Rainbow Dash lay quietly on the bed in the dark room of Sweet Apple Acre's farm house. She had been thinking long and hard, carefully planning out her words and predicting every possible outcome of the conversation that she could fathom. Finally she felt ready enough and nudged Applejack softly with her muzzle, "Applejack, I've been thinking…"
"Oh Really? Well that's a first!" Applejack said sarcastically with a toothy grin.
Rainbow Dash had actually hoped this would be the first response she received, giving her a chance to lighten the mood. She bonked the orange pony on the head, "Hey, I'm being serious!"
Applejack giggled and turned towards Rainbow Dash, "Sorry, so what is it hon'?"
"It's been what, half a year since we got married?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah, so?"
Rainbow scooted in a little closer, "Well, I think we are ready to take the next step."
Applejack looked confused, "Uh, the next step?"
"I've been thinking…" Rainbow Dash paused and took in a deep breath, "I… I want to adopt a filly…"
Applejack's eyes widened, still staring at the Pegasus in disbelief, "R-really? Are yah sure?" she asked, "Ah mean, it's just never really thought yah tah be well… the parenting type."
Rainbow Dash's blue cheeks turned bright red, "I know it's sudden, but… I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and it's something I really want to do."
Applejack quietly gazed at Rainbow Dash and studied the glistening magenta eyes that stared back into hers and was still unable to find any indication that she was being played. She couldn't deny that she'd thought about it, but the idea frightened her, "Rainbow… ah don't know."
Rainbow Dash could tell almost instantly what was bothering her, "Applejack, you don't need to be afraid, you aren't anything like your father. I know you would never abandon your own family like he did." She said placing a hoof on Applejack's cheek.
Applejack frowned, "Can ah think about it?"
Rainbow smiled, "Take as long as you need." She then imagined them both old and gray before the decision had been made, "Err, actually, don't take too long, and remember, you aren't anything like he was."
"Ah'll try not to over think it." Applejack gave Rainbow a quick kiss on the lips before shifting back onto her side facing away once again. She tried to take Rainbow's assurances into consideration, but she couldn't help but begin comparing herself to her father once again; he had always been short with her as a filly.
What if she ended up just the same way, nothing more than an ill tempered mare spending her days screaming at the child's every fault and mistake. What if one day Rainbow Dash became seriously ill and instead of caring for both of them, she walked out on them, just like her father had the day her mother died. She repeatedly told herself she would never do the things that he had done, but the feelings continued to linger.
Hours passed, she rolled from side to side restlessly on top of the bed covers, waves of negative thoughts rummaging through her head, she decided to change her approach and focus on the positive. With a single form of paper she could potentially change a pony's life for the better. She could bring them in from a cold and run down building, and raise them in a warm home with a loving family.
In some way, she began to feel she would also be leaving apart of herself in the world when she finally parted it. The new ideas overwhelmed her with a sense of pride and excitement as the feelings of love began to bloom for the filly she had yet to even meet. Applejack took in a deep breath, "Okay…"
Though it had been hours and was well into the night, Rainbow Dash had been unable to fall asleep. The anticipation of the answer, the long wait had made her completely frazzled. At first she thought she had imagined hearing the answer. "What?" Rainbow asked.
Applejack grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her close, "Ah said okay, but ah want a girl… Also, where are we going to go?"
"Trotsdale." Rainbow Dash replied instantly. The place held a special spot in her heart. It was where she had been raised for the first few years of her life. Although she didn't exactly look back fondly at the place, in fact it mostly filled her with depression and loneliness, it would always be a part of her, and helped contribute to who she was.
Maybe it was her desire to have a basic connection with the filly of having shared the same home. It could be that she wanted to spare just one pony from having to experience the youngest years of her life in such a lonely environment, either way her mind had been made up. Rainbow Dash rested her head on Applejack's shoulder, "I want to adopt her at Trotsdale Orphanage."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood at the doorstep of the red faded bricks that barely held together, staring at the withered door, chips of peeling green paint knocking off in the cold breeze. Rainbow was surprised at how little the town of Trotsdale had changed. Apart from a few inches of snow covering the rooftops and roads, the buildings still seemed as warn, gray and lifeless as they had been in her memories.
