Twilight Sparkle padded towards the Canterlot Library; there to study after a long day of partying. Pinkie had just thrown Applebloom a surprise birthday party, and the yellow Cutie Mark Crusader made sure that her party lasted all night. Spike, riding on Twilight’s back, was still shoving ice cream cake in his mouth.
“I still don’t get why we had to go all the way to Canterlot,” Spike muttered. “Just for some stupid scrolls…”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “The Library holds all of the birth records. I’m doing some research for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, because they might be related. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
Now it was Spike’s turn to roll his eyes. “They don’t even look alike!”
Twilight said nothing. Her theory about the two pegasi formed when she was visiting Fluttershy. Draped across one of the many decors in the house was a silver necklace, containing a symbol which, in ancient Canterlan, meant ‘fly high’. When Twilight asked her where she got it, the yellow pony didn’t have an answer. The same message was written on a banner in Rainbow’s home; FLY HIGH. Upon further investigation, the period at the end was actually the symbol on Fluttershy’s necklace. Twilight knew her theory was far-fetched, but the young princess had a hunch.
“Can’t we just fly there? The Library is on the other side of Canterlot!” This was Spike, practically falling asleep on Twilight’s back.
Twilight glanced back at her newly gained wings. Though she was getting better at flying, she didn’t want to take any chances. “Definitely not, Spike.”
Spike began to laugh. “Remember the last time you tried to fly?”
Twilight blushed. She was practicing with Rainbow Dash, following the sky blue Pegasus. One minute she was doing fine, and the next… Twilight couldn’t honestly remember. She woke up on Fluttershy’s sofa with all of her friends bending around her worriedly. Once Twilight assured them she was fine, all of them started cracking up, especially Spike and Rainbow Dash. Apparently she had made quite a spectacular scenario.
Spike was describing it in detail. “You screamed and the flipped over the tree branch, and then Rainbow tried you catch you, but instead you-”
“I know, I know.” Twilight was sick of hearing about her little adventure. “We’re here.”
“Finally!”
To Twilight’s surprise and delight, Shining Armor was talking to the two guards standing at the entrance to the library.
“Twili!” Shining Armor was evidently pleased that his little sister had shown up. “I mean,” he bowed. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. How was your day, madam?”
“Very funny.” Twilight said, blushing. “What are you doing here?”
“Talking to the guards. And Princess Celestia asked me to escort you to the birth record wing.”
“Really?” Twilight laughed. “Let’s go, then!”
The two siblings walked down the halls of the Canterlot library, glad to have a moment with each other.
“There’s been some funky magic aura or something it the birth records wing. Nothing big, just weird. Princess Celestia wanted me to warn you about it. But it’s nothing that you can’t handle, Sis.” Shining Armor affectionately shoved his sister. Twilight, caught off guard, stumbled into a nearby tapestry. Giggling, she got back up to follow him, only to find that a certain baby dragon had fallen off her back.
“Here, let me help you.” Twilight used her magic to carry Spike. The duo went after Shining Armor, who was waiting in front of the birth record wing doors.
When he opened the doors, Twilight gasped. Scrolls were everywhere, each one with the official Canterlot seal on it. Records every single pony born in Equestria was here, right it this room.
Spike grumbled when he saw Twilight’s face. “Great. We are going to be here forever.”
Shining Armor gestured to a corner of the room. “You should find some stuff there, if you want.”
Spike was already there, even before Shining Armor finished talked. His face lit up. “ICE CREAM!!!”
Twilight glanced at her brother. “No food in the library!”
All of the sudden, a horn blew, its sound echoing over Canterlot. “That’s for me, so I have to go.” Shining Armor pulled his sister into a brief hug before leaving. “Bye!” He called over his shoulder.
Twilight sighed, than turned around. “Let’s do this,” she said to herself.
Then she turned toward the huge section marked ‘Pegasus’.
Everything was alphabetical, so Twilight reached Fluttershy’s record before Rainbow’s. Using her magic to levitate and open the yellowing scroll, Twilight got distracted by the picture at the top.
“Aw! Spike! Come look at this!” Baby Fluttershy looked at Twilight with big blue eyes, yellow wings sticking out on both sides, and her pink fuzzy mane was standing straight up.
Spike was distracted also, but not by the same thing. “What the hay- TWILIGHT, LOOK! GEM-FLAVORED ICE CREAM! WITH ACTUAL GEMS INSIDE!”
Twilight groaned. ‘Oh, Shining Armor, what did you do?’ she thought to herself. Ignoring the delighted dragon, she turned to Fluttershy’s scroll and began skimming it.
“Born in Cloudsdale…. Lives in Ponyville…. Only foal….” Twilight gasped. Where the pictures of the parents should be, there was a hole in the paper. One made by magic. Leaning closer, she realized that the intended target was to hide the mother and her information. Fluttershy’s father and his information were mostly still intact, having suffered only slight damage.
