion to show. The excitement had long since worn off.

As some of the world's top masseuses got to work Rainbow regretted ever doubting this place. She, as well as her friends, ascending into new planes of bliss and, as Sass had predicting, they were slowing losing consciousness and falling into the pleasure.
Rainbow was really feeling it but, moments before she passed the threshold of not having a worry in the world, a contact lens fell from her eye, only to be immediately stepped on by the masseuse. Now, with her vision blurred just over a bearable point, she sighed and got up.
“Please, miss, remain still,” said the masseuse but she waved him off.
“Contact fell out and I forgot my glasses. I need to go get them.” She looked over to her friend next to her. “Cloud. Cloud!” she shouted in vain as it landed on ears too relaxed to listen. She merely shook her head and got up to leave. “Tell them where I've gone. I'll be back in a bit.
With that, Rainbow left.

It was a pleasant walk home. The only thing better than being pampered like that was the cool, refreshing breeze re-energising her. It made the effects more apparent.
It took a while to get back home but the day was still young and there was plenty left for her at the spa.
She walked through the door and gasped harshly at the sight of her husband and what he was doing on the living room rug.
Red was too preoccupied to notice his wife watching him TAKING ANOTHER MARE TO POUND TOWN, but the mare had and was desperately trying to snap Red out of it. It didn't work until she screamed at Rainbow's furious grip.
She pulled the mare off her husband by the mane and dragged her to the door.
“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU WHORE!” she roared and threw the mare outside, cracking her skull on the path. The mare flew off as best she could.
Red remained frozen on the rug. Panting and sweating. Calming his mind down to confront the situation.
Rainbow was furious. It was an anger she never thought she would be able to feel. A fire raged through her veins.
“Why?!” she could barely look at him. “Why now?!”
Red didn't say anything, he merely looked down at where the mare was before with a faint glimmer of disappointment.
“We've been together for eight years! Married for four of them! We have a baby on the way! And NOW you decide to cheat on me!”
Red didn't even look at her. He sighed, “I was enjoying that.”
“WHAT?!”
Red looked up at her with a disdain in his eyes, a tired hatred.
“Don't you look at me like that. You have no right to look angry right now!”
“If you hadn't come home early we could have finished up and you wouldn't have had to see me fucking another mare.” His voice was cold and emotionless.
Rainbow had no words to say. Her blood boiled and her body shook with rage.
Red stood up. “I didn't want this, Rainbow. I didn't want a kid. I didn't want this house. I didn't want to get married. I didn't want you.”
Rainbow watched as an abyss seized her mind. A concoction of shear anger and confusion made her unsure of what she was hearing.
Red walked slowly towards her until she could smell the sweat that drenched him. “You are not the mare I barely ever fell in love with any more.” Their was a venom in his voice, one that had been festering for years. “I liked you at first, when you were new and exciting, but then you stuck around. Sank your claws in and wouldn't take the hint.”
“If you didn't love me,” Rainbow muttered, “then why did you not leave?”
“I thought I could just drive you away by being closed off and distant, but you didn't get it. You never see these things!”
Rainbow stared at him, trying her hardest to stop her jaw quivering as the only pony she had ever loved admitted everything was based on one massive lie, ripped her heart out and made the world not make sense any more,
He says very hurtful things about their relationship. Lists the mares he has slept with. Rainbow slaps him. He hits her back but much harder. Winds her, knocks her back, she worries about the baby. She then disowns him, removes him from every aspect of her life. He leaves in a very final kind of way.

The door shut behind him calmly. No anger or emotion in his action, just simply closing a door ~~with penis flapping in the wind~~. Rainbow watched in anger, but as soon as the latch clicked in she had realised what happened.
It sunk in gradually as the anger faded. The reality of what this meant.
The one stallion she had ever loved was gone. Her life felt empty. Everything she had done since she had met him was for him and their life together, and now a third of her life seemed wasted, and the future seemed empty.
Her legs went weak and her chest heavy.
“What?” she whimpered. With one deep, ragged breath tears poured down her cheeks and she found herself crying.
Every glance at the rug that covered the floor brought back the image that was burnt deep in her mind, that of her one love being unfaithful, and she couldn't bare it. With her teeth she grabbed one corner and dragged with all her might the rug to the back, sobbing through her clenched teeth.
But it was far too heavy. She fell back, jaw aching, and couldn't think of anything else to do, so she let herself cry.

It had been a while since she left the spa, long enough for her friends to worry about her. Rainbow had barely noticed them walk into the house, asking loudly the house if she is there.
Cloud heard whimpering the other side of the sofa and quickly made her way to the source. She gasped. “Girls, she's here. Something's wrong.” She immediately crouched down to talk, but Rainbow grabbed her and pulled her in.
The stream of tears that had slowed began to well up again and pour out, accompanied by loud sobs. Cloud did her best to comfort her and make her stop crying but the only thing she could do was hug her back and let her cry it out.
The others had crowded around her, offering their sympathies as they tried to get to the bottom of why she was crying. “What happened?” Dove whispered sweetly.
Rainbow sputtered out syllables between sobs before only letting one coherent one through before losing it again. All she had to say was “He” and Sass figured it out.
“Oh no he didn't.” She was seething with rage.
“What?” the others asked.
“Red left her,” Sass clarified, and Rainbow's suddenly more intensive tears only proved it.
Secretly, Dove and Cloud were relieved as they had never liked him but that wasn't important now. Instead they became more affectionate and were there for her until she felt better, which was some time.
The sun was setting by the time she was thinking straight. They asked her to explain things but she refused. She felt embarrassed and ashamed to admit the reason to herself so she chose not to, only saying she wasn't ready. The others stopped prying about it, only the rug was in question any more.
“We have to burn it,” Rainbow stated firmly.
The others were concerned now. Fire?
“What?” Sass asked with more caution than anything.
“Take it outside so I can burn it.”
The others did not say anything for a while. Each were trying to figure out why. And also if it was safe.
“Please help me.” Rainbow didn't look at them.
“Sure honey,” Dove said. She wasn't happy about it but she felt she had to do this.
As a team they rolled up the large rug, carried it outside and put it in a safe place. After numerous unsuccessful attempts and angry frustration from Rainbow they managed to borrow some barbecue coal from a neighbour.
They spent the night watching a rug burn away to ash, with a few buckets of water to hoof.

Rainbow felt tiny hooves poke at her face, playing with her wings, and a familiar feeling of a small head butting into her leg.
She came back to the present. Her fillies were there for her, watching her curiously as she wasn't paying them attention. They found it interesting to play with their mother when she wasn't paying attention, and Dash had the habit of headbutting to get attention, as well as jumping on ponies.
Rainbow shook back to the present. The anger and sadness in her heart melted away as she looked down into her children's playful eyes. She couldn't help but smile back.
She reared up on her hind legs and started running. Her fillies laughed as they chased her around the garden, and she felt happy again.

He couldn't believe how long it had been now. Three months had passed since his twin sister had given birth and only now was he available to finally see them.
He felt ashamed of himself for not being there for when his sister might have needed him, and so excited it was almost embarrassing. The letter and the picture he was sent when they were born was fantastic he just couldn't wait.
His heart pounded as he trotted up the path to the door, growing steadily more terrified as he didn't know how his sister would react to seeing him after six months. He didn't let it consume, not wholly anyway, and knocked hard on the door.
Frantic hooves could be heard on the other side of the door, clambering over various objects, as well as cries of young babies suddenly starting up. The door flung open.
He smiled, it was good to see his family after so long, then he saw the filly held up in his sister's hoof crying its eyes out and let out a sound that was less than manly.
“Hi Rainbow,” he said with a smile.
Rainbow looked furious. With a vicious almost-punch she thrust a bag of coins into his chest. “Nappies. Nappy cream. Air freshener. Clothes soap. Towels.” She slammed the door again.
He was taken aback. A hug he expected, but not a large amount of coins and a shopping list he was praying to the gods that he would remember.
He shackled himself in the cart resting out front and flew off to the shops.

Shooting Star was Rainbow's twin brother, not quite identical though. While he shared the rainbow mane his eyes were pale like their father's and his coat was a light purple. Of course, he was also a stallion.
It was a confusing trip to the supermarket. Most of these products he had never purchased for himself before. He was lucky a middle-aged mother of five, a veteran of children, stumbled upon him staring at the many bags of nappies they sold.
“Having trouble?” she asked cockily.
Star nodded. “Yeah.”
“New dad, right?”
“No. Uncle.”
She was a little surprised. “Oh. Okay.”
“Yeah. First time I see my sister since she gave birth and she just gives me money and a shopping list. I have no idea what I'm doing.”
“That's fine, dear. Let me help.”
Together they figured out the best options for each item on the list. After thanking her he went to pay.

“Big night tonight, ey?” the cashier joked.
Star had been miles away. “What?”
She waved him off. “Nevermind. Say, do I know you? You look familiar.”
Star tensed with excitement. Finally, this moment had come! He was finally recognised in public!
He collected his thoughts and ran his hoof through his mane in a cocky manner. “Well, I am the lead singer and guitarist for the up and coming band REO Steedwagon.” The smugness coming out of his words and smile could be felt nine aisles down.
The cashier stared at him solidly, wondering to herself. Star waited, his smirk slowly faltering as he felt more and more embarrassed. The beeping off tills around him provide little solace.
“Oh. I must have been mistaken.”
Star felt his stomach drop. He was so embarrassed. “Y-yeah. Sorry.”
She scanned and he bagged in complete silence, letting his foolishness and regret soak deep in his coat. This would be a moment that he would remember in the wee hours of the morning and keep him awake.

Back at the house he knocked on the door again, only softer this time. Rainbow opened again with only a not so serious anger in her eyes.
Star gestured to the cart behind. “I got the goods.”
Rainbow bowed her head in relief. “Thank you so much. Can you put them in the kitchen please.”
Star nodded and begun unloading the cart, but as he walked in the living room he stopped dead in his tracks.
The three fillies were resting with their grandparents, nuzzling gently into their bellies.
“Oh my gosh,” he whispered. “They're amazing.”
Rainbow smiled. “They are. Although the past couple days are not a good example.” She almost sounded bitter.
“How come?”
Rainbow sighed angrily. “I'm weaning them onto onto food. They're teething. None of us a really sleeping. And all three of them have awful diarrhoea.”
Star grimaced. “Geez. It's amazing how you can put up with it.”
Rainbow was about to argue that she was not merely 'putting up with it' but she was in no state to argue. At the moment it felt exactly like that. “The first few months were always gonna be the hardest.”
“Can I get you a drink or anything?” Star asked. He felt he had to help in any way possible right now.
“Me and your father would love a cup of tea,” his mother, Blaze, ordered. Blaze was exactly like Rainbow, only a little older and had considerably less hair.
“Sorry. I completely forgot. Hi Mum. Hi Dad.” He gave them a quick hug and a kiss.
“There's the rock-star.” Thunder beamed with pride. Thunder was nothing like his children, being beige and speckled largely with brown dots, focusing mostly on his hooves and nose. “How was the tour?”
“Amazing,” he called through the kitchen as he put the kettle on. “Like, I really feel this is the start of it all. The big times are just around the corner.”
The loud voice woke the fillies from their very light naps and they begun crying gently, which was just a precursor to crying loudly.
“Oh don't do that,” Blaze pleaded to the Swirl curled up by her. “Please just be happy. Your uncle is here now.”
The knowledge of their uncle being there meant nothing to them as they had never heard that word before and didn't understand words anyway.
The three fillies looked up at this new pony. It looked like them, but they couldn't quite figure it out. Either way, just the sight of this pony calmed them down, and they were begging to see him closer up.
“Of course, Dashie,” Rainbow cooed. “Let's give you and your sisters to Uncie.”
Star fell to the floor and graciously accepted the fillies into his hooves after a quick introduction to them. They tried their best to clamber onto him but they were too weak from their illness
It was an amazing feeling, to hold such young life, such potential, such cute fillies. He could barely take it all in, but he was prepared to hold them for as long as it took.
This feeling quickly went away as Dash threw up on him and they all started wailing. He looked around frantically for help but there was no one.
His mother announced she was going to “put a wash one” and took off with a bundle of soiled towels while his father decided that that was a two-pony job.
Rainbow told them matter-of-factly, “Right, now there is three of you, that's one filly each,
I'm going to have a nap.” And she went off to have some well deserved sleep.
Star sat there, covered in oddly white vomit and crying fillies, and came to terms that this was going to happen a lot more often. And he was right.

Star was there in the morning after deciding to sleep over. In that time he had learnt how to properly change a nappy and could almost burp them after eating. Still couldn't tell the difference between cries yet but it was still early days yet.
“Now Swirl,” he started a little uncertainly, “Don't worry about Mummy. She'll be up soon.”
There were still tears in her eyes but they were silent. Dash had sped passed her, breaking out into a full gallop, and straight to her mother who was now sat on the floor in the living room.
“Rainbow!” Star said cheerily. “I'm glad you're up. Have a good sleep?”
Rainbow nodded.
“I should hope so. It's been almost a day! I slept round, by the way. Thought you would need an extra set of hooves. Can I get you anything.”
Rainbow mouthed something unintelligible. Star looked at her worrisome. There was something wrong.
“I'll get you some water.” It was the only thing he could think of.
As he waited for the tap to run cold he heard a harrowing, soul piercing scream from one of the children.
He bolted to their side. All three children were in distress. Tears streaming down the cheeks. Screaming in fear
He was frozen. A horrible chill ran through his body. His mind ran a mile a minute as the terrifying sight of his sister laying motionless on the ground burnt itself into his memory.
Rainbow was passed out. Unconscious. Barely breathing.

Rainbow woke up with a mouth drier than tree bark and a grogginess that was worse than every hangover she ever had combined. Everything hurt. The lights. The sounds. The bed in which she lay. It was horrible.
As she woke up further and her brain started taking in more detail she noticed that this was definitely not her house. She had no rooms with both fluorescent lights and a bed.
In her hoof was a tube that connected her to a bag of liquid on a stand to her side. The beeping in her ears was that familiar sound of a heart monitor.
It was at this moment she realised she was in a hospital.
Why she was there? She didn't know. How long had she been there? She didn't know that either.
She managed to turn her head and saw her brother with a small plastic spoon and one of her daughters waiting impatiently for the delicious vegetable mush.
After the spoon she looked over at her mother, who stared with a huge smile and mouthed the word, “Hello!”
Swirl gasped and began frantically poking her uncle.
“You can sit with Mummy in a minute,” he told her firmly yet kindly. Swirl didn't let up and kept going, poking and pointing at her mother. “One last spoon and we're done.”
Swirl opened wide and quickly gulped down the food. She was itching to be picked up and moved, and she wasn't happy with her uncle taking his sweet time.
“There we are, all fed. Now let's put you with Mummy.” He turned to check her first. The sight of her smiling at him made him weak. “You're awake?! When?!”
She was too weak to answer.
“Of course. Hang on.” Star was darting around, unsure of what to do. Eventually he decided to drop the fillies on her so they could all get a hug before running off to find a doctor.
Rainbow took them in an embrace they so desperately wanted. She sighed with content. But then she took a closer look at the tube coming out of her. She felt her chest tighten and started drawing short, sharp breaths. A chaos took her mind as she focused on only the needle under her skin, feeling scrape inside her with every movement of her hoof.
The three fillies scurried away as their mother's grip grew tighter and tighter around them and her breathing began to scare them.

“NURSE! Rainbow's awake!” Although he really didn't need to shout but he just couldn't help himself. The nurse, however, who was coming to the end of her very long shift, found it more than easy to do so. All she did was nod and then proceed to follow the excitable stallion to the room.
As they got closer they could hear the heart monitor beep erratically. The nurse felt a twinge in her stomach as it was not a good sound. She but on a burst of speed.
Inside the room the fillies had scurried to the end of the bed, looking with terror at their mother. Her body flailed under the blanket as she pulled desperately at the needle embedded under her skin. As she looked at the nurse she started babbling but her panic-stricken mind meant it unintelligible.
The nurse was about to run off and grab some sedatives when Star pushed passed.
“Move them,” he ordered calmly. The nurse moved the fillies while he jumped onto the bed and pinned down his sister.
The nurse watched in fascination while she held the children. Star pressed his face hard against his sister's, so much so their eyes almost touched, and stared unblinking. Strangely, Rainbow began to calm down, her breathing returned to normal and she started to speak clearly.
“Okay?” he asked. Rainbow nodded so he turned to the nurse and mouthed, “take the needle out.”
“I can't do that. Doctor's orders.”
“If you don't she'll just have another panic attack.”
The way he was perched on top of Rainbow, pinning her to the bed, made the nurse uncomfortable, but she just wanted to go home, so she removed it from her hoof. And left.
“Star,” the hoarseness of her throat reduced it to a whisper, “why am I here?”
Star smiled before getting off the bed. “You past out.”
“What?”
“Right in front of the little ones.”
Rainbow gasped. “Oh my gosh!”
“Don't worry. They're fine. I've been looking after them,” he said with a cocky air. “I think I'm quite good at it.”
Rainbow snorted. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
“But yeah. You haven't been eating have you?”
“Of course I have.”
“Rainbow. C'mon.” He gave her a condescending look. “C'mon.”
“What?” she felt a little offended. “Of course I have been eating!” He hadn't stopped giving her the infuriating. “Stop that.”
“You were diagnosed with malnourishment.”
“What? That doesn't make sense.”
“I was looking around your house when I looked after these three. You had no fresh food, none that was in date anyway, and only a bunch of tinned stuff.”
Rainbow looked confused.
“Apparently the stress the past few days you were under caused your body to sort of shut down. Go on emergency standby. You were on a drip of... stuff the doctors gave you to make you feel better for three days. Then you woke up.”
“Really?” Rainbow asked now that she doubted her eating habits. “Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I felt full.”

It had been a few more months and the fillies had grown considerably. Swirl had gained weight and was no longer a concern, their eyes were nearly formed and people could generally tell them apart.
Rainbow sat watching them from the sofa contently. Somehow they still had so much energy despite not having their normal noon naps while she was quite the opposite, not that she wanted to admit that.
She moved on the sofa and lay on it so she could watch them play together more comfortably. It was a dumb move that only a tired brain would fall for. It was not long at all before her eyes shut and she fell into a deep sleep.
Swirl noticed first and a mischievous grin came to her sparsely toothed mouth. “Bah!” she announced to the room. Dash stopped running and Swirl stopped stacking her blocks before going to their sister.
They looked confused at her but Swirl was very confident in her plan she had just concocted.
She pointed to their mother and then to the kitchen. “Du,” she stated firmly.
Dash looked excited about this but Shine was clearly concerned. Her glum look and the way she avoided eye contact said it all. However Swirl blew a very convincing raspberry and Shine was convinced that it was a good idea, but her concerns had been noted.
The three trotted gently to the kitchen, being careful not to make a sound, as they went to put into action Swirl's plan to steal the icing sugar from the top cupboard.

It was like a well oiled machine. Swirl quickly went through the plan before they put in motion. Together they found the broom and pushed a chair from the table into the kitchen. They made a ladder out of their bodies to boost Dash up onto the chair and then it was her time to shine.
The success of the plan now rested in Dash's tiny hooves, and she wasn't prepared to fail. From the chair she hopped onto the counter and trotted carefully along the edge, planning her next move. It had to be just right. The next jump was higher than she ever managed to get, at least three times her height. But she was no fool. She knew she couldn't do it without assistance, but the reward was worth accepting help. She pushed the toaster to the limit of how far the cable would go, just so it was under the target. She climbed atop the toaster, readied her rump, and leapt with all her might!
Her tough, newly formed teeth gripped tight the handle of the cupboard and her little wings fluttered like mad, pulling the door open.
The fillies on the ground licked their lips with anticipation. They could already taste the sweet treat that they craved ever since their mother left it out and they got at before she could stop them. It was now their turn to help.
Using the chair as a pivot and after climbing on Shine's back against her will Swirl knocked the box of icing sugar to the ground, covering them in a cloud of sweet powder.
Dash fell to the ground,softening her landing with a little flurry of wingbeats, and they tucked in.

Rainbow woke up refreshed and feeling amazing. For the first time since she could remember she was actually well rested. She sat up and spent a moment basking in the relaxed calm she felt, in the comfortable silence.
But then she remembered silence was bad with three very young kids. Something was up. Carefully she got up to search for the fillies. They were only small so they couldn't gone far, she thought.
“Fillies?” she called out into the house. The was a brief pause before she heard the sound of tiny hooves scampering across the floor. Naturally Rainbow went to investigate, and was shocked at what she found.
It was a massacre. An absolute mess. The kitchen was covered in a thin coat of white powder. Shreds of pink cardboard lay strewn over the floor.
She quickly rushed to the side of the box. She stifled a tear as she took the box in a warm but sad embrace.
“Not now. I'm not ready.”
The box tried to speak but it couldn't; not because it was a box but because it was too injured. It's cardboard was ripped to shreds. Its sugar scattered across the floor. It was beyond saving.
It reached up with a flap and gently stroked Rainbow's cheek. It died there in her arms. Rainbow wept.
She got over it pretty quickly. After all, it was just a box of icing sugar.
“I must say I'm impressed, little ones,” Rainbow said loudly to the fillies in ear shot. “But that isn't good for your tummies. You've ruined your appetite for sure.”
The fillies didn't respond. They couldn't tell if they were in trouble or not so stayed in the corner, under the table, hiding as best they could. Luckily for them their now white coats blended in with the cloud wall.
Rainbow felt a smile come to her face. “Where are you?” she sang. She liked hide and seek as much as her children. “Come out. Come out. Wherever you are!”
The little Rainbows kept their giddiness as on the down low as possible.
“I wonder where you are,” Rainbow toyed as she eyed up a cupboard that was slightly ajar. She quickly opened it with a dramatic flourish. “Gotcha! Fuck.” She shut the cupboard again slightly red with embarrassment. She pondered for a moment as to where they could be, but then she saw the little hoof marks were trodden in the dust, betraying the fillies of their location. She stooped down low and squinted under the table. There she saw three sets of eyes.
“There you are!”
The fillies, with huge smiles on their face, bolted as they screamed with laughter, leaving in their wake a fine mist of sweetness.
Rainbow chased them down with glee, taking her time so she could savour the moment for a few seconds before realising the icing sugar they were coating everything in. She picked up the speed and caught them.
Shine gave up quickly and accepted her fate of being tucked under her mother's wing, but the others soon followed suit.
“Come on. You three need a bath after that.” They didn't like the word. Immediately they all began to squirm in their mother's tight grip. “Stop it. It's your own fault!”
They would listen to reason but continued squirming anyway, but they would only tire themselves out as Rainbow had been practising this grip for months. She could crush a watermelon.

Rainbow locked them in the bathroom. “Come on now, you silly fillies. You need a bath.”
She had barely turned her back for a second but that was enough for the fillies to almost escape. They pushed a plant pot up to the door, created a ladder of ponies and Dash was working on the tricky lock. Rainbow was more impressed and in admiration of their teamwork than anything, but she had to stop them even though they were so close.
“You like baths, remember?” she asked as she pulled Dash off the lock and moved their tools out the way. “Look at this!”
The fillies watched as their mother poured a liquid of a deep purple colour into the water and their eyes lit up.
“That's right. Bubbles!” Rainbow sang eagerly. She knew she wasn't supposed to put bubbles in the bath with young children but it was the only way to get them to bathe and not moan about it.
The bath took a lifetime to fill for the excited fillies, but the second their mother turned off the taps they clambered over each other to be the first to dive in.

Rainbow was lost in thought and admiration, staring fondly at the fillies as they splashed about gleefully in the water. They were finding it particularly fun to pile as many bubbles as possibly on Shine's head, laughing with each additional blob added on top. Rainbow laughed along with them.
Time span on, the bubbles in the bath were popping and the water was going cold. It wasn't until Rainbow's idle hoof, spinning gently in the water, sent a shiver up her leg that she noticed this. With a sigh she turned the tap on again. It broke her heart to hear her fillies stop playing, as they knew what happened when the taps came on a second time.”
“Bah,” Dash stated firmly.
“Come on, don't be like that,” she pleaded quietly. “You knew this was going to happen eventually.”
The little Rainbows didn't answer, only resign themselves to their fate. As they watched their mother lather up a sponge Shine decided to speak up.
“Mua.”
Rainbow jumped. The hairs on her neck pricking up and a cold shiver running down her spine. “What did you say?” she asked as casually as possible, but the thought of finally being called some variation of Mummy made that nearly impossible.
Shine tried again. “Muuua-”
Her sisters were looking shocked, as if their sister was suddenly speaking a different language.
“Go on,” Rainbow egged.
“Muuumum,” Shine droned out slowly.
“I-is that me? I am Mumum?” Rainbow asked hopefully.
Shine pointed at her mother. She couldn't say it as well as her, but she tried her best. “Mumum.”
Rainbow practically exploded. She squeaked herself silly before pulling her daughter out the bath and squeezing her as much as she could. Shine was not as thrilled to be held like this but decided to just go with it.
“That's right, Shiny,” she whispered affectionately. “I'm you Mumum.” The thought made her heart flutter.
As she kissed Shine all over the other two fillies were getting jealous. Not so much because of the loving embrace but rather that they could leave the bath without getting cleaned.
It was beyond difficult to them, to say a particular sound on purpose, but Rainbow was there as they tried there best. Dash was next, and incredibly proud of herself, followed almost immediately by Swirl.
Rainbow scooped them all up and fell to the floor so she could hug them all as hard as possible and kiss them all over.
“Go on. Say it again.”
Almost in synch they each said “Mumum.” They still could barely so such a complicated word.
Rainbow cried. “I'm so happy,” she whispered as she pulled them in tighter. She never thought them finally calling her a name could make her any happier than she was with them already, but she realised something. Just how much better life will get with every minute they would grow. She was looking forward to it.

1 Year

It was a lazy day. Too wet to go outside. Too toasty to do anything inside. Rainbow and the little fillies enjoyed sitting inside and monging out on the sofa.
Rainbow was laid out on the sofa, staring into nothing with a slight grin, enjoying the company of Dash, who dozed peacefully on her stomach. Shine was sat on a cushion on the floor, pushing a pencil along as if it was a toy.
Swirl was actually moving, looking around the house as she liked to do, investigating every bit of territory. She found a particular fascination with the strange boxes sitting in opposite corners. They were bigger than her and had circles on them. She followed some strange string that seemed to link them a different box. Several boxes in fact, stacked atop each other and just out of her reach.
“Muuuum.”
“What is it, sweety?” Rainbow ask from her comfort.
Swirl pointed at the boxes.
A thought struck her as she realised she hadn't used the stereo Swirl was so interested in since before they were born. She had a brilliant idea for something for them to do.
“'Scuse me, Dashie” she said politely as she politely moved her daughter to one side. “C'mon here, Swirl, and I'll show you.”
She grabbed her other daughter and begun showing her the box in more detail. Swirl loved the dial that changed the volume. There was always something about circles with her.
“And you see, the box then sends sounds to the other boxes. Shall we put something on?”
Swirl didn't know how to answer so she used the other word she had learnt, whatever it meant. “Yes.”
“That's the spirit.” Rainbow spent a moment fiddling the dials, which was hard with Swirl in her hooves, before powering the box.
The speakers bumped into life, shaking the dust from the cases. A heavy bass filled the air.
The fillies shot up and ran to their mother's side. It took a moment for the beat to take over. Rainbow could see them bob with the music ever so slightly, almost an unconscious reaction.
“That's it,” Rainbow cheered. “Get moving!”
The fillies wathced as their mother danced like an idiot. It looked fun enough to join in.
What was going to be a dull afternoon soon became one of their favourite activities. Rainbow found the box of records from the spare room and they had fun going through them one by one, finding each of their favourites.

After a few weeks the fillies had found their favourite records. Swirl liked anything with a fast upbeat tempo. Shine like the bass heavy stuff and would sit near the speaker to feel it. It almost seemed to relax her. Dash loved rock and things with guitars, and she would headbang with the pros.
It being Rainbow's music she loved all of it. This was fortunate as there was a lot of crossover with their music, so very few arguments were had. But Rainbow had another thought. Something else she had never shown her children.
She ran upstairs while the fillies danced. From under her bed she pulled an old violin case. Downstairs again she turned the music off, much to the fillies' horror. What ever was happening better be good.
“Now little ones,” Rainbow started as she took a seat on the floor and the fillies gathered in front of her. “I have something very special here.” She opened the box and started laughing. It wasn't her violin but rather the joke her father had played on her once. The one where he replaced her violin with a toy tommy gun.
“This isn't right fillies. Hang on.”
She returned quickly with a second violin case. “Now, THIS, little ones, is a very special thing. This is a violin. Nana got this from her mother, and every Rainbow after her has learnt this instrument. One day you will too.”
Rainbow could see their curious stares slowly fading, clearly craving music over anything, so she took the bow and drew it across the strings. It sounded horrible, but it kept the fillies' attention.
“One sec.”
Rainbow fiddled the tuners and roisined the bow before trying again. This time it was a simple, beautiful chord that rang through the air. Played perfectly. It felt good to play again.
The fillies stared, eyes wide jaws slack, at this music that their own mother was making. It was amazing to them. Such a beautiful sound.
Rainbow played to them until her hooves ached and a little after that. They were entranced. They wouldn't move nor look away. This music was more special to them than anything else they had heard. And when their mother had finished they sat still as it soaked into them. It's a moment that would, in some way, always stay with them.
Rainbow smiled at them.

The door opened in the silence.
“Hello?” called out a familiar voice. “You're still here right?”
Star walked into the house slowly, worried they had left in the brief time he had given himself to prepare.
“Oh... you're right there.”
Rainbow and the fillies were sat in silence, basking in what must have been emotionally important to all of them. He felt he was interupting something.
“Star!” Rainbow shouted once the surroundings became clear again. “How long have you been there?”
“Literally just opened the door. I shouted in, didn't you hear?”
“I guess not.”
Star mumbled before being affectionately tackled by the fillies.
“I've just been playing them some music. I can't believe I've not done this before!”
“I heard ya. I came round about half an hour ago and heard you then I left to get this.” He gestured behind him. It was a small wagon holding a few instruments. “I thought this would be fun.”
Rainbow helped him unload the cart. The little Rainbows were fascinated by these new boxes, especially the guitar as that looked a bit like a giant violin.
Star took a different box though, one the seemed dull to them, but once he removed it from its case and drew air into the instrument they all jumped. Never hearing anything like it before meant their first interaction with an accordian was a shock, but they ran with it.
It was a short ditty he played but it was happy and upbeat. Rainbow and the little ones skipped happily around the living room, and once it was over they wanted more.
“Rainbow. Remeber that one song we got really good at?”
Rainbow looked to her hoof. She could still feel the muscles straining inside, but that was nothing when she thought about the joy on her daughters' faces as their two favourite ponies played them music live. She quickly grabbed the violin.
“How did it go again?”
“A bit like this.” Star whistled part of a tune.
“Got it. One, two, three, four!"

3 years

“So what you got do is this!” Dash shouted, giving orders to her sisters, as she described how to properly flap their wings.
They did their best to mimic her, but somehow it never worked for them. Dash could so easily lift herself into the sky, but they couldn't even get their hooves off the ground. Rainbow was in the back laughing to herself, full of admiration for the precious moment between her daughters. She had taken so many pictures already, but was saving the last few for when they were all in the air.
“It's okay girls,” She praised, “You'll get there. Try it yourself. Ignore what Dash said. It's not the same for everyone.”
Full of confidence knowing that there was another way they started doing what felt natural. Swirl felt it first, the sensation of leaving the ground without jumping. It was exhilerating. She quickly zipped to Dash, already exhausted but high on the buzz of her first flight.
Shine had a little more trouble. While her sisters' wings were often fidgeting she never found hers doing the same, so whatever she did didn't feel quite right. But it never stopped her.
While Swirl and Dash were practicing taking off and landing, and sharing incorrect tips with each other, Shine managed it. Her hooves left the ground and she joined her sisters.
Rainbow snapped the picture, the perfect picture, before it all went wrong.
Shine landed again, breathing heavily. It was exhausting for her, expending so much energy so quickly when she wasn't a particularly active child. It didn't feel like she was taking in enough air, like her lungs were tightening. Her vision blurred and she went light headed.