"Yah sure yah wanna do this hon'?" Applejack asked nervously.
Rainbow Dash answered her by knocking on the wood.
"Come in!" An elder female voice called out from inside.
Rainbow Dash pushed open the door and walked inside, Applejack hesitated for a moment before following.
"Rainbow Dash, is that you?" the voice called out again. The pony pulled herself off of her seat and wobbled over. "It is you!" she let out a rattling laugh and pulled the Pegasus in close for a hug.
Applejack was lost, "Uh, Pardon, but how do you two know each other?" she asked.
"I was Rainbow Dash's house mother!" she said cheerfully.
"Rainbow… Ah knew yah never met yer parents, but yah never told me yah came from a place like… this" Applejack said, gesturing at the falling apart building around them. Rainbow Dash nodded quietly.
The housemother chuckled, "There was quite the ruckus when Rainbow Dash disappeared. She's the reason we had to put up a fence roof in the backyard."
"Wait… yah ran away as well?" Applejack found hundreds of questions suddenly bouncing up into her head. She gawked at Rainbow, who just smiled and nodded again.
"So," The housemother removed her grasp from Rainbow, "I'm guessing you didn't come here just to say hello to your old caretaker."
"Well no act-"
The housemother interrupted her, "That reminds me, a few days after you vanished, a pony came looking for a filly by your description Rainbow…" she waddled over slowly to a dresser and unlocked it with a key from the lace that dangled from her neck. "She made me promise to give you this if you ever came back." She withdrew a shining golden medallion from the drawer and handed it to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow read the engraving aloud, "'Starflash'" she pressed at the tiny button and the latch popped open, only to find it empty, "Who… who did you say gave this to you?"
The housemother shrugged, "She never did say her name. Anyway, that really isn't important right now, so what really brings you here Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head, she had almost completely forgotten about the task at hoof, "Well we…" she grinned and grabbed at Applejack resting her hoof around her neck, "We're here to adopt!"
The housemother said nothing back. She smiled and directed them into the room that Rainbow Dash remembered spending most of her time in as a filly when it was too cold to go outside. Amongst the dozens of laughing earth ponies that filled the room, a single filly caught her eye immediately.
In the corner of the room, completely by herself, was a quietly sitting dusky gray Pegasus, her obsidian mane waving like black fire. It hadn't been her physical features, nor that she was a Pegasus that had called out to Rainbow Dash. It had been her eyes that captured her attention. They emitted emotions that Rainbow had been all too familiar with her during her own childhood.
The filly's sapphire eyes sparkled with loneliness and abandonment. They seemed hopeless and fearful that they would never know real friendship, nor love. They were the same eyes that Rainbow Dash had worn for the better part of her life, plaguing her with every passing day.
Rainbow Dash walked through the mass of laughing and running ponies straight toward the lonely filly and knelt down next to her, "Hi, my name's Rainbow Dash, what's yours?" she asked extending a hoof at the pony.
The filly looked around to see if it was in fact her that was being asked the question, "Um…" she whimpered quietly, "My name… my name is Raven Flame…" she whispered, staring frightened at the hoof that was held out to her.
Rainbow Dash smiled, "It's nice to meet you Raven Flame, would you like to come home with me and my marefriend, Applejack back to our farm?"
Raven's eyes lit up, "A… farm… what's it like there?" she asked softly.
Rainbow Dash nodded, "It's beautiful there and there will be plenty of room for you to run and the skies are so warm, they are perfect for flying!"
Raven Flame grinned at the enticing idea of large open spaces and warm air. What was most important to her though, was that she was being offered a home and a family. "Yes!" she squeaked excitedly, leaping onto Rainbow Dash and clinging to her neck.
The tender filly's grasp let loose a few droplets of joyful tears from Rainbow's eyes as her heart fluttered joyously. She walked towards Applejack with an uncontainable grin spread across her face, the younger Pegasus still attached to her neck. "I found her Applejack, and she's perfect."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash trotted up to the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, the small filly sleeping atop Applejack's back, the excitement had worn her out before the three of them had even began the long journey back from Trotsdale. Rainbow Dash softly nudged open the front door and flew ahead to prepare a spot for the still sleeping Pegasus to rest.
