Over in Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash was busy finishing up some work as weather patrol manager. The last few clouds that afternoon, had been cleared away so that Celestia's sun could shine brightly above Ponyville even more without anything getting in the way.
"Finally," the rainbow maned pegasus sighed to herself, "Now maybe I can get home and relax."
As she was exiting the factory hand getting ready to head home to her cloudominum, she accidentally bumped into somepony, and the two fell over on their flanks. Since they were both standing on cloudy matter, they were not injured.
"Oof!" she groaned, and then recomposed herself. "Oh, sorry about that, buddy."
"It's alright, it's alright..." The stranger sighed, brushing his coat.
Rainbow Dash then looked up at the huge stallion who looked much bigger than her, his coat was light gamboge, and his greyish tangelo mane covered his eyes.
Two other pegasi stallions were with him, one with a dark greyish brown coat and an amberish grey mane that also covered his eyes albeit slightly, and the other, a Persian bluish grey coat and a reddish brownish grey mane that like the bigger one, also covered his eyes.
They each had individual and respective cutie marks of three basketballs, a steel barbell, and three footballs...
"Hoops? Dumb-Bell? Score?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised to see her former fillyhood bullies, whom she hadn't had seen since the Young Fliers Competition.
"Well, well well, long time no see, Rainbow Crash." Hoops smirked, using the old nickname he and his pals would always call her back in foalhood, this time rather playfully.
His friends, Dumb-Bell, and Score chuckled to themselves.
"Very funny," Rainbow Dash laughed sarcastically. "Old habits, seem to die hard with you guys, eh?"
"Aw, lighten up, Dashie," Dumb-Bell said, changing the subject. "Hey, we saw you in one of the latest articles of that newspaper, the Foal Free Press. The stuff they've been writing's full of pretty neat and funny stuff! Like this one!"
Hoops pulled out a copy of the Foal Free Press and pointed to the front page, which had a picture of Rainbow Dash getting a hooficure at the spa.
"Who knew you were sometimes in touch with your feminine side, Crash?" Hoops teased. He and the others started laughing even harder as if it was the funniest joke ever told.
"Get that thing away from me, Hoops." Rainbow Dash grumbled. "I don't want to talk about it. And I already gave those jerks involved with Gabby Gums what for for printing that stupid story!"
"That's funny," Dumb-Bell said, raising an eyebrow. "Word around Cloudsdale is that you once mentioned that you wouldn't mind it if there was a story printed about you! This was the best you could get, or was that not enough?"
Rainbow Dash remembered mentioning to her friends that she wouldn't mind it if Gabby Gums wrote a story about her.
"Yeah, but... I didn't want them to tell this story!" she complained. "Now every pony thinks I'm a huge softy!"
"Well, there's an old saying, Crash," said Hoops with the others joining in briefly. "Wise stallions say, 'Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it and it just might kick you in the flank.'"
"Well, thankfully, they're not getting another story from me. I made sure of that!"
"Oh, really?" Hoops asked.
"Yeah," the sky blue pegasus said rather proudly. "I dumped some rainwater on those troublesome little fillies when they came by asking for another story."
The three stallions all froze.
"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa... WHAT?!" Hoops gasped, his front bangs flared up to reveal his eyes filled with immediate shock. "You took your anger out on three little fillies?! That's pretty low, Crash, and that's coming from the guys who used to pick on you and Fluttershy all the time at 'Junior Speedsters Flight Camp'."
Rainbow stood silent for a moment, surprised at his reaction. "But I..."
"They're just fillies! Foals! Children!" Dumb Bell shouted, disgusted at Rainbow's confession. "All foals make mistakes, but they don't all do them out of malice! I even heard that one of them was somepony who practically worships the living Tartarus out of you, she must be so crushed by now! Looks like you've not only already lost your fanbase and your reputation, not just as yourself but as a hero to every pony in Equestria! I guess it's true what they say, 'Hero worship is unhealthy sometimes'."