The next thing she knew she was surrounded by her mother and two paramedics, breathing from an odd mask.
“And she's awake,” the paramedic said triumphantly. He had no doubt she'd be fine, but mothers worry and he was okay with that. “You should get her to the doctor. Probably asthma.”
Rainbow nodded. “Right. I'll make an appointment as soon as possible.”

The next week Shine was sat in a room that smelt too clean and having various tests done to her. The doctor seemed to know what he was doing, so she was happy to let him.
“Definitely asthma,” the doctor confirmed. “I'll prescribe her an inhaler. You make sure she's doing it right.”
“Of course, doctor.” Rainbow squeezed her child. “You're fine, Shiny. Just a little breathing thing. No biggy,” she comforted herself more than Shine.
“Say, does she always squint like that?”
“She squints?”
“You should take her to an opticians. If she needs glasses better do it before it gets worse.”
Rainbow nodded frantically. “I'll get on it soon as.”

Shine found herself in a different room that smelt too clean, but it was less welcoming. There were eyes everywhere. Literally. Models, pictures and jars full of them!
And the tests weren't as friendly either. Not knowing the alphabet properly was a massive hinderance, meaning instead of a simple reading test they had to use a big machine that scared her. It didn't seem safe to put your face in.
“Oh she definitely needs glasses,” she said. “Take a look.”
She spun the display around. “See this? This is bad eyesight.”
It didn't make any sense, but they weren't opticians so how would they know?
“A quick other test and we'll find the right strength glasses for you, munchkin. And don't worry. This is a much better machine. Makes less noise.”
Shine nodded, but she wasn't happy. The optician somehow seemed less trustworthy than the doctor.
It took a little while to set the machine up but Shine saw a difference immediately. It hurt less. Her eyes stopped aching, and with each increment of strength it got better.
“You can choose the style later, but let's try these on. They should be perfect for you.”
Shine shut her eyes, nose screwed up, as the optician placed the glasses on her. When she opened them again she couldn't help but smile. Everything looked right. She looked to her mother and laughed.
“You're so pretty,” she squeaked.
Rainbow smiled back. It was such a genuine compliment it touched her heart. “So are you, sweetie.”
“Come on,” said the optician as she stood up. “Let's go choose a design and we'll have them made up for you.”

Half an hour later Shine walked out with two new pairs of glasses, one of which Rainbow had safely tucked away in her bag, and also an inhaler tied to a piece of string around her neck like a necklace.

4 Years

The alarm went off with a quiet yet annoying buzz, enough to wake Rainbow up from her sleep. However, this morning she felt more excited than usual as it was the first day of school for her fillies.

Rainbow rolled out of bed and switched the alarm clock off. She was up earlier than usual as she anticipated difficulties with timing breakfast, making packed lunches and waking up the fillies. She walked slowly down the corridor, pausing only to let out a loud yawn, and opened up the door to the other bedroom in the house.
“Wakey, wa-.” Rainbow was shocked into silence by the sight of the little Rainbows sat up and whispering excitedly.
Swirl turned around with a smile on her face. “Morning, Mummy!” she said while bouncing on her bed.
Rainbow smile lovingly at them. “You three are up early.”
“Yeah!” Dash said with a huge grin.
“We’re super excited!” Swirl squeaked. Shine nodded enthusiastically. It was still too early for her to be that energetic.
“Oh well that’s good. Now, who’s excited for their first day at school?!” Rainbow asked loudly with as much excitement as she could muster at this time.

They all filled their bellies with a hearty breakfast and brushed their teeth. Next were bags.
“Now then,” Rainbow started as she finished tightening the last straps of Dash’s saddle bag, “Have we got everything?”
The fillies nodded.
“Pencils? Paper? Crayons? Lunch?” Rainbow asked, the answers to all of which were nods. “Alright, let’s go!” she cheered with a hoof pointed in the direction they were going.
All three shouted back in unison, “YEAH!”

Monday

The school was small, with barely over one hundred students split between the whole school, but it was the nicest, and the little Rainbows deserved no less. The playground, a rectangle of tarmac, was at the front of the school and provided parents a place to leave the children in the morning. Many young children walked in through the front gate, either with or without their parents, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, ranging from the terrified to the bored to those who really didn’t want to be there and the really excited ponies. It was interesting to watch. Some were crying, some were playing but most were standing around waiting.
Just before they managed to get inside the Rainbows were pushed to the side as a small group of colts sped inside followed shortly by an apologetic parent. Those who got in first were laughing at the one in last, who was severely disappointed. “You’re IT first!” said the brattiest of them. Rainbow smiled. Soon her kids will be making friends and that made her happy.

The playground was fairly dull, it being a grey mass with faded lines of some kind of sport court in spots. Rainbow stood and looked around at the parents, none of which interested her. The children on the other hand were showing much more emotion. She found herself lost staring at the turmoil ahead.
The fillies were looking around as well, trying to get a grip on this completely alien situation. The only kids they had spent any time with were Sass’, but they hated them.
“She looks cool,” Dash said as she saw an older filly walk in like she owned the place. Rainbow couldn’t help but agree. Maybe a bit up herself, she thought, but definitely cool.
Time passed. Most of the older children had gone inside, leaving the new students behind. There weren’t many. A fairly young mare with the distinct air of teacher about her cleared her throat for attention. Silence fell over the playground.
“Will all the children please come with me. School is about to start.” She sounded friendly yet forceful. Rainbow liked her.
All the parents were now saying their goodbyes with differing degrees of emotion.
“Well then,” Rainbow started with a little croak in her voice, but she swallowed it down. “You three have a great first day,” she said as she fiddled with their manes, “learn lots of new, interesting things, and make a lot of friends, because that’s just as important.”
They all nodded. Rainbow spent a long moment looking at them and their excited, eager eyes.
“Come here,” she said quietly as she pulled them in a hug. She held them tight, not wanting to let them go.
“Excuse me, Miss,” the teacher said from across the playground, “Could you please.” She left the question as open and kind as she could, but she was a stickler for schedules.
Rainbow gave them each a kiss on the forehead and placed them down. “Go on. Have a good day,” she whimpered, and gave them a gentle push towards the teacher. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye mummy!” they chanted back at her and trotted quickly to the teacher.
The children disappeared inside.

Rainbow stood there, watching the door they went through, for a few minutes, motionless, knowing that any movement could set her off. She had been preparing herself mentally for her children to cry, but not for herself.
“Are you okay?” a concerned parent asked, but that was a poor decision. Rainbow sobbed loudly and collapsed to the ground. She tried to speak through the tears but all that came out was an unintelligible babble of random syllables. That parent stood staring. She too hadn’t prepared herself for Rainbow to cry. She was half tempted to leave her to it, but that didn’t feel right. She got down on the ground with Rainbow and picked her up in a hug.
“There there,” she said softly as she rocked to the crying mare back and forth. She was mesmerised by her mane; so many colours and so much of it. “I love your mane,” she let slip out of her mouth.
“T-t-t-thank you,” Rainbow stuttered.
“Come on now. Dry your eyes. You’re making the other parents feel bad.”
Rainbow couldn’t see since her eyes were full of water but other parents look downtrodden. They didn’t know that they should be that emotional about it. “Sorry,” she said. She sniffed loud and hard and managed to stem the flow of tears. “Phew. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. It’s just that I’ve never been this far away from them like, ever. Or even for this long before. Oh god I miss them.” She exploded again.
The parent sighed. “Stop it now. You’re just being silly.”
“I know. But I can’t stop.”
“How about we go get some coffee and we can chat. Would that help?”
Rainbow thought for a second. She wouldn’t have to go home to an empty house for a while. “That would be nice.”
“Okay. Up you get,” she groaned as she helped Rainbow to her hooves. They walked off the school premises.
“I’m Rainbow,” Rainbow said through the last tears that were leaving her.
“I’m Airheart, or whatever the canon is actually for my character, but who cares?” the parent said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Rainbow nodded in agreement. “Do you have kids?” It was a stupid question, she knew, but it was all that could come to mind.
“Oh yes. I have a little filly called Fluttershy and an even littler colt called whatever the fuck I decided to call him. Probably some dumb horse or cloud pun.”

The room was bright with big windows, obviously designed to provide children with the best learning environment possible. The walls was a sickly peach colour that had faded over years of neglect, with patches of darker colour where the previous years of students’ work was removed to make room for new work.
The class had around twenty students, distributed evenly in groups of five and sat around desks, and the teacher sat at the end closest to the door at her big, well organised desk.

Swirl was furious. She slammed her hooves down on the desk as hard as she could, bringing silence over the class, stopping the teacher in the middle of the register, and stood tall on her seat.
“Why was I Last?!” she screamed with all the anger she could muster.
“Excuse me?” the teacher asked in a friendly, inquisitive voice but with a distinct tone of annoyance underlying.
“I was born first so my name should be first! Not last!”
Shine leant over and said softly. “Ssh. It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does!” Swirl shouted back.
“Please, there is no need to shout. I can explain to you why as long as you don’t shout.”
Swirl stared at her, determined not to break eye contact as it was a sign of weakness, until she broke off to push her mane out of the way. “Okay.”
“Right,” the teacher started as she stood from her seat and gave the class a quick yet thorough explanation of the alphabet. “Does that make sense?”
Swirl sat back in her chair, her face red with embarrassment, and looked at the ground. “Yes, Miss Doltish,” she said quietly into her chest. She was still angry about it but knew she couldn’t argue with the alphabet.
Meanwhile throughout the whole debacle Dash sat with a pleased grin at being before her sisters.

“Right class,” Miss Doltish said in an upbeat voice, “now I want you all to get to know your classmates, so please walk around and try to make some friends.”
No one moved for a moment. All were too nervous. This situation had been sprang upon them without warning and they none of them wanted to be the first. Fortunately for the rest of the class, the Rainbows were confident and spoke first in the silence, inspiring the rest of them.
“Who are you?” Dash asked the boy sat with her and her sisters. He was light brown colt with dark brown hair that covered most of his eyes, but the way they darted between the three of them showed how uncomfortable he was around them, along with the nervous gulping and fidgeting he did as he tried to answer the question.
“I-I’m Hoops. Why are you here three times?” there was genuine fear in his voice, as if he stumbled into the scary stories that he sometimes thought of.
“We’re triplets,” Shine informed him. “So we look almost the same. I’m Shine, that’s Swirl and that’s Dash.” The fillies waved and smiled when their name came up.
“Are you fast?” Dash asked like it was important.
Hoops was taken aback by this. He hadn’t thought about it. “Yeah, I think so.”
Dash celebrated to herself. “Good. Who else do you think is fast?”

The class was full of noise as the students talked between themselves and the teacher psyched herself up for another year of this.
Swirl trotted around looking at all the other fillies and colts, trying to decide who to talk to, when she came across a filly sat at a desk on her own with a subtle face as she looked round. The hell is a subtle face? Seriously, I wrote that so long ago I forgot what I was on about. I'm so confused. Anyway. For some reason she clicked with Swirl, so Swirl walked over to her. When the filly noticed this she beamed a great smile. She was the colour of milky coffee with a mass of what looked like thick brown wool on her head and tail.
“Hi! Who are you?” Swirl asked excitedly. She couldn’t explain why but she really wanted to be friends with this filly.
The filly smiled back at her but said nothing, only her wings seemed to flap.
Swirl waited a long time for an answer, but she had to ask again. “Who are you?” the excitement was waning.
Again the filly said nothing but flapped her wings with a large smile.
Swirl wasn’t having any of this. “It’s rude to not answer questions and I want to be your friend but I can’t be unless you tell me your name.”
The smile fell from the filly’s face and was replaced with a nervous urgency. She flapped her wings again, only quicker.
Swirl stood tall with her front hooves on the desk. She got her face up close to the filly. “Tell me your name,” she demanded threateningly. There was a quiet menace in her whisper.
The filly gulped before flapping her wings again.
“No! Stop flapping your wings and tell me your name,” Swirl squeaked with anger as she pinned the filly’s wing to her side.
The filly squirmed but couldn’t get her wings free, instead she stared at Swirl with a feeble smile, hoping it would be enough. It wasn’t.
Swirl frowned and had the angriest of angry eyebrows. Jesus fucking christ that was an awful line. Just... awful. She stepped back onto the ground and walked backwards slowly, maintaining eye contact as she did. “I don’t like you.” Her voice was cold.
The filly looked distraught and looked away. She wore a frown for the rest of the day.
Swirl returned to searching the class for someone else to be her friend, but no one was as appealing to her.

Shine wandered around, looking at ponies, but felt much more awkward than her sisters. There was one colt sat at the side, watching everyone else. He seemed liked Shine’s kind of pony, one who prefers to watch than get involved. He was white from head to hoof, and his mane resembled toothpaste, only with much more white than red or blue. He already looked tired, as if the effects of ageing had already ravaged him.
She took a seat next to him. “I'm Shine,” she said quietly.
He barely reacted. He might have cracked a slight smile but nothing that would make anyone certain it actually happened. Shine took this as a sign that she could sit next to him, and so did.
After 20 minutes of meeting and greeting the class was called to attention and told to return to their seats. Shine stood and walked back over to her desk. Little did either of them knew that they were actually friends now.

Dash was immediately popular with her declaration of her legendary speeds. Hoards of classmates surrounded her to get to be friends, but only few were selected. It was a group of the fastest fillies and colts in the room, five in total, that all claimed to be the fastest, just what Dash wanted. However, after all the class asked to be friends, there was one that didn’t and it bothered Dash a little. It was a filly of yellow and pink that seemed to avoid acknowledging everyone else in the room, but the fast kids took priority. No. This is just completely wrong! This isn't how it happens at all! She's like three years or something older than Dash so why would they share a class?! That's just weird of her. And of course it's just fucking Fluttershy. It's not exactly a surprise to anyone, why am trying to be sublte!

The first recess came a little bit later after a small amount of learning, and with it the tryouts to by Rainbow Dash’s friend.
The little ponies were lined up, facing Dash as she paced up and down the line. “Okay ponies,” Dash said loudly over the noise, “only the best can be my friend and it’s time to find out who makes the cut.”
“What about them?” a colt asked as he pointed to the fillies waiting patiently behind Dash. “Are they here because they are also you?”
“They are my sisters so they are my friends already, but all you others have to prove yourself.”
“That’s not fair.”
“If you don’t like it you can leave and play with the boring ponies.”
The colt quieted down.
“That’s what I thought. Now, the first test is to see who is the fastest.”
The remainder of the recess for Dash was full of racing, which whittled her potential friends considerably.
“Alright, slowpokes,” she announced with no sign of tiredness, “you can go about your business, you’re out of the runnings. Fast ones, well done! You’re now my friends!”
Although exhausted the two colts and two fillies celebrated to their hearts’ content, although it was cut short by the school bell. They all headed back inside for more learning, but Dash slowed as she walked. Hiding behind the bike shed was the small yellow and pink pony, just peeking around the corner and staring at her, and Dash found herself staring back curiously. Just who is this pony, she thought. Seriously Fluttershy, the hell you perving on children for? I know you're a child too but your almost double her age.

Shine had cut off shortly after Dash had announced the first race and set off to find the colt she had met earlier. It wasn’t hard given that he was the brightest thing on the field. His white coat was almost a mirror, reflecting the sun in all directions.
“Hello,” she said as she stood next to him.
This time round he actually acknowledged her. “Hello,” he replied in a strangely raspy voice.
“I'm Swirl.”
“Star Scream.”
They sat for the rest of break quietly enjoying each others’ company.

Swirl too had left Dash long ago in her own quest to make friends. Unlike her sister, speed wasn’t high on her prerequisites to be her friend. It wasn’t long before she found a group she liked the looks of. They were a little older and obviously took pride in their appearances, just like Swirl. However, just before she could tack herself onto the side of this group and assimilate into it, the coffee and brown filly intercepted her with a huge grin.
Swirl scowled at her. “I don’t like you remember?” She turned her head away and walked defiantly passed.
The filly jump in front of her again and smiled wide still. She moved in a way to try to instigate some kind of game that involved running. It didn't work.
“Go away!” Swirl screeched. “You’re really frustrating!”
That stung the filly deeply and she fell to the floor. She watched as Swirl began talking to the older fillies, who had taken great interest in her due to her mane.
“I really like your mane too!” Swirl squeaked with glee. “Not so much yours though. It’s too big at the back. It looks weird.”
The weird mane pony looked positively flabbergasted and wasn’t sure if she should insult her back or even if she could. Her friends found it hilarious.
“You’re funny, filly. What’s your name?”
“I'm Swirl. I'm new. What do you guys do?”
The fillies looked at each other. They weren’t sure themselves. “Y’know, stuff,” offered one of them. “We can give you help with your mane.”
Swirl was shocked and appalled. “Well I never.”
“If you got something to hold your fringe up it would look very nice. Here.” The filly took the hair band from her mane and placed it in Swirl’s hair. “That should hold it up.”
Swirl looked up at her head band. It was white, soft and kept her mane out of her eyes, which she hadn’t noticed was a problem until then. She gasped and said, “Thank you!”
The coffee filly came up to her to compliment her but didn’t get the chance between the older fillies asking “Is this your friend?” and Swirl screaming “GO AWAY!”
The filly ran away crying to herself with sadness and fear.
The older fillies stood back and watched Swirl carefully as she huffed the rest of the anger out of her system. “You’ve got quite the temper.”
“Thanks! You too,” Swirl answered, not knowing what temper was but assuming it was something good.

Rainbow was at home. She very much enjoyed coffee and breakfast with Airheart but it could only last so long. After going home and cleaning what needed to be cleaned in the house, followed by cleaning what could have gone on a while without cleaning, Rainbow found she had nothing else to do.
It was eerily quiet. She kept thinking something was wrong, but had to keep reminding herself that nothing was.
The carpet was wearing thin beneath her hooves. She hadn’t realised for how long she was doing it but she was pacing a circle in living room.
“My life is so dull without them,” she said aloud. “It’s so long until I can go pick them up.” She stopped dead in her tracks. “Hang on. It’s been ages now so I should need to go get them soon.” Her heart jumped at the idea. She quickly trotted over to the clock on the mantel piece and inspected the time. Her hopeful smile faded into a disappointed scowl. “It’s only been three hours.”
She waited there, absent mindedly watching the second tick by on the clock. “I’ll go check the other clocks, just to be sure.”
The other clocks said more or less the same thing, except the one in her bedroom that had reset itself so she spent as long as she could putting it to the correct time again, and returned to pacing around the living room, trying to think of things to do to occupy her time. The only things that came to mind involved her children in some way, and that only made her feel sad.

The school day was coming to an end and the class was getting ready for it. Chairs were placed on top of tables, the reason for which no one could even guess, and bags were packed and ready to go.
“My dad likes basketball so they called me Hoops. What did your dad call you?”
“Mummy gave us our names,” Shine answered calmly before her sister could shout at him. Hoops had a personality that easily grated on anyone, yet somehow Shine was immune.
Hoops snickered. “You still say mummy?” he said through a giggle.
“You don’t?!” Swirl answered back as if it was disrespectful.
“No.”
Dash shook her head. “Some ponies,” she muttered, followed by loud tutting.
“So why did your… mummy, call you that?” He sniggered at the use of the word.
“Swirl is named after Mummy because she was first, she liked the name Shine and Dash looked fast,” Shine answered simply. Dash looked smug.
“What does your dad do?” Hoops asked.
“We don’t have a dad,” Shine answered simply.
Hoops’ jaw hit the floor. “What?!”
The three Rainbows shrugged their shoulders. “So? We’ve got Mummy and she’s the best!” Swirl insisted.
“Yeah,” Dash added, “We don’t need a dad when we’ve got Mummy.”
Hoops couldn’t believe it and refused to. “But dads are the best. Mums are for girls.”
Before they could make sense of what they thought was an insult and figure out why it was an insult the bell rang. The clas fell silent.
“Alright, children,” the teacher said nicely. “I hope you’ve all had a wonderful first day and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Now please follow me back to the playground.”
All the students followed the teacher back into the playground in an almost orderly fashion where all the parents and guardians were waiting.
“See ya tomorrow,” Hoops said to the Rainbows as he walked over to his mother.

The Rainbows trotted casually through the crowds, keeping an eye out for their mother. Through a clearing Shine spotted her looking around impatiently. She broke into a sprint.
Rainbow gasped a sigh of relief as she saw her daughters but was a little concerned seeing Shine sprinting, but there was no time to dwell as the filly launched herself at her mother and clutched onto her neck in a tight hug.
Rainbow was taken aback and felt a well of tears build up as she heard Shine sniff. She wrapped her hooves tightly around her and enjoyed the hug immensely. It was one of the best.
Dash and Swirl trotted beside her and watched in confusion. “Why is she doing that?” Dash asked. “This wasn’t sad it was fun!”
“Yeah,” agreed Swirl.
“What? Don’t you miss me?” Rainbow asked sarcastically, but secretly hoped they did.
“A little,” Dash said after some consideration. “But not enough to cry over.”
“I cried though,” Rainbow said. Dash and Swirl gave her a confused look. “Yeah. This morning I was a wreck! Just a crying blob on the floor. So it’s okay to miss me and cry if you want to.”
Swirl and Dash exchanged looks before they dived onto their mother as well.
Rainbow caught them and hugged all three as tightly as she could. Dash and Swirl may not have cried, but she could tell they missed her as much as Shine. Rainbow fell to the ground, propped up by the fence behind her. She felt whole again as she held her children.
Some moments passed before they moved again due to children shouting at them.
“Bye, Dash!” said an excited colt.
“See ya!” Dash said back. “That’s one of my friends,” she said proudly to her mother.
“Oh, he seems nice, Dashie.” Rainbow kissed her forehead, followed by the other two. “How about you two? Did you make any new friends?”
Shine nodded her head.
Swirl thought of the coffee and brown filly and was filled with seething anger, and in a low, threatening voice she said, “I made an enemy.”
Rainbow laughed. “An enemy? Already?”
Swirl nodded. “She wouldn’t tell me her name when I asked so now I don’t like her.”
Rainbow smiled and shook her head. “Give her time. Maybe she was just shy.”
Swirl decided to ignore that. Hating the filly was more fun.
“Come on,” Rainbow said as she gently placed her little Rainbows on the ground. “Let’s go home.” They took to the skies. “You still have four more days until you get a day off.”
The fillies had mixed feelings about this.

Tuesday

Rainbow saw her children off to school again. Through the door they walked, not looking back, leaving her alone for another day.
“I'm not gonna cry,” she assured herself. “Not this time.” She sniffed loudly and dried her eyes on the back of her hoof.
“Hi there. How are you holding up today then?” Airheart asked.
“Oh, yes. Much better, thank you,” Rainbow replied. “Do you want to get coffee again? It’s just that I’m so bored without them and I need to do something before I go crazy.”
“Sure. I'm not doing anything anymore now that Fluttershy is here so… after you.”
The two mares left to enjoy each other’s company.

Shine and Hoops were in a heated argument over which is better: boys or girls? Hoops was insisting boys were better at everything, except cooking and cleaning, while Shine was determined to convince him that that isn’t the case and it differs from to pony to pony.
“But Princess Celestia runs a whole country! And she’s a mare!” Shine argued. For the first time in her life she felt anger.
“But she’s an Alicorn so she has an unfair advantage. If she was a boy she would run the country even better. That’s what my dad says.” The smugness was unbearable.
“Shut up about your dad,” Dash told him. “No one cares about him. He’s making you think badly about mares.”
“No he’s not. He’s smart. He’s older than us so he knows what he’s talking about.”
Dash and Shine stared at him dumbfoundedly. They couldn’t believe how stubborn he was being despite all the evidence placed before him. They needed Swirl but she was distracted.
The staring was intense between them. Daggers flew across the room. The coffee and brown filly had changed drastically in the evening they weren’t near each other. Yesterday she was a sweet, smiling filly who was looking for a friend, but now she was angry. Something had snapped inside her and she felt nothing but a seething hatred. At least that’s all Swirl could read from her.
“Swirl,” Dash started, “Want to weigh in here? Hoops is being stupid.”
“I am not!”
Swirl turned round on her chair but before she could unleash her opinions on Hoops the teacher called for attention. It was time for the next lesson.

Lunchtime was fast becoming one of the favourite times of day for the fillies. After a hard morning of basic maths and literacy they needed a well earned meal. Dash and Shine scoffed down their food, Dash because she wanted to go fly some more and Shine because she had no self control. Swirl did not eat fast, she was never one to and enjoyed taking her time with it, but this time it was because she could feel that filly boring holes in the back of her head. Try hard as she might she could still not shake the filly from her mind and it was getting to her. Fortunately, across the cafeteria were the older fillies she latched onto the day before which she managed to focus on. They were excitingly discussing some topic that made them giggle and Swirl was eager to find out. She packed her lunch box up and sat in the spare seat on their table.
“Hi there,” said the one that seemed the leader of the gang, although in far too patronising a tone.
“Hi.” Swirl unpacked her lunch and ate with them. The fillies were confused at first but after a moment or two they continued their conversation of boys and hairstyles. Swirl loved it and laughed and joined in when she could. She was fast earning their friendship. All the while the coffee and brown filly stared at her but Swirl didn't pay her any attention, which only made her more angry.

The Rainbows left on their table continued as normal. Across from Dash were her two favourite friends, a blue-ish colt and a green filly who proved faster than the competition. They finished their lunches quickly and headed out to play, leaving Shine behind on her own, but that wasn't the case for long. Shortly after she was joined by Star Scream.
She looked at him and to his lunch. Both seemed sad, but Shine was pretty sure that was always the case with the colt at least. With a big gulp she swallowed her mouthful and brushed off the crumbs that remained around her mouth. She looked at him with big, sympathetic eyes.
He flashed her a smile and slid a cheap apple pie across to her.
She looked at it and him, trying to work out why he had done this. Was it a friendly gesture or was it poison? She couldn't tell.
“Do you like them?” he asked but didn't wait for an answer. “I can't stand them. You can have it if you want.” His voice scraped through his throat.
Tentatively Shine took a bite out of the pie. It was disgusting, but she struggled and swallowed it. “Yuck,” she muttered as she reached for the juicebox.
Star Scream smiled a weak smile at her and scooched a little closer.

“Alright,” Dash said loudly in front of her friends, who were lined up neatly like troops, “Today we're going to fly fast. Not just fast, but really fast.” She stood proud, puffing her chest out and wings flaring.
A few more ponies joined them, wondering what was happening. The green filly rose her hoof and spoke out of turn. “I want to run though.”
“Why run when you can fly?”
The filly lowered her hoof.
Dash spun around, skidding against the ground, and prepped her take off, but again she saw this filly, a little older than her, yellow coat and pink mane, stood on the corner of the playground, staring at her. Dash shook it off and took to the sky. Her friends followed with much less enthusiasm than the previous day. They could see that speed was the only thing on her mind and they didn't think they could handle that.

Dash had already done a few laps of the playground, as high as the dinner ladies let them fly, when she heard a snide laugh from the ground. It was Hoops, pointing and laughing at her. She couldn't tell why until she saw her friends with him instead. She slowed to a halt and dropped lightly out the sky, landing in the middle.
All around her were ponies playing and having fun, being friends, but she wasn't. No one was flying, some hovered but that didn't count. Everyone was running and jumping and playing, but not with her. Even her sisters had friends. She could see Swirl with the pretty fillies in an older class and Shine gently kicking rocks with the creepy kid. She felt alone. She was alone.
She fell to the floor and laid there. A horrible well of bad feelings filled her stomach and she didn't like it. She thought she would be the most popular filly and everyone would be amazed by her. They would clamber over each other just to get a glimpse of her flowing mane in the wind, of her impressive wings already with some big feathers. Everyone would want a piece of her and she'd have more friends than she could count. But no one cared.
The bad feelings moved from her stomach to her eyes and a few tears escaped. She didn't know what to do.
She kept looking around for anyone but there wasn't. She thought the yellow and pink filly was coming over to her but she took a sharp turn at the last minute.
She didn't want to be sad. That wasn't the filly she wanted to be. So instead she focused that negativity in one direction, into anger. A pure, burning rage for the one who stole her only friends. She stood tall and her teeth ground as she whispered his name. “Hoops.”

Right. That's thay shit out the way. Can you tell I don't really care anymore? I'm just gonna fling shit at this free knock-off of Word and see what sticks. I put too much effort into this story to let it not be finished. Anyway. As we were...

Wednesday

The entire class briefly had tinitus and the teacher feared for her windows. The argument had been short but loud and incredibly high-pitched, so much so no one knew what it was about. The teacher had enough.
“Right, that's it. Hoops. You swap with that twat over there,” she pointed at who is obviously supposed to be Fluttershy's brother but that isn't revealed until later. “Yes you, whatever your name is. Swap. Now.”
The kids did so, and seemed happy to do so. Hoops took it as a victory, while the kid called what turns out to be Zephyr clearly had been wanting to sit with them since the beginning.
“Well hello there,” he said, his words oozing with the sexual conotations of a camp colt. “I'm Zephyr. I just love your manes.” His hoof bend in a strangely effeminate manner.
“Hi.” Dash looked him for a moment, judging intently. “You look nice.”
“Not too bad yourself, hot lips,” he winked.
Dash quickly felt her lips, thinking there might be something wrong with them.
Zephyr placed his hoof around Swirl's shoulder. “I think I'm gonna like it at this table.”
Swirl looked over her shoulder at the coffee and brown filly. The daggers she had been staring at Swirl were becoming alarmingly real as the coffee filly played with the point of one into the desk.
Swirl looked away and tried to get a grasp on whether or not it was real. As she returned her gaze to the coffee filly she gasped as the brass hooves she was pounding together in a menacing fashion.
Again Swirl had to look away for a moment, but her attention was grabbed by a strange sound. That of a butterfly knife fwicking expertly in the filly's hooves.
Swirl was a little worried, especially as she saw her rubbing a whet stone over a glinting machete, but this worry disappated as she saw the filly driving a grindstone with one hoof and sharpening a battle axe with the others.
“You've taken it too far now it's just ridiculous.” And she turned back triumphantly.

Thursday

“Thank you, Zephyr,” Dash said sincerely. “You have taught me an important lesson about friendship and how it means giving as much as you get.”
“No worries, babe,” Zephyr cooed, playfully slapping her bum but it's alright because he is clearly gay and I'm no longer taking this chapter seriously, if that wasn't clear already. “Oh by the way, have you met my big sister? Fluttershy?”
The tall pink and yellow filly approached the group, almost paralyzed with fear.
“So you're that creep that's been perving on me!” Dash screeched.
Fluttershy went as stiff as a board and fell to the ground, almost like a poorly thought out defense mechanism.

Dash looked around the playground at lunch, not looking for anything in particular, but in doing so she saw something that made her heart leap and her blood boil.
Shine was in a heated argument with Hoops, and it was getting too hot. Dash saw Hoops slap her square in the jaw. Shine didn't seem to even register it, as one would expect from a malnourished child. Why malnourished, I don't know.
Dash exploded from the ground and landed slapbang on Hoops' spine. He folded like a deck chair.
He tried to fight back but Star Scream had turned up. The look in his eyes was hypnotic, and if they had access to that kind of weaponry Star Scream would have turned Hoops on himself, ending his lineage there and then. But alas, there were no guns, and so Star Scream resorted to breaking his spirit and sent him home crying and shivering.

Friday

It happened. The playground lay in ruin. Dust settled on the ground and children dug themselves out of the rubble. Most were unscathed, save for a few scratches and bruises. Others were not so lucky. The Head Teacher would have to send some heart breaking news.
It all started because she wouldn't tell her her name...