Rainbow Dash returned from setting up the guest bed upstairs when she noticed a large pile of envelopes near the door where Applejack had been standing. She floated over to them, scooped them up and moved them onto the kitchen table. The most recently sent envelope was stamped in bright red letters reading, 'Urgent Notice'.
Rainbow ripped open the seal and read silently as Applejack walked in, the gray filly no longer resting on her back, "What's that?" she asked.
"It's nothing." Rainbow said quickly, attempting to hide the papers.
"Tell me!" Applejack commanded.
Rainbow Dash frowned, "Bills…"
Applejack trotted over and looked at the paper, "Ah don't understand."
Rainbow Dash took a seat and scanned over the sheet once more, "I mean, I tried to keep everything paid for…" she let out a sigh, feeling ashamed for not having been able to have done better at managing everything, "But the orchards were ruined and weren't bringing in any money."
"So what, yah just stopped paying fer the land?" Applejack's voice began to rise in anger.
"I didn't have a choice!" Rainbow Dash cried out, defending herself.
Applejack slammed her hoof on the table, "Of course yah had a choice! What could've been more important than mah farm?"
"I'm sorry Applejack…"
Applejack glared at the slumped Pegasus, "Yah still haven't answered the question!"
"You were more important!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "I had to decide between paying the hospital bills or paying for Sweet Apple Acres and…" She shifted her head away hiding her eyes, "I chose you…" her breathing grew soft and her voice quiet as she tried to conceal her growing tears of shame, "They said you might never wake up Applejack, but there was still the slightest chance you would, and I wasn't going to give up on you."
"Ah'm sorry…" Applejack moved closer to Rainbow Dash, a dull aching setting into her head and the room beginning to spin as she moved closer. She began to wobble in her steps and soon fell to the floor.
Rainbow Dash hopped off her chair and lifted Applejack's head off the floor, petting her forehead gently, "Are you okay?"
"Ah'm fine, guess ah just wore mahself out from the trip is all…"
"Applejack, you need to relax, you don't need any extra stress, not after what happened last time." Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack off the floor and helped her towards the couch in the living room. "And don't worry about the bills, we'll figure something out."
"Ah know we'll figure it out but…" Applejack lost her train of thought when she noticed the filly across the room staring quizzically at them, "Ah thought yah were asleep sugarcube, everything alright?"
Raven Flame glanced at her hooves, "I was… but I heard shouting and it woke me up. What's going on?"
Rainbow Dash trotted over, "Don't worry about that, how about I take you on a tour around the farm!"
"Okay!" Raven said bouncing excitedly, she paused and looked over towards the couch, "What about you Applejack? Are you coming too?"
"Ah'd love tah sweetie, but ah'm plum tuckered out and ah need mah rest."
"Aww…" Raven Flame whined, puffing her eyes out at Applejack.
Applejack frowned at the filly's face she was making, "Ah'm sorry, but ah really can't. Y'all go on an' have fun without me. We'll go later."
"Promise?"
"Ah Promise!" Applejack said, poking her own eyeball with her hoof.
"Good!" Raven Flame hopped over towards Applejack and gave her a short hug, she thought for a second and finally said, "Bye… mom!" and ran away quickly towards Rainbow Dash who gave Applejack a wide grin.
"Bye you two, ah'll see yah later!" Applejack called out after them as they walked out the front door.
"So…" Rainbow Dash stared trying to think of something to say to keep Raven Flame entertained as she began the tour, "This… is a tree…" she said dumbly, pointing at one of the growing saplings.
Raven Flame giggled, "I know what a tree is you know."
"Well look at who's a smarty four-hoof over here!" Rainbow Dash said, prodding Raven in the stomach playfully.
Raven Flame prodded back, "Actually, I was wondering if you could…" she scraped her hoof at the ground bashfully, "maybe fly me around?" she crinkled her nose, "I'm still just a little tired is all."