Twilight knew quite a lot about spells, so she used her magic to help her with this one. She gathered that the spell was done by a unicorn mare, out of fear, but couldn’t seem to find any other information about the spell or the mare that did it.
Twilight read about Fluttershy’s father, Reed Wave. He seemed to be a nice gentlecolt, with Fluttershy’s wavy pink mane and tail, and yellow coat. The pegasus had dark blue eyes, way darker than Fluttershy’s light ones. It said that he died in a fire. The inscription at the very bottom said ‘see Reed Wave’ for more information.
She touched her horn to the inscription, and another scroll came flying out. Twilight levitated Reed Wave’s scroll in front of her face, looking for any other information see could use. Apparently he had a younger brother- Cloud Melt.
Again, Twilight used her magic to find another scroll- this time it was Cloud Melt’s.
Twilight’s jaw dropped as she read about him.
He had one daughter. Her name was Rainbow Dash.
Twilight grinned. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends! Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash WERE related! They were cousins! She quickly found Rainbow’s scroll, too.
In her excitement, Twilight bumped her friends’ scrolls together. Where they touched, multicolored sparks flew out.
Twilight gasped, backing away. Her vision started to go fuzzy.
Reed Wave stood in the empty house, tears sparkling in his eyes. His mate, the mare he once gave his heart to, had stolen everything. Robbed him, than left, all in the dead of the night.
He heard crying coming from a corner of the room. Stumbling, he headed there. “Fluttershy!” he gasped, looking at his baby daughter. “Thank goodness you’re alright!”
He hugged the young filly close to him. He wanted nothing more than to break down sobbing, but he needed to stay strong. For Fluttershy.
First things first, she needed a bed. She needed food, and water. She needed help.
Resting the filly back in her corner, he flew off into the night, looking for the home of his brother, Cloud Melt, and his mate, Star Speck. When he found the house, he landed and knocked on the door. Cloud Melt opened it, but when he saw his younger brother, he slammed the door.
Reed Wave, knowing his brother, sat down on the stoop and waited. Eventually, Cloud Melt gave in. “What do you want?”
“Help.” Reed Wave explained his situation.
Cloud Melt laughed. “Like I’m really going to help you after what you did to me.”
“Please! That was years ago!”
“I know. But it still hurts to know that my own brother did that to me. There are some things that are never forgiven, and that was one of them. Why should I help you? This is your problem.”
“Do it for Fluttershy. She never did anything wrong. She’s the same age as your daughter now, isn’t she? Little Rainbow Dash?”
As if on cue, Star Speck appeared, holding the rainbow-maned filly close. Apparently she had been listening to the brothers’ conversation. “We should help,” she said, looking at the mate meaningfully. She unclasped a silver necklace from her daughter’s neck and handed it to Reed Wave. “That should be worth something. Take it. Rainbow is too much of a tomboy to wear it, anyway.”
Thanking them, Reed Wave left. When he got home, he put the necklace on his daughter. It shimmered on her chest, and she smiled in her sleep. Reed Wave smiled too, and went for a walk.
Three blocks away from his brother’s house, he smelled the smoke. Reed Wave raced over there, but the house was already in flames. The cloud wasn’t burning, but various wood objects in the house were ablaze.
Leaning out of one of the windows was Cloud Melt. When he saw his brother, Cloud Melt asked him to catch something.
He tossed over a little bundle, than left to go help his mate.
Reed Wave caught it. Looking through the blankets, he realized what he had caught. Rainbow Dash. He set the baby down and flew through the window to help. He crashed into Star Speck, who was crying. Her magenta eyes kept filling
with tears.
“I don’t know where Cloud Melt is! One moment he was there, and then something fell and… and…” Star Speck was scared. Reed Wave wrapped his arms around the gray pegasus, playing with her blue and green braids.
“It’s all right. You and I will leave, now. We can raise Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash together.”
“What?”
“I love you, Star Speck. I always have. Haven’t you ever wondered what came between my brother and me?”
“I… I… never asked. I just… Oh, Cloud Melt! Where are you?” With that, she flew away, looking for Cloud Melt. Reed Wave paused, and then followed her.
That was the last time any of them where seen alive.
Twilight gasped, coming too. All was exactly as she left it. In fact, it was almost as if no time had passed at all.
She lay down, trying to make sense of what she just saw. That explained the necklace, but not the banner. The banner! Twilight tried to remember. Rainbow was wrapped in the banner!
Twilight could see it all. After the fire, when the three adult pegasi were found dead, the authorities probably found Rainbow Dash first, seeing as she was right outside the burning building. Her parents probably had friends who would take her in for a bit. Fluttershy didn’t have anyone, so she went straight to Cloudsdale Flight School. The cousins met later, and they were raised unknowing.
Unknowing.
Twilight glanced back at Fluttershy’s birth record. The hole was still there, as she knew it would be. Should she try to find out who her mother was and who did it?
No.
It was going through personal business. Twilight couldn’t bring herself to do it, especially to her friend Fluttershy.
Then again, all things happen for a reason, right?