Swirl watched the coffee and brown filly approach the centre of the playground. A bat with nails slung over her shoulder. A look of murder in her eyes.
They locked eyes and both stood their ground. The children all around them had no idea what was coming, but it would all be over before they even had a chance to find out.
Swirl bared her teeth in a furious smile, clenching her jaw hard enough to break bone. Her hind legs bent against the ground, ready to launch at the filly. But the filly merely cracked a smile and readied the bat.
“Fuck her up!” came some words of encouragement from one of the faculty. Who it was directed at didn't seem to matter.
Swirl sprang into the air, hoof ready to come smashing down, and the filly prepared to whack her out of the sky.
It was about to get violent. But they love violence.

The school hall became an emergency centre to take care of the owies and boo-boos. Beds lined the walls, filled with crying children clutching various aching body parts. The dead had been moved into the staff room out of respect.
Swirl and the filly had been sat opposite each other at a table while they were fixed up. Swirl had a chunk of her ear bitten off and eaten by the other, if it was an active act of cannibalism or just the heat of the moment it was hard to tell. The filly had a hoof in a splint and sling.
The nurse, wholly unqualified for such a disaster, took the responsibilty of sorting out what misunderstanding could have caused such a scuffle. She took a seat between them.
“Now, tell me, why did you fight this filly, Swirl?”
“She wouldn't tell me her name,” Swirl siad coldly. The anger inside was too spent to be aggressive and merely became a sulk.
“Is this true?” the nurse asked the filly.
The filly began flapping her wings with a pleading look in her eyes.
“Stop flapping your wings!” Swirl moaned.
“You don't know?” The nurse shook her head. “Wow. That fucking moron. This is quite an important thing for a teacher to cover. You see, Swirl, Ticker here is a mute. She can't speak.”
Ticker tapped her throat to help explain.
“So instead of words she speaks by making very particular shapes with her wings. So when you asked her what her name was, she said...”
Ticker flapped her wings purposefully, and the nurse translated it as, “Hello, my name is Ticker. What's yours?”
Swirl's jaw dropped. “That's so cool!”
Ticker's smile lit up the room, almost making you forget the death and destruction, and her little wings fluttered happily.
“Can you teach me?”
Ticker nodded. “Does this mean we're friends?” Ticker asked via the nurse.
“Well duh!”
Thus began an amazing friendship.

Rainbow came to pick them up. Happy as can be with the knowledge she got to keep them for the next two days.
The playground had already been repaired, as it's easy to fix what is made of clouds and slave labour, and such the world continued as normal.
The three Little Rainbows trotted happily yet tired to their mother, who greeted them with a teary smile, until she saw Swirl with her ear in a bandage and several small plasters covering her body.
“Swirl?! What happened?” Rainbow shrieked. No one looked as they were busy having the same reaction to those on crutches and in body bags.
“Ticker got in a fight with me.”
“Where is she so I can have a word.”
“She's over there. But it's okay she's my friend!”
Rainbow hadn't listened and instead marched over to the where Swirl had pointed, only to be met halfway by a short mare storming up to her.
“Oi your brat beat up my little sister,” she spat.
“Oh fuck you're hot,” Rainbow muttered accidentally out loud.
“What?”
Rainbow froze. That was supposed to stay inside. This young mare was her exact type during her brief, two week lesbian phase. Scrawny, pierced, messy. Looks like she'd treat you wrong but you never leave because you love it, don't ya? You slut.
Err..... that was weird.
“What did your sister to mine?! Mine daughter, that is!”
“What?”
“Well my little girl didn't go to school all bandaged up!” She pulled Swirl round to show her.
“I was gonna say the same to you, bitch.”
Rainbow had to bite her lip. It was lighting a fire inside her. A fire that quickly subsided when she saw the battered filly that was clearly related to the big sister. “Oh my gosh, I didn't know. I guess they're even though.”
The big sister looked for a second. “I guess you're right. C'mon Ticker, let's go.”
Rainbow watched the young mare walk away, a familiar heat burning her cheeks as she blushed.
“I don't want you hanging out with that filly again, okay?”
“Oh... but she's my bestest friend!”
Rainbow stared at her daughter, trying to rationalise it, but it was getting late and her shoulder was hurting from lying on bed typing, so she decided to let it go and see what happens.
“See ya tomorrow, Ticker!” Swirl shouted and waved. Ticker waved back before flying off with that hot piece of ass sister of hers.
“You're not going to school tomorrow,” Rainbow told them as if they were adorable idiots.
“What?!” the three of them blurted out, clearly shocked by this.
“You don't go to school on saturdays or sundays. You're back again on monday.”
“Oh,” they moaned.
Rainbow laughed. They wouldn't feel that way for long.

5 Years

“Okay then, have you got your lunch?” Rainbow asked her daughters.
“Yes,” the three, five year old fillies replied, all of which were growing impatient and just wanted to leave and get to school already.
“Good. Have you got your books?”
“Yes.”
“Good, good. And Dashie, have you got Fluttershy’s jacket thing?”
Dash stared blankly back at her mother.
“Go get it. And hurry.”
Dash nodded before shooting off up the stairs, with her wings making a strong fluttering sound as she flew.
She was back a second later with the cardigan in her mouth.
“Here, I’ll put it in your bag.” Rainbow quickly yet carefully stuffed the clothing into Dash’s bag, putting it on the brink of bursting. “Okay, I think that’s everything. You better get going; you don’t want to be late.”
The fillies ran to the door, with Rainbow following close behind.
“And Dashie, don’t fly off on your own again like yesterday,” she said sternly. “I want you to stick together, and you know full well that your sisters can’t keep up with you.”
Dash sighed behind a cocky grin. “Okay.”
“Good. Now off to school with you lot!” she ushered them out of the door.
Swirl and Shine began walking excitedly, while Dash jumped in the air and hovered after them.
“See ya later, Rainbows. Have a good day at school!” Rainbow shouted after them, waving frantically as she did.

Rainbow watched them leave until she couldn't see them anymore before heading back inside. The door clicked behind her and she sighed. It was an issue now that she let them go to school on their own.
She had nothing to do.
No mothers to talk to. No coffees to be got. Nothing.
“What to do? What to do?” she asked herself as she leant against the door. Although an idea did strike her mind. It was something she hadn't done since she can't remember when. It made her blush.
“Yeah. Why not. Let's knock out a crafty one.”
She wondered upstairs.

The shower was relaxing and very much well needed. She found herself standing under the torrent, letting the water find its own way down her body, dripping from her stomach and down her hooves. It even found its way through her mane, drenching it completely. Perfect for washing, something she didn't do very often due to the laborious nature of the task and the sheer amount of shampoo and conditioner it took. But alas, she had not much else to do today. And it was quite enjoyable.
The towel she wrapped around her head could have dried a small family and it spiralled up rather comically.
However, the morning's activities were just that; the morning's. Not even the whole morning at that. Too early for lunch and for a another cup of coffee. So she just laid back on her bed, staring into the ceiling.
It was completely silent in the house. The dust could be heard settling. She didn't even want to listen to music as this was not her first week like this and she was running out of things to listen to. The violin was tempting, only her wrist felt a little achy and the thought of straining it further put her off.
Her mind swam with nothing to grip her attention, almost a dreamlike state of meditation, just short of nirvana. Swimming with old memories she had forgotten, or at least put to the back of her mind. She wished they had stayed there though as they were often involving Red.
She forced him away, out of her head, by thinking about what she was had been staring at, sort of. The attic.
An overwhelming need to satisfy her nostalgia took control and she went to find the key to the hatch.

It was dusty and smelt of damp loft insulation, but at least the light worked.
Coughing, she landed on the struts and looked around. It was just boxes and a couple bin bags of what was probably thought to be useful later, only it was now later and whatever it was was almost definitely useless.
At random she took a box. It was full of paper and sketchbooks from her childhood, along with her once cherished art set. It was a flood of emotion as she flicked through the pictures she had drawn one by one. She couldn't remember drawing any of them but the feeling of discovering her talent and watching it grow stuck with the images, and she felt like she was a filly again first discovering her love of everything paint. And the stained and well used art box only reminded her of her grandfather, who had bought her it when she was very young...

It was that time of year again. Dreary overcast sky where the wind got under your skin. Fillies and colts didn't go out to play in this weather, but there was one of each excited to stay in.
Rainbow Swirl and Shooting Star, buzzing on sweets and the presents, chests emblazoned with huge, matching badges saying “4 today”. Still, despite the need to run off and play with their new toys they sat patiently on the floor, for their grandparents had arrived.
Sat on the sofa in front of the foals were two elderly ponies, the stallion of noticeably greater age, with a happy yet tired look in their eyes. They had not long been at the party, having enjoyed the walk there, but the children were very excited to see him.
Nana was adored by Rainbow, idolised in every way, from looks and personality, and she aspired to grow up into her. Her coat had faded slightly with age, as had her mane, but she was still a beautiful mare, as were all the Rainbow mares.
Grandpa was older than Nana in appearance mostly, and a little in number. Wrinkles flowed over his face, around his eyes, and showed a life full of stories he had yet to tell, of the good and the bad times in the world.
Rainbow and Star were beyond excited. They hadn't had many birthday's or Hearth's Warming Eves or any other excuse to give presents to children but they already knew that Grandpa gave the best presents. He had a knack for it, for knowing what a pony really wanted or needed. If not already occupied his flank would have a present on it.
“So, have you had a good day you two?” Grandpa asked with a little glee in his voice.
“Yeah!” the twins said back in unison. Rainbow quickly ran off to get her new hairbrush to show off, it was old fashioned and polished to a high shine, and hopped up next to Nana. No invitation or request was needed as Nana instinctively began to brush the little filly's mane, because that's what Rainbow had been secretly wanting ever since she unwrapped the wooden box in which the brush was given.
“Well I hope you're not too tired because we have a little present for you each.”
The children knew this already; the plastic bag had been clocked the minute they had heard the distinctive rustling.

It was odd how he used the same carrier bag for everything, a cheaply made piece of plastic with the faded logo of a supermarket long since bust. There wasn't even a nostalgic connection, but maybe a sense of pride that he managed to keep the same plastic bag for literally decades. Yet, inside this grotty piece of plastic as wrinkled as its owner were two expertly wrapped gifts, using simple brown parcel paper and string tied in a knot, looped through a tag with names written in a beautiful flourish. It was a shame to open such marvellous works of craftsmanship, but the contents were worth it.
“Who wants first?” Grandpa asked the children. Rainbow was in a world in of her own, enjoying the time with Nana as she brushed her mane, something few ponies got the privilege of doing, so Star went first. “Pass me my bag, and be careful,” he insisted upon the last part.
Star did as he was told and gladly. Grandpa took it up on the sofa and removed the two gifts, placing them carefully on the seat between him and his granddaughter. The smaller of the two, odd in shape as it was wider at the bottom and flimsy, had Shooting Star written on the label. “Here, this one's yours.”
Star took it carefully and placed it on the floor before him. With great care and attention he unwrapped it, savouring the satisfaction of the string pulling away firmly yet gently, the tape peeling off the paper smoothly and without marks.
“Keep the tag, sweetie,” Blaze muttered over the living room. It was a habit she had practised since being a filly and kept them in a box in her wardrobe.
Star nodded and placed it on the coffee table. He pulled the paper away and cast it aside. In a small pile were three music books and a box on top, inside which was a shining tin whistle. “Music? And a whistle?” He didn't know what he expected but that wasn't it.
Grandpa nodded. “Every boy should have one. One day you are going to play me a wonderful song on that.”
Star rolled the whistle over in his hooves. It was black and shining, and full of holes. Tentatively, he placed the mouthpiece to his lips and gave a gentle blow. A soft note filled the air. And he repeated it with gusto for several minutes.
Blaze, behind her smile, was in pain. Noise was one of her two pet peeves, and someone had just given her young son a musical instrument. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Rainbow had put the brush back in its box and swished her mane. It was smooth, knot free and full of volume. “Can I have my present now, Grandpa?”
Grandpa chuckled. “Of course, Rainbow.” He placed the present in front of his granddaughter. It was a big box, almost too big for Rainbow to carry. Hard to the touch and quite heavy. Rainbow's eye lit up because it could only be something amazing. The wrapping came off with considerably less care than her brother, although she kept the tag safe and to the side.
It was a hard wooden box, hinged at its shorter edge, that housed the present inside. “Did you make this, Grandpa?” she asked curiously.
“Sadly not. I tried, believe me, but I am not good at woodwork.”
Rainbow squinted a disbelieving eye at her grandfather. He can do anything, she thought, and so she decided that he did in fact make it. The latch proved fiddly but her fumbling hooves opened it with little effort. The lid lifted and locked into position at a right angle to the base.
Rainbow was stupefied, locked in place with an overwhelming combination of emotions. She wasn't even sure she was breathing. It was full to the brim of paints and brushes and pencils and paper and everything she loved. More than just child's paint that is safe to eat in small quantities, but in metal tubes and little blocks. The brushes weren't plastic but wood with fine bristles and in a range of sizes. She couldn't handle it. Didn't know what to look at or touch first. Her hoof kept darted around, as did her eyes, as she tried to fixate on just one thing. It was unlimited possibilities. It was amazing. It was hers.
“Do you like it?” Grandpa wasn't entirely sure as it had been a full two minutes of silence from the filly, but the little nod with her wide, unblinking eyes staring at the box said she loved it beyond all reason or logic.
“I watch you draw, Rainbow, whenever you're round our house. I keep everything you've ever drawn for me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course I do. I love them all so much. They mean so much to me.”
“But there aren't many on the fridge,” she muttered under her breath. It made no sense to her. That's where you put pictures if you keep them.
“I would need a much bigger fridge to put all your pictures up. Those ones are my favourite. I keep the rest in a box in the cupboard. Just like Mummy.”
Rainbow smiled. What she loved more than drawing was other people enjoying her pictures.
“So I want you to draw more. And use paint, because that's your favourite, isn't it?”
Rainbow nodded.
“And one day, you can paint me a masterpiece of me and you, and I'll hang it up above the fireplace.”
Rainbow gasped. To her that was the ultimate honour, even more than the fridge. “Really?”
“Yep. So you better get practising. Now, come over here,” Grandpa requested, and Rainbow did so, so he could show her the box in detail. He told her what all the different paints are, how to use watercolours, how to care for the brushes, how to use the easel and what the palette was for. “And Rainbow, whenever you run out of paint just ask me and I will get you some more.”
Rainbow nodded. “Yes, Grandpa.” She so badly wanted to go paint, but the box was too nice and she didn't want to ruin it. Also there were too many ponies in the room and she felt uncomfortable. So she spent the next while looking at her paints and dreaming up things to paint.
Blaze loved the present. Truly, she did. She also saw the joy her daughter got from letting her creativity flow out of the pencils and brushes she cherished. But mess is the second of her two pet peeves, and some of those paints stained beyond any redemption. She honestly felt queasy with dread, as this first week there will be nothing but noise and mess in her home.
Nana, who had been sitting quietly this whole time, called Star over with a gentle wave of her hoof. “Do you like your whistle?”
Star nodded. “Yes, Nana.”
“I can see that. Pass me those music books and I can help you.”
Star looked shocked and offended. With a darting glance to Grandpa he said, “Really?”
“I know Grandpa's amazing but I'm the musical one,” she said with a laugh in her voice. “I'm quite good at the violin, you know.”
That was all the convincing Star needed. He quickly retrieved the books and hopped up to Nana. He comfortably nestled under her wing and got the first book, conveniently numbered with difficulty. Nana went on to teach him about basic notation, fingering notes, how no one knows where the word fingering came from, and, most importantly, how to play softly.
Blaze looked relieved. Rainbow's reluctance to use the art supplies and Star actually learning to play the whistle calmed her nervous heart.
There was a loud bang in the kitchen followed by the weirdest yelp a stallion could make and never replicate. Thunder came into the living room, covered in various food bits and a vacant expression. “I have no idea how that happened,” he said largely to himself.
“What happened?” asked his loving if not annoyed wife.
“You smell of cake, Daddy,” Rainbow remarked.
Thunder took a moment to actually remember what happened. Everyone was on tenterhooks as he gained some composure. “That cake... exploded.”
No one knew what to say, so they said nothing until they started laughing.

Blaze listened quietly as her son played a little tune he had learnt. It had been a little more than a week since he got it but he was quite proficient already. Hot Cross Buns had been mastered in only a couple days, and now he was confident enough to try the harder tunes.
He finished his rendition of Coming Round the Mountain and placed the whistle on the counter top.
“That was beautiful, Star. You're getting really good at your whistle.” She ruffled his mane affectionately. “How about some lunch?” Star nodded and his mother began to make some sandwiches.
“Mummy! Mummy!” Rainbow said loudly through a mouthful of paper.
Blaze turned around to see her daughter covered head to hoof in flecks of paint, a picture held in her teeth and pride in her eyes and wagging tail.
“Aw,” Blaze swooned. “Did you draw that?”
Rainbow nodded happily. “Yep! With my new paints.”
“Oh really? I thought you were just going to stare at them for longer.”
Rainbow laughed. She was positively giddy. “No, but I made sure not to make it dirty.”
“So you made yourself dirty instead?” Blaze smirked cockily.
“Yes.” She moved closer and lifted the picture to her mother's face, well as close as she could get. “I did this for you, Mummy.” Blaze took it enthusiastically, which wasn't put on like you would do for a child but in fact genuine. Rainbow waited excitedly for judgement. If she was lucky it would be placed on the fridge like the others. “It's of me and you, Mummy!”
Blaze was speechless. It was beautiful, so much so she felt tears in the backs of her eyes. “Sweetie, this is...” She couldn't finish.
“Do you like it, Mummy? Is it going on the fridge? Right at the top?” Rainbow asked patiently.
Blaze wiped her eyes dry. “I love it, Sweetie. Absolutely love it.”
Rainbow beamed brightly. She could see the fridge now, with her picture taken the proud place at the top of the fridge. “Is there room for it?”
“What we're going to do, Rainbow, is leave it on the table so the paint dries, and then tomorrow when it has we're going to the shop and were going to get it framed. It's going somewhere on the mantle piece next to the photos.”
Rainbow's eyes lit up and her jaw dropped. Could she really have done it? Achieved her life goal at such a young age? She screamed a hysterical, happy scream. Her hooves did a merry jig and she ran around the kitchen. Blaze watched and adored her.

They had been six for some time now. The sun was high and strong, scorching the ground with its heat, giving everyone an excuse to go outside and lounge about without feeling bad about it. Star had been playing outside before getting too hot and went to cool off inside. Rainbow hadn't left her room in hours.
The wooden box she cherished beyond anything was no longer gleaming and well maintained but rather stained and covered in old paint after years of extensive use. The paints inside were of many brands, some newer than others, and the brushes were beginning to fray and lose their definition, as all would do despite how well they were cared for. The palette was fairly clean as it had been replaced beyond the count of a young filly.
Her paintings were many in number. Long now since she had moved on from small sheets of paper she was on to large sketchbooks where she could store her drawings more efficiently and the occasional canvas for a treat after saving up all her pocket money. This time she wasn't using either.
She stood back up from her work and stood back. She eyed it up, tilting her head and walking around it so she could see it from all angles and make sure it was the best she could do. It was.
Giddily she bounced around for a bit before bolting downstairs to tell Mummy.
Blaze thought someone was falling down the stairs but that was often the case.
“Mummy! I drew my best ever painting today!”
Blaze smiled at her. “You always say that.”
“But this time I really mean it!”
Blaze sighed with a slight frown at the corners of her mouth. “And you're covered in paint... again.”
“It was worth it.”
“It better be. You know how hard it is to get that paint out. So go on then. Show me.”
“Follow me! It's on the wall in my room.”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” Blaze screeched into the kitchen.
Rainbow froze and shrank. “It's... it's on the wall,” the last words were but a nervous whisper.
“That is not alright, Rainbow,” Blaze scalded. With anger in her hooves she trotted to her daughter and stood over her, imposing her rule on her in her powerful stance. “You do not paint on the walls.”
“I'm sorry, Mummy,” Rainbow squeaked sheepishly.
“You are going to clean it off right now!”
Rainbow didn't answer for a long while. She pulled her mane over her face and hid herself.
“Didn't you hear me? You are going to clean that paint off the wall right now.”
“I don't want to,” Rainbow replied, muffled through the mass of hair in her face.
“Excuse me?!” Blaze was shocked and appalled at her daughter. “Did you talk back at me? Did you disobey me?”
Rainbow didn't answer, only hid behind her mane.
“Get that mane out of your face and look me in the eye!”
Rainbow shook her head.
“Get your mane out of your face or I'll... I'll cut it off!”
Rainbow's face jerked up and she pulled her mane back to safety behind her ears. She saw her mother grab a pair of scissors from a nearby pencil pot and showed off the gleaming twin blades in one hoof, and a damp sponge in the other. Scared tears poured down her cheeks.
“You are going to clean the wall, aren't you?”
Through wails of fear Rainbow took the sponge and ran off upstairs.
Blaze put the scissors back with an air of pride at a job well done. The anger inside soon subsided.

Thunder enjoyed doing the food shop. He insisted he did it himself because his family proved to be a distraction, and he never could say no to the pleading smiles of his children. This way he could get all they needed and enjoy his own company for a bit, as anyone would.
The cart wheels clunked along the pavement, it was an old cart with splinters and rust, as he landed and walked the last little bit. Strangely, the cart was heavier when not in the air. Magic probably, Thunder thought to himself.
“Hello!” he announced in a loud, booming voice through the house as he walked his cart into the kitchen. “Hi darling.” He kissed his wife, to the disgust of his son that was present which only spurred him on to do it a second time.
Star, out of well trained habit, began unloading the shopping. “Did you get any cookies?”
“No, not this time.”
It wasn't a question he expected a positive answer for but he thought what's the harm in asking. He continued to unpack and put away the shopping.
“Where's Rainbow? She usually helps.”
“She was naughty and has to clean the wall,” Blaze stated matter-of-factly and with a hint of pride.
“Yeah,” Star added with excitement. “Mummy shouted at her and everything!”
Thunder shot Blaze a quick glance. “Really?”
Star nodded. “Yeah. Really loudly. It was scary.”
“Well Mummy is a scary mare.”
Blaze may have rolled her eyes but had to smile as well.
“Rainbow was crying and everything.” Star put the last box away and went to flit daintily in garden and feel the sun on his wings.
“You made her cry?” Thunder asked. The thought of any of his family crying made him sad enough to join them.
“I didn't mean to make her cry.”
“But you did mean to shout at her.”
“She painted on the wall and you know that paint doesn't come off.”
“I'll go check on her. Make sure she's okay.” He left the kitchen before adding, “and that she's cleaning the wall.”

Into the filly's bedroom he walked, after knocking of course, and heard a gentle sobbing coming from next to the wall.
“Hey,” he said softly as he approached her. “Are you okay?”
Rainbow sniffed loudly but did nothing else. She sat in shadow, with her head pressing gently into the wall next to her painting.
“I heard Mummy shouted at you.”
Rainbow squeaked.
Thunder sat beside her and squeezed her. “C'mon. Tell me what happened. I won't be mad at you because Mummy has done that enough for both of us.”
Rainbow smiled under her mane. “I drew a picture on the wall and it was really good and I wanted to show Mummy but she shouted at me because I drew it on the wall and she said that if I didn't clean it off right away she will cut my mane off but it already dried and-”
“Whoa whoa whoa. What? Say that again.” Thunder demanded. “Did Mummy say she'll cut your mane off if you didn't do as she said?”
Rainbow nodded.
Thunder felt a fire begin to burn in his stomach, growing bigger and bigger as he thought about what his wife was telling their daughter. “If Mummy thinks you're in trouble she is quite mistaken.”
“What?” Rainbow peered through her mane with a cautious feeling of relief.
“You just wait here. It's Mummy who is in trouble now.” Thunder headed downstairs with a purpose and fire in his step.

Back downstairs Blaze sat on the sofa with a cool drink with a childish straw, it was too hot for anything else. Her husband came into the room with an intense look, unusual for him, as if he had something important to say.
“So, is she cleaning up her mess?” She took a victorious slurp of the drink.
“You threatened to cut off her mane?” he asked simply.
Blaze exhaled through her nose with pride. “Yeah. She was hiding behind it which is very annoying so I just said it and she did what I told her to. Quite clever-.”
“You threatened to cut off her mane?!” Thunder was suddenly angry, his voice raised to just below a shout. It was scary to see such a calm stallion carry such emotion in his voice. “That is not okay, Blaze!”
She could feel a horrible wave of guilt pass over her. “W-w-what?” she whimpered, “since when?”
“Do you even know our daughter?!” Thunder shouted. Blaze tried to look offended. “Do you know what her mane is to her? It's like taking away Star's blanket.”
“No it's not.” She was far too sheepish to believe it.
“Yes it is. Whenever she's upset, scared, angry, uncomfortable what does she do?”
“She hides-”
“She hides in her mane. And then you threatened to cut it off. To cut off her security. You NEVER do that, okay? Never.”
“I'm sorry,” she whispered, tears welling up. It had been so long she had been told off she could no longer handle it.
“You're going to apologise to her right now and tell you are NEVER going to hurt a single hair on her head.”
Blaze hesitated, not wanting to move out of fear of further scalding.
“NOW!”
Blaze moved up the stairs with her husband right behind, making sure she was actually going to do what she was told.

Blaze knocked so gently and pushed the door open barely wide enough to poke her head through.
“Sweetie?” she asked into the room, to which the only reply was a whimper that sounded like it would become a torrent of tears any second now.
“Hey hey now, I'm not here to shout at you.” Blaze stepped into the room, approaching her daughter slowly. “I want to say that what I said before was really bad of me. Daddy shouted at me for it. I want to say I'm sorry.” She sat down beside her daughter and wrapped her wing around her. “I'm so, so sorry, my darling. I should never have got so angry at you like that. And I promise to never cut your mane, no matter what.”
Blaze leant down to kiss her daughter's head, but Rainbow flinched at her touch and pulled her mane tighter around her head.
The rejection was horrible and it made her heart sink and tears fall from down her cheeks. “Now, let's see this best painting ever, shall we?”
She looked at the wall. Her brow furrowed, mostly in shock, as she looked at the simple picture. How her own daughter managed to reproduce from memory a photo realistic painting of a lilac was beyond belief.
“You drew this?” her voice faltered. “Oh sweetie. This is amazing. I-I can't actually believe you managed to paint something this good. It's beyond, well, anything!”
Rainbow moved her mane to one side to poke an eye through to check her mother's reaction. It seemed genuine. “R-really?” she asked hopefully.
Blaze nodded. “I'm not even mad that you painted on the wall. I'm mad at myself for not having faith in you. If you can paint this well you can paint on all the walls.”
“What?” Rainbow's breath quickened.
“I give you, Rainbow, permission to paint on your bedroom wall. Only this wall, and only if they are as good as this.”
Rainbow's heart exploded and her mind raced. She didn't expect this. “Really?!”
“Yes really! And Daddy is here and he can confirm it.”
Thunder nodded to his ecstatic daughter. “Like Mummy said, you just keep to her rules about it and you can paint the walls with your best paintings.”
Rainbow jumped up and screamed in delight. Her hooves were dancing around manically as she saw all she could do to make it the best wall in the world.
Thunder watched, his heart melting, at his precious little girl galloping with excitement around her room. Only he had to stop here when his heart stopped melting and leapt into his throat. He grabbed his daughter and looked her over.
“Oh my god!” he yelled in shock.
“What daddy?”
“Blaze! Quick! Look at our daughter's butt!”
Blaze did so immediately and had much the same reaction.
Rainbow bent her neck to see for herself. On her flank, amidst the specks and mess of paint, was a cloud and a strip of rainbow coloured paint stroked from below it. It was her cutie mark.
It was perfect.
She screamed.

Rainbow looked down to her flank, at the cutie mark that had resided there for 25 years, and smiled. It meant a lot to her as it showed that what she loved doing was what she was here for. Or something less cheesy.
She put the paintings and the paint set back in the box and moved onto the next. She was over the moon to see a familiar face amongst the tat. A small patchwork unicorn with a frayed tail and little mane left
“Doctor Wingless!” Rainbow shouted in glee, so happy to see him again. She took him a hug like she used to, of course she was much bigger than him by now, but she could still feel him and the comfort she had got from the cuddly toy as she wrapped her hooves around his floppy body. He started the pile of stuff she would bring downstairs into the real world.

In another box was a collection of scrap books and journals. All the things she kept as a child, back when she thought it was fun to keep track of such things. Taking one at random she flicked through the pages. The writing was scrawled and barely legible, but she didn't need to read it as the sticker saying how brave she had been was more than enough to remember the doctor's office and how undeserving of the sticker she was.