Rainbow Dash grinned and knelt down next to the filly, "Hop aboard!" she shouted with new life. The idea of an aerial tour of the farm was something she could do, and it would definitely be much more interesting for the both of them than walking.
Raven Flame climbed onto Rainbow's back, wrapping her hooves tightly around the Pegasus's neck, "Ready!" she called out loudly, despite being only a few inches from Rainbow's ears.
Rainbow flinched and rubbed her ears with her hoof then began to flap her wings, ascending away from the ground. Only a few inches off the ground and Raven flame had tightened her grip around Rainbow's neck so much that she could barely breathe,
"You're… choking… me…." Rainbow gasped, she landed back on the ground and pulled at the hooves clinging to her throat.
Raven Flame quickly softened her grasp, "Sorry! Err, I didn't realize I was holding on so tight."
Rainbow Dash took a moment to recover her breath and lifted off once more, the filly's grip tightening again, but not enough to bother her this time.
Just as they were about take off Applejack called out to them from the porch, "Ah almost forgot, ah need tah talk tah yah two 'bout something!"
The two Pegasi let out an almost synchronized sigh. Rainbow Dash floated them back over to the farmhouse and brought them back inside.
"Sorry tah cut your little tour short."
"What is it Applejack? Rainbow Dash asked anxiously, wanting to get back to spending some time with the filly.
"Well, ah wanted tah let y'all know, that yer starting school tomorrow Raven.
"School?" Both the Pegasi cried out in unison, one in confusion and the other in disbelief.
"Yes, school."
"But Applejack, school is for eggheads!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"Oh hush!" Applejack waved her hoof at Rainbow then looked back towards Raven Flame who was still hanging onto Rainbow's neck, "That's okay with you, right sugarcube?" she asked sweetly.
The filly thought for a moment, the thought of school and all the other ponies that would be there frightened her a little, "I guess…" she said reluctantly.
Applejack smiled, "Alright, yah two can go now."
"Okay, we'll see you later!" Rainbow Dash said quickly, turning around and preparing to take flight again when her tail was grabbed.
Applejack turned the retreating Pegasus back towards her, pressing her lips against Rainbow Dash. Raven Flame let out a quiet sound of adoration beneath her breath. "Okay, now yah can go!" Applejack said with a grin after the kiss ended.
Rainbow Dash's desires to climb into the sky almost instantly vanished and were replaced with the want to cuddle up beneath a blanket with Applejack. However the filly atop her back continued to wring softly at her neck in anticipation for the trip she had been waiting for and finally Rainbow Dash launched off outside.
"So, what do I call you?" Raven Flame asked loudly, trying to push her voice past the rushing wind.
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "I hadn't really thought about it."
Raven giggled, "Can I call you 'Dashie'?" she asked even though she intended to use this nickname regardless of the answer she received.
"I'd rather you didn't."
Raven smiled mischievously, "Oh… well, take me over to the barn, Dashie!" she commanded, letting one hoof go of Rainbow Dash's neck to point in the direction she wanted to go.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash cried, but did as she was told and flew to the barn and landed on the roof. The farm began to grow dim as the sun slowly started setting, "It's getting late, and I guess you have a big day tomorrow, so I think it's time for you to go to bed"
"Aww…" Raven Flame duplicated the previous whine and facial expression she had earlier with Applejack even though Rainbow Dash couldn't see it.
"Sorry!" Rainbow said, flying back off the barn towards the large open glass window on the second floor of the house. She landed next to the bed she had set up earlier for Raven Flame and waited for the filly to climb off of her.
"Dashie, do you know any flying tricks?" Raven Flame asked as she hopped off of Rainbow and onto the bed.
"I know a few." Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound modest.
Raven's sapphire eyes brightened, "Will you show me some?"
"Of course, but not tonight though." Rainbow Dash ruffled the filly's fiery black mane, "I'll show you a couple of them after you get home from school tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." Raven Flame replied sounding disappointed.
Rainbow Dash closed the open window and headed towards the door, "Good night Raven!"
