Red Nose and a Rainbow

By Spoonlol

Rainbow just stood there for a minute after she had finished telling her story. It was a lot to say and for the ponies listening, probable a lot to take in. Her friends where all standing around her trying to think of something to say, before Applejack finally spoke up.

"So, you kept seeing him for year, even after your parents passed away?" She asked with a slightly annoyed for some reason, this confused a couple of the others. Why could AJ get annoyed by a story like that? They didn't have to wonder that long after Dash nodded in reply, hanging her head a little. "And then after all that, he just suddenly left ya’ all alone with not so much as a goodbye, or a reason for why he never came back?" Her annoyance now turning to anger, which didn't surprise that many of her friends. Family was everything to Applejack her kin, so hearing something like this, was bound to get under her coat. "Well in that case, wait here while ah go buck the answers out of him."

"O Applejack. I understand where you’re coming from but please." Rarity protested and grabs Applejack's tail with the magic before she when and did anything she would most likely regret later. “Not in from of the children." AJ looked over to where Rudolph was. He had just come back from giving the foals a flying sleigh ride. He was just unhitching himself from the slay when it suddenly disappeared.

"It's nothing guy, really." Rainbow spoke up, lifting her head. "It was hard the first couple of holidays but I got through it in the end. And besides I turned out OK, I'm still the most awesome pony in Ponyville." Dash hovered up into the air, returning back to her normal proud tone of speaking.

"But wait a second." Twilight said, getting everyone's attention "If you haven't seen him in all that time. How did you get him to come here?" Good question...let’s just get this plot hole wrapped up quickly.

"O, I wrote him a letter asking him to come." Rainbow answered.

"Then why didn't you write to him years ago." Twilight fired back, you would think that after Twilight almost ruined hearts warming eve, that she would be happy that a way to solve the problem had just appeared out of nowhere. But as always Twilight always wanted to hear things from the "logical" point of things.

"I did, every year." The others could see that Rainbow was starting to get irritated by her friend's constant question about the subject. "Except this year I told him about what you did at the school." Rainbow was getting angry. "So if you think about it, I have you to thank for him being here." She was face to face with the unicorn. Twilight could feel the hot steam of air coming about of Rainbow's nostrils.

"I'm...I'm sorry Dash." This made Dash back away, waiting for her breathing to slow down.

"Sorry about that." Dash apologized. "This isn't one of my favourite things to talk about."

"No, it's my fault. I know something like that must be hard to go through, I shouldn't have pushed you that hard." Twilight put a hoof on Dashes shoulder. Before they both when in for a hug.

"I don't get it" Pinkie whispered to Rarity "I didn't see Twilight puss Rainbow Dash." Rarity just responded with a dead pan look. This got a “What?” from Pinkie.

This was where Rarity got an idea. Not from the delightful moment she had just had with Pinkie, but just a random idea. She walked up to the Reindeer and pocked him on the shoulder. This made Rudolph jump a little and instead of falling back down, he just stayed floating in the air curled up into a small ball, before turning around to see what had poked him.

"Hello, I don’t mean you scare you, but I couldn't help but notice the time and I'm afraid that it's time for the fillies and colts to be heading home." Rarity lied, it was only five past four, and in a friendly town like this nothing was bound to happen after dark. Thankfully the children didn't seem to notice as they all gave off an annoyed "aw" noise, which Rudolph joined in.

As the children started to leave to go home, one of the fillies ran up to Rudolph and gave him a small hug on the leg "Thank for the ride. Will we see you tomorrow?"

"Sorry kid, but I got to get home to Santa tonight." His answer brought a small frown to the filly's face. "Don't be sad kid, you don't need me to enjoy Christmas do you."

"Don't you mean heart's warming eve?" Rarity corrected him.

"Same thing really." he replied "Now you." turning his head to face the filly once more. “Get home to your mother, before she starts to worry." this was met by a small nod as see started to trot away. Being the child loving fellow Rudolph was, it pained him to just leave someone like that. "See you around, Berry Pinch" she shouted.

The filly's head shot up as she heard her name "He knows my name." she whispered. "He knows my name" She repeated, this time almost shouting the words. The filly then started bouncing away like Pinkie usually did saying those four words over and over to her as she skipped along the path.