The trio turned away from Rainbow with a indignant snort, ready to take off for home themselves, but then Hoops turned his head back to say, "Y 'know, if we really wanted to, we'd dump one of those storm clouds all over you and see how you like it!"
"Yeah! Smell ya later, Rainbow Crash!" said Score.
And with that, Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score flew off, laughing to themselves.
Rainbow Dash herself was left to fly home as well, as she headed towards her cloudy home in the sky, the events of yesterday clouded her mind.
She remembered how angry she acted towards the Crusaders when they came by to ask for another story, and over something she technically brought onto herself, she could almost envision Scootaloo running away from the cloud alongside her friends, crying in guilt and heartbreak yet Rainbow Dash herself didn't notice then. This made the sky blue pegasus' heart shrivel up in guilt, as she also remembered her own words and the words Hoops and his friends had spoken to her, and they were right.
Once Rainbow Dash had reached the door to her house, just as she was about to open the door and get inside, something had caught her eye.
An envelope with a letter inside had been left on her doorstep, yet it was opened and the letter wasn't addressed to her.
Rainbow Dash pulled out the letter and read it slowly in the sunlight, it was a letter addressed to Scootloo's parents and her two aunts back home down in Ponyville. The message read:
Dear Mom, Dad, and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty,
These past 6 years of love you've all given me have been the best of my life, however with recent events and with all of Ponyville against us, me and my two other friends have decided that we can't stay where nopony else wants us, and we must move on.
Don't bother to come looking for me, I will be fine and maybe someday I will come back to visit. But for now, by the time you read this, I will be far, far, far away with my friends, and by now we have found a new place to live in, especially where there are no hotheaded, pigheaded, egotistical pegasi to dump rainwater on us for something so ridiculous as a gossip column.
Sincerely,
Your loving daughter and niece, Scootaloo (At least until my new family renames me)
After reading the letter, Rainbow Dash was filled with shock and guilt. Because of her selfish, petty, egotistical feelings, she had driven the one pony who truly looked up to her and wanted to be like her when she matured into marehood away.
But there was something else that she noticed upon looking down below where she had opened the letter, another piece of paper had fallen out, it was a note, written in crayon, presumably from Scootaloo's mother, or one of her two aunts. This message read:
You just couldn't let it go, couldn't you? Well, I hope you're proud of yourself and that raincloud of yours too!
Rainbow Dash turned the paper over to find that the message was written on a picture of her and Scootaloo at Sugarcube Corner when she made an appearance for her fan club. The entire photo was crossed out in marker with a big red X on it, right where Rainbow's face was.
All Rainbow Dash could do was stand there, overcome with guilt. Said guilt was crushing her soul as if she had been hit with a ton of bricks.
Not only did she lose her temper at three little fillies, but now as a consequence, she had now lost her number one fan and friend she had known for some time.
As her eyes welled up with shame, all Rainbow Dash could quietly whisper was, "Scootaloo... what have I done?"
Next thing she knew, she was flying off from her home, her mind racing in panic for she knew she had to do something, anything to fix this.
I wonder if the others know she's gone... she thought to herself.
Superb job and interesting choice choosing Hoops.
I'll say it again. Yes, Rainbow Dash let a raincloud loose on the Crusaders, but that wasn't until after they asked her for another story. Now, if they had tried to explain to Rainbow Dash about Diamond Tiara instead, I'm sure they wouldn't have gotten poured on.
Dash you little....
OOOOOOH SERVED!!!
EXACTLY!!!
You totally deserved that Dash!
Oh she was, she definitely was....
Another great chapter once again! That was so satisfying to see was get crushed with guilt over what she had done! Now all that’s left is Twilight and Spike, I wonder how they’ react when they hear the news.
Wow... when your former childhood bully, told you off that being mean to the fillies for bruising your ego was wrong, you know you screwed something up!
