Racing Rainbowby FlutterMac16ChaptersAunt StormyKittens and The LetterChoresMall and Meeting HouseAunt StormyRainbow Dash stared out the window of the bus. Outside, rain pounded the exterior side of the bus's window. She looked down and sighed. "We're almost there." called the bus driver. She grabbed her bag off the floor and zipped up her raincoat. The bus came to a stop. "Here it is miss." said the bus driver. Rainbow put her hood over her head and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks mister." she said as she handed him a bit. She hopped off the bus and searched for a dry place to sit. She found a small diner and walked in. "Hello and welcome little miss. Are you Rainbow Dash?" asked a waitress. "Well.....yea that's me. Is my Aunt here?" she said in a shy voice. "Follow me. She's over this way." replied the waitress. Rainbow followed her through the diner till they came to a pony with a white mane. "Mrs. Weather. Rainbow is here." said the waitress. The light gray mare looked at Rainbow. She was very pretty. Big round blue eyes, long white mane and tail, and a wonderful cutie mark. It was a dark gray cloud with rain coming from the cloud. "Come and sit. I've been waiting for you." said her Aunt. Rainbow set her bag on the floor under the table and sat down. "Aunt Weather? Have you eaten yet? I am really hungry." asked Rainbow. "Oh Rainbow your so sweet. Please call me Aunt Stormy. And no, I haven't eaten yet. Shall we order? After they ate, they drove home to Aunt Stormy's farm. There was a big red barn, a smaller brown barn, and a brown and stone house. Aunt Stormy drove the car close to the porch so they wouldn't get soaked from the rain. They ran inside. Rainbow Dash shook off some of the water. She looked at her surroundings. They were in a small entry way. The walls in the entry way were light yellow. A small closet on both sides. There was a thin table to the right and a white loveseat to the left. The crown molding was white and the floor was wood. She stood on a large welcome mat. "Well here we are." said Aunt Stormy. "Wow. I didn't expect it to look like this in here. Its cozy." said Rainbow. Aunt Stormy laughed. "Well over there is the living room. To the left is the kitchen and bathroom, and to the right is the laundry room and staircase. Come, I'll take you to your room." said Aunt Stormy. Aunt Stormy took Rainbow up the stairs and down a small hallway. She stopped at the second door and opened it. "This will be your room. I know it's not perfect, but it will do." Rainbow dropped her bag and walked in. She looked up. The walls were a sky blue color and the ceiling had white fluffy clouds painted on it. Rainbow turned around and looked at her Aunt. She ran up and hugged her. "It is perfect. I love it. Thank you so much." cried Rainbow. "Well I am glad you liked it. It's getting late. How about you unpack and go to bed. I'll wake you up in the morning." After that Aunt Stormy kissed her on the head and closed the door. Rainbow did not want to go to sleep. She looked around her room some more. She had a twin sized bed, a dresser, a side table, a desk, and a closet. She also had two small bean-bag chairs. All the furniture was a light wood. The closet and the bedroom door matched. The floor was covered in a white carpet. Rainbow opened the closet door and set her bag inside, thinking she would unpack tomorrow. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She pulled off her boots and coat. She found a towel and wiped herself dry. Then at last, climbing under the covers to sleep. The next day Rainbow woke up to Aunt Stormy shaking her slightly. "Come on, get up. I made some breakfast. I also want to talk to you. Come on, lets go, get up." Rainbow turned over on her side so she can see her. She opened her eyes. "OK. I'm up now. I'll be down in a minute." yawned Rainbow. Aunt Stormy spun and walked back down stairs. Rainbow rolled out of bed and walked to the window. It was a bright sunny day. Much nicer then the day before. Rainbow rubbed her eyes. She brushed her mane and tail and walked downstairs. "Hey there you are! I only made oatmeal. Sorry." Aunt Stormy blushed. "It's OK Aunt Stormy. I am fine with cereal tomorrow." said Rainbow. "Wells that good. I can't cook much. I only cooked for myself before. I went to the diner to eat a lot.." said Aunt Stormy. She handed Rainbow some oatmeal. They sat down at a tiny dining table. "Mmm Mmm Mmm." hummed Rainbow. Aunt Stormy giggled. "Rainbow? I was wondering.......would you be willing to talk to me about your mother?" asked her Aunt. Rainbow looked up from her food. She stared deep into her eyes. She quickly looked away again."What do you want to know? You would know more than me. You are her sister. I am too young to know a lot about her. All I know is she let me too soon!" cried Rainbow. "Oh. I am sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." said Aunt Stormy. Over the next half hour, Rainbow and her Aunt talked about her parents. Rainbow told her how her mom died in a crash. Then why her dad left soon after. She said she wished her dad could have stayed and took care of her. Aunt Stormy listened to her niece intently. She felt sorry for her. Watching this little filly cry in front of her was too much. She came over and picked her up and held her in her arms. "Oh Rainbow. It's OK. I'm here now for you. Aunt Stormy will never ever, ever, hurt you in any way." Both of them sat on the kitchen floor, hugging each other as they cried. Kittens and The LetterAfter Rainbow and her Aunt finished their heart to heart, Rainbow went to get the mail. She walked down the long driveway to the road. The air still misty from yesterday's rain. Small puddles of muddy water in every pothole. She felt her hooves moving in her boots as she slipped down toward the mailbox. She opened it got the mail. Then something caught her eye. She read the side of the mailbox. "Oldenburg". So that's the town I'm in. She thought to herself. With the mail in her mouth, she walked carefully back to the house. "I'm back with the mail Aunt Stormy!" Rainbow called from the entryway. She pulled off her muddy boots. Then she trotted over and put the mail on the table. "Aunt Stormy? Where are you?" called Rainbow. She crept through the house searching for her Aunt. "Rainbow! I'm here! Sorry I