Chapter 4: what are friends for?

The sun is rising on a new day in Ponyville. The birds sing, clouds move in and out of the sunlight as the busy pegasi of the town arrange the days weather. It is a calm morning, Celestia’s sun blazing high in the sky; its warmth spreading throughout the countryside. A lone pegasus flies low and slow toward the town. A few ponies stop, look, and wonder. However, most are too busy to think about who it might be. In fact they hardly seemed to notice. None would have guessed the mare’s identity just based on how slow she was moving, each action having a definitive purpose. It is not her fault she is acting so strangely. It is not every day that Rainbow’s faith has come to question. It has before, but she had always known exactly what to do. This time was different, she was lost, nowhere to turn for answers and so many questions.

Rainbow looked at the ground as she flew. Her mind constantly trying to form a new thought, but constantly being purged for fear it lead her deeper into a field of questions she had no hope of understanding. What she needed, what a drink. She toyed with the prospect of drinking, but decided against it. She had never had a drop of anything worse than the Apple’s cider, and even then she had restrained herself to one or two glasses. She couldn’t lie, she often wondered what it felt like to be drunk. She knew what it did to your body. She had been asked to drink once, but found it more worth her time to watch the other ponies lose their minds. She laughs quietly to herself as the memories of that night flood her mind.

Shaking the memories out of her head she takes a deep breath and folds her wings, letting her fall. The rush of the wind always helped her think. Just as a smile starts to spread over her face she is brought back to reality by a few ponies screaming on the ground. Rolling and catching herself, she finds they were just worried she was going to hurt herself. Slightly put off she continues her lazy flight home.

As Rainbow passes a group of ponies in the streets of Ponyville she wonders where all these ponies come from. Her eyes instantly shoot open as she realizes she left Scootaloo all by herself, again. The sudden rush of adrenaline that rushed into the mare’s body as she accelerated toward her home helped her forget about her troubles for the moment.

Upon reaching the door to her home she opens it and calls out for the filly. “Scoots? Where are ya?” a few moments pass as Rainbow searches, slightly more frustrated she calls out again. “Scootaloo?! Where are you?” She starts looking in the blankets of the young pegasus’ bed. Just as she is about to give up and move her search to town the closet doors spring open, and the next thing she knows, she is on the floor.

A small but familiar voice calls out, “GOT YA!!” Scootaloo giggles and quickly trots off to the other room.

Confused Rainbow stands. “huh? What jus….HEY, get back here” she follows Scootaloo.

The two begin a game of cat and mouse that lasts a good fifteen minutes. It comes to an end when Scootaloo tries to hide in the closet. Rainbow opens the door and Scoots takes off around her. Rainbow catches sight of the calendar. Her eyes go wide.

“Crap! I’m going to be late!” Rainbow dashes to the clock and looks at the time. It is 2:37 p.m. Rainbow runs back into her room and starts looking for something and calling out “tank!”

Scootaloo is confused at first, but then remembers that rainbow has a pet turtle. She calls out to Rainbow, “Doesn’t your turtle fly? I mean if he does, why would he be on the ground?”

Rainbow pauses, “Scoots, you’re a genius.” She looks around the ceiling of her house, and there he is, the flying tortoise himself. Rainbow flies up and brings him to the floor. She turns to Scootaloo, “Hey, I have to meet my friends at the park. We all bring our pets. It’s really fun. Maybe Fluttershy will let you play with Angel. What do you say?” She smiles at Scootaloo.

“Really? I get to go with you?!” A short pause as Scootaloo takes in a deep breath, “ SO COOL!! OF COURSE ILL GO..er I mean, yea. Sure, sounds cool.” Scoots forces a smile.

“Sweet! Let’s go.” Rainbow motions for tank to follow her and smiles back at Scootaloo. “This is gonna be great!” She starts to walk out the door. The two pegasi and the tortoise make it outside, and Rainbow closes her door. She looks at Scootaloo who is stretching her wings, “Yea make sure you do that, it’s more important when you first start flying, but it is never a bad move to stretch.” Rainbow does a few stretches and shows Scoots a few she didn’t know. “Oh, and one more thing. I will keep up with you, I won’t make you keep up with me. So if you need to stop and take a break let me know.”

“I could fly all the way to Cloudsdale!” Scootaloo boasts as she spreads her wings, “Ready? I am! I’m so ready!”

Rainbow smiles, and motions for Scootaloo to take off first. Scootaloo dives off the cloud, struggling to keep level or straight at first, but is in complete control after a hundred yards or so. Rainbow takes off, catching up in no time. She stays by scoots side, tank in tow. She gives Scootaloo tips on how to be more accurate while she flies. After what seems like hours the two arrive at the park. All of Rainbow’s friends are there, except Rarity.

Rainbow lands next to twilight, “Hey twilight. How late am I?”

Twilight doing her best Rarity impression, “Fashionably” She bats her eye lashes and giggles.

Rainbow laughs and looks around, “Where is Rarity anyway?”

“She can’t make it. Opal is sick, and you know how particular she is with that cat of hers.” Twilight grins as she notices Scootaloo. “Hello Scootaloo, how are you today?”

Panting, out of breath and sweaty Scoots looks up at Twilight, “Im, Great! Never, Better.” She flops on the ground.

Rainbow leans over, “Wings sore?”

“She flew all the way here? By herself?” A look of surprise on Twilight's face.

A smile of pride overtakes Rainbow, and Scootaloo pushes a smile. “Of course she did. I was right with her the whole time just in case. She works really hard, she might even be better than me one day. MIGHT.”