"Good night, Dashie!" Raven grinned, "Good night Applejack!" she then shouted out as Rainbow Dash walked out the bedroom door and closed it. Now Raven Flame found herself alone to her thoughts, which she found were mostly on her growing terror of what school would be like. She tried not to think about it and instead she focused on what she thought of her new home.
The new place felt foreign and strange to her, but it wasn't in a bad way. It was an exciting and almost in some ways cozy sensation. For the first time in her life she felt she wasn't alone and that she was cared for and special. The warm feelings helped to cloud her rapidly tiring mind as she drifted into a much needed sleep.
An excited gasp escaped a pony's mouth, causing Raven Flame to stir, and slowly pull away from her dreams back to the real world. A pair of wide peach-colored eyes hovered in front of Raven's face as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from her vision. She rubbed at her eyes with a hoof clearing away the rest of the mist, allowing her to make out a vanilla pony with an unkept scarlet mane gawking at her.
"Sorry tah wake yah, but Applejack asked me tah." Applebloom hopped up and down, "Ah thought she was joking when she said there'd be a new pony staying with us!" she said loudly, "Ah can't wait to introduce yah to the rest of mah friends! Oh, mah name is Applebloom by the way!" she grabbed at the tired Pegasus's hoof and shook it ferociously.
Raven Flame blinked to adjust her eyes. She was glad another filly would be staying with her, but it still surprised her having no one told her this. "Uh.. Hi, I'm Raven Flame." She yawned as a question popped into her head, "Um, are you adopted too?"
Applebloom laughed, "Oh heaven's no! Ah'm Applejack's sister!" She looked towards the clock mounted on the wall, "School starts in half an hour, so yah best get up and get ready!"
Raven Flame let out another yawn, then hopped off the bed, gently prodding at her mane to feel if it was suitable for an occasion such as school. She flattened it slightly and accepted that this would be adequate enough and followed Applebloom down the stairs towards the warm scent of cinnamon.
As they reached the base of the stairs, Rainbow Dash let out a roar and swooped from across the room scooping up the both of the fillies. Rainbow still felt strange about the whole situation. She thought she was supposed to know what to do and say, but whenever the moment actually came, she just felt silly. She asked the only thing her mind could muster ,"So, how'd ya sleep Raven?" she asked dully, placing the two fillies back on the ground.
Raven Flame shrugged, "I slept okay." She said disinterestedly, more focused on the scent that was wafting in from the kitchen. She had never smelt anything like it before, back at the orphanage they had a small serving of hay, or on rare occasion a hoofful of oats.
Applebloom started bouncing excitedly and grabbed at Raven's hoof again and started pulling her to the kitchen, "Sis is making her cinammon apple-sliced pancakes!"
"Uh, probably a stupid question but…" Raven Flame paused trying to answer it herself before asking, but was unable to. "What's a pan...cake?"
Applebloom tried to think of a way to explain it, but couldn't really come up with a way to describe it, "Uh… well, you'll find out soon enough ah guess. And yer in fer a treat!"
"Mornin!" Applejack called out placing a large tray of golden brown of flat circular doughy discs with cinammon sprinkles swirled from the center of them, "Yer gonna have tah eat fast girls, we're already behind schedule."
Applebloom pulled up a chair and indicated for Raven Flame to sit down. Once the Pegasus did as she was told, Applebloom plopped one of the large objects onto a plate and slid it over to her, "This is a pancake!"
Applejack turned around and looked at Raven, "Wait, y'all never had a pancake before?" she said in disbelief.
"Uh… no?" Raven Flame replied, now feeling embarassed.
"It's okay Raven." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on the young Pegasus's shoulder, "I hadn't even heard of a pancake until I was almost a year older than you were." Raven felt lessembarassed, but now she was curious as to why. Rainbow seemed to know what she was thinking, "I was from the same orphanage you were from, now eat up."
Raven Flame nodded and gingerly took a bite of the floppy food. Her taste buds fired with the bombardment of the texture and combination of sweet yet slightly spicey flavors. She hadn't even known food could taste like this. She had been stuck eating the same thing for so long she had started to believe that hay and oats were the only thing in the world. She rapidly started putting more of it into her mouth, savoring each bite and quickly finished off the pancake.