had to feed the animals!" Aunt Stormy's voice came from downstairs. Rainbow glided down to the living room. She was standing on the back porch. With a motion of her hoof, Aunt Stormy told Rainbow to follow. She quickly tugged her boots back on and chased after her Aunt. Aunt Stormy took Rainbow around the back of the house and up to the small brown barn. "Come over here. We have to use to side door." warned Aunt Stormy. Rainbow's boot clung to the deep mud. "Uh.... yea. Give me a minute." replied Rainbow. She tried to move her front left hoof. Nothing happened. She tried to move her hind legs. They didn't even budge. Oh no. I'm stuck. Crap. Rainbow mentally face-hoofed. She carefully slipped each hoof out of her boots. The flapped her wings and flew to her Aunt. Leaving the boots stuck in the mud. The door squeaked as Aunt Stormy opened it. Inside were bales of hay and some old farm tools. Aunt Stormy walked in and pulled a cord, which turned on the light. The light was dim but got lighter after a few seconds. "This way. I want to show you something." motioned Aunt Stormy. Rainbow Dash followed. Aunt Stormy opened another door that led to an office. She turned on a light again. Rainbow's eyes grew wider. The room was covered with trophies and ribbons. Pictures of her Aunt covered in dust from being untouched. Then laying on the floor, something caught her eye. "Kittens!!" squealed Rainbow. Rainbow crouched down by the baby animals. "Hello itiy bitty fuzzy wuzzies." she said in a babyish voice. Aunt Stormy gave her a look a disbelief. Rainbow's cheeks glowed red. "Uh...I....Their cute."she squeaked, quickly looking away. Hehe....Darn! You blew the coolness factor! she thought. "Soooo.......what are all these trophies from?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy walked over to the desk ans stared at a picture. Her eyes looked as though she was about to cry. "Nothing really. Now come. I just wanted to show you the kittens." she said firmly. Rainbow looked at the kittens then back at her Aunt. Aunt Stormy walked over and flickered the light. "Alright alright I'm coming." Rainbow frowned. Together they walked back outside. The sun was shining brighter and the air smelled fresh. The mud had dried and Rainbow's boots were easy to pull out. "Leave the boots on the back porch. Then meet me in the kitchen."ordered Aunt Stormy. Rainbow did as she was told. She slowly walked into the kitchen. Her eyes fixed on the ground. "Did you want something Auntie?" Aunt Stormy smiled. "Yes. Since you are living here now, I should tell you a few things. Come join me in the living room." Aunt Stormy motioned her over. Rainbow sat in a big brown chair. "Ready to start school yet?" asked Aunt Stormy. Rainbow froze. Every fiber of her being stopped. Oh no. A new school! I'm going to be a new girl! I've never been a new girl!! She looked up, facing her Aunt. "To tell you the truth.....no. Not at all." Rainbow confessed. Aunt Stormy just nodded. "I understand. I was the new girl here once too. I admit, going to MeadowBrooke wasn't easy." Rainbow's face dropped. She didn't want to go to MeadowBrooke. She wanted to go back to her old school, Oakvale. "Rainbow. It's alright. I'm sure everypony will welcome you with open arms and hooves." comforted Aunt Stormy. Rainbow just sat there. She was dazed, dreaming, off in another world. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it. I wonder who it could be." Aunt Stormy went towards the door. When she got around the corner, Rainbow crept upstairs. She flew through the hallway so the floor wouldn't make any noise. She went into the bathroom and peered out the window. There was a stallion in a suit standing outside. He had a dark blue coat and a black mane and tail. Rainbow pressed her muzzle against the glass. He was holding a piece a paper and a letter. Rainbow still couldn't see him very well. She climbed up and sat on the windowsill. She opened the window and stuck her head out. She could just barely hear them talking. "Here is her letter. Please make sure she gets to read it. There is important information she needs to see in order to make it through without difficulties." said the blue stallion. After that he turned and walked back to his cart. Rainbow closed the window. She sat there puzzled. Aunt Stormy yelled from downstairs. "Rainbow! I got something for you!" Rainbow flinched and toppled over. She landed in the sink, getting her backside coat all wet. She grabbed a towel and tied it around her like a skirt. She walked downstairs to see what her Aunt had for her. At the of the steps stood Aunt Stormy. Immediately she noticed the towel. Aunt Stormy laughed to herself. A smile appeared on her face."Did you fall in the sink?" Rainbow's face lit up. She could feel her cheeks burning. "Yes...." she said sounding disappointed. "Well I'm also guessing you were listening in." Rainbow frowned. Aunt Stormy held out the letter. "It's OK. Here I have a letter from the school. I can read it with you." Rainbow went over and sat on the couch. Tearing the side with her teeth, opening it. She read it aloud. " Dear Miss Rainbow Dash, We are glad to have to here at our school, MeadowBrooke Academy. Here we offer the highest level for preforming in sports and academics. I am your new principal, Mr. M. Star. Below we have a list of subjects for first year students. Level 3 Mathematics Level 3 Life Science World Studies 4.Language Arts 5.Technology 6.English 7.Spelling 8.Gym 9.Art 10.Music Hope you enjoy MeadowBrooke. Go to the main office on the first day of school for a list of your teachers. -Mr. M. Star" Rainbow's mouth dropped. "WHAT! Oops.....sorry, but 10 classes! Don't you think that's a little much for an 8 year old?" Aunt Stormy snickered. "This school has high standards. It's just one of the things in Oldenburg that makes it............... special." she replied. "You do know that the day after tomorrow is you first day of school. Right?" ChoresRainbow woke up the next morning to Aunt Stormy calling her name. "Rainbow get up! It's 7:30!" Rainbow sat up on her bed. She looked out her window. It was still a little dark outside. The air felt moist in the morning here in Oldenburg. Rainbow, sleepy-eyed, walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She went back to her room and put on a warm fuzzy