Even if Rainbow Dash finds the Crusaders, she has a LOT to make up for.
8853021
I Almost forgot about that, I'll tweak that later like I did for the prologue.
8853072
thumbs.gfycat.com/SickBareDingo-size_restricted.gif
When your former childhood bully tells you that you done hoofed up, you done hoofed up big time.
8817361
You should have kept that
8853151
That my friends was an example of “Even Evil Has Standards”
8853338
Don’t forget “Jerkass Has A Point”...
8853485
that too
8853151
don't you mean bucked up?
8853709
Whatever.
If Alf Stewart from Home and Away was there, he'd give the mane six a real flea in their ear. He'd probably say something like this.
Here's a scene of Alf Stewart of where is quote is based on.
https://youtu.be/0shEykOa9-Y?t=4m50s
Also, something tells me that something bad will happen to the CMC in this story. Like an accident that would get them injured, or get attacked by something dangerous.
See that folks. This is the reason Pride is the granddaddy of all 7 deadly sins. It makes you forget that family and friends is more valuable than all the gold and treasures in the world. And Rainbow here learns this the hard way. Congratulations, Dash. You have lost the one of the things that are valuable in your life. I really hope it was worth it.
Sorry. Needed to get that off my chest.
The "Old Guilt Trap by a Former Bully & Goodbye letter" trick, works everytime
I due hope Ponyville fixes this mess A.S.A.P., if not well let's just say how exactly will these characters react once word reaches their territory?:
Princess Luna
Princess Celestia
Twilight's Parents
Shinning Armor
Princess Cadance
Hoity Toity
Fancy Pants
Sapphire Shores
Photo Finish
The Wonderbotls
Daring Do
Applejack's Cousins
Rarity's Parents
Gilda
Rainbow's Parents
8854756
If those characters found out, well as Huey Toonmore said in one review: "Click here"
8855182
In others words "All TARTARUS is about to break loose".
8855552
Eeyup!
8856370
Wonder what Splash Surfer 216 would say about my response.
8856707
Probably "Brace yourself, folks. Things are about to get ugly."
8856767
Exactly, So everyone LOCK THE DOORS, MAN DOWN THE HATCHES, EVERYONE TO THE SHELTER, BUNKER, OR PANIC ROOM.
This was pure genius, and I love the fact you have a had former bully of Rainbow tell her off for her way of talking out her anger on the crusaders and that letter was so beautiful, I actually almost cried when I read that part and this is what came to mind when I read Rainbow asking herself: "What have I done?"
8858064
Looking back on it, I probably should’ve added Score and Dumb Bell. The idea of using Hoops in the story now that as an adult he’s reformed, it all just came to me. And I got the letter idea from the Spongebob episode, “Have You Seen This Snail?”.
8858336
Well, either way, I think the 3rd chapter was stupendous!
8858336
Could I ask you something?
8859257
You're response is still going to be the same, isn't it? And the answer is, I don't have room to fit all of those characters in, plus most of them like the Wonderbolts or Sapphire Shores aren't involved with the Mane 6's family life, that's hardly any of their business....
8859802
Actually, no. It involves Chapter 3, If you were to revise it so that the other two characters Score & Dumb Bell showed up, would you take it?
8859991
That was just a second idea I had, I'm still not sure about it.
8860024
Now the reason for the other question I left for you was mainly to let your mind wander & ponder for a bit.
Well this Fic is tugging at the heartstrings but one question remains is how will Diamond Tiara will be Punished. For me I see two options Either getting here expelled and sent off to a private school or two is for her to do community service Heck Even Silver spoon might not want to be friends with her.
One chapter for each Crusader.
And if Hoops, of all ponies, is calling you out for bullying... well, even his pals have standards.
I wished the Wonderbolts found out about the storm cloud incident so they could deny RD any entry into their group!
You mean all three of them at once?
8876721
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/evil_standards_crop_1_2518.jpg