A small family of four waited inside the doctor’s office. The two parents sat on either side of the two children who occupied a third, central chair. A pair of twins, one colt and one filly, no more than three years old, and both with manes of rainbow.
“How are you feeling, Shoot?” the father asked as he ruffled his son’s mane.
The colt giggled. “Err, I don’t know.”
The mother stroked her daughter’s mane before lifting a strip up, and let it drop again so she could watch it fall down her back. She couldn’t help but think that it would stretch far past her flanks if she straightened it.
“Rainbow, we really should get you mane cut,” Blaze said with a slight pained expression.
Rainbow grabbed her mane and pulled it down the sides of her face, loudly saying, “NO!”
“C’mon, Sweetie, it’s getting ridiculous. I mean, you’re almost more hair than filly. Just a trim, I swear!”
Rainbow began shaking her head in large motion. “Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope-!”
“Hey, Rainbow,” the father interrupted before his daughter hurt her neck. “What about you? How are you feeling?”
“Excited!” Rainbow spoke quickly as she began to bounce in her seat, but she quickly stopped. “Daddy?” she asked with a complete childlike innocence.
“Yeah, Rainbow?”
“What’s an injection?”
Star looked up at his father with big, curious eyes as well.
Thunder pondered with a furrowed brow for just a second before he managed to come up with something, which was made clear by a smirk appearing on his face. He twisted in his seat so he faced his children and brought his face closer to theirs.
“Okay, listen up and I’ll tell you,” he began excitedly and gave his children time to get intrigued, as made apparent by their widening eyes and them leaning forward. “Now then, inside everyone’s bodies are lots and lots of little ponies.”
The children instantly brought their hooves in front of their faces and looked for the ponies with a slight panic in their eyes.
The father chuckled. “You can’t see them though; they’re far too small. And don’t worry, they are very nice and helpful, and they make sure your body is healthy and repair any damages made to it.”
Reassured, the foals looked back to their father.
“The little ponies usually are very kind and friendly, and live in peace and harmony with their surroundings,” he said in a happy tone, but the smile quickly went from his face and was replaced with a look of seriousness and tension. “But that can quickly change when the evil little ponies attack… and war falls upon them.”
The foals’ eye widened further and their jaws hung open. Their hearts began to pound and their wings flared as the tale of the little ponies got more interesting.
“These evil little ponies are often known as ‘Germs’ and will stop at nothing to take over your body, but the good little ponies will never let them. The wars can last days, even weeks, but eventually the Germs will be conquered. But alas, not all that comes from this victory is good, as the war can make your body sick and poorly.”
“So when the Germs attack that’s what makes us sick?” Rainbow asked innocently, hoping to make sure she understood.
The father nodded once. “Exactly, Rainbow.”
“So what’s an injection for then?” Star asked confusedly.
“Well, an injection is a special device that doctors use. It’s used to put other good little ponies inside you.”
“To make my army of ponies bigger?” Rainbow asked, yet she was still completely unsure.
“Not exactly. These new little ponies are put inside you and will train all of the other little ponies how to defeat certain Germs, and so the next time those Germs decide to attack, your little ponies can see them coming a mile off and attack first, making it almost impossible for them to get close and make you sick.”
The father sat back in his chair in a triumphant manner.
The foals looked to each other completely awestruck. “That’s so cool!” they both squeaked together.
The mother tittered and shook her head slightly. “How do you come up with this stuff so quickly? She asked him quietly.
The father looked confused and slightly angry at her. “What do you mean? I learned this stuff at school,” he said with a wink.
The door to the office opened and a friendly, if not tired, looking mare strolled in pushing a small metal trolley. “Good morning,” she chirped. “How are we today.”
“Excited!” the twins exclaimed.
The nurse was taken aback. “Really? That's a bit strange. Anyway, let's get this over with. The quicker the better.” She pushed the trolley over to the family and busied herself filling the two syringes the trolley carried.
“But you're not a doctor.” Star looked at her suspiciously. “Where's the shiny circle and the heart listener?”
The nurse shook her head with a smile. “Don't worry. I'm just as much trained to do this as a doctor.”
“Okay,” Star said sceptically. He didn't trust her.
Rainbow's breath faltered as she saw the long, shining needle pierce the film on the bottle of vaccine. She leant over to her mother and wrapped her hoof around hers. “W-what's that, Mummy?”
“That the syringe,” she said in a soft, caring voice, “It's how they give you an injection.”
“Do they-,” Rainbow gulped, “Do they squirt it on our mouths?” she asked, unsure if she wanted to know in case the alternative was worse.
Mother chuckled. “No, Sweetie. They just give you a quick poke with the pointy end and it's all over in a second, okay?”
Rainbow's heart leapt to her throat. “What?”
“So which one of you is first?” the nurse asked.
“Me!” shouted Star. “My army is going to be so better than yours.”
The nurse was about to question what he meant but thought it better she not. “Well aren't you a brave little boy. Now, give me your hoof.” Star did as he was told and placed his hoof in hers. “Now, this is going to hurt just a little bit, but your a big boy, I'm sure you can handle it.”
It was over in a second. The nurse placed a plaster over the entry point and gave him a sticker congratulating him and a lollipop. Star took a deep breath and wiped his eyes dry. His father gave him a hug. “Well done,” he whispered.
Rainbow saw the whole thing. It filled her with dread. Her grip tightened on her mother. Her breath came in short, jagged bursts.
“It's your turn now, little one.” The nurse knelt close to her, syringe in one hoof while the other asked for Rainbow's. “May I have your hoof?”
Rainbow looked between the hoof she was offered, the nurse's smiling face and the shining, gleaming needle. She screamed.
The sound was harsh and pierced the ears of everyone in the room. The nurse stumbled back and Rainbow saw her chance. She darted from her seat and sped around the room. Mane flowing. Tears streaming. Scream piercing.
Her parents were quick to act. They shot up in pursuit of her, but she was small and nimble and dodged every swipe and every grab at her. The nurse stood back and let them work. She wasn't paid to catch children.
Rainbow made a false move, allowing her mother to grab her around her middle. She did not stop. Her body flailed in her grasp, trying everything she could to break free. “Quickly,” her mother muttered through the struggle. The nurse stopped forward and held Rainbow's back leg, steadying it, and injected the vaccine into her flank. Rainbow didn't stop squirming. Her mother allowed her to go free. She jumped from her, across the bed in to the centre of the room and right into her father's waiting hoofs. He took her in a tight embrace.
“It's okay,” he whispered softly over and over again into her mane. She cried hard, soaking his chest with her tears.
The nurse came to place a plaster over the entry point, but Rainbow flinched and screamed.
“It's okay, Rainbow. It's just a plaster.”
“Would you do it?” The nurse asked. The father obliged and Rainbow allowed him to place the plaster where it needed to go.
“Would you like a lollipop?” the nurse offered. Rainbow looked through a gap in her mane at a jar half full of lollipops. She took a red one. The nurse then offered a sticker. Rainbow was hesitant at first but she took it. It said that she was a brave filly.
“Oh that's nice,” her father told her. He stuck it to her chest. “You keep it there for now and when we get home we can put it in your book. Okay?”
Rainbow nodded.
They left the office, thanking and apologising to the nurse all the while and headed home. Rainbow did not let go of her father for the entire trip.

Rainbow smiled and shook her head to her memory. She had been so childish back then. It was only a needle, she thought, pretending that she wouldn't have the same reaction to this day.
Behind these boxes, which seemed to consist of childhood memorabilia, was a bag. An odd shaped one with a strap to sling over your shoulder. Rainbow recognised it and felt a rush of adrenaline.
Quickly she grabbed it, unzipped it and pulled out the most innapropriate toy she had ever been given; an air rifle.
Her father had got her it when she turned nine, and her mother was unaware of this until that day. Needless to say, she was not happy. But Rainbow was itching to give it a go the moment she laid eyes on it. Her father had set up targets in the garden for her, which she destroyed. A natural, just like her mother, as Thunder had told her that Blaze was the top marksman in the Cloudsdale Police Department, much better than he ever was.
But the garden proved a little dull after a little while, and the rifle spent more and more time sat in Rainbow's room, going unused. Until they went on holiday with it.

The camping holiday was very dull, as most of they all agreed, and they knew they wouldn't be doing it again any time soon. On the second to last day Thunder took Rainbow with him into the woods a little fly away, with the air rifle slung on his back.
Their were small targets everywhere, and Rainbow had a whale of a time picking them out and nailing every one of them. It was exciting and made her hooves tingle every time she pulled the trigger. The satisfaction of seeing the small paper targets shred them to pieces with a well placed pellet.
With targets all gone Rainbow flittered back to the clearing before the forest, where her father was waiting.
“Did you have fun, Rainbow?”
“Yeah!” Rainbow shouted. “It was great. I got all of them. Still got loads of bullets left.”
“That's great. Really glad you had fun.”
“Did you, dad?”
Thunder thought for a second. Did he have fun? He couldn't even hazard a guess. “I think I did? I don't know. This holiday has just sucked the life out of everything.”
Rainbow giggled. “Yeah. It's super boring. We should have gone to a place with a beach. That was awesome last time!”
“I'll keep the in mind. Come on now. Let's get back before your mother worries.”
Rainbow nodded and handed him the rifle to hold; it was far too big for her. She was about to jump on his back for an easy ride but froze by his side, gripping furiously at his wing. A little ways off, close enough to see its yellow eyes and dripping teeth, stood a wolf. Snarling and shaking. It was preparing to fight, trying to scare them off. And it was too close to fly away.
“Rainbow, get back in the bush. Stay out of sight,” Thunder ordered calmly. Rainbow didn't argue and as stealthily as she could she hid in the tall grass.
Thunder, confident that his daughter was safe, made a pass at the wolf. He tried to match it. Threatening it with his own display of agression. Flaring his wings, snorting heavily through his nose, rearing up on his hind legs.
It didn't work. The wolf didn't back down. It attacked. Pouncing on Thunder and pinning him to the ground. He wrestled it as hard as he could, but the wolf was too powerful. He was stuck, trying all his might to fight back but all he could do was try to keep the beast far enough away so it couldn't bite. He could feel its claws digging in and scratching. He couldn't hold out much longer.
Rainbow was paralzyed as she watched her father being beat in a fight for his life. Tears streamed as she knew she couldn't do anything. Or so she thought.
In the scuffle the rifle had been flung to the side. With a determined scowl she wiped her eyes and sped to the rifle while the wolf was too focused on her father. Quickly she shoved a pellet into the barrel and cracked it back.
Carefully she lined up her shot, knowing it was the most important thing she would ever do. With a powerful blast of air, a dart split the air and lodged itself firmly in the wolf's eye.
It staggered back, loosening its grip on her father just enough so he could fight.
Bleeding, Thunder punched the wolf in the jaw, and it stumbled back. Now he had the upper hand. He roared and growled as he hit it again and again, knocking it further back. The wolf tried to get him back but its teeth barely grazed him.
He turned quickly and flew full speed at Rainbow, scooping her up and flying her away to safety. He planted so many kisses in thanks on her face.
They landed back at the camp. Blaze was screaming for and at her husband for getting hurt and for getting her precious daughter in such a dangerous situation. But when Thunder explained how Rainbow saved his life she suddenly felt a little easier about it. Her daughter was getting older, and maybe she could handle herself.

Rainbow placed the rifle back in the bag and shook her head. She was dissapointed in the memory of the wolf, almost as if it was a lot cooler in theory than in application and didn't really need to be told. At least not in such a long winded way, maybe just a paragraph or two just to get the jist across.
“Whatever,” she told herself as she dismissed the memory.
The rifle and a tin of pellets was put with the pile to go downstairs.
“Dash is gonna love it,” Rainbow declared.
The next few boxes seemed oddly recognisable. These were from her uni days, a student of Art at Cloudsdale University.
Eagerly she ripped up the tape and dove inside. There were a few textbooks, bend and ripped, and never opened, along with two folders of notes, an embarrsaingly small amount compared to most students. But she didn't really go to study, more because she had no idea what to do with her life and thought it would be fun, which is was.
She flicked through the notes. So keen, she was, at the beginning, but then it devolved steadily. Towards the end a single sheet of paper covered whole modules, or a couple sentences for a lecture follwed by flattering drawings of the lecturer at the time. One such page had a crude comic drawn which made her laugh. No one else would find it funny, but when she drew it in the lecture she couldn't contain herself, gaining lots of odd looks from students and the lecturer alike. Every time she looked at it she laughed just the same.
Drying her eyes from tears of laughter she pushed this box aside and took the next one. It had more university things inside, only this time things she wanted to see. Old photos, books, knick-knacks, things that triggered all sorts of happy memories and reminded her of so many hangovers. She pulled them out by the hoof load. The only thing left behind was an old plastic bottle that had been converted for use as a bong. She didn't want those memories and left them at a blushing in her cheeks.
Spreading them out over the floor she looked over them, allowing her mind to recall any and all memories the items brought. It was a perfect waste of time. She spent an hour day dreaming over them and loved every second, except the ones when she had seen the old scarf that brought with it memories of the one time she did anything hard and the terrible trip she vowed never to repeat.
Among the photos of good and old friends was one in particular that she fixated on for any time at all. It sent her heart racing in her throat and the memory came flooding back as clear of day. It was of her first time playing with, and meeting, Red...

Sass, the massively obese yet proud of it Pegasus, barged her way through to the backstage doors, passed the bouncers and staff, and straight to a tall red stallion. Rainbow followed, apologising on Sass' behalf.
“You Red?”
Red turned around. “Yeah?”
“I got you a new violin guy.”
Red's eyes sank with relief. “Oh thank you. You're a life saver.”
Sass stepped aside to let Rainbow pass, although she still had to squeeze through the tiny gap she provided. “H-hi,” Rainbow said sheepishly, blushing wild. Her precious violin tucked under her wing, grip tightening with the situation. She hadn't performed in years and was appropriately nervous, also she was presented before this stallion. He was taller than her, which was unusual for a start as no one was taller than her, and the way he looked made her knees weak. His deep red coat that matched his eyes, and his mane swept back passed his ears and just touched his shoulders.
“Hi, I'm Red. Great to meet you.” He waited for her to respond. She didn't. “I'm so glad I found you.”
“Really?” Rainbow blushed harder, her whole face a beacon. Her smile full of girlish glee.
“Yeah. We needed a violinist and then Sass turns up with one in the knick of time.”
“Oh,” Rainbow murmered. She had misunderstood the conotations and felt like a fool.
“What do I call you?”
“Rainbow,” she said confidently, trying to mask the fact she was crushing hard.
“Ha. Our parents aren't very good at names, are they?” he joked. Rainbow disagreed but laughed far too hard anyway.
“Look, I'm sorry we couldn't meet sooner.”
Rainbow's eyes lit up.
“I know it would have been better to get to know the music first but whatever.”
Rainbow's eyes looked away quickly. It was only getting worse, this knot in her stomach.
“Anyway, we're on, like, in a minute. Here's the sheet music. And you're gonna be starting the set. Hope that's okay.”
Rainbow only yelped in response. Starting a set in a strange pub with a strange band with no idea what they even sounded like? This wasn't going to go well.
A stage hoof popped into the area backstage. “We're waiting for you guys. Come on. That last band was shit so you better be the A game like you said.”
“We'll be a sec,” Red said calmly. “Oh yeah. This is the band. That's Rythym on the drums.”
A cool cat of a pony flicked the rim of his hat up as he twizzled the drumstick in his hoof.
“And that's Strumbo on the bass.”
Strumbo looked more like a clown than bassist, and clearly was uncomfortable around girls.
“And I'm lead guitar and singer. Alright, let's get out there.”

The stage was barely big enough to hold them all and the cables were draped dangerously across the sticky floor, running through beer spills.
Rainbow's appearance brought the bar to silence as they watched this mare, full of colour and hotter than the sun walk out. This didn't help her confidence.
Quickly they readied themselves. Rainbow propped the violin under her chin and started playing. It sounded amazing, better than Red would have hoped. The band were so enthralled by her playing they even missed their cue.
Rainbow stopped and looked around. The crowd and band had their jaws agape.
“I thought you were gonna play and not just stare at my butt,” Rainbow joked. The laugh from the crowd was reassuring, they were on her side now. The band shook from their stuper and readied up.
“Sorry,” Red hissed through the corner of his mouth. Although, now she had mentioned, he found himself glancing at her butt. It was a good one.

The set continued and the crowd cheered with them all the way. At the end they received a standing ovation, coupled with cheers and wolf whistle, most of which were for Rainbow. They walked off stage after one encore.
High on the thrill of the crowd Rainbow bounced erratically.
“WHOO!” she screamed, not caring that the whole pub heard. “That was amazing!”
“I know right?!” Red shouted back. “You are so much better than the other guy. Breaking his leg was the best thing to happen to us.”
“Oh yeah he was shit! I improvised most of his music. It just lacked... everything!”
“It was amazing! You were amazing!”
A small moment lingered between them, only a second, but the adrenaline was still making Rainbow not think straight. She leant up and kissed him.
He was as surprised as she was. “Oh, err...”
Rainbow grinned like an idiot. “Sorry. I just um... wanted to.”
“No. No worries. I'm okay with this.” He was trying to be cool about it but the way his voice was breaking gave it away.
“I kinda want to do it again.” Rainbow flashed him a coy smile.
“Oh-” he managed to say before Rainbow was one him again, only she held it for longer this time. He wasn't about to complain.

The rest of the night was spent in the pub. The music played from some guy's record collection mingled through the loud crowds, making everyone just a little too loud. The alcohol flowed unending. Being a musician had its benefits, and Rainbow took full advantage of the discounted rate to get more drunk than she had ever been.
Red stuck by her side, secretly hoping to sneak another kiss in before the end of the night, or more if he was lucky.
Her voice was growing hoarse as she insisted on singing loud enough for everyone to hear but the alcohol meant she didn't stop.
“Red! Sing with me!” she pleaded but he just shook his head and smiled. Not realising he wasn't singing grabbed him, pulled him into her and swayed to the music. It was a proper belter, one that everyone knew the words to and everyone sang along, and Rainbow still determined to prove she was the loudest.
“Hey you!” she shouted at someone with a camera, who they were she didn't know. “Get a picture of us!”
Confused but happy to do so the mare snapped a picture. Rainbow was still mid-song, jumping in the air and looking like she was having a whale of a time. Red looked embarassed but a little in love.
They sang and drank for the rest of the night. Rainbow woke up in his bed. Despite the alcohol she could remember everything, and waking up next to Red was just what she wanted.
She poked him awake so she could stare at him and smile, and make him do the same. He woke up groggy, but the sight of this beautiful mare lying next to him perked him up quickly. He couldn't help but smile with her.
Rainbow stifled a laugh into an odd snort before nuzzling snuggly into his chest. He pulled her in tight and they dozed the morning away, not caring for the lectures they were missing as this was far better.

Rainbow stared at this photo of her drunk off her arse and Red smiling. She hadn't blinked for some time. Her breath came in long, slow drags.
Then it all came out. A horrible, shaking breath that would only lead to tears, of which she caught none.
For the first time since he was gone she allowed herself to feel the one thing she never wanted to; to miss him.
It came in long, loud sobs. Tears dripped down onto the glass into the frame. She couldn't stop staring.
Back then, when they first met, he was the perfect partner. Romantic. Spontaneous. Perfect company on lonely nights. He loved her once, but she realised, after these five years, she still loved him.
She didn't want to but it was something she had denied herself. She loved him and she needed to love him. He was her first kiss, her first love, and she needed him back.
From the box she saw a box labelled “Red”, filled with scraps from their time together. Movie tickets, pressed leaves from walks in the park, the hairbrush he bought her. Things that would mean nothing to anyone else but held with her the love he once gave her.
Shaking, tears drenching her cheeks, she pulled the jacket out of the box. It was his jacket, the one he would wrap her in when she was cold. Beneath the damp she could still smell the cologne he always wore to impress her. She pulled it tight around her and she could feel his hooves holding her tight once again. It only made it worse.
Her mind reeled as she saw everything in him once again. All the romance, the love, the companionship he provided through the good and bad times. It's all she could see, all she wanted to see.
Doubt and regret was all she felt.
She fell to the floor, curled up tight into the jacket, and let herself get lost somewhere dark.

“Mummy!” Dash shouted through the door. “We're back!”
“Yeah!” Swirl shouted too. “And we found Nana on the way!”
Rainbow gasped and perked up at her name. She almost fell down the hatch and into the living room with the speed she was going.
“Mummy?” Shine asked as she watched her mother panting for breath, eyes so bloodshot it must have hurt, and wearing a strange jacket.
“Rainbow, my darling?” Nana asked. She could have sworn she recognised the jacket. “What's wrong?”
Rainbow fell into her Nana and cried again. “I miss him so much, Nana.”
Nana rolled her eyes as she struggled with her granddaughter into a more comfortable position. “I was wondering when this would happen. Let it out.”
Dash looked between the two older ponies a little angrily, she didn't like not knowing something. “What's going on?”
Rainbow didn't answer her. “I love him, Nana. I miss him so much.”
“No you don't,” Nana stated firmly. “You miss feeling that way about somebody, but because he's the only one you have felt that way about. You just miss what he used to be like. But remember, he changed. You need to remember what he did to you.”
“No, Nana. It's not like that. I love him. I need to be with him again.” Her tears got louder again as she fell deeper into her Nana's chest, but she wasn't having any of this.
Nana forced her daughter up and shook her roughly by the shoulders. “Listen. You have to remember what happened, okay? Yes, he used to be alright, but remember what happened. He stopped loving you. You caught him with another mare. He admitted sleeping with countless other mares over your entire relationship. He hit you. He left you. Remember that!”
Rainbow sobbed. “B-but.”
“No. No buts. You know I'm right. You know you don't miss him really. Now buck up!”
Rainbow didn't speak. She knew that this was just a temporary thing, but she needed to feel it.
Nana took her back into her shoulder. “Listen. This is good for you. It should have happened sooner so you didn't bottle it all up. So get it out of your system and remember that you don't need him. That he was a terrible, just awful, person. That he already gave you everything you could ever need.”
Dash poked her mother hard in the flank. “What you crying for?”
Rainbow laughed through her tears. “Come here,” she mumbled as she pulled one of her daughters up and squeezed too hard. The others followed quickly as they could feel their mother needed it.
Rainbow held them tightly while Nana stood to make some tea.
“This coat smells weird,” Swirl moaned.
“And it looks stupid,” Dash added.
Shine didn't say anything as she actually quite like it.
“I know, my little ones, I know. Just like the colt who used to wear it.” She managed a chuckle. “Oh! I found something in the attic you might enjoy.”

The sun was going down and the chill in the air was almost too much to bare. Rainbow, her children and Nana had been taking turns with the air rifle, shooting plates Red stole from the wedding reception at a hotel. Rainbow had always hated them and this was a perfect excuse to break them. And she enjoyed drinking some “grown up drink”, as Swirl called gin and tonic, with Nana, since it had been a while.
Shine had a few turns but decided she liked watching them smash a lot more than shooting them herself. Dash had stormed off and sat grumpily behind Nana as she hadn't hit a single target yet. Swirl was a natural. Each hit made her smile maniacally, which would worry most parents but Rainbow thought it was too cute to put a stop to.
The last of the plates shattered into large shards. Swirl spun around, a grin full of glee and cockiness. “Got anymore?”
Rainbow chuckled queitly before checking the box. “No, sweetie. That was the last one. But there's some big shards you can try tomorrow.”
Swirl let the rifle drop to the ground along with her jaw. “What? Tomorrow?”
“Yes, baby. It's getting late and you still have school tomorrow.”
Swirl, while a little furious, couldn't argue. She stormed heavily to her mother and sat in a huff, only the fact she yawned loudly gave away how tired she was. “Can I try some grown up drink?” she pleaded with large eyes and a sweet smile.
Rainbow shot her a look that said, “Really?”
“Please?” Swirl asked harder, trying to use her adorable charm to sway her mother into giving her another sip.
“You'll get drunk if you have any more,” Rainbow told her firmly, as by now she had had half a glass in sips before Rainbow realised.
“Oh,” Swirl moaned before nestling into a gap she made for herself between her mother and her hoof.
Rainbow looked around with her bloodshot eyes at her children. All three secretly tired, all three absolutley perfect. All thought of Red left her mind and she was happy again.

6 Years

I can't be bothered to write this chapter, Not properly anyway, so it will be far more concise for the most part.

Without further ado...

Rainbow sat in the Post Office, behind the desk at her new job, bored out of her mind. It was her first day, two hours in, and she had done so little. There wasn't much to the job; charging customers for stamps and putting letters in post bags wasn't particularly strenuous, and the shelves of various stationery was still stocked fully.
At first she tried to look busy but as soon as she noticed no one cared she started slacking off. Lazily she scratched a biro over several sheets of paper, doodling pictures of nothing in particular.
She sighed loudly once the pen stopped working. “I miss being unemployed,” she said aloud. “I'd much rather be bored at home.”
With that the bell over the door rang out and broke the silence. Rainbow jumped at it but quickly reclaimed her composure and tried to look professional.
He was a young colt that looked like he was about to shake to bits with nerves.
“Hello there,” Rainbow said in her most customer friendly voice. “How can I help?”
The colt placed a letter on the counter and ran off, either he was in a rush or just hated social interactions.
Rainbow looked at the door that had closed quickly behind the colt and then to the letter. It was hastily written in an embarassed scrawl, just legible, and there was the appropriate stampage. She launched it over her shoulder into the bag and went back to the doodles with a fresh pen. There was nothing else to do.
It was almost lunch time by the time anyone else walked into the post office. The little bell made her jump again. Quickly she sat up straight and smoothed down her mane.
“Hello. How can I help?”
It was a mare not much younger than her, grey in colour with a simple, purple mane. She smiled with a slight menace. “So. You're the new one they hired.”
Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the mare. It sounded like she worked here. “Yes?”
“Nice. I'm the Post Mare, Dizzy Doo.” All menace had left her as she said her name. No one could be called Dizzy without being a lovely person.
“Oh. I'm Rainbow.”
Dizzy smiled. “I can tell. They were quick though. Only put the advert up yesterday.”
“Seemed quick. Didn't even interview me. The mare here just looked up and down and told me to come in today for a trial.”
Dizzy snorted. “Who was it? That middle aged mare with hair in the wrong places?”
Rainbow nodded.
“She's a weird one. You're already an improvement. How's your first day going?”
“It's so boring!” Rainbow said in loud relief, finally able to moan about it to someone.
“I know right?! I started where you were, but as soon as I could I got out of that chair. Delivering mail is so much better.”
“I can see that. I do like being outside.”
“Any post?” Dizzy asked as she suddenly remembered she had a job to do.
Rainbow had to think for a second, unsure of the days events as so little was worth commiting to memory. She checked the bag and pulled out the one letter that was there. “This is it.”
Dizzy scowled as she took it. Only one, she thought. However a smile quickly appeared in its place. “Hey,” she whispered to her back. “You've got a letter.”
A small grey hoof reached round and snatched the letter. Followed were the sounds of ripping paper and a small, girlsih giggle.
“Who's back there?” Rainbow asked with a huge grin beaming.
“Oh yeah, how could I forget. Say hello,” she asked the filly on her back. The filly shook her head. “C'mon. She's a lovely mare. And her hair is a rainbow.”
This intrigued the filly. She peered round quickly to get a glimpse of this colouful mare, and Rainbow's heart melted slightly.
She was a small filly just like her mother in every way, except her mane was yellow and eyes wondered from each other.
“Aww,” Rainbow cooed. “Hello, little one. I'm Rainbow. What's your name?”
the filly was too awestruck to answer so her mother did for her. “This is Ditzy Doo, my little filly.”
“She is just precious.”
Ditzy flashed a goofy smile, showing the several gaps in her gums awaiting new teeth, before hopping down.
Rainbow got a better look at the filly. She was a little older than her own, about ten, but almost as pretty. “You are just adorable! With your lovely coat and mane and such pretty eyes.”
Ditzy looked away shyly and blushed a deep shade of red. So rarely did she get compliments about her eyes.
Dizzy fell a little bit in love with this mare who so perfectly complimented her daughter. Too many times had she had to defend her from mockery. “How many you got then?”
“Excuse me?” Rainbow asked, completely unsure of what she could mean.
“Kids. You clearly have some if you talk to my little Derpy like that.”
Rainbow giggled under her breath. “Derpy?”
Dizzy blushed but was happy to explain. “Yeah! She's so clumsy so she's my little Derpy Hooves!” She was practically lifting off the ground with affection for her daughter.
“Oh my god that's just... aaagh!” It was the only word that could describe how cute it was. “I have three precious fillies myself. Hang on.”
Rainbow popped her head under her desk, into her bag and came back with a few photos. “Here we are. My little Rainbows. Triplets!” she sang.
Dizzy poured over the pictures, unable to look away as they were the only ones to come close to being as perfect as her own daughter. “Oh my god!”
Rainbow beamed with pride. “Yep. Turned six a few months ago. Do you want a look, Derpy?”
Derpy flittered quickly onto the desk, clearly waiting to be asked; she didn't even care that someone not her mother called her Derpy. “They look just like you!”
Raibow smiled. “Yep. All the mares in my family do. My mum and Nana exactly the same too.”
“What are they called?” Derpy asked innocently, with her mother listening in too.
“Well, they are all Rainbow first, but then there's Swirl, Shine and Dash.”
“Rainbow Dash?” Derpy asked curiously.
“Yeah. She's super fast. Faster than any grown up I've seen.”
Derpy's eyes lit up. “She's my favourite!” she declared loudly.
Dizzy scruffed up her daughter’s mane and nuzzled her cheek. “My perfect little Derpy Hooves,” she whispered.
“Say,” Rainbow started, “Shouldn't you be at school?”
Derpy looked away, avoiding all eye contact possible.
“Yeah,” Dizzy said a little ashamed. “She wasn't having a good day.”
“Oh?”
Dizzy sighed. “She's a very smart little filly. Smarter than me when I was her age. But it you rush her she gets angry at herself for not getting it, don't you sweetie?” She played with her daughter’s ear.
Derpy nodded.
“And then you get a little violent, don't you?”
Derpy nodded again. Shame shaking out of her.
“So I thought it best to give her the day off today, after the school told me she flipped a table. But it's great because now she can help me with the post!”
Derpy smiled. Helping with the post and being with her mother were her favourite things. She played herself into her mother's hoof.
“I'll tell ya what. My Swirl would love you.” Rainbow cracked a smile. “She's always a little violent and getting into fights.”
Somehow this made Derpy feel a lot better about herself, just because she wasn't the only one to get angry. “Can we get lunch?” she asked as her stomach growled.
“I didn't even notice the time. Of course. Let's go somewhere nice. Hop on!”
Derpy didn't need asking twice. In a bound she landed back on her mother's back for a comfy ride.
“It was lovely meeting you both.” Rainbow shook Dizzy's hoof and waved at Derpy. “We should get together one day. It's only fair for you to meet my three.”
Dizzy smiled. “I'd like that.”
They left Rainbow alone once again, only in a much better mood as only making a new friend could do. She walked to the staff room, warmed up her noodles and slurped away happily.

Right. That's the bit I was going to write. I love Derpy. She's the best. And she appears later in bits I want to keep in so I had to introduce her somewhere.

Other things that happen in this chapter:

Swirl breaks her leg in a fight with Hoops (Ticker is mostly fine), but it's okay as she dislocated his wing, which for a pegasus is a much worse thing to happen.

Dash gets her cutie mark. We've all seen that episode so why would I write it again?

7 Years

“I don't want to go though, Mummy.”
Rainbow quietly swallowed her anger and her bad language. Shine had been complaining since they left the house, and she had grown tired of it at the first instance. And now they had arrived. It was the first of its kind. An air show that showed off those who weren't Wonderbolts as well as the history of flight in all respects, from leisure to competitive to military. It was without a doubt Dash's idea, but Rainbow was sure they would all find something to join.
“Shine, if you don't stop complaining I'm going to sell you to the air show and you'll have to spend all your time here,” she whispered menacingly. It almost wasn't just an empty threat.
“You can't sell Ponies. It's against law,” she retorted.
“Don't... just don't,” Rainbow sighed with a shake of her head. “Just try to have fun. Dash didn't like the zoo but she barely complained at all. She just accepted her fate and moved on. You will too.”
Shine looked at her hooves in defeat. It wasn't just the idea of an air show she didn't like, as flight held little interest in her, but also the fact it was on the ground. It was hotter, harder to breath, and the hard ground felt weird under her hooves. She took a drag on her inhaler and continued on strong.

They passed through the gates with more fuss than any of them wanted. Rainbow hadn't got the correct change, Swirl hadn't noticed they stopped and had already gotten herself lost, Shine had voluntarily collapsed and Dash had got so angry that they restricted flying to professionals only that she threw up, meaning a the hoard of Ponies trying to get in had to be funnelled into just two lines instead of four while they were cleaning up the mess and that wasn't good for anyone. It wasn't a good start to the day. Once they found Swirl, who had managed to get into the security booth and was bothering them immensely with questions, they set about having a whale of a time.

It was a real hodge-bodge of an event. There were stalls of food and merchandise, as expected, as well as the aero-acrobatic displays, live music, a few random games that ponies could pay extortionate amounts to play, and finally a few booths of interesting things to do with flying. Plenty to keep them occupied but it didn't seem to fit together very well. It was obvious that this was the first and they were still trying to find themselves.
“So girls, what do you want to do first?”
Dash was overcome with choice she just couldn't think. An older pony nearly tripped over her. Swirl was just happy to be there, as was Ticker. They found the sky so much more mesmerising when not in it. Shine was being miserable, but Rainbow was ignoring her as it would only make her angry if she were to acknowledge it.
“Can we watch the fast flyers, Mummy?” Dash asked hopefully, and of course Rainbow nodded. Dash blasted off in the direction of the toilets, not noticing for sometime that it wasn't the correct one. It wasn't long before a security guard wrangled her out of the sky and returned her to her mother.
“This yours?” he said in his gruff voice that did not sound like the jokey comment he wished it had.
“We've barely been here and she's already got in trouble. That's fast.” Rainbow took her daughter from the guard.
“Of course it was fast because I'm fast.” Dash dropped from her mother's grasp and began trotting around excitedly.
“Thanks officer...? guard...? My good man.”
“Keep her on the ground. There's fast ponies flying everywhere and I wouldn't want her to get hurt now. Lots of paperwork.”
Rainbow hopped in the air and plucked Dash from it. “I'll try my best.”
“'scuse me but where are the ponies who do tricks?”
“If you head towards those trees you'll find the area they're performing in.”
Dash was off, but on the ground this time, and Rainbow walked after her, head buried in the brochure they were given at entry, scrutinising the timetable and not being very impressed. She hadn't heard of any of the groups that were performing. Names ranged from the ridiculous “Flappy Crew” to the edgy “Black Destroyer Squad 13”, with every base covered in between.
“Dash, get back here! The shows don't start for another hour!”