yellow sweater that her mother had given to her. It made her feel like she was still with her. She proceeded down the staircase to the kitchen. "Good morning Aunt Stormy." yawned Rainbow. She made herself a bowl of cornflakes. "Good morning Rainbow. I woke you put early so you can help me. Then we'll go shopping." said Aunt Stormy. Rainbow slurped up some milk that was left in her bowl. "What do you want me to help you with? And why are we going shopping?" Rainbow asked tying not to sound rude. Aunt Stormy took her bowl and starting washing it in the sink. "Your going to help me in the garden. I also need help with the animals. You will have to help. I can't do everything around here. And we're going shopping for some clothes. You will need them for school tomorrow. MeadowBrooke kids are tough with things like that." Rainbow looked confused but understood everything she said. After Aunt Stormy finished washing the dishes, she took Rainbow to the garden. Rainbow flew over the garden, looking at every plant her Aunt had. The garden was beautiful! Flowers in every shape, size, and color. Fruits and vegetables blooming and seeding. To the far end of the garden was three small orchards. One was for fruit trees, the other for nut trees, and the last orchard was for sugar maples. She even had a spot for exotic plants. To the right was a shed. Right in the center was a small sitting area beneath a willow tree. She flew down to her Aunt, who was walking toward the shed. "Aunt Stormy your garden is wonderful!" Aunt Stormy's cheeks glowed a shade a red. "Thank you Rainbow. It took me forever to get it like this. My friend Kandy-Cane comes and helps me work sometimes." Aunt Stormy grinned. She opened the shed and went in. She threw something out. Rainbow picked the strange object up. "What's this?' asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy closed the door. She turned around, holding another pair of the strange things, a trowel, and a bucket. "These are to protect your hooves. You put them on like a shoe. They are supposed to help you dig in the dirt." Aunt Stormy put them on and walked over to a garden bed. "Come here, I'll show you." Aunt Stormy rubbed her hoof in the dirt, making a back and forth movement. "What are we supposed to be doing?" asked Rainbow. "We're digging out weeds. When you get one out, put it in the bucket. Then bring it to the compost pile." Aunt Stormy replied. "Um......OK." Rainbow and her Aunt continued working. After 30 minutes, they stopped. "What time is it?" Rainbow asked while sitting under the willow tree. "It's 8:45. Time to feed the animals."answered Aunt Stormy. Rainbow dumped the weeds into the compost pile and followed Aunt Stormy. They walked into the big red barn. Aunt Stormy and Rainbow Dash pulled the big, red, sliding door open. Inside the barn were tons of cute animals. Rainbow walked over it each pen, inspecting each one. There were chickens, goats, sheep, cows, and the kittens from yesterday. "Hello kitties." Rainbow nuzzled a little orange kitten. "This way Rainbow." beckoned Aunt Stormy. She led her to the feed room. "You feed the sheep and goats. I'll feed the cows, chickens, and kittens. I have to walk to the field to feed the cows. So while I'm doing that, get into some nice clothes to go to the mall in." Rainbow went and fed the goats and sheep. Then she walked back up to the house. In her room she pulled her bag out from the closet. She opened the drawers in her dresser. First she organized all of her clothes. After looking at all her clothes she picked out a light purple shirt and a jean jacket over top. She walked downstairs to show her Aunt. "Aunt Stormy? Is this nice?" Aunt Stormy looked up and down her outfit. "That's just fine. Come on lets go." Aunt Stormy led Rainbow Dash into the garage. Inside was an old beat-up red pick-up truck. Aunt Stormy smiled at it. Rainbow looked at her Aunt. "Does this thing even run?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy glared at her. She looked as though that statement saddened her. "Off course this thing works. Your.............my friend found it in a junkyard and fixed it for me. They gave it to me as a birthday present." quoted Aunt Stormy. "Now get in." Rainbow opened the passenger door. She had to climb into the seat. It was extremely dusty. Rainbow swiped it with her hoof. Dust flew everywhere. (Cough, Cough) Aunt Stormy giggled. "Hold on. I will go get a blanket and some wipes." Aunt Stormy trotted off. Rainbow stepped out of the truck. She looked around the garage. Everything was dusty. Aunt Stormy must haven't been in here in forever. Aunt Stormy came back. She had a patterned blanket on her back and some wet wipes in her mouth. "Mmok. MI'm reamy." Aunt Stormy set down the wet wipes. "Let me rephrase. OK. I'm ready." Aunt Stormy tossed Rainbow a corner of the blanket. Together they spread the blanket over the seat. Aunt Stormy pulled out a wet wipe. She handed it to Rainbow. Rainbow held it in her hoof. "What's this for?" Aunt Stormy pulled out an other wet wipe for herself. "You have to wipe the wind-shield and the dashboard. I will wipe down the steering-wheel and all the buttons and things." Aunt Stormy smiled. Rainbow did as she was told. After the wipe down, Rainbow sat on the blanket-covered seat. "There we go. That wasn't so bad. Let me open the door and we'll be on our way." huffed Aunt Stormy. Mall and Meeting HouseAunt Stormy pulled open the door of the garage. Rainbow tried to buckle her safety belt. "Aunt Stormy! The buckle won't go in!" she called from inside the truck. Aunt Stormy got in and strapped herself in. "Oh that used to happen a lot. I've got something here." Aunt Stormy reached over and opened the glove compartment. She pulled out some sliver duct tape. "Here you go." Aunt Stormy started duct tapping the strap. Rainbow laughed. "Really?! Is that even legal?" Rainbow asked with amusement. Aunt Stormy laughed even though it wasn't a joke. "As long as it's strong." she replied. Aunt Stormy shoved her key into ignition. She slammed her hoof on the gas. eeeeeerrrrrrrrr!!! The truck skid on the dirt. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" screamed Rainbow. Rainbow yelled over the screeching tires. "SLOW DOWN WOMAN!!!" Aunt Stormy chuckled. "I haven't driven this in years! Let's go on a joy ride! WOOOO WHOOOO!!" Rainbow screamed again. After a whole minute, Rainbow had gone crazy on her Aunt for her to slow down. "Alright, alright. Just calm down." said Aunt Stormy. They where going normal speed now. They traveled down a long dirt road, which led to town. Rainbow stared out the window. There were mountains in the background and corn fields as far as she could see. In one of the fields she saw a huge white barn. Behind it she swore she saw a race track, but it was to far away to tell. She turned to her Aunt."Aunt Stormy? What's that big white barn over there?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy's eyes never moved from the road. "That's the Oldenburg Raceway. That's a place I wish for you not to go."replied Aunt Stormy. Rainbow looked one more time at the barn before it went out of view. Aunt Stormy drove into town. There were little shops and places to eat everywhere. Small houses lined the narrow street. "Aunt Stormy? What's MeadowBrooke like?" asked Rainbow. "Well........it's nothing like your old school. In fact it's up here on the left." replied Aunt Stormy. Rainbow leaned over trying to get a better view. Finally the school came into view. "Woah.........." Rainbow's eye's grew. The campus was huge. "That school is for ponies from 2nd and up?" asked Rainbow. "Yes it is. The building on your right is for 1st and down." Aunt Stormy sighed. Rainbow moved her tail on her lap and started brushing it. "That school looks scary." said Rainbow. Rainbow was in awe of the size of the campus. She saw ponies talking and carrying saddlebags. "Why are they there if school is tomorrow?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy's tail twitched. "Oh my gosh. I forgot to tell you that you have a tour of the campus today!" Aunt Stormy blushed in embarrassment. Rainbow's jaw dropped. Then she face-hoofed. She shook her head and told herself to forget about it for now. "When are we going to get to the mall?" Rainbow wondered. "Well. First we have to get you a navy blue skirt." Aunt Stormy stated. "A skirt?!" Rainbow yelped. "I don't do skirts. No way." Aunt Stormy gave her a glare. "Every mare and or filly like you, wears a navy blue skirt. It's the school's uniform. You can wear whatever you want on top. As long as it follows the dress code." Finally they got to the mall. Rainbow and her Aunt went in through some small glass doors. Inside it didn't look like a mall at all. "Um...What was the name of this place again?" Rainbow asked. Aunt Stormy sighed. "Ye Oldenburg Market. You know you ask to many questions." Rainbow looked around the place. "It looks more like a barn in here then a mall." said Rainbow. Then something caught her eye. It was a poster of a racetrack. She was about to look at it but her Aunt pulled her into a clothing store. Colorful vests and t-shirts, and who knows what else, was hung in continuous clothing racks. Aunt Stormy looked through vests with her hoof. "How about this for the first day?" Aunt Stormy held up navy blue vest. Rainbow looked at it with disgust. "Sure. I have no idea what I'm supposed to get." Rainbow frowned. Her aunt told her to look around the mall, but she stayed to make sure Aunt Stormy didn't buy something crazy. After an hour or so they had finished. Aunt Stormy called a stallion over to help carry the bags. She made Rainbow get into the navy vest and skirt. They both got into the pick-up. "Aunt Stormy. I don't want to wear this." Rainbow crossed her forelegs. "You have to. We're going to the tour of the campus now." Aunt Stormy started the truck, and they were on their way. They arrived at the school just in time. Rainbow looked at the other students walking inside. She was never concerned about what she looked like, but this was different. She saw all the fancy ponies in thier navy skirt and high fashion shirts. She was glad she went shopping, but her clothing wasn't as nice as theirs. She shook her head. Who cares what they think? Aunt Stormy trotted around the truck. "You ready?" She looked at her with a loving face. "Mm Hm." Rainbow swiped her hair. Together they walked in the meeting building. Rainbow shyly walked to the 2nd graders seats. In this school they separated filly's and colts. She sat next to a yellow filly with a pink mane and a purple filly with a purple and pink mane. "Hi I'm Rainbow Dash." she said to the purple filly. It stared at her, then gave her a smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you. Is this your first year?" Rainbow smiled. Maybe it's her first year too! Then we could be friends! "Yes. Yes it is. Is it your first year?" Twilight nodded her head."Shhh they are getting ready to start." Rainbow tried to listen to the teacher speech, but was to busy looking at all the other ponies. All the fillies had their navy skirts and all the colts had navy vests. Rainbow couldn't help but to look at the older ponies. Each grade had their own vest. 2nd grade had plain navy, while third had gold trim. Forth had the gold trim but then had inner trim too. Twilight nudged Rainbow. "Are you paying any attention?" Twilight wrote some more notes in her book. Rainbow sat forward again. She felt somepony poke her. She turned to her left. The little yellow filly was staring at her. "Do you need something?" she said in a whisper so no pony could hear her. "Um....um.........I dropped my quill." Rainbow looked at the ground. The yellow filly's quill rolled to the middle of the aisle. Rainbow looked at the teacher talking. She gulped. She nudged Twilight. "What? I'm taking notes." Twilight whispered. Rainbow pointed towards the quill. Twilight quietly face-hoofed. "No. I'm not getting in trouble." Twilight continued writing. Rainbow looked back at the yellow filly. The filly's eyes grew, as if they were trying to say please. Rainbow looked at the quill. She looked at the teacher and back at the quill a few times. One....Two.....THREE! Rainbow flew from her seat, grabbed the quill and flew back. Everypony was silent. The teacher that was talking gave her a look. One colt giggled. Then the teacher went back to talking. Oh crap. What did I just do. Finally she handed the quill to the yellow filly. "Thank you." She mumbled. Rainbow looked at her. "What's your name by the way?" Rainbow whispered. "Um.......I'm Fluttershy." Rainbow smiled. "Rainbow Dash." Then they shook hoofs. Two new friends. Perfect. thought Rainbow.