Applebloom giggled, "Ah bet yah could get a cutie mark for food eating competitions."
"Cutie Mark?" Raven asked dumbly
Applebloom pointed at her blank hip, "A cutie mark is something every pony gets when they discover their special talent! I've been trying to get mine for years now."
"Special talent?" Raven thought to herself trying to think of what hers could be. Having been stuffed in a tiny orphanage her whole life, she hadn't tried nearly anything, her whole world was expanding vastly with all the new windows that had been opened from being taken from the place.
"Applejack, we're gonna leave a little early so we can pick up Scootaloo and Sweetiebell, 'Kay?" Applebloom said, her mouth stuffed full of pancakes muffling together her words.
"'Kay." Applejack shifted her glance towards Raven Flame, "Raven, do yah want me and Rainbow to come with yah?"
"No!" Applebloom protested, "Applejack, if y'all come with us, you'll just embarrass Raven!" she looked at Raven, "Trust me!"
"I guess not then." Raven Flame said sounding a little unsure.
"Well would yah look at the time!" Applebloom said quickly, "Ah guess its time fer us tah get going! Come on Raven!" she grabbed at her and dragged her out the front door before either of the other three ponies could react.
Once the two fillies were clear, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and asked herself "What did I get myself into?" She flopped her head onto the wooden table, "I can't believe I thought I was ready for a filly. I don't even know what to say to her!"
Applejack trotted over, "Oh hush, yer doin' fine, just give it time."
Rainbow Dash grumbled, "You don't seem to be having these problems! She's already calling you mom. She calls me Dashie"
Applejack chuckled, "Yer being to hard on yerself Dashie. And besides, yah have spent most of yer life alone, Ah've been taking care of Applebloom since…" her mood changed almost instantly, her smiling fading just as fast, "Do me a favor and go watch them. Ah know they don't want us there, but ah still can't help but worry 'bout."
Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a peck on the cheek and took off quietly through the kitchen window. She took cover above the clouds hovering just above the fililes. Every few seconds she flew ahead and hid behind the next closest cloud.
"RAINBOW, AH KNOW YER THERE!" Applebloom shouted at the sky suddenly.
Rainbow Dash popped her head out from one of the clouds, "Oh hey… I was just, uh.. taking a nap!" She grabbed a handful of cloud, held it to her face and imitated a snoring noise.
Applebloom rolled her eyes, "Yah woke up like an hour ago."
Rainbow Dash floated down closer to the two fillies, "Those pancakes just wore me out is all."
"Yah didn't eat any of them." Applebloom said flatly.
Raven Flame watched as the two went back and forth for a few minutes before finally breaking in, "Dashie, we'll be fine, you can go back to the farm."
Rainbow Dash glanced over, she felt a little hurt that she was being dismissed so quickly by the pony, "Fine…" she began to fly away, "You still want me to show you some tricks?" she turned around asking hopefully. Raven Flame grinne, nodded and waved her hoof good-bye.
"Finally! Okay, lets go! The others should be waiting at Ponyville's fountain, its only a few minutes away." Applebloom began to skip onward, Raven Flame followed with much less enthusiasm.
They made a few turns through the streets before coming across a large white marble fountain, a white unicorn, and a burnt orange Pegasus poking at each other playfully.
"Hey guys!" Applebloom waved, beckoning them closer.
"Hey Applebloom." The white unicorn said, her eye catching notice of the black Pegasus nearby. "Who's that?"
"Sweetiebell, Scootaloo, this is mah new… neice I think." She made strange hoof motions as she silently worked it out in her head, "Yeah! Anyway, her name is Raven Flame!"
"It's nice to meet you!" Sweetiebell said, reaching out her hoof to the Pegasus, who took it in her own and shook softly.
Scootaloo just stood there.
"Aren't yah gonna say hi Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, waving her hoof in front of the staring orange Pegasus's face.
"H-hi..." Scootalo said softly, still unable to move her gaze away from Raven Flame.
Applebloom raised an eyebrow, "Okay… anyway, school is about tah start, so lets hurry."