Dash had calmed down and Shine had perked up once Rainbow insisted they get a history lesson. There was a small, fairly popular tent to one side with a few items of interest and some reading material about the history of the Wonderbolts and some other, less impressive history about competitive flying. Rainbow, being a lifelong fan, loved the detail they went into and Shine was just happy to be out of the sun. Dash spent the little while sat on her mother's tail, being dragged along, waiting for the real show to begin.
“MUMMY!” screamed Swirl as she and Ticker ran to the tent. “Look what we won!”
Rainbow saw the cheap pairs of plastic flight goggles they were both wearing with great pride. With a hoof on her chest she made a noise and hopped slightly as it was too cute for her. “Where did you get them from?”
“Hook-a-duck!” They both shouted as loud as their mouths and wings could go. “We also won a really big bag of candyfloss but we already ate that.” Now that they had mentioned it Rainbow could see the sugar coursing through their veins and the slight look of regret in Ticker's eyes.
“I didn't know there were games!” Dash screamed. “I want candyfloss,” she mumbled through her mother's tail.

[Some more with Swirl and Ticker]

The tannoy system hissed and pierced the ears of the patrons with a loud, screeching noise, followed by the muffled interference that barely passed for an announcement.
“C'mon, Dash, let's find your sister,” Rainbow said excitedly, “the main show is about to start.”
Dash perked right up. Ears pricked and wings fluttering. “Finally!”
After finding their group they made their way to the front, using Dash's insistent enthusiasm to barge through the crowds, and waited for the first flyers to start. Of course, they were running quite far behind schedule.
It was a poor start, as expected. Thunder Hooves, the first act of five ponies, tried to combine body popping and complex flight moves. It didn't match up in the slightest. The dance moves weren't in time with the music and the flying was unimpressive and felt very out of place. There wasn't even a crash to liven things up. Dash loved it though, and Rainbow laughed at her for it, but she couldn't blame her. After all, it was Dash's first time seeing something like this.
“Just you wait,” Rainbow muttered under her breath, shooting her daughter a sly glance.
As the day went on and the other acts came out it was clear they were saving the best until last, so long as it followed the pattern. So far each act had been significantly better than the last, even those Rainbow was hesitant about. Flappy Crew turned out to be a clown troupe, just to mix things up a little, and had been surprisingly entertaining. Rainbow even found herself doubled over in fits of laughter, and, to her delight, she found her daughters were not afraid of clowns.
Fireball, as the name would suggest, liked pyrotechnics. Rainbow wasn't a fan of him for two reasons, firstly that he looked like an escaped mental patient who had been given access to fire, and secondly the way the flames danced in her children's eyes and the trance they were in sent shivers running through her. She would definitely be hiding the matches in a more confusing place from now on.
Dash had been loving it. All of it. The adrenaline. The heart pounding in her chest. The amazing feats. The fire. All her senses were overwhelmed. Her cutie mark felt as though it was burning in her flank. The need to fly and fly fast was becoming too much. She hadn't noticed but her wings were mimicking the moves as she swung on the rope barrier before her.
The tannoy, which had now been fixed of the interference issue, blasted over the crowd. “Good afternoon! I hope you've all been enjoying the shows today.” This was met with a loud cheer and high pitched screams from the audience, with Rainbow and Dash being the loudest. “Glad to hear it. But sadly, even good things must come to an end.” The crowd groaned. “Now don't sound like that. I thought we would end on a high. Save the best until last. Now, introducing to the field, after a long retirement...”
Rainbow pricked her ears. A retired flyer? She couldn't think who it would be.
“... An ex-Wonderbolt from the A Squad...”
Rainbow felt her heart jump. And ex-Wonderbolt? This was going to be good.
“JET STREAM!”
The crowd went wild as a brown stallion appeared in the field out of thin air. Nothing but a trail of dirt and dust to his side. Rainbow was silent. Jaw touching the ground and heart beating so fast she couldn't feel it. It couldn't be him, could it? Her favourite Wonderbolt? Here?
Jet Stream waited, biding his time, for the crowd to grow quiet again, just to let the anticipation build just right before it became boredom and confusion. He flared his wings up, ruffling the old, experienced feathers and smiled. He could feel their excitement through their stares and bated breath. He missed it. He loved it.
His wings came down in one, strong beat and launched him into the sky. The air pushed back at those at the front. Dash fell to the ground, and stayed there, in awe. Rainbow felt it pass over her, sending a shiver through her. The fur on her back stood on end and her wings flared of their own accord with the excitement.
Jet Stream looked down and bathed in the gasps and the whistles and the screams. He felt at home again. After a second of letting them guess what he was going to do next he locked his wings and dived straight down. He was like a missile, cutting through the air, driven by gravity towards the hard earth beneath. The wind sped passed him, whipping at his mane, pulling the air from his lungs and bringing a tear to his eyes. The sensation of flying fast like this, with a baying crowd to watch, was like a drug to him, one he hadn't felt in a decade. His Wings popped out and twisted under the pressure, launching him skywards once again. The force hit Dash square on the nose, but she was already hooked. An actual, real Wonderbolt performing just for her!
At the top of the arc he looped round and remembered how to make clouds. Another beat propelled him through the sky, right over the crowd and past the sun, leaving a thick cloud stream in his wake that fizzled away into nothing. Even Shine was enjoying this.
He took a sharp turn and jerked himself into a sharp spin. He found himself laughing. Out of the spin he spiralled up, pulling the cloud up into a tight tower. He took another run around, adding to it, making it tighter and tighter a spiral. He got to the top, hidden from view and everyone trying to find him. He pierced the thick blanket of cloud and it unravelled and dissipated. The crowd grasped. Jet Stream was shooting down into them, right on top of Rainbow. It was a split second reaction. He saw her, jaw dropped. She saw him with absolute terror in her eyes. He quickly winked and she smiled. Before it was too late Jet Stream rolled over and blasted through the crowd at head height. The ground rumbled under him as he took to the sky once again. Rainbow couldn't shake him from her mind, it was terrifying but exhilerating.

He took a brief moment to wipe the sweat from his brow and breath deeply. A huge smile spread from ear to ear as the crowd didn't stop cheering, even though he was doing nothing for a solid ten seconds. However, one wasn't cheering. A rainbow maned mare was staring at him, smiling back at him with something more than the normal adoration he was used to. It was enough to make him blush.
While he would have continued basking in the crowd's love he had to continue flying, as he still had a few tricks in his feathers, whatever they were he didn't know as he hadn't planned this as much as felt what was natural. So he started flying to his left, hoping to find inspiration with the wind. Yet the image of the mare in his mind kept him smiling and not thinking about what he was doing.
“Hey!” a small voice squeaked.
Shocked, Jet Stream looked around for its source, which turned out to be a tiny rainbow maned filly circling him. “Oh... hi?”
“You're really awesome!”
“Thanks! You're not too bad yourself. Say, you looked bigger down there.”
“Oh? Oh yeah, that's my mum.”
Jet craned his neck downwards at the crowd to check. The rainbow maned mare was easy to spot in the midst of such a dull looking crowd. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Does she know you're up here?”
By now the crowd had noticed the second body flying with him, although they could barely make out the blue pony against the sky, and were mumbling to themselves about who could it be? Rainbow was still blissfully unaware that her daughter had ran off.
“No, I just need to fly fast!” Dash shouted as she flew in faster circles.
“I don't know, I might be too fast for you.”
Dash squared up to him, nose practically smushed into his. “No one is too fast for me. I did a sonic rainboom!”
“That was you?!” he was genuinely impressed. “Alright. So you can go fast, but can you handle the Gs?”
“Yeah! I can do all the letters!”
Jet laughed. “Then show me what you got!”

He blasted off, leaving the tiny filly in a wake of wind and in awe. Dash felt the surge of adrenaline pump through her. She couldn't think straight. Couldn't see straight. But her wings erupted from her sides and propelled her after him, catching up with ease.
“How are you doing that?” Jet shouted over the wind. “That rainbow stream? It's so cool! And the crowd are loving it!”
Dash smiled smugly but didn't answer. She didn't know herself.
“Alright kid, let's see some Wonderbolt moves. Follow my lead!”
Jet banked to the side, but Dash easily followed him in formation, throwing a spin in there just to show off.
The crowd was cheering again, watching the two ponies flying together in an impressive synchronisation. Jet stream flew with the power, but the little one seemed to use the slipstream to rocket around him, shrouding him in a rainbow trail, making it seem all the more impressive.
Rainbow was enthralled, entranced. It took a very hard tug at her mane by Swirl, Shine, Ticker and the guy next to them in the crowd who saw the urgency in the fillies' eyes to get her attention.
“That's Dash!” they shouted together, except Ticker, who used her wings, and the guy, who didn't know what they meant.
Rainbow suddenly realised that of course it was Dash. Who else could fly with a rainbow following them? Also, she wasn't standing upfront. She was briefly overwhelmed with admiration of her daughter before being overwhelmed with panic. She charged the field with such speed the security didn't stand a chance.
“You're doing great kid!” Jet shouted to his partner. “Ready for the big finish?”
There was no answer from the filly. That's when he noticed the rainbow was no longer flying with him, and the loud collective gasp of nearly 200 spectators.
Frantically he looked around for the filly, only to see a small body falling limp from the sky. A panic filled him. What was once a cool head burned hot and he couldn't think. Again instincts took over without a moment to spare.
With a huge, powerful beat of his wings he shot towards her like a missile. Faster and faster he flew, wind burning his eyes, obscuring his vision. All he could see was the ground growing clearer and a small, blue blob in front of him.
He got close and rolled into her, taking her into his hoof. He managed to spin his body round and his hooves slammed into the ground. The crowd felt the tremor of the impact.
They all waited. Not moving. Not making a sound. Waiting.
Jet Stream placed the filly on the ground. She was breathing normally, no injuries or damage, just an exhausted filly passed out in the grass. Triumphantly, he held her in the air.
The crowd gasped.
Jet Stream took a second to add, “She's okay!” to the display, afterall it did seem he was holding a lifeless, limp filly.
The crowd cheered for everthing they had just seen.
“Dash?” spoke a frantic, dishevelled mare, looking like she had seen a world of horrors.
“Dash?” Jet repeated. “Good name. She your daughter, I take it?”
Rainbow ignored him and grabbed her filly in a tight yet careful embrace.
“She's okay, don't worry,” he knew it was a stupid thing to say. Of course she was going to wory, she was a parent afterall. He placed a caring hoof on her shoulder. “She did amazing. You've got yourself a future Wonderbolt right there.”
Rainbow let out a laugh which portrayed a whole mess of emotions, from relief to genuine laughter.
“She's just passed out with exhaustion. Not many could keep up with a Wonderbolt like that, so you really should be impressed. I know I am.”
“Thank you so much.” Rainbow started crying.
“It's nothing. Really.”
“It's everything.”
Jet smiled to himself, he couldn't help it. He liked this mare, and it was nice to feel this way again.
“Mummy?” said a small voice from behind him. It was a little confusing to see the filly two more times at once, plus an extra. “Is Dash okay?” she sniffled.
Rainbow nodded.
“She's fine. Just tired. Did you see her up there? It was so cool!” Jet cooed.
Swirl rubbed her eyes. “Yeah but she fell.”
Jet felt a twinge in his heart. He could see and feel that fear they had had for their sister. This one was on the verge of tears, while the other was solelmnly quiet.
“I'm so sorry. I should have brought back down to safety at the start. I got carried away, just like her.”
“That's okay. It's Dash's fault. She stupid,” Swirl moaned, as if it wasn't the first time, before darting to her mother for comfort, followed shortly by the other.
Jet almost joined in. He felt awful. But a tap at his hoof brought him round.
It was the other filly, the extra one, wearing a girlish grin.
“Oh, hi.”
She smiled harder.
“You don't talk much, do you?”
She shook her head. Swirl butted in with, “she can't speak!”, from her mother's mane.
“Oh really?” Jet siad with a cocky eyebrow. He raised his wings and flapped a little, dropping the filly's jaw in the process. “Hello. How are you?” he asked in shoddy, ill-practiced wing language.
Ticker almost exploded, little squeaks found their way out of her as she replied with her adoration that was flapped so fast she took off from the ground. It was unreadable.
“You're a little too fast for me. It's been a few years.”
Ticker couldn't say it again. It burnt her cheeks bright red just to say it in her mind. Instead she hugged him hard.
Taken aback, Jet hugged her back and ruffled her mane. The filly squeaked more.
Rainbow giggled. “I think someone has a crush.”
Jet forced a chuckle out as the filly would just not let go.
“Listen, shall we get you home? I'll take you. I feel awful for what happened. Also really pumped because it was amazing.”
Rainbow looked up. “That would be lovely, thank you. It's a long fly to Cloudsdale though. Not sure if you can after that.”
“Ha!” Jet blurted arrogantly. “That's nothing. I once flew for 27 hours straight!”
“No?” Rainbow was in disbelief and awe. “Really?”
“Yep. I did loads of endurance training as a Wonderbolt. Only touched the ground for water, no more than 30 seconds a time. Still hold the record.”
“Wow.” Rainbow blushed. “I um... I actually err... knew that,” she mumbled sheepishly.
“Oh?”
“You were my favourite.” She had to look away. “I had a big poster of you on my wall.” She admitted like it was the worst of it. The pictures she drew would remain her secret.
Jet smiled wide. “W-well. I don't know what to say. Thank you.”
There was a silence. Rainbow and Jet didn't move. Swirl pried Ticker from his leg.
“Shall we get going?” Shine asked. “Dash needs a bed, stat!”
“Of course! C'mon, I'll give a couple of you a-” he hadn't finished speaking before Ticker latched herself to his neck, Swirl joined her, thinking it the most appropriate pairing.
“I'll sit with Dash,” Shine stated, “so I can make sure she doesn't fall off.”
“Good idea, Shiny,” Rainbow said.
“All set, everyone? Yeah? Okay let's go.” Jet took off quickly, making Ticker giggle like a fangirl, while Rainbow did everything slightly more carefully than she would usually.
They headed back to home.

“Do it again!” Swirl shouted, both for herself and Ticker.
Jet rolled his eyes but with a smile. He cocked his wings and rose and twisted into the air, coming back around in a huge, fast loop, making a point to circle Rainbow, and came back just where he started.
The baying crowd cheering for him was one thing, but nothing when compared to the giddy screams and giggles of the two fillies on his back. He could do it all day.
Rainbow watched him with a smile. It wasn't an impressive trick, as she made a point of when see saw guys using it to pull mares as a student by repeating it only better, but she saw that glint in his eye when he heard the fillies laughing and she could see why he did everything he does.
They had been flying for some time now. The evening was slowly encroaching.
“How much longer, mummy?” Swirl asked. “My stomach is hungry.”
“Not too much further. About half an hour until we see Cloudsdale, if I've got it right.”
“You have,” Jet assured.
“This is nice,” Rainbow remarked, mostly to herself but if anyone picked up on it she didn't mind.
“It is, isn't it?” Jet replied. “Not just... flown, y'know, with somebody.”
“Yeah. It's good to have another pony to give lifts. There's usually a lot more arguing on long journerys.”
“Oh.” Jet avoided letting on that he was picking up the wrong signals.
“But yeah. Grown up company is nice too. Thanks again, by the way.”
“What for?”
“Well, taking me home, of course. Got to be out of your way, surely?”
Jet shook his head. “No. I live in Cloudsdale too.”
Ticker gasped with delight and nuzzled into his neck, which was weird the first time but this was far from the first time.
Rainbow, too, gasped. “Really? How did I not know my favourite Wonderbolt lived in my city!”
“Well, I'm not really that famous anymore. I'm just a brown pegasus whose look was stolen by every other stallion. I made this look, you know?” He cockily ran his hoof through his swept back mohawk.
“I know. It was so cool. I remember stallions slowly copying you after a couple months. None could pull it off like you though.”
“Damn right they couldn't.”
“So whereabouts do you live? Just curiosity, not so I can spy some pictures or anything. Hehe,” she chuckled nervously. It was a joke, but it had given her the idea.
“North quarter, out near the edge.”
“Ooh get you, mister moneybags.”
“You're rich?” Swirl asked innocently.
Jet laughed. “It's nothing too fancy, I assure you. A few bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, whatever that is.”
“Bigger than mine.”
There was a little silence. Swirl was talking to Ticker with their wings, clearly a secret conversation, probably about Jet Stream and his wealth. Dash stirred but remained firmly asleep, with Shine resting on her back as she too dozed. Getting a ride the whole way was nothing short of luxury.
“So what is it you do?” Jet asked. Not in a small talk way, as the silence wasn't awkward, but like he was interested.
“I work in the post office. Nothing fancy, but it pays the bills. I would rather stay looking after my little ones but the benefits were starting to... you know, get a bit shit,” she whispered the last word.
“What?”
“I was a single mum since before they were born. Husband left me when I was preggers. Which is good because he never deserved these special things.”
Jet couldn't say anything. Even if he could, what should he say?
“It's a bit stressful- very stressful, but I wouldn't give up a single moment.”
“I bet not.” Jet looked down. Wings flapped a little slower.
“What about you? Ey?”
“What?”
“Got a Mrs Stream around?” she asked coyly.
“No.” His answer was short and blunt. There was clearly much more to the story but nothing he wanted to get into, and Rainbow knew not to press it any further.
“What have you been up to then? It's been, what, ten years since you retired?”
“Thirteen almost, actually. But yeah, not much really. Just... flying around. Handing out lessons to people who ask. Instructing at a couple clubs. Went travelling for a month before realising I didn't much care for it. Tried my hoof at writing a biography but... nah. Not for me.”
“Well I'm glad you're back. That was so amazing today. Not felt a rush like that since... I can't remember when.”
“It felt good to be back. There's one thing doing tricks on your own, but another entirely when there's an audience.”
Rainbow could see him glance slightly to his back at the fillies sat there. She could guess that was audience he meant.
“And your little Rainbow Dash. I mean, wow.” He was still in awe. “There's not many who could keep up with me for that long, but she's only what? Seven?”
“I'm gonna tell her you said that. I know I shouldn't feed her ego but I can't resist. That look she gets when her head grows in size is just...” She gasped with adoration “So precious.”
“Your other daughters seem very nice to.”
“Too right we are, mate!” Swirl chipped in aggressively. “We are the best! And Ticker says she is too!”
Jet laughed to himself.

They reached the house as the sun began its long descent. Immediately Rainbow went to tuck Dash into bed.
“Swirl,” Jet started, “can you get Dash a glass of water. Like, a really big glass.” He gestured a glass that would have been ridiculously big.
“Okay,” she sang happily.
Jet entered the bedroom just to see Rainbow plant a delicate kiss on her daughter's cheek, lingering a moment by her side. “You should wake her up.”
“What?” Rainbow harshly whispered.
“She needs to drink something, otherwise she isn't going to sleep well, and that's how you get ill.”
Rainbow nodded. “Okay. Hey, Dashie,” she whispered as she began poking her. “You've got to wake up for a bit.”
“OI!” Swirl shouted as she fluttered in with the biggest glass of water she could carry. “Wake up, stupid!”
Dash groaned and rolled.
“No, sweetie, you've got to, just for a bit.”
Reluctantly Dash opened her eyes. “Ugh?”
“Drink this,” Swirl ordered. “Jet told me to tell you.”
Dash, not wanting to refuse an order from a Wonderbolt, drank steady from the glass until it was empty. Clearly she needed it.
“That was so COOL! Flying like that. I thought you was gonna die!” Swirl squeaked.
“Okay baby,” Rainbow whispered. “You can sleep now. And in the morning you can have a big breakfast. You're gonna need the energy. Whatever you like!”
Dash barely listened as her eyes shut for the night. Rainbow left her with another kiss.
Downstairs the remaining fillies took seats on the sofa, as if the flight was tiring for them despite not actually flying.
“Make sure she eats something full of energy when she wakes up. She's really gonna need it. Her body is going to ache for days! She needs to repair it. Not porridge or long term energy, she needs the immediate boost. Beans on toast is what she needs. With hacon. And like, a mountain of cheese! That would do.” He suddenly felt hungry for breakfast.
“She hates cheese.”
“Excuse me? And I thought she was cool.”
“I know right?!” Rainbow said in relief. “No one else thinks it's weird. Cheese is the best! I would sooner eat a cheese and pickle sandwich before crisps and chocolate.”
“Yes! Finally, someone who sees the truth.”
There was a frantic flapping behind them.
“Ticker says she like cheese too, but I don't know why she's saying that because she's aller-.” Swirl was stopped by a viscious hissing from the mute filly.

It came time for Jet to leave, which was a harder task than anticipated as Ticker was latching onto his legs. It took Swirl's ferocious strength to claw her off him.
Rainbow saw him off.
“Thank you again,” Rainbow said happily.
“I keep telling you, it's alright.”
“Not for that-not just for that. It's been a nice afternoon. It's been a while since I've spent time with a grown up I'm not related to. Especially since my neighbour moved out. I miss her.”
“It's been great for me to. Spending time with a lovely mare and her kids was just... nice, y'know? It made me feel good.”
“Same.”
“Well, I'll see ya around,” Jet waved as he jumped up into the air, but he stopped as he got to the end of the garden path. He turned back shaprly. She was still stood there.
Neither knew what was happening. Neither looked directly at each other, and only for a second if they did.
As the setting sun bathed them in twilight, neither of them knew what to say.
“W-whe...” Rainbow whispered. Jet was all ears. “When will I...”
“I'm sure we...” he gulped. “We live here so, like, we will bump into each other.”
“Can we... we bump on purpose?”
Jet moved closer slowly, taken by the breeze to her. “Yeah.”
“Next sunday?”
“In the centre?”
“At midday?”
“I can't wait.”
He was floating in front of her, just out of reach, not sure if he should move closer. Not sure if he could. It was a rush he had never experienced before. The shaking in his legs, the pounding in his chest, the dry in his mouth.
Rainbow smiled. “I'll see you then.”
She ran back inside. Jet looked on, smiling just like her. He flew off in a daze, letting it sink in. Was it really happening?
Rainbow sat against the door, hoof to heart. The shaking in her legs, the pounding in her chest, the dry in her mouth. She could feel her heart in her throat and the heat in her ears. It was new. A rush she had never felt. It was amazing. Was it really happening?
“Are you okay, mummy?” Swirl asked. “You got wet eyes.”
Rainbow didn't know what to say, so she laughed.

“How do I look?” Rainbow asked her daughters. Sunday took too long to come.
“Beautiful,” Shine praised.
“Awesome!” Dash shouted.
“You've got something in your teeth,” Swirl said after some deliberation.
Rainbow returned in a flash from the bathroom. “Is this better?”
“Perfect!” Swirl chirped.
“Good.” Rainbow took a deep breath. “Alright. You three behave, and don't make trouble for Fluttershy's mum. What was her name again?”
Dash shrugged. How was she to know? She wasn't friends with the mother.
“And Swirl, do be careful with Ticker. I know you like your mischief.”
Swirl's smile became a serious look. “Of course. We will only mischief if it's safe to do so.”
“That's my girl. Come here. I need a hug for luck.”
A brief hug later and Rainbow left the house towards the city centre, her children to their friends' houses.

She waited in the centre for him, early as usual. It shouldn't be hard to find her, a mass of colour against a dull white floor, so she wasn't worrying about that. Instead she was worried about seeing someone else in the crowd. Someone's she related to. That would be awkward.
“Rainbow!” shouted a familiar voice. And with that it was too late. Her father had spotted her, and he always won hide and seek.
“Hi dad,” she said like she was busy.
“It's good to see you,” he said with a hug. “What are you up to today? Where are the little Rainbows at? It's odd not seeing you together.”
“Oh um... lots of things. That's why they aren't here. Gone out with their friends. Too busy to...” she trailed off as a brown stallion was spotted speeding in her direction.
“Sorry I'm late,” Jet said despite being right on time. “Not been waiting too long have you?”
The grin on her father's face was slow to spread but boy did it go wide. The glee inside was almost trickling out.
“Lots of things to do? Ey?” Thunder nudged her with his elbow. “Sent the girls off? Too busy?”
Rainbow froze in response, only her face quickly reddening was any sign she was taking this in.
Jet looked between them, clearly confused.
“Not gonna introduce us, Rainbow? I raised you better than this.” He turned to the new stallion. “Hi. I'm Thunder, Rainbow's father.”
Jet looked between the two of them in disbelief. Rainbow was significantly taller than him and far more colourful. Very little resemblance.
“Really?”
“I know what you're thinking, but if you see my wife you'll see where she gets it from. Say, do I know you?”
Jet shook the hoof that was offered him, a cocky smirk firmly on his face. “I think you do. The name's Jet Stream.” He almost struck a pose.
“Nope. Sorry.”
The smirk vanished. “R-really? But I'm... I'm Jet Stream.”
“Mate, I got like five Jet Streams at work. One looks a bit like you actually. Hang on, you don't work down the council, do you?”
“No. I'm... a Wonderbolt.” Jet couldn't believe this.
“Sure you are.” Thunder teased sarcastically. “And I'm Princess... Oh my gosh you are! You're bloody... Whats his face. Jet Stream!”
“Yes!”
“Fastest accelerating stallion in the world! Naught to sonic boom in a single flap of your wings!”
“You know it!”
“It's great to meet. Big fan of the 'bolts. What are you doing here anyway?”
“I'm here for... her. Your daughter. Rainbow.”
“Oooh,” Thunder half laughed. “She had a massive crush on you when she was younger. You should see the fan art!”
Jet blushed in the silence that followed, the only sound between them a strange, restricted whimper from Rainbow.
“I can tell I'm not wanted here,” Thunder started. “I'll leave you two alone. Besides, I've got to tell Blaze about this. That's her mother. You kids have fun!” He flew off laughing.
Rainbow exhaled loudly, almost like she hadn't breathed for a few minutes. “I'm so sorry. I didn't expect my dad to turn up.”
“That's okay. He seems like a nice guy though.”
“Oh he is. Great dad.”
“Fan art, though? Really?” He was intrigued.
“I'm a professional!” Rainbow blurted out. “It's my talent and I needed something to paint.”
“I would love to see them.”
Rainbow didn't answer. Torn between letting him and burning the paintings.
“Shall we get going? I know a great little cafe where we could talk about better things than dads and fanart.”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.”

Dash let herself into the house, calling out to see if anyone was in.
“I'm in here, Dashie!” came her mother's voice from the kitchen.
“How was it?” Dash shouted as she shot to her mother and promptly took a seat on her back. “Did you kiss?”
“No. We didn't kiss. One day though. I think I'd like that.”
“Course you would! He's a Wonderbolt!”
Rainbow laughed. “Yep. But no, all we did was go to a cafe for tea and cake, and yes there's some for you before you ask, and we talked. It was lovely.” Rainbow could see Dash was scanning for the cakes. “On the table. Yours in the bag on the right.”
Dash flew off to eat the sweet treat. “Is that it?” she asked through a mouthful of cake. “Did you do anything else?”
Rainbow shook her head. “No. But it's what I've been craving, apparently. That kind of companionship.”
“But we companion you though,” Dash stated firmly.
“Yes, sweetie. You do, but it's something different altogether. When you grow up and get your first boyfriend you'll understand.”
Rainbow fell into a seat at the table across from Dash and watched her scoff the cake. A dreamy look in her eye showed she was looking far past Dash and into nothing, swimming in the memory of today. Her first date since Red. Her first proper date since always, she reckoned, as Red was never much for anything but cliches.
“Hopefully I will be seeing a lot more of him.”
There was a knock at the door before it opened. “Hello? Rainbow?” called her mother. “You in?”
Rainbow tutted. “Can't a girl have a secret?” she whispered to Dash who didn't respond. “In here, mum.”
Blaze appeared in the door to the kitchen. “I just saw your father. Apparently you were meeting a handsome stallion?”
“Did dad really say handsome?”
“Oh no, I'm just assuming. Now dish. Tell. me. Everything!”

The warm summer seemed ages ago as the cold weather of the new year settled in. No one wanted to be out of bed at such an early hour on such a crisp day, especially Dash.
“I don't wanna go,” she moaned.
“Yes you do. Now come and get up.”
“You only want to go so you can kiss a boy.”
Rainbow blushed but she didn't let that fact stop her. “No. It's going to be fun, I promise. We're gonna have a barbeque with all your favourite burgers. We're gonna get to see the Everfree Forest, and that's gonna be amazing.”
Dash only groaned and snuggled harder into the bed.
“His niece is going to be there.”
“So?”
“Well, she's in line to join the Wonderbolt academy in a few years.”
Dash's silence was all she needed. Dash was interested.
“And Jet has been telling her about you. About how you managed to fly with him at the air show.”
Dash still didn't speak, but she almost moved to leave the bed.
“And she's looking forward to flying with you. To see your awesome rainbow trail and teach you new moves. Not just any moves, but professional Wonderbolt moves taught by Jet Stream himself.”
Dash sat up. “Really?"
Rainbow nodded. “Yes, really. Now get up and ready. It's a long flight to the Everfree.”

She inspected her daughters before leaving, making sure they were warm enough and had everything they would need.
“Are you sure you're going to be warm enough, Shine?”
Shine was wearing only a thick jumper. “I don't get cold.”
“Take a scarf, just in case. And a hat.”
Shine couldn't argue with the logic.
Satisfied, Rainbow took them outside in the dull reds of a rising sun and they set off. “Now, it's a long flight, so if you need a break just hop on my back. And take turns if you need it.”
“I don't need breaks!” Dash claimed proudly.
“Sure, Dash,” Rainbow remarked. She knew her daughter's stamina better than her. “Let's go!”

It was a long flight, but a relatively uninteresting one. The sun had risen by the time they reached the clearing, just as Jet described to them.
“I must say I'm impressed, Shine. You flew most of the way here yourself!”
Shine smiled weakly. She was proud of herself too, but her body was craving energy. Fortunately the barbeque was raring to go.
“You made it!” Jet cheered, running over to hug Rainbow. Still a kiss was too far for them, but the hug was nice. He quickly high fived the kids as well. “How was the flight?”
“Long.” Rainbow put the saddle bags with Jet's. “How was the camp?”
“So fun. You should have joined us.”
“Ha!” Rainbow snorted. “Not in this weather. In the summer maybe. Oh, is this your niece?”
“Yep.” Jet pulled a young mare to his side. “This is Spark. Just turned thirteen this morning.”
Spark stood tall with a cocky air about her. Her coat was a dull blue and her dark mane had been braided into cornrows. “Hi.”
Dash immediately ran to inspect her. “You do seem fast,” she said as she played with the mare's wings.
“And you must be Dash.” Spark squared up to the filly. “The one able to keep up with Jet.”
“That's me.”
Spark nodded. “You defintely look the part. Look at that mane! So. Cool.”
“Do you want to fly then? Mummy said we were gonna fly tricks together.”
“Aren't you hungry?”
“Yeah. Hungry for speed!”
“Well I'm hungry for burgers so you'll have to wait.” She stuck her tongue out. Dash already liked her.