Aunt StormyRainbow Dash stared out the window of the bus. Outside, rain pounded the exterior side of the bus's window. She looked down and sighed. "We're almost there." called the bus driver. She grabbed her bag off the floor and zipped up her raincoat. The bus came to a stop. "Here it is miss." said the bus driver. Rainbow put her hood over her head and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks mister." she said as she handed him a bit. She hopped off the bus and searched for a dry place to sit. She found a small diner and walked in. "Hello and welcome little miss. Are you Rainbow Dash?" asked a waitress. "Well.....yea that's me. Is my Aunt here?" she said in a shy voice. "Follow me. She's over this way." replied the waitress. Rainbow followed her through the diner till they came to a pony with a white mane. "Mrs. Weather. Rainbow is here." said the waitress. The light gray mare looked at Rainbow. She was very pretty. Big round blue eyes, long white mane and tail, and a wonderful cutie mark. It was a dark gray cloud with rain coming from the cloud. "Come and sit. I've been waiting for you." said her Aunt. Rainbow set her bag on the floor under the table and sat down. "Aunt Weather? Have you eaten yet? I am really hungry." asked Rainbow. "Oh Rainbow your so sweet. Please call me Aunt Stormy. And no, I haven't eaten yet. Shall we order? After they ate, they drove home to Aunt Stormy's farm. There was a big red barn, a smaller brown barn, and a brown and stone house. Aunt Stormy drove the car close to the porch so they wouldn't get soaked from the rain. They ran inside. Rainbow Dash shook off some of the water. She looked at her surroundings. They were in a small entry way. The walls in the entry way were light yellow. A small closet on both sides. There was a thin table to the right and a white loveseat to the left. The crown molding was white and the floor was wood. She stood on a large welcome mat. "Well here we are." said Aunt Stormy. "Wow. I didn't expect it to look like this in here. Its cozy." said Rainbow. Aunt Stormy laughed. "Well over there is the living room. To the left is the kitchen and bathroom, and to the right is the laundry room and staircase. Come, I'll take you to your room." said Aunt Stormy. Aunt Stormy took Rainbow up the stairs and down a small hallway. She stopped at the second door and opened it. "This will be your room. I know it's not perfect, but it will do." Rainbow dropped her bag and walked in. She looked up. The walls were a sky blue color and the ceiling had white fluffy clouds painted on it. Rainbow turned around and looked at her Aunt. She ran up and hugged her. "It is perfect. I love it. Thank you so much." cried Rainbow. "Well I am glad you liked it. It's getting late. How about you unpack and go to bed. I'll wake you up in the morning." After that Aunt Stormy kissed her on the head and closed the door. Rainbow did not want to go to sleep. She looked around her room some more. She had a twin sized bed, a dresser, a side table, a desk, and a closet. She also had two small bean-bag chairs. All the furniture was a light wood. The closet and the bedroom door matched. The floor was covered in a white carpet. Rainbow opened the closet door and set her bag inside, thinking she would unpack tomorrow. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She pulled off her boots and coat. She found a towel and wiped herself dry. Then at last, climbing under the covers to sleep. The next day Rainbow woke up to Aunt Stormy shaking her slightly. "Come on, get up. I made some breakfast. I also want to talk to you. Come on, lets go, get up." Rainbow turned over on her side so she can see her. She opened her eyes. "OK. I'm up now. I'll be down in a minute." yawned Rainbow. Aunt Stormy spun and walked back down stairs. Rainbow rolled out of bed and walked to the window. It was a bright sunny day. Much nicer then the day before. Rainbow rubbed her eyes. She brushed her mane and tail and walked downstairs. "Hey there you are! I only made oatmeal. Sorry." Aunt Stormy blushed. "It's OK Aunt Stormy. I am fine with cereal tomorrow." said Rainbow. "Wells that good. I can't cook much. I only cooked for myself before. I went to the diner to eat a lot.." said Aunt Stormy. She handed Rainbow some oatmeal. They sat down at a tiny dining table. "Mmm Mmm Mmm." hummed Rainbow. Aunt Stormy giggled. "Rainbow? I was wondering.......would you be willing to talk to me about your mother?" asked her Aunt. Rainbow looked up from her food. She stared deep into her eyes. She quickly looked away again."What do you want to know? You would know more than me. You are her sister. I am too young to know a lot about her. All I know is she let me too soon!" cried Rainbow. "Oh. I am sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." said Aunt Stormy. Over the next half hour, Rainbow and her Aunt talked about her parents. Rainbow told her how her mom died in a crash. Then why her dad left soon after. She said she wished her dad could have stayed and took care of her. Aunt Stormy listened to her niece intently. She felt sorry for her. Watching this little filly cry in front of her was too much. She came over and picked her up and held her in her arms. "Oh Rainbow. It's OK. I'm here now for you. Aunt Stormy will never ever, ever, hurt you in any way." Both of them sat on the kitchen floor, hugging each other as they cried.
