Rainbow Dash woke to a squeal of delight; rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she stood, trotting out of the room.
Her two sisters were dancing together, hooves clasped, big smiles plastered on their faces. Then Daydream lurched forwards, wrapping her hooves around Spectrum’s neck, giving her a huge hug. “Congratulations!”
That was when Spectrum noticed Dash. She floated over to her, wings holding her just slightly above the clouds. “Dash, guess what?”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, a little irritated at being the last to know.
Spectrum burst out laughing, grinning ear to ear. “I get to go to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp! Isn’t that great?” Without waiting for an answer, she went dancing over the clouds.
Rainbow’s jaw dropped. Jealously filled her to the brim, but she went over and hugged her sister anyway. “That’s great! When are you leaving?”
Rainbow Flash joined her daughters at that moment, holding a tiny scrap of paper in her mouth. “Right now. Say your goodbyes; we have to get going”, she mumbled around the paper.
The three sisters embraced, Daydream even had to brush away a tear or two. “Goodbye!” Spectrum disentangled herself, grabbed the paper from her mother, and was out the door in seconds. She flew up to the two waiting pegasi who were from the camp.
“Goodbye, darling!” Rainbow Flash called out, waving at her daughter.
Later that night, the twins were settling down to go to sleep for the first time without their sister. As Rainbow Dash tossed and turned, envying Daydream who was sleeping soundly, she heard her father walk into the house. She leaped up, wanting to go say hi. She trotted to their door and was about to open it, but then she heard her mother.
“Couldn’t you get time off today?” Rainbow Flash asked gently.
Cloud Lightning shook his head. “Sorry. Busy day for storms. Why? Did something happen? Are the kids okay?”
Rainbow Flash narrowed her eyes. “Cloud, I told you this was the day Spectrum went off to flight camp!”
“Was that today? I completely forgot!” Cloud exclaimed, putting a hoof to his forehead.
“I told you last night, before you left!” Flash retorted. “You are never here for them. Or for me.”
Cloud Lightning lowered his head, glaring at his wife. “Hey, I told you, work’s been busy lately. I’m trying to get time off, okay? Just lay off about it!”
It soon turned into a screaming match. Rainbow Dash heard something smash, and she shrank back from the door.
Daydream woke at the noise. “Dash? Wh-what’s going on?” she asked.
Rainbow started at the sound of her sister’s voice. She looked at the closed door, tears springing to her eyes. “Nothing, Dream.” As she said it, something else smashed against the door, opening it a little. Dash sprang forwards, slamming it shut. She went back to her twin, curling up with her.
The two fillies spent the rest of the night snuggled up together. A storm started up later, the thunder almost drowning out their parent’s screams. As Rainbow Dash drifted in the strange place between sleep and waking, she realized that she had never needed her sisters more than she did then. Both of them.