The clearing was on the edge of a frozen bog. What wildlife there was wasn't there today. It was eerily quiet. A breeze creaked the trees and there was the occasional rustle of a critter through the dead leaves and twigs. Other than that the baron landscape was oddly peaceful. Rainbow enjoyed watching the world go by.
Her and Jet sat on a warm blanket on the ground, doing nothing but enjoy each others company.
“This is lovely,” Rainbow said dreamily as she lay into Jet's shoulder.
“Yeah. I've always loved this place.”
“How often do you camp here?”
“Past few years. Since she was ten. Her parents used to come but they did not like it in the slightest. But they don't mind it just the two of us.”
“Spark is great little filly. Dash already loves her. Look at them.” Up in the air, a little ways away you could make out the two fillies flying circles around each other, showing off their best tricks.
“She's great. Really means a lot to me. Like she's one of my own.”
“I can tell. There's something there more than just an uncle.”
“She saved my life.”
Rainbow jumped and stared at him. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Jet sighed. “I was in a dark place. When she was born.”
“Oh?” Rainbow pressed lightly. She was curious.
“I had a wife.” Jet hung his head down, eyes already damp. “I've been meaing to tell you. I feel like I can tell you.”
“I'm all ears.”
Jet took a deep breath. “This is going to get heavy real quick. But basically, I fell in love with one of my fans.”
“You have a habit of that,” Rainbow teased with a smirk.
Jet let out a very forced laugh. “We were together for five years. Married for four of them. Had a baby on the way.”
Rainbow felt her stomach drop. She could see where this was going. The way he looked when he mentioned her showed she had not left him of her own accord.
“She was... perfect. I loved her from the beginning.”
“What was the beginning?”
Jet froze, eyes wide with shock. “That's a little embarassing. Let's just say um... fans get past security sometimes and we have been known to err...”
“A bit of how's your father?” Rainbow suggested in jest, clearly just as embarassed by the situation as well.
“Yeah. And that's how I met her. Anyway. We stayed together. She followed us on tour and it made it better to perform. With her around.
“We got married. Lived a life of luxury in a nice house. I still toured and she still joined me, until she got pregnant. She was two weeks due.”
“Oh.”
“When it happened.”
“Oh no.”
“Something went wrong. I rushed her to the hospital as fast I could but...” he took a deep, shaking breath.
“Hey. Hey hey hey,” Rainbow whispered softly as she patted his shoulder. “That'll do. I think I can guess the rest.”
But Jet was already gone. He wept quiet tears, trying to hold it back.
Rainbow wasn't sure how to treat a crying, full grown stallion, so she treated him as a filly.
“Oh, boo. What you crying for?” she asked in a babying voice as she smushed his cheeks. “Getting your eyes all wet is not gonna help.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I don't know how to stop grown ups crying. Only fillies.”
Jet laughed before drying his eyes. “It seems it worked though. I'm so sorry. It's still hard to think about.”
“That's okay. But carry on. I want to know how Spark comes into all this.”
“Oh yeah. So I retired and, well I couldn't go home. Not after... y'know, that.”
“Naturally.”
“So I stayed with my brother the other side of town. At that point Spark was only a couple months old. I didn't sleep properly. Just laid awake on their sofa, not sleeping. But one night, Spark escaped her cot, came to me and demanded I pick her up. So I did. I held her so tightly. And I cried. Like, properly cried. I hadn't been able to, because, like, it's a really hard emotion to express. But after that I slept for 14 hours. They tried to take Spark off me so I could sleep better but she refused to budge, so they let her stay.”
Rainbow touched her chest, tears welling from the cuteness of it all. “That's so sweet.”
“So I became their housetaker and babysitter so they could work. We bonded and now we're... unseperable.”
Rainbow grabbed him in a tight hug as she needed to smush something. “That's adorable. Not the sad bit, but the bit after. And thanks for telling me.”
“That's okay. I think were even now, considering the first thing you told me when we met was about your husband leaving you.”
“Yeah. We're definitely even now.”
Rainbow didn't leave the hug. He was soft and warm and small. It felt good. So good in fact Jet joined in.

“You've got potential, kid,” Spark said with pride. “Got some good tricks. And you know how to use your wings better than most.”
“Yeah! The trick is to roll your wings too, not just flap.”
“Totes.”
“Totes?” Dash asked but never got an answer.
“What I'm gonna teach you now, because you're ready, is how to make a cloud trail.”
“Why would I do that, stupid? I already make the awesomest rainbow trail!”
“Well duh, because it's a neat trick. And not many can do it.”
“I can!”
“Prove it. C'mon. Let's land for a minute and I'll explain.” On the land she continued. “Right. So. It's easy really. You're just whipping air, like what you do with eggs.”
Dash stared at her. “I've never whipped eggs.”
“Oh. Then, you just do this.” Spark, using her wings, manage to whip up a quick cloud. “See? It doesn't last long though as it's not a real cloud.”
“Just like eggs!” Dash stated confidently.
“No. nothing like eggs. Give it a go!”
Dash did. She tried for so long. It felt unnatural to move her wings in such a way. And after minutes of tiring wing spinning, she had accomplished nothing and sat in a humph.
“You'll get it. It's a bit dry here. Plus it's easier at speed.”
Dash perked up at the word. “Then let's do it up there! I saw a lake, that's got to be wet.”
“I don't know,” Spark worried, staring towards where the camp was. “We shouldn't go too far.”
“It's only over those trees.”
Spark considered for moment before agreeing. “Yeah. Why the hell not!”
“You can't say that word. Mummy will tell you off.”
Spark got close to Dash with a sly grin. “Mummy ain't here though, is she?”
Dash's eyes lit up with mischief and a need to do something she had needed to do for a few seconds. She mustered up the volume to shout the worst word she could think of. “SHIT!”
“That's the spirit.”

Shine and Swirl had gone on an adventure. It was all Swirl's idea, and Shine felt more dragged into it rather than agreeing to it, but as they walked further into the woods where the trees got thicker it was Swirl who was regretting it. Shine was loving it.
“I think we should turn back soon.” Swirl looked around. It was too dark for her, and this was a place where things actually hid in the shadows.
“Not yet!” Shine ordered in an uncharacteristic tone of leadership. “We got to keep going. We've got to see something cool soon.”
Swirl was jumping at every slight movement and sound. “Like what?”
“I don't know, but this is the Everfree Forest. There's supposed to be really cool animals here, like ones you've not seen before.”
“But we've seen all the animals before. And what if we get lost?”
“We can fly. Just go up and find the camp.”
Swirl couldn't argue with that, it made too much sense, and that made her very uncomfortable.
“I don't like it, Shine.” Swirl was almost in tears with fear.
Shine turned around, placing a comforting hoof on her sister's shoulder. “It's okay. We'll be fine.”
“I don't like it!”
“You go back then.”
“I can't go without you!”
“Just a bit further, okay? I have a feeling about something.”
“No, Shine,” Swirl wanted it to sound more authoritative more her voice whimpered and she started stepping backwards. “It's too dangerous.”
“I'm gonna keep going though. And it's more fun with you here.”
“Not for me.”
Shine had had enough. “I'm going.”
Swirl stood still for a moment, watching her sister walk off in front of her. She did seem to be able to handle herself down here, Swirl thought. Maybe she would be alright? Swirl turned and left, only she didn't know where she came from.
She took to the air, but the canopy was too dense. The branches intertwined so complexly that not even Swirl and her tiny body could squeeze through. A panic started setting in. She darted through whatever gaps she could fit through, hoping one would lead to the sky, but it only led to her getting more lost, and eventually stuck.
She wriggled as hard as she could, feeling the branches loosen with each twist of her body and flutter of wings.
Her eyes frantically scanned the small area she was in. What little light filtered through the leaves showed something moving. Lots of somethings. Some big, some small. Crawling about the branches. Crawling on her. She managed to make out their shapes. Eight legs that were feeling their way about her. A freeze shot through her spine and she froze with it, only taking in sharp, ragged breaths as her mind raced.
She felt one lower from above onto her head, slowly making its way down, stepping lightly from her mane to her forehead. It past over her eyes as it stepped down further, placing one leg in her mouth.
She screamed of death. Loud and shrieking. Piercing through the silent forest.
She panicked harder. Twisting her body against the wood, feeling it dig into her skin and draw her blood. She had to get out of there, but she couldn't. The tree was wrapped around her, pinning her between branches. In her flurry the spiders moved more, almost agressively.
But the canopy broke open. Light poured in and burnt her eyes. The spiders scattered.
Her mother's hoof wrapped itself around whatever body part it could and wrenched her free, but she kept screaming.
“GET THEM OFF!” Swirl screamed over and over as Rainbow swatted violently at anything that moved. They were all gone but she didn't stop screaming violently squirming in the air.
Rainbow took a leaf from her own book and, pressing her face against her daughter's shouted as loudly as possible, “SWIRL!”
Swirl stopped, still in a clear panic but she was listening.
“They're gone. They're gone. It's okay. You're safe. I've got you,” Rainbow spoke softly over and over again until the fear in her eyes had gone.
Swirl erupted into tears and buried herself into her mother, needing her comfort more than ever.
“It's okay. It's okay,” Rainbow whispered as she hugged her and played a hoof through her mane. “Let's go back to the camp.”
They flew calmly back, Swirl still crying in her mother's hoof, and Rainbow placed her on the warm blanket, and wrapped her up warm.
“What happened?” Jet asked, full of concern. “You just... exploded.”
“Did you not hear her scream?” Rainbow said quietly, not wanting to trigger her daughter.
“No. Did you?”
“Yes. Clear as day. Must be a mother's instinct I guess.”
“What was wrong with her?” Jet asked as he affectionately rubbed the filly's cheek dry.
Rainbow mouthed, “spiders.”
“Oh. That's fair. Creepy buggers.”
Swirl curled up into her mother, whimpering softly.
“Where's Shine?” Rainbow asked calmly, stroking her baby.
“She's still out there. She's okay though. She's not scared.” There was almost a shame in her voice.
“That's okay, baby.” Rainbow said, placing a kiss on her forehead. “It's okay.”

Shine carried on through the undergrowth. It had definitely become less fun on her own, even if Swirl was just moaning. It was just dark trees and not much else. The allure had all but worn off, but as she cut her way through a particularly thick bush she stumbled into a slight clearing, with a shaft of open light all the way out of the canopy.
“If she had just kept going a little bit she could have got out really easily. Oh well. I think I'm done.” She started ascending, taking a slight enjoyment in taking her time, lazily spiralling up the shaft, when something caught her eye.
There was an opening in the branches a little way up, and she could see into a little alcove, a mound of earth surrounded by trees with a beautiful flower growing all alone.
“Mummy would love that,” Shine said aloud as she drifted towards it.

Rainbow left the tent, leaving Swirl behind who had fallen asleep.
“Poor thing,” Jet remarked.
“Yeah. Must have taken it out of her. Never seen her so scared before.”
“Really messed her up. Did you see her when she spotted that web up there? I mean, I barely saw it and she focused on it like a laser.”
“Poor thing,” Rainbow said sadly before plonking hard down back by Jet's side, snuggling into him to once again enjoy the peaceful bog, only to be slightly ruined by Jet rummaging by his side and unscrewing something made of plastic.
“What's that?” Rainbow yawned, suddenly feeling how heavy her eyelids were.
“Tea. Would you like one?” Jet asked but he began pouring a second cup from the flask anyway.
“That would be lovely, thanks.”
“Sugar?”
“Yeah?”
“No. Do you want any?”
Rainbow laughed at herself a little. “Yes please. Three, if that's alright.”
“Of course.” He handed her the flimsy cup and she sipped lazily at the warm sugar, as did he.
It was just what they needed. The boost was felt almost immediately. In this cold it was more delicious than normal, even if it did taste slightly of flask.
“Y’know, this frozen bog in the middle of winter is surprisingly…” Rainbow couldn’t think of how to finish the sentence.
“Romantic?” Jet suggested hopefully.
Rainbow tittered. “Yeah, that’ll work.” She nestled into his shoulder more comfortably and sighed again. “Romantic.”
The small plastic cups were drained of all but the cold dregs of tea. Dash was still zipping about in the distance. Swirl still napped in the tent. Shine was still out adventuring, with Rainbow hoping for a lot of pictures waiting for her for when they got home.
“How long has it been now?” Jet started. “Four months?”
“Almost. Give it a week on monday.” Rainbow knew exactly what he was on about. It was a date she would remember, the one where she had met him.
“It's been good, hasn't it?” Jet asked, certain of what answer he'd give but wanted to know hers.
“It's been better than that.”
They looked at each other, and nothing else. Only they mattered anymore. Stomachs full of butterflies, but with clear minds, they got nearer. Slowly. Calmly. They were so close.
Rainbow couldn't sense anything else. Not the frozen air. Not the crashing of ice on the shore of the bog. Not the Hydra's footsteps rumbling in the ground.
Jet did. He pulled back and slammed his hoof over Rainbow's mouth, not the delicate kiss either of them were expecting. Rainbow was silently furious, about to make it loud, but the panic in Jet's eyes, the small shake of his head, the body quaking with fear, all told her that she had to be silent.
Her eyes looked across slowly and her stomach dropped and heart leapt. The huge claws of the Hydra were too close. Any movement could have set it off, shown them that there was something there, a small amount of food to help sustain it through the cold.
In the fierce silence they jumped at the sound of the tent zip, and out stepped Swirl. “Mummy? What was that...?” She never finished her sentence as the sight of a Hydra filling the sky sank in.
She screamed, which the Hydra challenged back with a great roar from its heads.
Rainbow sprang forward, shielding her daughter from the sound, the roar and the spit. It was foul to every sense. The stench of the hot air blasting her with the debris of a thousand innocent creatures from the depths of its throat. The sight of the mountains of fangs stained yellow and red with dirt and blood. The horror of the small inhaler on the ground, tied to a ripped string, a feather taped to its side and a name scratched into the hard plastic. It was Shine's.
Rainbow picked it up, delicate like it was a child, yet shaking with a racing mind. A fang had punctured it and blood painted it.
She wailed in agony as her heart shredded to pieces, clutching the inhaler, embracing it like she did once her daughter that owned it. She felt sick. Everything vanished around her as the world grew darker. How could this happen?
The Hydra came down at them. One of their mighty heads went to bite. Swirl screamed but Rainbow was frozen.
Jet came crashing into it, booming from the sides at an unbelievable speed, and shattered some of its teeth.
“RUN!” he yelled over the noise, but no one did. Swirl was paralyzed with fear as Rainbow was collapsed, doubled in pain and tears pouring into the ground. He couldn't see what had happened but couldn't worry about it. He needed to act before the Hydra could.
He sped towards the pair in an attempt to grab them, but Rainbow was adamant in staying.
“NO!” she screamed as she pushed him back and picked up the inhaler. It was then that Jet noticed what happened, but with the adrenaline of the danger wouldn't stop him.
“Move! We've got to get out of here!”
Rainbow didn't answer him, she was devoid of any response, but there was a whislte from above.
“HEY!” Spark shouted, waving for his attention.
“Get away!” Jet shouted back, waving her to leave immediately, but it was too late. She dove down to them, spinning and looping, making sure the Hydra couldn't follow her, and scooped Swirl into the her hooves, pulling her back up into the air and out of danger.
“I got her! You get mummy!” Dash screamed as she took her sister and took her higher to where the clouds were, out of any harms way.
Spark looped round and shot to the ground, right into the mass of necks of the Hydra. “I've got them. You get her!” she yelled amongst the chaos. The heads followed her every movement, only it made them confused and dizzy as they wrapped the necks through each other, knotting them together. It wouldn't hold them back for long but it gave them a better chance.
Spark landed heavily next to Jet. “We've got this,” she said as she grabbed the mare's stomach and began pulling up.
Jet got under her, wrapping his hooves around her waist and lifted her up, and in his grip she took to the sky with no resistance, as the inhaler was firmly in her grip. Spark flew alongside them.
“Here. Over there is where Dash and Swirl are. On the cloud. Quickly before the Hydra sorts itself out.”
Carefully, Jet placed the grieving mare on the cloud, and her other daughters crowded her, knowing full well that Rainbow was not afraid like them but something much worse.
“Where's Shine?” Spark asked. Her wings pulled her into the air as she was about to go on a rescue mission but Jet pulled her down.
With tears in his eyes he whispered to her what had happened. How the Hydra spat out a bloodied inhaler. How it must have eaten her. Spark didn't believe it.
“She's not dead til we find a body,” she said too loudly.
“Dead?” Swirl asked, full of innocence.
Jet stared at her. Full of anger for saying it and for getting herself into so much danger. But she was right.
“There's a town not too far from here,” Jet started. “I'll go inform the police there. Tell them what happened. Help them search. Hopefully they might be able to sort this out.” He had no hope for her, but he couldn't admit that. “Spark, lead them back to cloudsdale.”
“I'm coming with you.”
“No. You've got youself into enough danger today. It was reckless. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you.”
“But it didn't.”
“I know that. But what if?” His eyes drifted to Rainbow, an inconsolable mess crying over the loss of one of her own. Spark felt it. She saw how Rainbow was and how much pain she was in, and she could see how Jet was feeling, how it reminded him of his son.
“Okay. But you be safe too.”

It was two weeks since they had come back. The hope Rainbow had was dwindling, but she refused to let it die. The nights had been sleepless for everyone in the family.
There came a ring of the doorbell. As Rainbow opened it she was greeted by the worst. It was two police officers, hats off to her, and a solemn expression.
Rainbow broke down. She felt like she had died. She didn't even hear the good news until Dash screamed it in glee.
“She's alive?!”
“Yes, little one. We found her yesterday, alive but not well.”
Rainbow clawed at their shoulders. “Where is she?”
“She is being treated at a hospital near the forest. Specialists there that are trained for this kind of dealing. It wasn't a moment too soon.”
“How is she?” Swirl asked as she sped down the stairs.
“She's in a critical condition, but the best doctors are working her case and they have hope for her survival. The task now is stabilising her so they can treat her properly. The doctors will fill you in fully.”
“I need to see her,” Rainbow sobbed.
“That's why were here. We have an escort for you to the hospital. Should be there in a few hours.”
Rainbow and her children were already in the taxi.

She was a mess. Quarantined behind thick glass. Tubes going into various holes. Covered head to hoof in cuts and bruises. Her chest had two long red scars cut into her. They looked fresh but the doctors ensured her they weren't.
“She was found stumbling in the forest, just in the safe bit. She was very weak and ill but she should be okay now.”
Rainbow watched as ponies in hazmat suits did work on her.
“Are those necessary?”
“Very much so. She is highly contaminated with some powerful bacteria and poisons. Hence the dialysis to keep her blood clean.”
Rainbow felt her eyes well with tears. “Can I hug her?”
“Out of the question. She is far too delicate right now for even something as simple as a hoof bump, let alone a hug I have no doubt will squeeze her.”
Rainbow didn't like the answer but knew she could do nothing about it. “Okay. I'll wait then.”
“What's that tube for?” Dash asked curiously, as she had done with all the other tubes and machines. “The one in between her legs? It's weird.”
“That one is a catheter.”
“A cat heater?”
“Catheter. It takes the urine from her body, along with many toxins."
“That's her WEE?!” Dash screeched. “Eww!”

A month later Shine was moved to Cloudsdale general hospital, where she made a full recovery. The only marks to say it ever happened were the two huge red scars across her chest and the fact she had somehow been cured of her asthma.
She claimed it was a zebra who lived in the forest who had saved her, but that's prepostorous.

I have grown bored of writing this chapter. It's far too long but whatever. It's done. That's all you need to know.

I FORGOT ABOUT A WHOLE PART OF THE CHAPTER! God damn it. Whatever. It's been a couple months.

They got back to the house after a fun day out at a fun fair to find the front door had been broken into. Scared, they walk inside to find Red, Rainbow's ex-husband, sitting at the kitchen table, looking ominous and more scary than he had done before.
Threateningly Red starts to talk to Rainbow and the children, who were shocked to see who their father actually is. Needless to say they didn't like them. (fun fact, in the very original draft he convinces Swirl and Shine to go with him, and only Dash stays with their mother because loyalty. You can see why I didn't go for that.)
He continues to beat around whatever bush he had come to talk about, but when Rainbow demands him to leave he hits her. Swirl and Dash then attacked but are hit back as well. Limping and hurt they go back to their mother, cowering in her safety, with Shine doing her best to make sure they are alright.
Rainbow shouts at him again, clearly terrified behind her tears, and he goes to hit her again. Only he never did. Jet Stream had appeared at the door with a bunch of flowers and, seeing what was happening, performed his legendary feat of a standing sonic boom, launching both him and Red through the glass door into the garden.
An epic fight takes place, too epic for me to actually write because writing action is hard as you can't properly convey the urgency and speed of what's happening outside of a visual media. Jet consistently has the upper hand.
It ends with Red being slammed into the street, shattering the tarmac beneath him. Jet grabs him and screams in his face a threat that is very much not empty about ripping his wings off and kicking him off the edge if he ever showed his face again.
Red takes a letter from his coat pocket and passes it to Jet, saying it's divorce papers as they had never made it official before.
Jet cools down and heads back inside, swapping the papers for the flowers, and heads to Rainbow.
He checks her and the children over for injuries, performing some basic first aid to ensure they heal properly.
And then they finally kiss! It was good for both of them. It wasn't romantic, but it was comforting and that is what she really wanted.

Like seriously. That's what all this has been building up to. A stupid as hell cliché kiss.

God damn it.

I swear I'm actually alright at this. I just want this out of my head.

And are you satisfied? The cliff hanger from 6 years ago turns out to be this? A short few paragraphs that summarise the whole chapter? Happy? HUH?!

Worth the fucking wait, am I right?

3 fucking paragraphs! 6 years of waiting! That's a whopping paragraph every two years! What an amazing rate at which I was working!

Fucks sake. Whatever. It's better in my head. The emotion Rainbow has when receiving the kiss is a little more complex than just “it felt nice”. It's a much more touching moment than it's written but who fucking cares?!

I know I don't! I say as I continue to write this stupid fanfiction that is, by far, the longest thing I have ever written.

What am I doing?

8 Years

Rainbow shot awake. Something was wrong. Everything felt off as she sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was far too early to naturally wake up. There was still dew outside for one thing. Then she felt it.
It was only slight at first, a small tremble through the floor. Then the sirens blared across the city.
In a panic she stared out the window. So many drills had still not prepared her for the eventuality.
“We need to get out,” Jet ordered from his side of the bed, becase yeah, he moved in at some point.
Rainbow nodded as she sprang into action. To the room next door she bolted, barging through the door.
“Mummy?” Swirl asked. “What's happening?”
“You know that thing I was supposed to mention a lot earlier in your lives to make it seem much less of a contrived plot device than it is? Well, it's happening!”
The fillies gasped. “A CLOUDQUAKE!”
The cloud was beginning to shake more and more violently, almost as if it was building up to something. “Quickly now. Outside and fly high above the city. It's safest there.”
Jet and Rainbow ushered the filles out of the house and launched them into the air, knowing they hadn't much time.
High above the city they watched as the cloud base moved so violently. It was unnerving to see the incredibly stable shake so fragiley. This was their home but now it seemed weak and as though it should never have been built.
Jet was darting about nearer the surface, helping those feeble to get up quickly, but soon he joined them in the sky, surrounded by the inhabitants of the city, all waiting for it to stop, dreading to think what will become of the precious homes. Some buildings were already showing signs of weakness. Cracks tore their way through the ground and up walls. Buildings began to lean and break apart. Fortunately it was all cloud, so the damage should be minimal, if still not horrendous to those it affected.
A huge gust of wind past over them.
The cloud base was caught in it, resonating with the tremors. It was deafening, the sounds of their world ripping to shreds, the explosions of the pipes, the shattering of glass.
Rainbow saw it coming. She spun round and shielded her children from the blast. Flecks of glass pierced her skin and muscle, digging its way deep into her. It was agony, like hundreds of tiny needles boring into her with every flap of her wings. She could feel the blood dripping down her back. But it didn't matter, as long as her precious little fillies were okay.
The sirens quietened as the cloud settled down. It was safe to land, although no one did for some time.
“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked as she loosened her grip around them.
“Yeah.” The words fell out of Dash's mouth. The shock of what happened was still sinking in.
Swirl hummed in agreement, tears streaming from the fear that still gripped her.
Shine said nothing. She wasn't there.
“Shine?” Rainbow asked. “Shine?” she asked again louder, looking around in a panic.

Then came a thud.

It wasn't loud. It was nothing heavy. No one else seemed to notice. But Rainbow locked up, breath ripped from her lungs. She didn't want to look down, but slowly she did.
Shine was laying there on the dirty white floor, slowly staining it red.
“Shine?” Rainbow whimpered. Slowly she dropped down.
“Shine?” she whispered. It couldn't be true. She landed next to her.
Rainbow felt a void open in her. Something impossible in her heart and mind. Something that should never have happened.
Swirl, Dash and Jet landed next to her, and many other ponies as well once they noticed what had happened. But they didn't matter. None of them mattered then. It may as well be nothing but black around her. She had no idea what to do. No idea how to feel. So she sat there, on the ground, and stared at her child.
Shine lay there, no breath in her body, nothing but pain in her eyes. She lay still on the ground. A long shard of glass sticking from her chest.

9 Years

It should have been raining.

The sun was warm. Birds flitted about the trees that were dotted about the cemetery, tweeting their happy songs on this solemn day.
They all stood either side of the carpet that had been rolled along the grass, quiet and waiting, wanting it both to be over and for it to never happen.
They wore black.
Rainbow was frozen. Such a void inside was impossible to feel, and she dared not try. Not right now. Not while her daughters were stood by her side.
She looked down to them. Swirl was stood straight and tall, showing off in her new dress, while Dash was fidgeting, itching to get out of the dress and fly. Neither understood it. Not really.
The Father of the Church walked in front, talking some forgotten language from some book. Behind him followed her father and brother, silent and strong. Strong enough to carry between them a small wooden box of immaculate design. Seemed a waste just to bury it.
Slowly it was lowered into the ground.
The Father said some words. They were meaningless, nothing more than an old tradition that would bring some comfort to them. But how could mere words bring her comfort when her daughter was dead?

Rainbow woke with a start. Bolt up right with a viscious gasp dragging its way into her tired body. She bit down hard on her hoof, hard enough to taste blood, all to stop her screaming. Tears fell quickly, but Jet Stream was there to help catch them.
“Hey hey,” he whispered tenderly. He didn't need to ask what was wrong.
It stopped shortly, but by then they weren't getting back to sleep.
“I'm sorry,” Rainbow sniffed. She didn't look at him, only at the bed below her, focusing on it as it was better than the thoughts in her head. “Today is going to be hard.”
“I know. But remember, we are all here for you, especially today.”
Rainbow nodded before burying her head into his chest. Her breath shook steadily.
“Say, I think I know what will help,” Jet started happily, a smile masking his sad eyes, “Why don't we start wrapping their presents?”
Rainbow cracked a smile from her comfortable spot nestled in her partner's chest. It did sound like a good idea.
“Okay,” she said with a smile. Wrapping presents for her daughters to rip open had always made her happy, almost as much as seeing them opened.
From under the bed she pulled two full carriers bags of gifts, a couple rolls of paper and plenty of tape. Carefully the two of them headed downstairs and started wrapping.

Dash had been lying in her bed for some time. The sun was rising when she first opened her eyes, and that was a couple hours ago. A huge smile stretched over her face as she thought about all the presents that will be waiting for her downstairs.
She looked to her side to find her sister staring back at her, wearing an identical smile for identical reasons.
“Hey!” Dash whispered loud enough to be heard further away then she liked.
“It's our birthday!” Swirl chirped in, just as loudly.
Dash exploded from her bed, joined by Swirl with equal enthusiasm only less energy. “We're NINE!”
They bumped their hooves hard to celebrate. Dash's eyes flicked to the side and her smile wavered. It was Shine's empty bed. It betrayed her as Swirl saw the glint in her eye vanish. She felt it too, only neither wanted to, so for now they ignored it and masked it with their usual energetic thundering down the stairs.

Through the door to the living room they fell over each other, landing in a mad heap. Looking up through her sister's tail Dash saw the two mountains of presents and her eyes lit up. It was more presents she had ever seen before, and she could only imagine how many were chocolate.
“Happy Birthday!” Rainbow and Jet cheered in unison, with hooves high in the air.
“Whoo!” Dash shouted back before darting to her mother with Swirl not far behind. In a jumping tackle the two fillies pushed Rainbow to the sofa cushions to nuzzle in to her chest, which she took happily. She could feel them getting bigger, noticeably every year, but there was only two of them which she didn't like.
Jet, wanting in on the action, wrapped his hooves around all of them and squeezed them as hard as he could, until he heard Swirl laugh; one of his favourite things.
“You know the drill,” Rainbow told them, “One present now and the rest later when everyone else is here.”
The fillies rolled from their mother and both reached for the identical triangular prisms that could only mean one thing; Socks.
“huh?” Dash was lost for words. A triangular box for socks? Meanwhile Rainbow found her little joke hilarious, doubled in fits of laughter, so Jet filled them in.
“Your mum thinks she's funny. There's another box shaped like that though.”
Filled with rejuevenated enthusiasm they pulled out the other triangular prisms which contained, of course, Toblerone. Rainbow was still laughing.
“I'll go-” She stopped to giggle. “I'll get your birthday milkshakes going.” Rainbow left for the kitchen to make two milkshakes so big only a child could drink it all.

As always, birthdays were a family affair in the Rainbow family. Everyone in the family was there, as well as a couple friends. Derpy was sat with her mother happily watching the fillies dance to their new music, and Ticker was dancing along with them.
Their uncle had given them a huge stack of records between them and they were determined to get through them as quickly as possible.
“Are you ready for my present?” Nana asked sweetly.
The fillies all stopped what they were doing to listen and say please with a flash of their smiles.
“Now, I'm afraid I had no idea what to get you this year, but I'm sure you'll love it.” She handed them a card each.
Confused they took the cards, normally the cards are opened first, so why were they getting more now?
Dash ripped the envelope and two shining coins fell out. She picked them up and looked over them, they were different than most coins she had seen, but when she saw the number on the other side she almost fainted. Each read “50”. She had never seen a 50 before, and now she had two of them. It was more money than she could imagine spending, but boy was she going to try.
Rainbow scowled. She had never got that much money, not even when she turned 18, and she could do with it a lot more than these nine year olds. She had bills to pay.
Excited, Swirl opened her own envelope, threw it in the air with a loud, horrible scream and launched herself to the nearest family member, and wept tears of fear.
Derpy zipped to catch the card before it hit the ground. She looked at it with a frown. “It's just a spider,” she said glumly, although Swirl squeaked a little and gripped her grandad tighter. It was just a spider, an overly cartoon one with comically sized googly eyes.
Rainbow shot her Nana a dirty look. “You know this, Nana. You know how she feels about spiders!” She whispered the last word.
“Oh I'm so sorry. I knew there was some link there but I just forgot. Derpy, be a dear and put those cards up with the others, just face it the other way.”
Derpy nodded and flew over to the fire place. She carefully lined up a spot for the card and began the difficult job of placing it exactly right, but her small wings created a light wind in the room, so as she placed it on the hard surface the cards beside it blew off.
“Oh no!” she cried and went to catch them before they were hurt, but in doing so more fell off.
She gasped in horror and went after them as well, but ended up blowing them across the floor of the living room.
She looked at the desolate scene of paper chaos and shed a single tear.
Rainbow tittered. “It’s okay, Derpy,” she said affectionately. She looked to the cream stallion speckled with brown dots sitting on the ground in front of her mother. “Dad?” she asked simply.
“Sure,” he replied, knowing full well what she was going to ask. He forced himself up with a small groan and went to place the cards back on the mantelpiece.
Derpy celebrated her work well done and flew back to her mother, where she nestled back into a comfortable position by her side and was rewarded by an affectionate nuzzle on her mane.
“Where are the coins?” Nana asked the room as she looked for them in the mess.
“I don't know,” Dash said coyly, if that means what I think it does, clearly with something in her mouth.
“Eww, Dash,” Rainbow moaned. “Spit those out. Over the sink. And wash them good, missy.”
Dash was thinking about playing the birthday card but there was a better time for that so did as she was told.