Kittens and The LetterAfter Rainbow and her Aunt finished their heart to heart, Rainbow went to get the mail. She walked down the long driveway to the road. The air still misty from yesterday's rain. Small puddles of muddy water in every pothole. She felt her hooves moving in her boots as she slipped down toward the mailbox. She opened it got the mail. Then something caught her eye. She read the side of the mailbox. "Oldenburg". So that's the town I'm in. She thought to herself. With the mail in her mouth, she walked carefully back to the house. "I'm back with the mail Aunt Stormy!" Rainbow called from the entryway. She pulled off her muddy boots. Then she trotted over and put the mail on the table. "Aunt Stormy? Where are you?" called Rainbow. She crept through the house searching for her Aunt. "Rainbow! I'm here! Sorry I had to feed the animals!" Aunt Stormy's voice came from downstairs. Rainbow glided down to the living room. She was standing on the back porch. With a motion of her hoof, Aunt Stormy told Rainbow to follow. She quickly tugged her boots back on and chased after her Aunt. Aunt Stormy took Rainbow around the back of the house and up to the small brown barn. "Come over here. We have to use to side door." warned Aunt Stormy. Rainbow's boot clung to the deep mud. "Uh.... yea. Give me a minute." replied Rainbow. She tried to move her front left hoof. Nothing happened. She tried to move her hind legs. They didn't even budge. Oh no. I'm stuck. Crap. Rainbow mentally face-hoofed. She carefully slipped each hoof out of her boots. The flapped her wings and flew to her Aunt. Leaving the boots stuck in the mud. The door squeaked as Aunt Stormy opened it. Inside were bales of hay and some old farm tools. Aunt Stormy walked in and pulled a cord, which turned on the light. The light was dim but got lighter after a few seconds. "This way. I want to show you something." motioned Aunt Stormy. Rainbow Dash followed. Aunt Stormy opened another door that led to an office. She turned on a light again. Rainbow's eyes grew wider. The room was covered with trophies and ribbons. Pictures of her Aunt covered in dust from being untouched. Then laying on the floor, something caught her eye. "Kittens!!" squealed Rainbow. Rainbow crouched down by the baby animals. "Hello itiy bitty fuzzy wuzzies." she said in a babyish voice. Aunt Stormy gave her a look a disbelief. Rainbow's cheeks glowed red. "Uh...I....Their cute."she squeaked, quickly looking away. Hehe....Darn! You blew the coolness factor! she thought. "Soooo.......what are all these trophies from?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy walked over to the desk ans stared at a picture. Her eyes looked as though she was about to cry. "Nothing really. Now come. I just wanted to show you the kittens." she said firmly. Rainbow looked at the kittens then back at her Aunt. Aunt Stormy walked over and flickered the light. "Alright alright I'm coming." Rainbow frowned. Together they walked back outside. The sun was shining brighter and the air smelled fresh. The mud had dried and Rainbow's boots were easy to pull out. "Leave the boots on the back porch. Then meet me in the kitchen."ordered Aunt Stormy. Rainbow did as she was told. She slowly walked into the kitchen. Her eyes fixed on the ground. "Did you want something Auntie?" Aunt Stormy smiled. "Yes. Since you are living here now, I should tell you a few things. Come join me in the living room." Aunt Stormy motioned her over. Rainbow sat in a big brown chair. "Ready to start school yet?" asked Aunt Stormy. Rainbow froze. Every fiber of her being stopped. Oh no. A new school! I'm going to be a new girl! I've never been a new girl!! She looked up, facing her Aunt. "To tell you the truth.....no. Not at all." Rainbow confessed. Aunt Stormy just nodded. "I understand. I was the new girl here once too. I admit, going to MeadowBrooke wasn't easy." Rainbow's face dropped. She didn't want to go to MeadowBrooke. She wanted to go back to her old school, Oakvale. "Rainbow. It's alright. I'm sure everypony will welcome you with open arms and hooves." comforted Aunt Stormy. Rainbow just sat there. She was dazed, dreaming, off in another world. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it. I wonder who it could be." Aunt Stormy went towards the door. When she got around the corner, Rainbow crept upstairs. She flew through the hallway so the floor wouldn't make any noise. She went into the bathroom and peered out the window. There was a stallion in a suit standing outside. He had a dark blue coat and a black mane and tail. Rainbow pressed her muzzle against the glass. He was holding a piece a paper and a letter. Rainbow still couldn't see him very well. She climbed up and sat on the windowsill. She opened the window and stuck her head out. She could just barely hear them talking. "Here is her letter. Please make sure she gets to read it. There is important information she needs to see in order to make it through without difficulties." said the blue stallion. After that he turned and walked back to his cart. Rainbow closed the window. She sat there puzzled. Aunt Stormy yelled from downstairs. "Rainbow! I got something for you!" Rainbow flinched and toppled over. She landed in the sink, getting her backside coat all wet. She grabbed a towel and tied it around her like a skirt. She walked downstairs to see what her Aunt had for her. At the of the steps stood Aunt Stormy. Immediately she noticed the towel. Aunt Stormy laughed to herself. A smile appeared on her face."Did you fall in the sink?" Rainbow's face lit up. She could feel her cheeks burning. "Yes...." she said sounding disappointed. "Well I'm also guessing you were listening in." Rainbow frowned. Aunt Stormy held out the letter. "It's OK. Here I have a letter from the school. I can read it with you." Rainbow went over and sat on the couch. Tearing the side with her teeth, opening it. She read it aloud. " Dear Miss Rainbow Dash, We are glad to have to here at our school, MeadowBrooke Academy. Here we offer the highest level for preforming in sports and academics. I am your new principal, Mr. M. Star. Below we have a list of subjects for first year students. Level 3 Mathematics Level 3 Life Science World Studies 4.Language Arts 5.Technology 6.English 7.Spelling 8.Gym 9.Art 10.Music Hope you enjoy MeadowBrooke. Go to the main office on the first day of school for a list of your teachers. -Mr. M. Star" Rainbow's mouth dropped. "WHAT! Oops.....sorry, but 10 classes! Don't you think that's a little much for an 8 year old?" Aunt Stormy snickered. "This school has high standards. It's just one of the things in Oldenburg that makes it............... special." she replied. "You do know that the day after tomorrow is you first day of school. Right?"