The rest of the gang walks closer to Rainbow, Twilight, and Scootaloo. The pets are all playing in the distance. Applejack is the first to speak, “ Well Howdy there Rainbow, I reckon we got ourselves a party now.”

Pinkie Pie jumps up excitedly, and expectedly, “A party? Where? Do I need my cannon?”

Fluttershy shrinks back not liking how loud the cannon was Applejack facehoofs before speaking, “Pinkie, ah only meant that most of us are here. Ah’m Sure it’ll be jhust as fun without that there cannon.”

Pinkie is still excited, but not as much, “So what’s new with everypony?” She smiles and waits for someone to speak up.

Scootaloo stands up, having caught her breath and her muscles not so achy. “I learned to fly! It’s so awesome!”

Pinkie smiles, “I flew once! I tied Balloons to myself! It is great.”

Rainbow giggles, “Yea I’m still not sure how you knew exactly how many you needed to get to the same height as me. I mean it was a perfect match.”

“That’s easy silly! I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Bounces in circles around Rainbow and Scootaloo. “You just need to know how much you weigh, the force of gravity, and how much a balloon can carry up! It’s easy math.”

Applejack slouches and sighs, “Now ev’rypony is good at math? First my brother, now you?”

Twilight uses condescension, “Math is a great thing to be good at Applejack.” It’s super effective.

Yet another sigh from the farm pony, “Ah s’pose yer right. Sorry pinkie. So what’s new with you Rainbow? You’ve been quieter n’a mouse in a litter of kittens.”

She chuckles at Applejacks comparison. she always found them oddly entertaining. “Well AJ the past few days have really been something.”

Applejack and Twilight are both curious and say, “Oh?” They look at each other and Twilight finishes the question. “How so? Good news?”

Rainbow thinks for a moment, “ uhh, well, a few good things a few bad, and some im not sure about.”

“OOOOOHHH Whats the good! Huh? Tell me, Tell meee!” Pinkie gets her face as close to Rainbows as possible.

Twilight rolls her eyes, “Pinkie, maybe let her breathe so she can tell us?”

Embarrassed Pinkie backs up, “Oh, Right, Sorry.”

Rainbow continues, she pulls Scootaloo into a sidelong hug. “Well Scoots here will be staying with me from now on. Almost like, MY little sister.” She laughs, “I just wish I could have taken a picture of her reaction!”

Everyone smiles and tells her that’s great news. Rainbow explains she has her own room and everything she needs. Scootaloo remains silent, carrying a smile throughout the conversation.

Applejack speaks up, “ Alri’ht ill ask. Whuts the bad news?”

Rainbows smile fades, “My dad is keeping a secret from me.”

Twilight tries to assure her friend, “Ponies are allowed to have their secrets Rainbow.”

The weather mare looks her friend in the eye, “It’s a bit more important than that.”

“So your dad has a secret. You have secrets. I even have secrets. Why are you taking it so hard?” twilight puts a hoof on Rainbows shoulder.

A deep Breath and a short pause later, Rainbow tells her friends. “My mom.”

A long silence falls over the group, each mulling their own thoughts over in their head. They glace back and forth between each other, none knowing what they should say. Finally Twilight takes a breath and sighs, “What makes you think he would keep something like that from you Rainbow?”

Rainbow digs out the book Scootaloo gave her. She turns to the picture and shows it to Twilight. “See? My dad is right here.” Points to her dad. She moves to the Unknown ponies tail. “Who is that?”

Twilight pushes the book down and is confused, “Rainbow, isn’t it possible that the pony you see just happened to be walking by when that was taken?”

Rainbow looks slightly more sad, “Well I suppose..but look at the date.” She gives Twilight the Chance to read the date. “That’s not even three weeks before I was born, and look. My dad, he isn’t looking at the camera, he is looking at whoever this is.” The rest of Rainbows friends ask to see the book and she passes it around. “I never knew my mom Twilight. My whole life it was just me and my dad. I don’t care if it was just a random pony, because on the off chance im right, I don’t want to be wrong.”

Twilight looks over Rainbows face. She had only seen that determination two times before on her face, the day she saved Rarity and the wonderbolts, and the day she got into the academy. “Well, I will do everything I can do to help.”

Rainbow smiles, “Thanks twilight, it means a lot”

Twilight appears to be lost in her thoughts. After a moment she looks up with a smile on her face. “And let me start by telling you that the author has a book signing coming up in about a week.”

Rainbow hugs twilight, “You guys are the best.”

Twilight writes a note with the address and times on it. She hands the note to Rainbow, “Here, this is the when and where. Let me know what you find!”

“wait, doesn’t spike usually write?” asks rainbow.

Twilight responds, “well, yes. But, I let him sleep, he is at the treebary.”

“Again, thanks. I think I should go home and get some sleep.” Rainbow turns to Scootaloo, “ Ready to go back?”

Scootaloo spreads her wings and grins, “Always”

Rainbow laughs and whistles for tank. She waits for scoots to take off and follows her back to her house. The sun is setting when they arrive. Scootaloo is still out of breath, but not as much as before. Tank bumps into a wall several times before she puts him inside. The two enter the house. Rainbow takes Scootaloo to her room and reads a short story to her until she falls asleep. She quietly gets up and takes herself to her bed. She lays staring at the ceiling. There is still a lot on her mind, but she pushes it aside, and closes her eyes.

Author's Note

FINALLY!!! so many things to keep me from doing this...i wrote this instead of sleeping tonight. your welcome.