The doorbell rang out in the house, which made most of the inhabitants jump.
“I’ve got it, Rainbow!” Derpy said confidently. She swiftly jumped up and went off to make herself useful.
The small grey filly opened the door to a pink mare.
Derpy stared at her confusedly. “I don’t know you,” she said dumbly.
“I don’t know you either, Sugar,” the mare replied with her much deeper voice.
“Oh, my name’s not Sugar, it’s Ditzy Doo, but Ponies call me Derpy. Derpy Hooves for long,” the small filly said confidently.
The mare chuckled loudly. “Sure, Derpy. Nice to meet you.”
“Who is it, Derpy,” the grey filly’s mother called from the living room.
“It’s a weird looking mare,” Derpy said simply.
Dizzy gasped. “Ditzy Doo,” she said angrily. “That is NOT nice. Apologise. Now.”
Derpy’s brain lost its ability to function, so it made the filly it controlled remain completely silent.
Rainbow perked up upon hearing the description. “Cloud! Come in!” she said ecstatically and began watching the doorway intently.
Cloud pushed past the frozen filly as politely as she could. “Thanks,” she said in her loud voice. She looked at the filly, who still stood with the door open in her hoof, and shook her head with a smile. “It’s okay, Derpy. I know you don’t mean anything bad. There ain’t a need to apologise.”
Derpy seemed to reboot from hibernation and become aware of all the heat she was letting in through the front door, and so shut it gently. She turned to the pink mare and smiled at her.
Cloud chuckled deeply and walked into the living room.
“Hi, everypony,” she said in her loud, friendly manner. She walked to the centre of the room where the two young fillies were sat. “Happy birthday,” she said kindly and gave them both a card from her bag.
“Thanks,” the little Rainbows replied together with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm from being giving something that wasn’t a present.
Cloud paid no attention to their lack of gratitude and sat on the smaller of the two sofas, and nearly crushed her best friend’s brother in the process.
Derpy had gathered the courage to take the long walk back to her mother with her head bowed with shame. She stopped a few steps in front of her and started twisting her hoof into the floor embarrassedly.
Dizzy raised an eyebrow at her daughter in a moody fashion. She could see that the filly had been through enough and was clearly sorry, so she smiled and raised a wing invitingly.
Derpy smiled back and took her place under the feathery canopy happily.

Star had been sitting there, waiting, biding his time for this exact moment. There was a lull in activity and everyone was growing a little restless, in particular the children.
“I've got one more gift for ya,” he said with a smirk.
Dash and Swirl looked a little shocked. Another one? But they already had so many. Rainbow was thinking the same thing.
“It's another one for both of you, but there's plenty to keep you both happy.” From under the kitchen table, where he had stashed it, he pulled a large rattling box. Derpy knew the sound well and was bouncing in her seat to see if it was true. The birthday fillies quickly destroyed any paper in their way.
“Lego?” Dash asked a little annoyed.
Derpy gasped and looked to her mother, hoping to be allowed to play with it.
Thunder gasped and looked to his wife, hoping to be allowed to play with it.
Blaze slapped her forehead and dragged her hoof slowly down her face in a slow, tired motion.
“Must you be so childish?” she asked wearily.
“It’s a guy thing. You wouldn’t understand,” he said condescendingly.
She sighed and decided to ignore him.
“What’s Lego?” Dash asked confusedly as she stared at the large box.
“I’ll show ya!” her granddad said excitedly and crawled over to the dumbfounded filly. He removed the lid hurriedly and poured the contents onto the floor between him and Dash. “Okay then,” he said as he laid on the floor comfortably. “This is how you do it…”

“Look! I made a spaceship!” Thunder said as he rolled over to show his wife the crude model with a huge sense of pride.
She stared back at her husband with her mouth hanging open. She had been rendered speechless by his stupidity, but he turned back and carried on regardless.
Rainbow tittered and looked to her daughters, Ticker and Derpy, who were working together to build something.
“What you girls making then?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” Dash replied simply. “But it has wheels, so probably a tank.”
“Ah, of course,” Rainbow said with a hint of sarcasm.
She shut her eyes and took a deep, quiet breath through her nose. It’s now or never, Rainbow thought.
She turned to her mother by her side. Her eyes had lost any hint of cheer and had a look of sadness.
“Mum,” she whispered. “I'm going out for a bit. I’ll be back later.”
Rainbow stood up and headed into the hallway silently, with her mother watching intently with some concern in her frown.
Rainbow grabbed her bag that she had left in the corner since the morning and left the house before anyone noticed.
Dash and Swirl heard the door click gently and looked up from their toys.
“Where’s Mummy gone?” Swirl asked innocently.
“She’ll be back later,” their grandmother said with a sigh.
The fillies looked back at the door, feeling slightly saddened by their mother’s absence.

Rainbow flew slowly to the ground below Cloudsdale. The cool breeze through her mane was refreshing after being cooped up in the house all day.
She landed on by the front gate of her destination and stretched her tired, aching wings. She didn't look up as she walked inside, knowing that even just the old sign above would be enough to set her off.
Quietly, slowly, she made her way into the Cemetery.
It was somewhere near the back, where the ground was still fresh and largely untouched, with more trees growing as they had once made up the old border. It was perfect for Shine, under the shade of a large willow tree.
Rainbow sat carefully at the foot of the grave. The soil was covered in grass again, barely different from the surroundings, only the slab of marble sticking out of the ground gave anything away.
She took a deep breath.
“Happy birthday, Shine.” She took a small box from her bag. “I got this for you,” she said as she removed a small cupcake and candle from it. She placed it on the foot of the headstone and lit the candle.
“Go on. Blow it out.” Rainbow leant forward and did it herself. “Well done!” she cheered.
It all felt a bit weird. She knew she had to do this, for her own sake, but now she was here she couldn't help but see how odd the situation was. She was, after all, talking to block of some expensive rock. What do you say in this situation?
She sat in silence, oddly enjoying the company, listening to the birds and wind in the trees. It was so warm in the sun. She watched as a small blue bird took a bite of the cake and flew off back to its nest.
She chuckled. “It's nice to see you sharing for a change.”

Time passed quickly. The sun had gone further through the sky, and was now warming Rainbow’s back, casting her shadow over the headstone.
“So,” she started a little loudly to break the silence. “I suppose you want to know how we’re all doing, no?” Rainbow asked before waiting for a reply.
The leaves rustled slightly.
“I thought so,” Rainbow said knowingly. “Well, Swirl twisted her hoof playing hoof ball last month, but she got better pretty quickly, as she always does. And Dash is getting better at flying.” She perked up as the topic came up. “And you should see her! She learned how to do loops and barrel rolls a few weeks ago and now she does them nonstop! It’s so awesome, just watching her zoom about the tree and pulling tricks that even I'm a bit jealous of!”
The smile she wore slowly vanished and was replaced by a look of sadness. “I wish you could see it.”
She sighed.
“I'm doing okay. It’s hard, but I'm managing. I try my hardest not to show Swirl and Dash how I feel, because they’re too young to understand and I don’t want to worry them. But they must miss you in some way. They seem less energetic without you around anymore.”
She bowed her head down slowly and shut her eyes. “But I miss you.”
She took a deep, shaky breath. “I-I miss you so much,” her voice cracked. She could feel herself about to cry again.
She shut her eyes as tight as she could, squeezing out the few tears that had begun to form, and looked away with a small growl at herself.
“No. I won’t cry again,” she ordered herself in a harsh voice. “I have to be strong for you.”
Her eyes remained closed and her face screwed up as she took several deep, forceful breaths. It was some seconds before she brought herself back to a state of calm.
She sighed once she returned to her senses and opened her eyes.
The words on the stone jumped out at her. The name Rainbow Shine hit her heart like a train, sending a terrible shiver coursing through her body and making the pain all the more horrible.
She began to break down again with a shivering breath and reached out to touch the name of her daughter, but her hoof fell before it reached.
The sudden realisation of what the stone meant rang clear in her mind and she fell forward, collapsing against the soft earth beneath. She couldn’t push it away again.
After a sharp intake of breath she let out her emotions and cried loudly. She could almost be heard from the entrance to the cemetery. It hurt her throat as the screams of despair left her, but she couldn’t stop. Every second she cried it only got worse as her mind reminded her repeatedly, “My daughter is dead.”

The grass went cool under her and her eyes became red, but she couldn’t stem the flow, only lessen it, but she sobbed quietly as the evening wore on.
She knew she needed to leave, she had been with her lost daughter for far too long, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave her side. Every time she tried to put weight on her hooves her legs went limp and she couldn’t stand.
She heard a pony land next to her, casting their shadow over her. She looked up and saw Jet Stream watching her, already on the verge of tears himself.
Rainbow began to speak but was silent with a shake of Jet's head. He knew better than most that losing your child was something you couldn't handle on your own, so he sat down beside her and gave her his shoulder to cry on. And in the comfort of his large wing she did just that.

It was a little while later. Sun still high but slowly making its descent. Rainbow felt exhausted, drained of energy both in body and mind, but now she was ready to leave. The gravestone once again meant nothing more to her than a rock in the ground.

They returned to the house slowly, savouring the cool winds, letting them return to normal. As they landed the pizza guy was at the door with a stack of eight pizza boxes and some chips, and this was when they noticed they hadn't eaten since breakfast.
The birthday girls were unsure of which they were happier to see once the door opened.
“I've got this one,” Dash announced proudly to the house, carrying her birthday money to the pizza guy. “How much?”
“83 bits,” he stated simply.
Dash felt a lurch on her stomach as she learnt the harsh reality that things cost a lot more than she wanted. “Mum?”
Rainbow was in a fit of giggles as she paid the teenager. “Thanks,” she laughed. “Keep the change.”
Dash watched her mother walk past with the pizza stack, wearing a look of shock and disgust. Why would you just let someone keep the change? That was her money!
Everyone had their fill of pizza, foolishly not leaving room for the cake afterwards, but they managed nonetheless.
The doorbell rang as they were letting their food digest with tea and coffee for the grownups and squash for the kids.
Rainbow, being closest to the door, answered it. She looked down to a young mare, probably at the end of her teens, wearing a beanie, many piercings and a pissed off expression.
“Yo. Ticker ready?”
Ticker recognised the voice immiediately and quickly got up to leave, with Swirl following her to the door. Now Rainbow remembered the sister Ticker lived with.
Ticker flapped her wings at Rainbow with a little bow of her head, which Rainbow had learnt meant, “Thanks!”
“No problem, Ticker. It was lovely seeing you again. And don't forget to take some cake for you and your sister.” Rainbow glanced at the mare, thinking she could do with feeding. Nothing but skin and bones. Yet Rainbow couldn't shake the feeling in her mind, one that made her a little dizzy, and thought if only she was younger and single.
Ticker quickly returned with the bag of cake left for her on the table and gave Swirl a long hug. “Thanks for the present,” Swirl said sweetly. It wasn't much of a gift, just a new white headband, but coming from Ticker meant a lot more to her than merely what it was.
Ticker let her friend go and left with her sister, only looking back to wave.
Rainbow found herself staring in places that made her blush, only she was quick to hide it once she shut the door by asking Swirl a question.
“What is with Ticker and her sister? I mean, I've only ever seen her with her.”
“Yeah, that's because she lives with her sister.”
“I see." That was the one thing about the sister she did know. "What about their parents?”
“They live in Hooflyn.”
“Okay. But why aren't they living together?”
“Well, they used to live with them when they were little, but her sister didn't like it. Their dad drank too much, but I don't know why that's bad because it's good to drink plenty, and their mum was in jail for selling drugs, but I don't get that either because you can buy drugs at the shop.”
Rainbow felt a little twinge of despair and felt the urge to give Ticker and her sister a hug. “That's awful.”
“Yeah. Ticker says her sister moved them when she was only two because their dad only drank more when their mum was in prison. And their mum was supposed to get out before they left because she shanked someone? I think that's what Ticker said, whatever that means.”
A small crowd had gathered to listen in about Ticker, who had seemed so sweet and normal until then.
“And their dad always came home with different mares every other night who just stayed in his room with him for a bit before leaving. Then one night he wanted to spend it with Ticker's sister but she didn't want to sleep with him, but I don't know why coz I love sleeping with you, mummy. But that's when she punched him in the willy,” she paused to laugh at the word, “and grabbed Ticker and came here. And now she's my bestest friend.”
Rainbow was positively flabberghasted. “How do they afford to live if it's just the two of them?”
“Her sister say her special talent is cooking, but I don't know because I've tried her food and for someone who says it's their job its gross. And she always smoking these weird smelling cigarettes.”
All the adults in the room were in shock. None could have ever imagined such a nice little filly would have been born into such a troubled family. All of them felt some urge now to look after her and make sure she and her sister were doing alright.
“Why you looking like that, you lot?” Swirl asked, no clue as to why they suddenly looked so downtrodden.

It was night time again, and midnight had long since past. Her family and friends had returned to their respective homes across Equestria, leaving Rainbow with her thoughts as she tried to sleep.
She couldn’t. She couldn’t keep strong anymore.
She sat on her bed, hugged her legs close to her chest and cried quietly. Jet Stream wrapped himself around her to help, but she might as well have been alone. She had left the curtains open to see her tree, but it didn’t rain, making it harder. The world didn’t care.
In the stillness of the night, in the quiet, peaceful darkness only broken by the light of the moon, Rainbow could only think of the truth the day revealed, that she would always be missing one daughter.
She tried to stop herself, she knew she couldn’t keep crying, but she couldn’t stop it no matter how hard she wanted to.
She lowered her head down and hid deep in her mane. She grew slightly louder as she remembered the sound of her daughter hitting the street, the paramedics zipping the body bag, the funeral, the council coming to clean the blood from the road.
Light from the hall spilt into the room, illuminating her in the lamplight. Rainbow gasped and faced the door.
Swirl and Dash stood there side by side, holding the door open, and looking at their mother with more sadness than Rainbow had ever seen before.
“Mummy,” they started sadly.
Rainbow looked away quickly. One hoof tried to hide her tear soaked face and bloodshot eyes while the other tried to usher her daughters out of the room.
“Please go,” she whispered pleadingly. “I-I don’t want you seeing me like this.”
The fillies stepped further into the room. “Mummy,” they said again.
Rainbow shook her head to herself and bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to stop her looking at her children, thinking it would help.
Dash and Swirl looked briefly at each other before facing their mother once again. They whimpered, clearly about to cry, “We miss Shine,”
Rainbow looked round again and faced her fillies. In the light of the moon their tears glistened.
In that moment, Rainbow realised how selfish she had been. She should have known they missed her. She knew they were smart enough to understand, but she hoped they wouldn’t be, because it made it too hard.
She held her hooves out for them to come closer, which they did so swiftly.
As the door swung shut behind them, Swirl and Dash jumped onto the bed, where Rainbow took them and hugged them tightly against her.
The feeling of their coats against hers and their need of comforting, which would normally give her the warm, motherly feeling inside, did not help her in anyway.
They hugged and all three began to cry as they wept for their fallen Rainbow.

A pale sun began to shine through the fine mist of summer, casting a dim light through the window of Rainbow’s bedroom.
Dash and Swirl were fast asleep. Dash stayed by her mother’s chest, as she always did, so she could be hugged. Swirl lay further down the bed from Dash, but still pressed against her, and hugged at the long rainbow mane of her mother for security, like she did when she was just a few months old.
Rainbow didn’t sleep. She couldn’t sleep. She stared straight ahead and let her mind continue doing whatever it wanted. She may have been completely emotionally drained, but still the fatigue was not enough for her to sleep past the barrier of what little emotion was left inside her at that time.
Dash was hugged, just as she wanted, with one of Rainbow’s hooves, while the other stroked down her daughters’ manes.
First over Dash’s scruffy mane, which was cut into an awesome style as the filly had demanded. It suited her so well, with her carefree, confident attitude.
Next was Swirl’s thick, perfectly combed mane, kept out of her eyes with the headband she always wore. It was the best mane out of her daughters, the only one anything like her own and it only added to her beauty.
But there was no third mane. No erratic curls of colour that sprang randomly from the head of a filly. No mane that made her think of the smart, chubby, asthmatic filly that always made her smile just by being there.
She missed that most of all.
Somehow, the rainbow seemed less bright now.

Author's Note

Yes, I copied a lot from the previous version, but that's only because it was the only salvageable chapter.
From here though everything is not just new, but spanking new! Sounds weird without the "brand", doesn't it?

10 Years

What I planned with chapter was just really fucking boring. Seriously, after the previous chapter I feel this was a real let down.

Do you know what happens when they're 10?

They go to their grandparents house and Dash is taught the violin.

That's it.

Like, seriously, how boring is that?!

I mean, there's a little more than that but that's the gist of it.

Like, it's a tradition for the eldest Rainbow mare to learn when they become 10, and Swirl just can't do it, but Dash has some knack for it.

I don't like this. I decided this when I was first planning this story about 6 years ago, when I thought Dash being able to play violin was cool, but it's not really.

I am planning on using it though, that's why I'm mentioning it here. The fact that Dash can play the violin at some point becomes relevant to the story as some character building thing.

Was gonna have a little story about how Blaze and Thunder met, but I have since pulled that out of this pony bullshit and am actually using it with humans, as the fact they are ponies doesn't really affect the story. I'm sure you're totally disappointed not hearing it, as it's really quite lovely, but tough. I'm not trapping other ideas in this pony fan fic hole. I'm glad I got a couple freed.

Seen my story 'Apple “Buck” Season'? Well I took that and made it absolutely amazing and it has nothing to do with ponies (of the Little variety, there's still horses)! I'm hoping Netflix will take it up once I finish it.

I was gonna do some nice little “fun facts” about this story. Like, what inspired me? Why the long hiatus? Why did I come back to it? What the fuck am I doing with my life?

You know, just the usual questions.

But I had a better idea. A little couple stories that got in my head. A little bit more character about Rainbow, because, let's face it, this story was always about her, and I managed to come up with a character scary enough to actually wake me up in a semi-lucid dream I had last night. Anyway, let's have a couple nightmares.

(WARNING: The following section features gore)

It was late. So late that some might even call it early. Dash couldn't sleep. All night she tossed and turned this way and that. Nothing was comfortable enough, no matter how tired she was.
Every slight noise roared in her ears. The birds in the distance whistling at the first rays of the sun. The gentle breeze running through the leaves of the tree in the back garden. The boiler gently purring in the small room between her and her mother's bedroom. It was all so quiet, but not for her.
The bed was lumpy. The quilt was itchy. The cuddly toy was on the floor, and her exhausted body couldn't reach it. She gave up. She resided herself to a sleepless night and just relaxed her body and hope sleep would eventually find her.

The door creaked. She thought nothing of it. Most likely Swirl was trying to sneak to the bathroom. It closed again. Among the quiet came a slightly louder noise,like breathing, but deeper, yet it was hidden within the noise from the boiler so it couldn't quite be heard.
She was motionless. Sleep was finally washing over her but was snatched away. The mattress springs crunched beneath her as a large weight was placed on it. The breathing was louder. Dash didn't want to look. She kept her eyes shut tight and held her breath.
It got louder and louder until she could feel the hairs on the back of her ears waft in it. Her curiosity got the better of her. All she saw was a flash of black, lifeless eyes before she felt its teeth dig into her tongue. She was blind from pain. Only feeling her tongue getting ripped from her mouth, dragging her throat with it.

She sat bolt upright. Hoof firmly clamped over her mouth, checking her tongue was still there. It was.
It was still pitch black. No light through the curtains of the early morning sun, Just the gentle glow of the alarm clock and the light from the cracks in the bathroom door spilling slightly through the open door to the bedroom. It must have been Swirl going to the loo.
Her breath shook and her body was drenched in a cold sweat. Her eyes scanned the darkness for any sign of something out of the ordinary. There was nothing. The bedroom was the same and the boiler was doing its own thing.
She reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, but knocked it to the floor with a clatter.
With a panicked gasp of air she went to pick it up. The floor was soaked, how one little glass could have got the carpet that wet didn't make sense.
She looked up over the small gap between the two beds and saw that the wood was dripping quietly with something dark. She could make out Swirl lying on her bed with some huge creature atop her.
Suddenly the slight noises she dismissed as nothing were all too loud in her ears. The sound of her sister choking, gargling on her own blood. The sound of a horrid squelching as the beast slid its tongue down her throat. The sound of it sliding out.
She could see her sister's life drain from her body as her blood poured from her mouth. She could see the monster pull back, retracting its tongue, pulling something with it. She could see the bulge in her sister's throat as her heart was ripped from her chest through her mouth.
It bit down on the heart and swallowed.
It saw her below. Its jaw cracked and lips quivered in anticipation before it lunged at her.
Dash didn't scream, as that would let it in. Instead she locked her hoof against her mouth. It stopped dead in its tracks.
It was big. Bigger than her mum. Bigger than the room. Legs scrawny, like about to snap. Its skin was putrid and strecthed over its body so taught you could see the pulsing of its veins and bulging of what muscles it had. Eyes glinted black and souless. Its mouth full of crooked, razor sharp teeth stained with old and fresh blood.
Dash stared, panting but not breathing. She felt its long, barbed tongue trace around her face, traling her sister's blood over her cheek. It was waiting for her, and it wouldn't stop. It knew Dash was tired and all it had to do was wait for her to fell asleep and open her mouth.
But the bathroom light clicked off and the door shut to her mother's room. The monster looked away and followed it.
Dash didn't move. Terrified that anything could bring it back here, to her. But she saw her sister's lifeless corpse and couldn't bear the thought of that happening to her mother. Carefully she followed the monster.

It was gone. Nowhere to be seen. How did something so huge disappear without a sound?
She stood by her mother's door and knocked.
“Mummy?” she asked, voice cracking with fear. Pushed the door open. Rainbow was laying there, just rolled over to face Dash.
“What is it Sweetie?” Rainbow groaned through tired throat and blurry eyes.
“There's a monster. It got Swirl and I don't want it to get you too.”
Rainbow jumped back and screamed. Over Dash's head the monster launched itself at Rainbow, pinning her to the bed. She tried to force herself free but it was too strong.
Dash jumped up to help. “Cover you mouth!”
But Rainbow couldn't. The monster lowered its face to hers.
“GET OFF MUMMY!” Dash shouted, but instead of scaring it off it only looked at her and her unprotected, open mouth. It advanced on her, neck snapping towards her and she had no time to act.
Seconds away from death she was saved as Rainbow had wrenched a hoof free and snapped its head to face hers. She knew she couldn't fight it, but while it busied itself with her she knew Dash could run away, far away, to safety.
But Dash couldn't move. She was pinned under the monster's jagged hoof, digging its way into her spine. Not able to look away she was forced to watch it.
Its head fell onto Rainbow's and it latched its mouth around her, teeth stabbing through her tongue. With a strong tug it pulled back slowly, ripping her tongue from her. She could feel the blood begin to pool in her throat but there was nothing she could do. Soon she started choking and gagging, trying everything she could to get another breath.
Its tongue fell from its mouth, glistening wet with blood and spit, and played it down Rainbow's throat. Blood spurted around, fired from Rainbow's mouth, as it went deeper and deeper, its barbs cutting as it went. It stopped halfway down, lingering as if it was enjoying it. It retracted slightly before slamming it further inside, its head an inch from hers. The sharp point of the tongue pierced her throat, her lungs, and wrapped itself around her heart, digging in for a tight grip.
This is when she felt it. Life was leaving her. She could do nothing but feel the immense pain of her heart being ripped from its place, the veins and arteries exploding in her chest, the air pulled from her lungs and replaced with a torrent of blood. She could feel it as it tugged slowly back out, the monster savouring the sensation of fighting the faling muscles in her body.
The last thing she saw before it all went dark and she was no more was her dripping heart being pulled up into the mouth of the beast. And the last thing she thought was how her daughter was next.

Rainbow woke up screaming, loud as though she was about to die. In a panic she exploded from the room and into her daughters'. The light flicked on and she saw them in their beds, sat up, wondering what was happening.
“What's happening, Mummy?” Dash asked.
“Was that you waking us up?” Swirl asked grumpily.
Rainbow didn't say anything. The relief of seeing her daughters alive after watching them die was overwhelming. Quickly she grabbed them both and squeezed them as hard as she could.
“It's okay. Everything is okay. You're alive and that's all that matters,” she mumbled on repeat to herself. Her fillies were still confused, as was Jet who followed her in.
“Are you okay?” Jet asked.
“I had a nightmare,” Rainbow told them as she caught a sob. She could still feel its tongue down her throat. “I had the worst nightmare, but its okay. But I need to sleep with you two tonight.”
She hugged her filles tighter. They were okay with this, given how many times Rainbow had done this for them they felt they should repay the favour.
All four of them lay in her bed. Rainbow didn't sleep, just in case the monster came back.

(WARNING: There is no more gore)

Well... that was better in my head, as all horror stuff is better in a visual format, especially that which relies heavily on a more gory, visceral nature.

Canonically I'm not sure when this takes place. I have put it here after Shine's death and when Jet has moved in, but to be honest it could have been before, just... I don't know. The point is that doesn't matter. The next one, however, does happen in this chapter canonically. Hopefully it's better too.

The beating on Rainbow's door by littler hooves was frantic and worrying, but it soon stopped as they burst in.
“Mum!” Dash said loudly as she dove onto the bed, and Swirl was just behind.
Rainbow turned and looked to them. A little disappointed that she was being interupted of her sleeping, totally her sleeping, definitely nothing involving waking Jet up. But she could see that they were worried about something. Something had frightened them enough to jump into her bed, despite being a little too old for it. So this had to be bad.
“What's wrong?” she asked as she gently stroked them.
“We had a bad dream,” Swirl told her.
“What? Both of you?”
“That's what makes it scarier,” Dash said. Normally she hated admitting she was scared of anything, but this was a little too much.
Rainbow snorted a little laugh. “Oh boo. Come here and tell me about it.”
Dash and Swirl looked to each other. Dash started. “Well, last night we was telling scary stories about a monster.”
“Like, for ages,” Swirl added. “It was nearly one in the morning.”
“Yeah, and we focused on this one monster. And it really scared me.”
“And me.”
“Yeah, and we didn't like it.”
Rainbow looked at them in disbelief. Both having a nightmare was possible, but dreaming of the same monster? “What did it look like?”
“It was big,” Dash said hurriedly, like she didn't enjoy talking about it.
“Really big. And black.”
“Yeah, like really black. Couldnt see it in the dark black. And full of holes.”
“Yeah, with bugs crawling through them. You could see it's heart through on of the patches sew on it.”
“And it had too many teeth and fangs.”
Rainbow had heard enough. She could see it, standing in the corner, neck bent as it tried to fit on the room, staring its mismatched eyes at her as its smile grew wider than possible.
“Hello, Rainbow. It's been a while.”
Rainbow felt her lungs squeeze and her heat beating like mad over her body. Mind blank yet racing as she watched the monster get closer. She scurried into the corner, dripping in a cold sweat, as it stepped onto her bed with its massive hoof.
It brought its face close to hers. She could smell its breath.
She screamed death.

The others tried to comfort her as the scream travelled beyond the house and down the street. They tried everything they knew, every trick there was to bringing Rainbow out of an attack, yet somehow it never worked. None of it. They were lost.
“We need Nanny!” Swirl demanded.
Dash was on it. Through the bedroom window she flew like a bullet for her grandparents' and knocked frantically on their window.
Thunder got up and looked outside, surprised and worried to see his dear granddaughter floating outside at this time of night.
“Dash?”
“Mum is screaming real bad and we can't get her to stop.”
Thunder stared, he didn't understand. “Why is she screaming?”
“We told her about a monster were dreamed of and she started screaming.”
Thunder's expression grew horrid, as if he knew and dreaded already the answer. “Was it big and full of holes?”
Dash nodded. “Yeah. How did you-?”
Thunder didn't let her finish. “Go get uncie. Tell him what you told me and he'll be able to help. We'll go to yours and help Rainbow the best we can.”
Dash nodded and did as she was told.

It wasn't long before the family were round. Rainbow was still screaming murder. The police were on their way after a call from a worrying neighbour.
“I got uncie!” Dash stated firmly, thinking this would solve everything, and she was right.
“Stand back, guys.” Star approached Rainbow as they about to try and calm her with the normal method of pinning her down and screaming her name, but as he drew close he started backing away, and somehow she followed him, being drawn by some mysterious force to follow. Perhaps it was a twin thing, none of them knew, but somehow it stopped her, as she knew the monster was behind her, and that, for some reason, allowed her to put it out of mind.

Thunder and Blaze had taken the children and Jet downstairs, carrying with them a small box they had brough from
home.
“We were worried this might happen,” Blaze started. “It shouldn't have done, but I guess it was only a temporary fix.”
“What's going on?” Jet asked.
Thunder sighed. “Rainbow was a troubled child. Always she had nightmares. Always some horrible monster out to get her in some way. When she was five we figured out a way to solve it though.”
Blaze took a pile of papers out of the box, at least a reem full, all with drawings on. “She found it difficult to explain them, so we asked her to draw them. So she did, and she did so carefully, as she would normally, and got as much detail as possible. This one, this tentacle monster also tried to squeeze her eyes out. This, the heart eater, got your heart through your mouth. This blob could always find her no matter how well she hid and it trapped her from running away.”
There were more monsters drawn, all drawn amazingly, all centred around Rainbow, showing them what they did to her.
“It was as if drawing them meant they couldn't be in her dreams because they were in this box, so whenever she had a nightmare she would draw it and put it away, and the monster wouldn't bother her again. But then there's this one.”
Blaze took the one at the bottom of the pile. It wasn't like the others. It was barely more than a stick figure, drawn crudely with a crayon, the only detail being the red and green eyes and the fact it was black as the night.
“She couldn't draw this one.” Thunder said as he looked over it. “She tried, bless her, but this was as far as she ever got. And even this scared her. No. There was something different about this one. It was almost real.
“It didn't stay in her dreams. It followed her everywhere and would creep up on her when she didn't want it. We think it's what started her panic attacks. It was hard to manage. Only Star knows how to stop it.”
“We tried to get her help,” Blaze told them. “We went to the doctors and got her head scanned, but there was nothing abnormal. The physchiatrist couldn't find anything wrong either, said it was just her imagination. But we needed something, because she refused to sleep because it waited for her.
“That's when we tried hypnosis. There's a professional in Canterlot who deals in deep, psychotic issues like this, and what he did was bury it, lock it away behind so many barriers that it could never resurface. But it has. And that's the worrying thing. It came back, but through you.”
Thunder nodded. “Yeah. Something is not right about it. Something unnatural. Especially if it managed to get Rainbow through someone else.”
Dash grabbed a selection of drawings. It was unnerving to see such horrible images drawn by a child, some grotesque that made her stomach churn. But it came to this one, the scrawl of a stick figure, it sent a shiver of fear through her body. She could sense the fear and terror in the one who drew it just by how the crayon was used. It was evil.

Ugh...

Fuck it. It's not that interesting really is it? I drew this character once and I liked it, so I used it a little before realising it would work better in this form than the Changeling Prince that it was originally. Essentially a Changeling that ate fear, not love, as Chrysallis' first children were abominations.

They sort it out though. Don't really want to write it though so I'll just tell you.

Rainbow and Jet are walking to the appointment with the hypnotist, with Rainbow still a little hysterical and jumping at everything. They are near the Everfree Forest but are stopped by a young zebra coming the other way.

She stops them and inspects the situation, clearly sensing something evil about them. She convinces them to follow her into the forest where the trees are thicker.

Some weird smelling salts are used and Rainbow falls asleep. She draws odd lines in gunk over Jet's body, following the contours mostly with some artistic licence, and she makes him do the same to her, followed by both on Rainbow.

She places some incences around, giving off a hideous smell that fills the nostrils. With this everything goes black, except for the waves of smell and the neon colours given off by the body paints. It's an odd little ritual, spoken in some language Jet is not familiar with, but he's in a trance as he mimics the way her body is moving, it was very fluid.

Something evil comes from Rainbow, drawn out by the whole thing, and is placed in a bottle.

Zecora, because who else, slams the lid on the bottle. Light returns to the world. The paint is no longer glowing and the incence has burnt out. Rainbow stirs and wakes.

Both are very confused, but Zecora places the bottle carefully into her satchel and heads into the forest, not waiting for a thank you as she didn't need it.

Rainbow can remember the monster, but only it no longer has any power over her. It's not real anymore and can't bother her again.

They leave and head off home to wash off the paint.

Author's Note

From now I shall be uploading a chapter a day as this takes a lot longer than I thought and I need to cook something then go to bed, thinking leftover chilli.
Hopefully I will have the last chapters done by then.