ChoresRainbow woke up the next morning to Aunt Stormy calling her name. "Rainbow get up! It's 7:30!" Rainbow sat up on her bed. She looked out her window. It was still a little dark outside. The air felt moist in the morning here in Oldenburg. Rainbow, sleepy-eyed, walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She went back to her room and put on a warm fuzzy yellow sweater that her mother had given to her. It made her feel like she was still with her. She proceeded down the staircase to the kitchen. "Good morning Aunt Stormy." yawned Rainbow. She made herself a bowl of cornflakes. "Good morning Rainbow. I woke you put early so you can help me. Then we'll go shopping." said Aunt Stormy. Rainbow slurped up some milk that was left in her bowl. "What do you want me to help you with? And why are we going shopping?" Rainbow asked tying not to sound rude. Aunt Stormy took her bowl and starting washing it in the sink. "Your going to help me in the garden. I also need help with the animals. You will have to help. I can't do everything around here. And we're going shopping for some clothes. You will need them for school tomorrow. MeadowBrooke kids are tough with things like that." Rainbow looked confused but understood everything she said. After Aunt Stormy finished washing the dishes, she took Rainbow to the garden. Rainbow flew over the garden, looking at every plant her Aunt had. The garden was beautiful! Flowers in every shape, size, and color. Fruits and vegetables blooming and seeding. To the far end of the garden was three small orchards. One was for fruit trees, the other for nut trees, and the last orchard was for sugar maples. She even had a spot for exotic plants. To the right was a shed. Right in the center was a small sitting area beneath a willow tree. She flew down to her Aunt, who was walking toward the shed. "Aunt Stormy your garden is wonderful!" Aunt Stormy's cheeks glowed a shade a red. "Thank you Rainbow. It took me forever to get it like this. My friend Kandy-Cane comes and helps me work sometimes." Aunt Stormy grinned. She opened the shed and went in. She threw something out. Rainbow picked the strange object up. "What's this?' asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy closed the door. She turned around, holding another pair of the strange things, a trowel, and a bucket. "These are to protect your hooves. You put them on like a shoe. They are supposed to help you dig in the dirt." Aunt Stormy put them on and walked over to a garden bed. "Come here, I'll show you." Aunt Stormy rubbed her hoof in the dirt, making a back and forth movement. "What are we supposed to be doing?" asked Rainbow. "We're digging out weeds. When you get one out, put it in the bucket. Then bring it to the compost pile." Aunt Stormy replied. "Um......OK." Rainbow and her Aunt continued working. After 30 minutes, they stopped. "What time is it?" Rainbow asked while sitting under the willow tree. "It's 8:45. Time to feed the animals."answered Aunt Stormy. Rainbow dumped the weeds into the compost pile and followed Aunt Stormy. They walked into the big red barn. Aunt Stormy and Rainbow Dash pulled the big, red, sliding door open. Inside the barn were tons of cute animals. Rainbow walked over it each pen, inspecting each one. There were chickens, goats, sheep, cows, and the kittens from yesterday. "Hello kitties." Rainbow nuzzled a little orange kitten. "This way Rainbow." beckoned Aunt Stormy. She led her to the feed room. "You feed the sheep and goats. I'll feed the cows, chickens, and kittens. I have to walk to the field to feed the cows. So while I'm doing that, get into some nice clothes to go to the mall in." Rainbow went and fed the goats and sheep. Then she walked back up to the house. In her room she pulled her bag out from the closet. She opened the drawers in her dresser. First she organized all of her clothes. After looking at all her clothes she picked out a light purple shirt and a jean jacket over top. She walked downstairs to show her Aunt. "Aunt Stormy? Is this nice?" Aunt Stormy looked up and down her outfit. "That's just fine. Come on lets go." Aunt Stormy led Rainbow Dash into the garage. Inside was an old beat-up red pick-up truck. Aunt Stormy smiled at it. Rainbow looked at her Aunt. "Does this thing even run?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy glared at her. She looked as though that statement saddened her. "Off course this thing works. Your.............my friend found it in a junkyard and fixed it for me. They gave it to me as a birthday present." quoted Aunt Stormy. "Now get in." Rainbow opened the passenger door. She had to climb into the seat. It was extremely dusty. Rainbow swiped it with her hoof. Dust flew everywhere. (Cough, Cough) Aunt Stormy giggled. "Hold on. I will go get a blanket and some wipes." Aunt Stormy trotted off. Rainbow stepped out of the truck. She looked around the garage. Everything was dusty. Aunt Stormy must haven't been in here in forever. Aunt Stormy came back. She had a patterned blanket on her back and some wet wipes in her mouth. "Mmok. MI'm reamy." Aunt Stormy set down the wet wipes. "Let me rephrase. OK. I'm ready." Aunt Stormy tossed Rainbow a corner of the blanket. Together they spread the blanket over the seat. Aunt Stormy pulled out a wet wipe. She handed it to Rainbow. Rainbow held it in her hoof. "What's this for?" Aunt Stormy pulled out an other wet wipe for herself. "You have to wipe the wind-shield and the dashboard. I will wipe down the steering-wheel and all the buttons and things." Aunt Stormy smiled. Rainbow did as she was told. After the wipe down, Rainbow sat on the blanket-covered seat. "There we go. That wasn't so bad. Let me open the door and we'll be on our way." huffed Aunt Stormy.
Mall and Meeting HouseAunt Stormy pulled open the door of the garage. Rainbow tried to buckle her safety belt. "Aunt Stormy! The buckle won't go in!" she called from inside the truck. Aunt Stormy got in and strapped herself in. "Oh that used to happen a lot. I've got something here." Aunt Stormy reached over and opened the glove compartment. She pulled out some sliver duct tape. "Here you go." Aunt Stormy started duct tapping the strap. Rainbow laughed. "Really?! Is that even legal?" Rainbow asked with amusement. Aunt Stormy laughed even though it wasn't a joke. "As long as it's strong." she replied. Aunt Stormy shoved her key into ignition. She slammed her hoof on the gas. eeeeeerrrrrrrrr!!! The truck skid on the dirt. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" screamed Rainbow. Rainbow yelled over the screeching tires. "SLOW DOWN WOMAN!!!" Aunt Stormy chuckled. "I haven't driven this in years! Let's go on a joy ride! WOOOO WHOOOO!!" Rainbow screamed again. After a whole minute, Rainbow had gone crazy on her Aunt for her to slow down. "Alright, alright. Just calm down." said Aunt Stormy. They where going normal speed now. They traveled down a long dirt road, which led to town. Rainbow stared out the window. There were mountains in the background and corn fields as far as she could see. In one of the fields she saw a huge white barn. Behind it she swore she saw a race track, but it was to far away to tell. She turned to her Aunt."Aunt Stormy? What's that big white barn over there?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy's eyes never moved from the road. "That's the Oldenburg Raceway. That's a place I wish for you not to go."replied Aunt Stormy. Rainbow looked one more time at the barn before it went out of view. Aunt Stormy drove into town. There were little shops and places to eat everywhere. Small houses lined the narrow street. "Aunt Stormy? What's MeadowBrooke like?" asked Rainbow. "Well........it's nothing like your old school. In fact it's up here on the left." replied Aunt Stormy. Rainbow leaned over trying to get a better view. Finally the school came into view. "Woah.........." Rainbow's eye's grew. The campus was huge. "That school is for ponies from 2nd and up?" asked Rainbow. "Yes it is. The building on your right is for 1st and down." Aunt Stormy sighed. Rainbow moved her tail on her lap and started brushing it. "That school looks scary." said Rainbow. Rainbow was in awe of the size of the campus. She saw ponies talking and carrying saddlebags. "Why are they there if school is tomorrow?" asked Rainbow. Aunt Stormy's tail twitched. "Oh my gosh. I forgot to tell you that you have a tour of the campus today!" Aunt Stormy blushed in embarrassment. Rainbow's jaw dropped. Then she face-hoofed. She shook her head and told herself to forget about it for now. "When are we going to get to the mall?" Rainbow wondered. "Well. First we have to get you a navy blue skirt." Aunt Stormy stated. "A skirt?!" Rainbow yelped. "I don't do skirts. No way." Aunt Stormy gave her a glare. "Every mare and or filly like you, wears a navy blue skirt. It's the school's uniform. You can wear whatever you want on top. As long as it follows the dress code." Finally they got to the mall. Rainbow and her Aunt went in through some small glass doors. Inside it didn't look like a mall at all. "Um...What was the name of this place again?" Rainbow asked. Aunt Stormy sighed. "Ye Oldenburg Market. You know you ask to many questions." Rainbow looked around the place. "It looks more like a barn in here then a mall." said Rainbow. Then something caught her eye. It was a poster of a racetrack. She was about to look at it but her Aunt pulled her into a clothing store. Colorful vests and t-shirts, and who knows what else, was hung in continuous clothing racks. Aunt Stormy looked through vests with her hoof. "How about this for the first day?" Aunt Stormy held up navy blue vest. Rainbow looked at it with disgust. "Sure. I have no idea what I'm supposed to get." Rainbow frowned. Her aunt told her to look around the mall, but she stayed to make sure Aunt Stormy didn't buy something crazy. After an hour or so they had finished. Aunt Stormy called a stallion over to help carry the bags. She made Rainbow get into the navy vest and skirt. They both got into the pick-up. "Aunt Stormy. I don't want to wear this." Rainbow crossed her forelegs. "You have to. We're going to the tour of the campus now." Aunt Stormy started the truck, and they were on their way. They arrived at the school just in time. Rainbow looked at the other students walking inside. She was never concerned about what she looked like, but this was different. She saw all the fancy ponies in thier navy skirt and high fashion shirts. She was glad she went shopping, but her clothing wasn't as nice as theirs. She shook her head. Who cares what they think? Aunt Stormy trotted around the truck. "You ready?" She looked at her with a loving face. "Mm Hm." Rainbow swiped her hair. Together they walked in the meeting building. Rainbow shyly walked to the 2nd graders seats. In this school they separated filly's and colts. She sat next to a yellow filly with a pink mane and a purple filly with a purple and pink mane. "Hi I'm Rainbow Dash." she said to the purple filly. It stared at her, then gave her a smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you. Is this your first year?" Rainbow smiled. Maybe it's her first year too! Then we could be friends! "Yes. Yes it is. Is it your first year?" Twilight nodded her head."Shhh they are getting ready to start." Rainbow tried to listen to the teacher speech, but was to busy looking at all the other ponies. All the fillies had their navy skirts and all the colts had navy vests. Rainbow couldn't help but to look at the older ponies. Each grade had their own vest. 2nd grade had plain navy, while third had gold trim. Forth had the gold trim but then had inner trim too. Twilight nudged Rainbow. "Are you paying any attention?" Twilight wrote some more notes in her book. Rainbow sat forward again. She felt somepony poke her. She turned to her left. The little yellow filly was staring at her. "Do you need something?" she said in a whisper so no pony could hear her. "Um....um.........I dropped my quill." Rainbow looked at the ground. The yellow filly's quill rolled to the middle of the aisle. Rainbow looked at the teacher talking. She gulped. She nudged Twilight. "What? I'm taking notes." Twilight whispered. Rainbow pointed towards the quill. Twilight quietly face-hoofed. "No. I'm not getting in trouble." Twilight continued writing. Rainbow looked back at the yellow filly. The filly's eyes grew, as if they were trying to say please. Rainbow looked at the quill. She looked at the teacher and back at the quill a few times. One....Two.....THREE! Rainbow flew from her seat, grabbed the quill and flew back. Everypony was silent. The teacher that was talking gave her a look. One colt giggled. Then the teacher went back to talking. Oh crap. What did I just do. Finally she handed the quill to the yellow filly. "Thank you." She mumbled. Rainbow looked at her. "What's your name by the way?" Rainbow whispered. "Um.......I'm Fluttershy." Rainbow smiled. "Rainbow Dash." Then they shook hoofs. Two new friends. Perfect. thought Rainbow.