Both Sweetiebell and Applebloom stayed at the front of the group leading the way. Scootaloo walked clumsily behind the black Pegasus. Raven Flame followed silently, looking back at Scootaloo every so often, whenever she did, the orange Pegasus shifted her eyes somewhere else.
"Here we are!" Applebloom said, walking towards the large red building with a bell tower on it's roof. She held open the brown wooden door for the fillies. Raven Flame looked inside for a moment to see rows of desks aligned next to one another. Finally she stepped inside, the other three fillies following her.
Raven Flame sat down in the empty seat in between Scootaloo and Applebloom. Miss Cheerilee handed a stack of papers to each row of desks, the ponies passing them back to the pony behind them. The entire class let out a groan except for Scootaloo who immediately placed all of her focus onto the paper the second it was within her grasp. Raven Flame looked down to find what most would have percieved as a simple sheet of arithmetic.
Raven continued to glare at the numbers, everypony around her seemed to be hard at work. She stared at it feeling frustrated and to embarassed to ask for help. In an effort to appear she knew what she was doing, she picked up her pencil and started scribbling down random nonsense.
Half an hour passed of her sitting there doodling when Scootaloo suddenly hopped off her desk and dropped off the sheet onto Cheerilee's desk. A few more minutes passed then other ponies began to do the same. Eventually she would be the only pony to not have turned in the paper.
While a swarm of ponies were huddled around the desk Raven Flame grabbed her sheet and crumpled it up into a small ball. She then slipped through the rest of the crowd and discarded the sheet into the trash bin filled with other discarded papers. She bolted back down to her seat and looked around, no pony was looking at her.
The mass of ponies returned to their desks and Miss Cheerilee stood up, "Did everyone hand in their papers?"
"Yes Miss Cheerilee." The entire class replied with the exception of Raven Flame who sat quietly.
"Alright, well since it was test day and it's such a gorgeous day outside, I'm going to let you all leave early!"
The entire class cheered and rushed to the door. A sudden sinking filled Raven Flame's stomach, "A test?" she thought to herself as she carefully stepped behind the other ponies who vacated the classroom. Once outside the room she waited by the door for the other three ponies.
Scootaloo was the second to emerge from the room. "Hey Scootaloo." Raven Flame called out, waving her hoof.
"Oh, hey." Scootaloo replied weakly as she stumbled closer.
"Um, I was wondering… I saw how quickly you finished the test. Well I was hoping maybe you could…" Raven Flame pushed aside her pride and whispered, "Tutor me?"
"Okay." Scootaloo said in the same quiet voice when a piece of paper pinned onto the wall captured her eye. She moved towards it and pulled it off with her teeth and read it silently to herself. It was a flyer for an upcoming Pegasus race, although it was for older ponies she could still give it to Rainbow Dash who she had been dieing to see race again since the accident.
"What's that?" Raven Flame poked her head next to Scootaloo's and peered down at the sheet.
Scootaloo lit up, "There's a Pegasus race tonight! I'm so gonna tell Rainbow Dash about this, she just has to race!" she was practically squeaking with excitement.
"Rainbow Dash?" Raven Flame was confused, "Why do you want to see her race?"
"Rainbow Dash is like the greatest flier in all of Equestria!" Scootaloo squeaked again, "Well, she was before her accident, but that's behind her and she wouldn't let that stop her!"
"Whatcha talkin' bout?" Applebloom asked joining them by the schoolhouse wall.
"Apparently how great of a flier Rainbow Dash is." Raven Flame said doubtfully.
"That again?" Sweetiebelle asked from behind Applebloom.
"Ah swear Scootaloo, yer gonna get a face of Rainbow Dash fer yer cutie mark with how much yah obsess over her." Applebloom prodded the orange Pegasus's hip.
"I am not obsessed with her!" Scootaloo could feel her cheeks covering with a shade of bright pink. Embarrassed she pushed herself through the other three, "I have to go, make sure Rainbow knows!" she called out and started running.