"Gets them every time." He said to himself, slightly waving his head side to side.

The only ponies left were the CMC and the rest of the main six, besides Fluttershy. They all got back together in a group before Rarity spoke up. "Well we should take these one’s home."

"But Rarity it's only four, why do we have to go now?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"Because, well we..." Rarity had to think fast, or this plan could be blown higher then Canterlot castle. "Because we need to... get your room ready for the others to sleep over." Rarity finally answered, giving off a large fake smile, trying to hide the lie.

The CMC just looked at each other of split second, obviously not having a clue what she was talking about. But as they looked at each other, they just smile and shouted the classic "YAY, SLEEPOVER AT RARITY'S HOUSE". Then they just ran off to the boutique with smiles on their faces while the rest of the group thought about what was happening.

"O, OK then." Applejack answered, a bit confused to what just happened but seemed to be okay with it. "Make sure Applebloom behaves herself." then turned to the home.

"Pinkie, Twilight while you two accompany me home?" She asked showing a small smile. Fluttering her eyes a bit

"Rarity you’re so silly, your house is the opposite direction to Sugercube Corner." Pinkie stated. This was met by a shape "go home Pinkie" from Rarity, she smile completely faded, replaced by a flat look on her face. Even so, Pinkie still kept the large smile on her face as she replied. "Ok, see you all tomorrow." Before bouncing to Rudolph and gave him a large hug "Thanks you coming out of nowhere and proving Twilight wrong." She said to him before bouncing off home.

"Coming Twilight?" This was quickly replied with a nod. As the two talked off Rarity looked behind her and called "See you to, it was nice to meet you Rudolph." they disappeared into the snow and fog as they walked away.

Leaving just Rainbow and Rudolph alone together. There was small silent before they noticed that all they were along. Both of them new they needed to start talking about something, but by the look on Rainbow's he could tell she was having a hard time thinking of what to say, who could blame her, they hadn't really spoken in 5 year. Even yesterday when he first arrived at her cloud house they didn't really say anything in the short time Dash was the three. So the task fell to Rudolph to break the ice.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this...." he pauses as she looked at him. “But all your friends are really hot." He burst out with a smile.

"Yeah, they are." This got a raised eyebrow from the reindeer. "Friends, I mean...their all really good friends. Just friends." Rainbow tried to correct herself when she realized what she had just said, and was now tripping over her own words trying. Way to go Rudolph.

"Stop it. I know what you mean." he interrupted her. "I see you’re in good hands here in Ponyville."

"Yeah, I mean they’re all really cool in their own way." Dash told him like a daughter would tell their father if something excited happened at school. "They make me laugh, smile, we go on awesome adventures together...they’re always there for me." That last statement made Rudolph's smile fade.

"Unlike me then?" He stated as he started walking off. Dash noticed how that much of sounded and flow to front of him, hovering in place.

"Hay, that's not what I meant. I was just saying tha..." She was stopped by a hoof being held up to her face.

"I know what you meant Rainbow. I just...."he sighed "I just wanted the conversation to head this way." They got a small shocked face from Dash. "Come on. I've always preferred have a conversation while walking. Makes me feel like were going somewhere with the conversation."

"How in the hay does that work?" Dash asked

"Well, when a conversation ends, the journey usually end or changes direction. Have you ever noticed that when somepony meet their destination, something else starts to happen. Well that's why I like walking and talking, because every conversation is its own little journey."

"You've changed; you sounded like an old grandpa telling just them." Rainbow giggled.

"And so have you, I don't think they Rainbow Dash I used to see years ago wouldn't be that concerned about anypony but herself." Rainbow moved her head to one side, in embarrassment in knowing that she did used to be linking that. "But look at you now. Element of loyalty and everything." He say we a smile

She turned her head back to him with a smile, before it faded for a moment. "Why did you never come back?" He could hear her voice cracking. He started to walk away, motion with his head to follow. Most likely to go on that conversational walks he was talking about earlier.

They walked in the snowy fields of Ponyville Park for a small while. The night and moon were starting to awaken, as the moons light shone onto the white, frozen water that lay beneath him. They both heard the crunching of snow beneath their hoofs was they walked along.