12 Years

Rainbow sat on the plastic bed, shaking gently as she held tight to Jet, who stroked her mane in an attempt to comfort her.
Back in the doctor's office she hated so much. The sight, the smell, the sound of the plastic beneath her squeaking with each breath she took. All of it just reminded her of bad times.
“Can we go?” she asked, hoping for an answer she liked.
“You know we can't,” Jet whispered gently, hoping for it to calm his love. “You collapsed midflight, and we need to know why.”
Rainbow nodded. It was what she expected but she didn't like him for it.
The door opened as the doctor came back with the things he needed. “Now, Rainbow, we are going to do a few basic tests. Nothing to worry about.”
Rainbow, however, still worried, no matter how good of a job Jet was doing in comforting.
It started alright. He Listened to her heart, listened to her beats, listened to the rythym, the rythym on her streets, opened up her eyes, opened up-the joke is getting old. Checked her throat for anomalies. Made her cough and various other things that was only normal if done by a doctor.
“Well, Rainbow,” he said as he removed the blood pressure strap from her leg. “Everything I can test now seems to be in order. However, I think it best if we took some blood for testing.”
Rainbow fell off the bed, not caring for the bang on her headon the way down. The only thing in her head was how much she was not letting a doctor near her with a needle.
“Rainbow?” Jet asked. He hadn't known this about her, and wondered why her children hadn't prepared him better. “Are you... scared of needles?”
Rainbow nodded quickly, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on the doctor, in case he made a move.
Jet hopped down to her. “Hey hey, now. Let's not be stupid. This is important, okay?” He made her look at his kind eyes that showed nothing but love and support.
“I-I don't like it,” she said as she held his face. “I don't want to.” She was almost crying.
“I'm here, okay? Now, let's get back up on the bed and get it over and done with.”
Rainbow nodded.

She lay, head resting in his lap so he could stroke her mane. Already regretting it as she felt the doctor rub some numbing gel on her rump, just under the cutie mark, as it was known to be the softest body part and would therefore feel less. She whimpered at each touch, cheeks thoroughly damp.
“Okay, Rainbow. It's alright,” he told her. He didn't break eye contact and didn't stop stroking her. “Okay? He's almost ready.”
Rainbow squeaked a little. Her leg twitched at the thought.
“He's getting the needle ready now. Don't look. Only at me, Okay? It will only take a second and it's over, okay? Don't worry. Alright. Here we go. Do you want me to count?”
Rainbow nodded.
“Okay. Three... Two and we're done.”
Rainbow jumped slightly as she felt a plaster stick to her fur. She sat up, drying her eyes. “What? B-but-”
“He did it when I started talking,” Jet smiled a little with pride in himself, but mostly at the adorable childishness glee the one he loved was showing. “You never noticed. There was no numbing gel. Just vaseline.”
Rainbow felt a little betrayed at first, but then she realised how easy it was with him, to conquer her fears when he was there. She planted a big kiss on his lips, and against his dry face she could feel how wet hers was. “You are the best. I love you so much.”
Jet blushed. He never got tired of hearing it.
Rainbow turned to the doctor. “Can I have a lollipop?”

Dash was flying back from school, taking the long way to enjoy the chilly wind blasting her bones after the workout playing games in PE. She only stopped to get a magazine from a street vendor.
This month's issue of the magazine I can't think of a name for but was essentially about competitive flying was in. It was the only reading Dash ever indulged heself in.
She took it from the shelf and flicked to a page at random to read the title of the main article. She laughed once with a shock.
“No. way. That's crazy!” She flew off, only to be shouted at by the vendor. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly as she placed the correct change on the counter.
Back home she opened the door loudly and with a bang. “Mum!” she shouted. “You've gotta see this!”
Dash was engrossed in her magazine as she wondered into the kitchen and sat at the table with Swirl and Jet as their mother slowly finished the drying up. She threw the magazine down to show everyone.
“Check it out! The youngest pony ever to join the Wonderbolts A squad! She's only 16!” Dash was giddy, almost crushing on the golden mare with a mane of orange. “Look at her! She looks so fucking awesome!”
Swirl looked to her mother, waiting for her to tell Dash off for swearing, despite swearing herself on occasion, only Rainbow did no such thing. Swirl noticed as well how she was staring out the window, completely absent as she dried the same mug repeatedly.
“Mum?” she asked, more confused than anything. “I think that mug's dry now.”
Rainbow dropped it, shattering it against the sink. She started crying a lot more than what would be appropriate.
“It's okay mum, I didn't like the mug that much,” Swirl said as she saw her favourite mug in pieces. She was far more concerned about her mother.
“Rainbow,” Jet started carefully. It was clear he didn't much want to carry on the path he was going. “Are you okay? You've been acting odd all afternoon.”
Dash pricked up as thought struck her. “Is it your results? Weren't you supposed to get them today?”
Rainbow wheezed harder, and the others felt a horrible fear inside, one they never wished to have. She turned to face her family, only she couldn't look up from her hooves. With body trembling, shaking at the effort it took to form a sentence she never thought or wanted to say, she said loudly into the floor, “I have cancer.”

Rainbow went back to her next appointment, not with her usual doctor but a specialist, with Jet insisting he come with her no matter how much she tried to force him to stay behind.
Together they sat in the office, one where discussions happen, not tests, as the doctor spoke at length about the intrinsic nature of her field of expertise. It was at this point, five minutes into her speech, that Rainbow was glad Jet was with her. She couldn't listen. Words refused entry passed her ears. But Jet listened, hanging on every word, not missing a single fact, no matter how much he didn't understand them.
A gentle rub of her hoof brought her round out of her stupor. “Huh?”
“Did you hear that, Rainbow?” he said softly as his body released some of the tension it had held since finding out. “He says we found it in good time. Just need a round of chemo and things should be okay again.” He was on the verge of crying.
“Really?” Rainbow asked skeptically. It seemed too good to be true.
The doctor nodded. “We recommend starting the treatment as soon as possible, so I hope you have a lot of holidays to use up at work.”
“Why?”
“It takes up your day, and the day after. It's going to help you, but it's not going to feel good.”
Rainbow gulped as a question popped into her head, one she knew the answer to but hoped there was something new she hadn't heard about. “How is it done?”
“The drug will be administered in drip form over the course of around six weeks, up to twice a week in sessions lasting up to three hours.”
“Does it have to be a drip?” she asked, pleading for another way.
The doctor shot her a confused look, one the Jet helped with. “She can't do injections. You should have seen how much it took just for a blood test.” Jet wrapped his hoof through Rainbow's as she started whimpering slightly at the thought of the torture she was in for.
Seeing the distress the mare was in but how she was comforted by the stallion by her side the doctor felt the need to point out, “You are allowed to be there with her. Many ponies find it helpful to have someone, or something, to pass the time.”
Rainbow released a shakey sigh.
“Just make sure you're not ill. The nature of the treatment weakens the immune system, so you don't want people getting ill. Could complicate matters.”

It had been her fourth session by now. Slowly she was growing accustomed to the treatment, but the side effects were growing more severe. She could no longer work, and Swirl had to sleep round Ticker's house for the past week while she dealt with her cold.
Rainbow stood in the shower, letting the water pour over her and wash away her troubling thoughts, but a loud, wet slapping sound brought round into reality.
Her breath was driven from her as she looked at the mound of orange hair that fell into the bath. Quietly she left the bathroom, not a thought to the running shower or her dripping body. Downstairs she found Jet sat on the sofa, keeping himself busy.
“Rainbow?” he asked as the soaking mare rested her head on his shoulder. He instinctively rested his head on hers, only it felt wrong, he didn't fit right. He gave her head a quick look and saw her mane missing a whole part of the spectrum. Quickly he hugged her. It was going so well until then, but now things would be a lot harder.

It was now her fifth week in therapy, and things were looking worse, with no light at the end. Her body was weak and sick. No strength. No energy. Her mind was the same.
Yet she still couldn't sleep, despite how much she wanted to leave this world into one of sleeping nothings.
Focusing her mind on something to distract her from the far worse things was all she could do, and the ceiling in the pale light of night that sat above her bed had long lost its allure.
She thought she was going to cry, but that seemed pointless.
“Hey,” came the soft whisper by the man by her side, who stuck by it whenever he could.
“Hey,” she whispered back.
“Can't sleep?”
“No.”
“Me neither. You alright?”
Rainbow didn't answer. How could she when she wasn't sure how she was feeling.
“Ah,” Jet said quietly. It was obvious she wasn't. “Do you know what might cheer you up?”
She sighed angrily at his touch. “No, Jet. I'm not in the mood,” she said angily.
Jet was shocked. If she wasn't in the mood then something must be very wrong. “Oh. Okay. Well that wasn't what I was going to suggest anyway.”
“Sure it wasn't.”
“Really. It wasn't. Here's what always cheers me up.” He carefully stepped over her, stopping only to steal a kiss and look at her, and headed to the door. “I make a mean lemon drizzle.”
Curious, Rainbow stood and looped her hoof through his as he led her downstairs to the kitchen.

“Okay, open wide,” Jet whispered as he moved a fork of lemon drizzle cake towards Rainbow.
Rainbow was still in a fit of giggles as she shut her eyes and opened her mouth, drooling with the thought of cake. The whole ordeal had been surprisingly entertaining, as it is quite hard to make a cake in the dead of night without waking anyone up.
“This better be cake you're about to put in my mouth,” she laughed, which was stifled through a snort.
“You wish,” Jet answered as he put the fork in her mouth. She chomped down on it, making noises on purpose, and he withdrew it. “Well? Is it good or what?”
The noises were no longer on purpose. “Oh wow. That's amazing!”
“See? I told ya I was good! The trick is to put orange in the drizzle as well.”
Rainbow took a bite straight from the cake that sat on the floor between them, taking more than she could chew. It made her giggle, which only made it harder to chew.
Jet looked from the cake with a massive chunk missing to Rainbow, and an odd little ceremony took place in his head. One he hadn't realised hadn't happened already, yet it obviously should have. He looked to his love. To her sickly look, tired eyes, balding scalp, weirdly long legs. To that glee in her eye at the feeling of having a mouth full to the brim of cake. And he realised, even at her worst, that this was who he was meant to be with.
He still loved his wife, no doubt in his mind that his life would have been full if he lived it with her, but nothing compared to what he has with Rainbow. She was perfect.
The yellow mare he once devoted his life to stood up and walked away, nuzzling his cheek as she did. She looked back at him with a smile and her blessing before fading away to nothing but memories he would always cherish. Yet now, when he looked at Rainbow, who had managed to put away her mouthful, and was eyeing up for a second, he realised just how much he loved her.
“What?” Rainbow asked through a slightly smaller yet still massive mouthful once she realised he had been staring.
Jet pounced on her, pushing her onto her back, as he planted so many kisses on her lips, working his way down her neck and stopping at her chest before resting in her fluff, only Rainbow pushed him off so she could cough up the cake lodged in her throat. It came up in a sickly glod on the floor.
“Ew. Gross,” she muttered to herself.
Jet smiled. “I love you so much.”
Rainbow shot him a look that said, “Really?”
He pushed her back again and rested his head where he had wanted to, and Rainbow didn't choke this time, only laugh.

A month had past since her last round of chemo, and Rainbow found herself with the doctor once again. She wasted no time.
“Well, Rainbow,” she started. “From the blood work it appears that the cancer has gone into remission.”
Jet yelled and jumped in the air as Rainbow found the words more of a shock than a relief. “Really?” she asked in disbelief.
The doctor nodded. “Yep. Great news. Really. Of course, we'll have to monitor with regular blood tests but yes, you should be fine.”
Rainbow felt the tension drop from her body. She couldn't speak anymore, but she suddenly felt like she could sleep.
“Amazing, really. Almost too good to be true. Begs the question why did it even happen in the first place?”
“How'd you figure?” Jet asked curiously as he landed back in the chair, still buzzing on the high of his love being fine.
“Well, seemed a little pointless, didn't it? Like, did it really need to happen?”
Jet shrugged. “I don't know.”
“Like, I think he was just holding onto this idea that would be relevant in a later story only it really won't as he completely forgot about it until the other day and will never work on it.”
Jet rocked his head back and forth in thought, considering it harshly. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
“See, like, her life has been dramatic enough, hasn't it? What with her husband leaving her when she was preggers and then the horrible incident with her... with her daughter. So why did she have to go through this as well? Not exactly that interesting really, is it?”
Jet shook his head. “No, I suppose not. Although I did have a lovely couple moments with her that were just... well, nice, y'know? Plus Dash finally got a little bit about herself at the top there.”
The doctor agreed, only she wasn't happy about it. “I guess. Still though. Fairly unimaginative isn't it? I mean, cancer? Seriously? That cliché? And the whole losing her hair thing, I mean COME ON!” She sighed loudly. “How many times has that been done? It's nothing special!”
“Calm down a bit, mate,” Jet asked politely as this wasn't a time for anger. “Keep in mind this story was planned, like, four years ago. A lot has changed since then.”
“Yeah, I guess. Gotta tell you how glad I am that he dropped the whole losing her wing arc. That was truly terrible.”
Jet nodded. “Oh yeah, definitely. That was a change for the better.”
“Yeah. Still, I want to see more Dash. That's what I'm here for.”
“Let's go to her now then.”

Dash sat at the table in the cafeteria, eyes darting between the sandwich poised at her teeth, ready to chomp down, and the bunch of weirdos who stared at her, seemingly out of nowhere. She gulped loudly.
“What...?”

2 Years

It was a day like any other for the Rainbow family. Old enough to toddle through the streets of Cloudsdale Rainbow had decided to take her fillies for a walk. Nothing in particular
The city centre was full of other ponies going about their business. None were too bothered by a mother and her three talkative toddlers.
“What's she looking at?” Swirl demanded, swearing she got the stink eye from some punk across the way. “She's looking at a whooping that's what!"
Rainbow shut her eyes. Where her daughter got the fight in her blood she didn't know, but so far she had already bitten a mare and kicked a stallion in the nads, and the way he went down only spurred her on and fuelled this bloodlust. Rainbow was worried something was going to happen.
Shine was whistling. Badly out of tune and just a few notes, but she just discovered this talent that morning and she was going to master it by the afternoon.
“When did you get your wings big, mummy?” Dash asked. “I think my wings are getting bigger again. Look!”
Rainbow sighed quietly, knowing if she indulged her she wouldn't stop. However she didn't stop regardless.
“This feather is getting big, see? See, mummy?”
Rainbow hummed an agreement.
“Soon I'm gonna have my big feathers! Then I can fly fast!” Her wings fluttered loudly, and the noise got right in her mother's ears.
Swirl charged ahead, head lowered, ready to butt. “You want some?!”
Rainbow managed to clamp down on her tail and drag her back before she got too far ahead. “Don't,” she asked nicely.
Swirl didn't reply. She only rubbed her butt of the pain and scowled at the elderly pony on the bench. He was planning something and she knew it, only he wasn't.
Dash pulled at her mother's wing, prying it open for a better look. “Your wings are huge!” she remarked as she looked around. She reached up and touched the tickly bit.
Rainbow flinched. “No, Dash. Please.”
Shine continued whistling as Swirl went to roar at the birds and slightly older children playing with them. Dash pulled harder at her mother's wing. “Eww! You smell, Mummy!” Dash laughed.
Shine took a brief respite from whistling to pull on her mother's tail and shout. “Mummy! Look at that pigeon! It's huge!”
“It really is!” Swirl added, equally impressed.
Rainbow didn't look, although she was missing out. Even for a big pigeon it was ridiculous. It flew off as some children ran threw the birds laughing.
“OI!” Swirl shouted. “We wasn't done looking at that!”
“Mummy!” Shine droaned. “You missed it, Mummy!”
Dash accidentally yanked a large feather from her mother's wing. “Oops. Sorry.”
Rainbow span and screamed herself hoarse, “shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!”
The square fell silent, no one dared move or intervene in case they bore the brunt of her anger. Rainbow stood facing her children with no love in her eyes. Her breath came in furious pants, her teeth clenched and body shaking in rage.
“Will you just shut up for once in your lives!”
The fillies were frozen, shocked. Never before had they heard their mother shout. Raise her voice, sure, but never shout.
Rainbow's eye became damp as the bottle of emotions began to crack under the pressure. “I've had it up to here with you! You never once think of me do you have any-”
“Mu-” Swirl muttered.
“SHUT UP!” Her chest heaved as the fire in her veins spread. “Just once stop thinking of yourselves and go easy on me! Do you have any idea how hard this is? Huh? Do you?”
The fillies were unsure if they could speak, let alone know if they were allowed to speak. They chose to stay silent.
“It is the hardest thing I've ever done. Raising three kids ON YOUR OWN is impossible!”
The crowd had grown around her. Whispers filtered through it and word quickly spread about a mare shoutuing at her children.
“I've tried my hardest to make your lives the best I can. I put my own life on the line. I was malnourished for the first three months of your lives and you didn't even care! I haven't slept a wink since you were born! And for what?! Just so you can keep take take taking from me? I can't do it. I can't keep doing it. I should never have had...”
She trailed off as she started crying. Not because she didn't mean it, but because, in that one second of anger, she meant all of it. A genuine doubt about being a mother, about how much she loved her children. And for her to even think that gave her more pain that she could handle. It came in loud sobs and pained wails. She couldn't stop. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. Over two years of pain she pushed down deep inside was coming out.
She pulled her mane over her face and wept.

Meanwhile, across the city at the supermarket, Blaze stood in line at checkout behind a few poines, all of whom had big trollies and a lot of time to kill. She let herself quietly stew as it was good fodder to complain about later.
The conversation at the front of the queue pricked her ears.
“Did you hear about that mare in the centre?”
“Oh I know dear. It's awful. How could she shout at three such sweet things?”
“Yeah. It's terrible. There's no need for it. They're only little.”
Blaze had to butt in. “Excuse me. What happened?”
The checkout mare spoke in a gossiping tone. “Well, this mare was having a lovely walk with her three little fillies, and she just starts shouting at them. For no reason!”
“What do they look like?” Blaze asked, feeling a knot in her stomach as she feared she already knew.
“A little like yourself, miss. Blue with a lot of colour in their manes.”
“Oh no,” she mumbled to herself. “THUNDER!” she shouted into the shop. He popped up above the fridges, hovering about the ventilation.
“They've only got blue milk I'm afraid,” he shouted over the customers with a bottle of milk in hoof, not caring who heard.
“That doesn't matter. You heard about the mare, right? The one screaming at her kids?”
“Yeah. This guy just told me. Poor things.”
“That's out daughter!”
Thunder let the millk fall with a splash and sped out of the shop with Blaze hot on his hooves.

Rainbow was still crying, her daughters still stood in shock, by the time her parents arrived. Blaze didn't wait and took her filly in a hug.
“It's okay, Rainbow. It's okay,” she assured as she brushed a hoof through her daughter's mane. “It's okay.”
Rainbow cried harder as she fell into her mother. It's just what she needed.
Thunder took the fillies with him. “Are you okay?” he asked
They still couldn't talk, only point and mumble sad sounding, unintelligible syllables.
“That's okay. This is a hard situation. How about we go see uncie, hm?”
They didn't respond with their usual enthusiasm.
“Oh boy,” Thunder said aloud. “A really hard situation. Did you hear that, Blaze?”
“You go. I'll head to mum's with Rainbow in a bit.”
Thunder nodded, scooped up the fillies and flew off.
Blaze pulled away slightly so she could move her daughter's mane out og the way to talk. “You done crying yet?”
It was a stupid question. This was only the beginning.
She shook her head. “Thought not. But we can't stay here. Up you get.” She groaned as she hoisted her considerably larger daughter to her hooves.
Rainbow walked slowly, not able to fly. They took a while but they eventually made it away from prying eyes.
The rumours were spreading far and wide, and by the end of the day everyone had heard about this mother's mental breakdown.

Nana's house was normally a lot closer, but going by hoof took them a while as the bridges were few and far between, but it gave time for Rainbow to clear her head. She wasn't crying anymore, just in a general state of despair.
The scalding, amber liquid shook in her hooves as she raised the mug to her lips. So many times now had she needed a hot, sweet mug of tea to calm her anxiety and panic she was becoming accustomed to having five sugars.
Nana and Blaze sat with their own mugs on pulled up chairs, letting Rainbow sit in the comfy chair in the corner.
“If I'm honest,” Nana remarked to Blaze, not trying hard to keep it from Rainbow, “I was wondering when this would happen.”
Rainbow sat, staring into her mug as she drained it, shaking her head. “I can't believe I said it.”
“What did you say?” Blaze asked tenderly, going to stroke her daughter's side.
“I said I regretted having them.” Repeating it was enough to make her cry again.
“You don't though,” Blaze assured her. “That's obvious. Just look how well they're doing.”
Rainbow did not find comfort in these words, and only continued to cry gently.
“You mustn't feel bad, Swirly my darling,” Nana told her. “Everyone feels like this at some point. Children are hard on their own, and you have three. You've done amazingly well to cope as long as you have. I felt it only after a couple months.”
Both Rainbow and Blaze looked to the elderly mare a little in shock, especially her own daughter.
“I had twins, as you know, and my husband he was always at work. So I had to do everything for the children, the home and, when he got back from work, for your grandfather as well. It can be overwhelming, for anyone.”
Rainbow looked back into the dregs of the mug. Knowing Nana, her idol in everything, had felt the same when she was a new mother gave her some comfort, and made her fell less bad for what she had said.
“And at least you only shouted at them. In terms of what some have done that was nothing. Take me, for example.”
Blaze shot her mother a look of shock and horror. She was dreading to her what her own mother had attempted to do her and her sister. What could it be to instill such embarassment and shame in her mother's eyes?
“I abandoned them,” she said solemnly. “I left them in the park. Didn't regret it. In fact, I felt great, like the weight of the world was lifted.”
Blaze's stomach dropped and heart leapt.
“Of course, as soon as I left through the gate I realised what I had done and went back crying to find you, but it was what I needed. After that I had a proper chat with a professional and told my husband to get his arse into gear.” She felt the need to kiss her daughter's head. “It got better after that.”
“I think that's what you need, sweetie,” Blaze said quickly, almost to just get away from her mother's story. “A break from them. Not for long, just to recover and catch up on sleep.”
Rainbow didn't answer except for the contemplative smile on her face as she dreamt of where she wanted to go. She looked up quickly, beaming.
“Can we go to the pub and get shitfaced?”

It was a long weekend of a boozer, and a surprise to see the mares she looked up to get so off their faces drunk. Not only her family but her friends and some other keen pub goers woke up at someone's house. Whose, Rainbow didn't know, and she wasn't sure if anyone did.
Rainbow lifted her head off the guy she had been using as a pillow, head splitting and stomach wrenching. Immediately she went for the half can for a sip, but now, after four heavy days and nights of drinking, the hair of the dog was no longer viable. Just the smell of alcohol was bad enough, but as soon as the cider hit her tongue she found need of the toilet.
It was oddly nostalgic, the feeling of throwing up in a strange toilet. It reminded her of her student days, and, frankly, she had missed it.
The horrid wretching woke Nana up, who had taken to sleeping in the bathtub the past two nights. She groaned her morning pleasantries.
“Morning,” Rainbow replied, throat stinging at the effort and the sensation of stomach acid still burning. “Alright?”
Nana groaned again, which was enough of an answer.
Rainbow managed a weak chuckle as she made her way to the sink to wash her face and drink straight from the tap, being the classy mare she is.
Downstairs the party, at least a dozen strong, began to stir. The older ones looked like death, while the younger were annoyingly chipper, if not tired. Rainbow found herself at a happy medium between the two.
Blaze sat up, startled by the weird dreams alcohol induce, half her face covered in garlic mayo from last night's kebab.
“What?” she managed to mumble before nearly collapsing back into the food no sober person would eat, but she managed to catch herself. “Rainbow, be a good girl and get your mummy some water.”
Rainbow did so, and got one for herself while she was at it. By her mother she sat, sipping gently the cool liquid, feeling it heal some of the damage she had done.
“I needed this,” Rainbow whispered as to not stress her throat.
“Huh?”
“All this. Blowing off some steam and letting everything out.” Flashes of last night came to her, showing her breaking down in tears while hanging off the shoulders of one of their party, sobbing loudly and ranting about missing her children, showing photos to everyone.
“Good. Good,” Blaze said quietly as she fell asleep, sat up with glass of water in hoof.
“When I'm not feeling so gross I'll go see my babies. I do so miss them. I'm sure they miss me.”

It took two days for the hangover to subside. Eating nothing but bread and water. It was no way to live. Now Rainbow remembered why she had sworn off drinking in excess all those years ago. Nothing was worth this pain. But once better, fed and showered thoroughly, yet the nightclub stamps were still visible, plentiful and embarassingly placed, she made her way to her brother's house to collect her children. She didn't notice the burst of speed she had when flying.
Hurriedly she knocked the door, and from behind she heard the frantic little hooves clambering over each other to get there first.
The door exploded open to her three little Rainbows, staring at her, smiles steadily widening as their mummy had turned up again. Teary eyes they leapt at her and hugged her as hard as they could.
Rainbow took them up and squeezed them a little too tight and planted kisses on any part of them she could get to.
Together they laughed and cried happy tears to be together again.
“I'm so sorry, my sweet things,” Rainbow said between bouts of affection. “I went too far. But I'm better now. I promise I will never shout at you again. But you have to promise me something to.”
They looked up at her hopefully.
“You have to go easy on me too. Normally there'd be a daddy helping but you've only got a mummy, so it's a lot more work for me. So please, just calm down a bit.”
They weren't entirely sure what she meant, but what they understood from it was for them to be a little bit quieter, which was enough.
“Promise,” Dash said, thinking it was the right thing to say. The others nodded before they all buried themselves into their mother's comfortable coat.
“You smell of grown up drinks,” Swirl pointed out.

11 Years

Rainbow had insisted on walking them to school on their first day at Cloudsdale High. At first they were happy to share the experience with their beloved mother, but as soon as they arrived and saw no other parents they regretted everything.
“Thanks mum. See ya later!” Swirl said happily just before they got through the gate.
“Yeah. See ya,” Dash said quickly as she felt the judgement from others boring into her.
“Don't be stupid! I'm walking you to the door, sillies,” Rainbow trotted with a bounce in her step, passing her daughters and going through the gate.
Dash and Swirl watched in disbelief as their mother was about to ruin their school lives before they even started. They followed at a distance, only it was no use as there was no question about who they were, what being nearly identical to each other. Giggles and whispers ensued.
Eyes were drawn to the family. All staring and judging, only not in ridicule, for the most part anyway, but in slight mesmerisation. Never before had they seen such brightly coloured ponies.
They reached the door with a small crowd watching after them. Rainbow turned with a smile and a swish of her mane. Several hormone filled colts blushed and had the need to get away quickly. “This brings back so many memories,” Rainbow said with the air of nostalgia. “Just over there I caught the headmaster dealing drugs to children. Good times.”
“Yeah. Great,” Dash groaned in pain. “We'd better get inside. We're gonna be late.”
“Pfft, no you're not. You're just embarassed, aren't you?”
The pair blushed. Somehow their mother pointing it out only made it worse.
Rainbow chuckled. “I did it on purpose.”
A bell rang, and ponies slowly began to meander into the building.
“I guess we were just in time. Well, I'll say goodbye. A hug is probably out of the question, isn't it?”
Dash and Swirl laughed a little. “Yeah. Probs. See ya!”
“Yeah. See you after.”
The two walked past their mother, but with insane reflexes she grabbed their waists and hugged them tight. No amount of squirming could get them free. “Hugs are always on the table.”
Rainbow dropped them after just long enough for most of the school to see them get hugged by their mother and left giggling.
Dash and Swirl shared a look of hope. Hope for their reputations not being tattered beyond redemption. One couple of older colts helped them a little.
“Did you see that mare?”
“Yeah. She was well fit.”
“Innit?”
They bumped hooves and kept going.
Dash and Swirl shrugged their shoulder. Their mum was fit? It wasn't something they had thought of, but maybe if ponies only noticed how attractive their mother was they wouldn't notice how embarassing she was.

In their first form period, right after doing the register, Dash saw someone who caught her eye and wouldn't let go.
It was a griffin. The first one she had ever seen. Half lion, half eagle, all badass. She knew she was going to be friends with her. At first chance she got she went to introduce herself.
“Hi. I'm Dash.”
“Gilda. Now Buzz off, dweeb!” Gilda waved her off with her claw.
“Who's the dweeb you... dork!”
Gilda scoffed. “Dork? What, you're mother make your insults for ya?”
Dash scowled, unsure if that was an insult. “No?”
“Heh. You go sit down again. I ain't got time with losers.”
“Who you calling loser?!” Dash squared up. “I never lose. Ever,” she said with a viscious poke at the griffin's chest.
“Oh yeah? Well you look a little scrawny to me.” Gilda stood up, taller than Dash. “Think you're better than me? Check this out.” She flexed her arm, popping a bicep that wasn't particularly impressive.
“What about this?” Dash resonded in kind, showing her own biceps off. Equally unimpressive.
“Bring it on, then, dork!” Gilda slammed her elbow on the desk. “Let's see you lose to an arm wrestle. Whatever arms are.”
Dash took the challenge.
The first bell rang and they had to go to class, meaning Dash and Gilda couldn't finish their

Jesus FUCK this is boring. Like, I don't know. It's just... bland. Boring. Uninteresting. I'm not gonna waste time with this shit.

Here's the jist.

Gilda and Dash earn respect for each other and then form a strong bond of friendship once they realise they are incredibly similar and equally physically impressive. As a result of this, Dash becomes part of the classic trope of bad boyz and jockey culture in a vaguely american/english school system. Throw in some slags and bitches and you've got her clique pretty nailed down.

Swirl and Ticker get into a fight with Hoops. Not bad for their first day. It didn't last long enough for a victor to be declared, but a teacher intervened and, seeing there was preexisting beef, decided not to punish but rather advise on their separation where possible.

At the end of the day Rainbow comes pick them up. Further embarassment happens, as does some weird looks from teenagers.

That's it. Like I said. Boring. Anyway just skip to the next one. Probably going to be a little bit better.

Actually hang on a minute. I forgot about something mildly important. Technically this happens before the above but whatever, this chapter is a dud anyway.

Dash held Fluttershy, teary eyed and not wanting to let go. Fluttershy was exactly the same.
“Do you have to go?” Dash said in a teary whisper.
Fluttershy nodded. “I'm so sorry. I wish I didn't but I'm only thirteen so I have to do what my parents say.”
“I'll never forget the well documented time I spent with you. We were inseparable. I don't think there was a single time we weren't together. Do you-you remember-” Her tears took over.
Fluttershy nodded. “I do. It was such a good time.”
Everyone around them nodded, crying themselves at the memory they shared, one that would forever stick with them, one that really helped define and flesh out their characters and molded them into who they are today. Truly an emotional rollercoaster, it would be a shame to not know what they were talking about.
Rainbow took her violin and started playing an emotional tune, similar to that at the end of that sinking ship movie that had taken Equestria by storm some years back.
Fluttershy's mum placed her hoof on her daughter's shoulder. “It's time,” she said solemnly.
Dash took a second to soak up as much of her best friend as she could before letting go, and when she did it was like losing a part of herself.
“I'll never forget you,” She said tearily. “I'll probably forget you though,” she added to Zephyr, who was also there.
Fluttershy boarded the cart to Ponyville and it drifted off slowly. She looked back. Tears in her eyes but a soft, warm smile, full of memories that she would call upon when times ahead looked bleak. Memories that would shed light on a dark world and bring warmth into her heart.
The Rainbow family and Ticker, who was also there, looked back in kind. Dash held tight by her side the book she was given as a gift, a book of their time together, with only a few pages left to fill of her own, as there was that much to right about. A whole bleedin' book of times and adventures together that don't need to be written because it is so strongly implied from the, what, two times I've mentioned Fluttershy?