It was a little while before they started talking again, as Rudolph spoke up first. "Rainbow, remember the day your parents die?" she gave him a small nod "Well, I watched you that whole day before we met up at your neighbour’s house and well..." Dash could tell his was starting to become hard for him to say, but she didn't interrupt him. "I noticed you didn't show any signs of sadness to anypony, not even to your friend Fluttershy. You just bottled it all up until you started crying in my arms."

"I don't see how that's why you never came back." she stated with her head tilted to one side.

"I'm getting there." He gave off a quick sigh to give him time to find his place again. "Well, that day I noticed that you never opened up to anyone, sometimes not even to yourself. So I stayed with all the way through your time at the orphanage. But when you got your own place, I started to think about something.

You know I was born with this nose right." she nodded " Well when it was coming up to that time, I was told that a reindeer who is blessed with the gift of a red nose is said to be able to live for as lone as the princesses, that that reindeer will stay by Santa's side for millenniums to come." They noticed they were starting to walk across the frozen ponds but they hovered just above it so they wouldn't fall in. "And then I noticed that you were getting older, and that you were starting to rely on me to comfort you, even if we did only see each other once or twice or three times a year. But then I noticed that you had grown up, and that you were at the age of not needing someone like me anymore. So I stop coming to you."

"So you left because you thought I was getting old?" Rainbow wasn't buying this; there must have been something else. What was that about him being as old as the princesses?

"No, I stopped showing up because....because I was starting to rely on you for comfort as well." He hung his head for a minute before continuing “I never got along with the other reindeer, most likely because of my nose and that I'm a half breed. So I didn't want us to just be living our live till the next day that we saw each other, especially if was going to outlive you a thousand fold. Don't you see Dash, I didn't just leave you...I gave you up. So that you would have a life without me, and that you could started to open up to others."

"So you left me, so that I wouldn't need you anymore." She was about to continue as she opened her mouth to say something like "of course I still needed you," or "that's sounds like a load of horse poop". But he interrupted her before she could.

"But it worked, just look at you now. On the road to almost become a Wonderbolt. Part of the elements of harmony, who have saved Equestria a couple of times, might I add. And you didn't need me to do all that."

"I see what you mean, but why didn't you just tell me this some other time before." she asked him.

"I don't know, I tried to a couple of times. But I guess I was just scared to tell you something like that." He brought his head back up to face her. "I'm sorry Dash."

"It's okay. But I guess you plan did work, I'm a lot more open now." she said with a small smile. Rainbow never liked to show tears or her stage fright or anything like that but she did still opened up to her friends about some of the problems she had. Heck, she was even mentoring Scootaloo now about stuff like this.

"Yeah, I've had my eye on you," He smile "Still not a fan of opening up to the opposite gender though." He gave a devilish smile and a wink. But he had already taken things too far. She jumped on top of him, making sure to avoid the antlers. Pushing him to the ground were the rolled around laughing for a bit.

Rudolph climbed off of Rainbow and they just lade there for a good while. They talked about how their lives were getting on, and what was new. Rudolph couldn't watch Dash all the time when he was at the north pole but he did see some interesting bits, like how she kick that dragon in the face or that sonic boom trick she hadn't been able to perform sense she was a filly.

As time went on, it was getting late and Rudolph had to leave so he could get back in time for their practice run. "Well I guess this is it." He sighed.

"Yeah...Same time next year." She asked. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Did she really just say that after what they had talked about?

"Dash look..." This time it was his turn to get cut off.

"I didn't mean like that." She said quickly. I just meant that maybe you could just come and spend some time with me and my friends. That what hearths warming eve is truly about right?" He thought about it for a moment and then a smile crept onto his face.

"Right, next year. and then maybe before that." He smiles. As his green aura shined around his antlers. He started to fly off into the moonlight. Then he suddenly stops and turned around. "Hay!" He called down to her "Before I go, how about a race."

Now that was music to Dash's ears.

End of part 4

Author's Note

Okay, I have no idea what you guys think of this chapter. There is probable going to be a lot of mistakes in here, so please point them out to me. As always, I hoped you enjoyed.