The three of them watched as the pony retreated, "Ah don't think ah've ever seen her act so weird before." Applebloom shrugged and started walking towards the road they had come down on their from the farm.
Sweetiebelle patted Raven Flame on the head, "Sorry your first day of school had to be on a test day Raven. Usually class is more lively than that."
"Yeah, sorry. Well, ah guess we better go tell Rainbow Dash about this race thing like Scootaloo asked." Applebloom said.
"Tell me what?" Rainbow Dash blurted out from a cloud above the schoolgrounds.
"Rainbow, how long have yah been there?" Applebloom asked suspiciously.
"I just got here, I promise!" Rainbow Dash replied, "Now tell me what?"
"Theres going to be a Pegasus race tonight." Raven Flame answered.
Rainbow Dash grinned, she had been training for months on end but there hadn't been any competitions being held. She had almost decided she was going to compete when she remembered her promise to Raven Flame, "Hey Raven, I know I promised to show you a trick but do you want to see me race instead?"
Raven Flame's eyes narrowed with excitement, "Okay Dashie!" she said with almost no hesitation.
The stifling stadium filled with the stench of sweat and the spark of excitement. Twelve Pegasus approached the white line taped down into the dirt. Each Pegasus secured a headband around their mane and placed their hooves into a starting position to give them the best possible push for when they launched from the ground.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and tilted her neck downward. She scraped her hooves at the dirt, giving her a feel of the terrain as well as molding it slightly for a better boost. Rainbow had learned that the start of the race was always one of the most crucial moments as it provided the initial speed that would typically make or break the race.
A pony held a black and white checkered flag with her teeth. She waved it once and the row of Pegasus all pushed their hooves down hard into the ground. She waved it for a second time and their bodies redirected most of their energy to their hind hooves. An exploding sound echoed through the stadium, the crowds that filled it letting out a roar of excitement.
The twelve Pegasus emerged from the settling cloud of dust they had made from their lift-off. Just slightly at the head of the pack was a green Pegasus, his wingspan slightly larger than that of the ponies behind him. Trailing behind the group was a slender dark-blue pony with tiny wings that made the spectators wonder how he was even capable of flying.
Amongst the center of the mass of Pegasus flying around the track was a barely visible multi-colored mane that slowly pushing its way forward away from the group. They circled the track for the third time, the group started disintegrating as each ponies stamina began to drain away. The green Pegasus continued to hold the lead with a pink Pegasus and Rainbow Dash following closely behind.
Rainbow Dash could feel her bad wing starting to twinge from the pressure as she tried to work it harder. She decided to save her strength as Twilight had taught her during the Running of the Leaves and kept at her current pace. She passed the end line for the seventh time, her wing barely holding out.
"Just a few more laps." She told herself.
The pink Pegasus started to push onward, leaving Rainbow dash behind and she soon was overtaking the green Pegasus taking his place in first. They passed the line for the eigth time, a thick layer of sweat was coating Rainbow Dash's body. Her muscles burning intensified with each flap of her wings. Her breathing became labored as the air rushed past her face making it difficult for her to take in any oxygen.
"FINAL LAP!" A pony screamed through a microphone.
Rainbow Dash let loose her reserved energy into her wings and forced them to move faster. She tucked in her legs against her stomach the best she could to remove as much wind resistance as possible. She pushed away from the green Pegasus and pulled back up next to the pink who lead the pack.
Rainbow Dash and the pink pony were now neck and neck, the finish line only a hundred yards or so away. Rainbow was slowly nudging past her competitor when the searing in her wing overwhelmed her and it started to lag severely. The beat of her wings soon became desynchronized and she lost balance, crashing down hard into the dirt. The crowd let out another deafening cheer as the first pony passed the finish line, then a second. She pulled herself from the dirt and thrust herself forward, just as she was about to cross the finish, one last Pegasus zipped in front of her claiming the spot for number three.
Rainbow Dash stared down at the ground, "Fourth place?" she thought to herself. She looked towards the crowd spotting her group of cheering friends. She looked away quickly as her entire body filled with shame at her performance. She took off the ground and flew away from the stadium, ignoring her friends as they beckoned for her.
Rainbow flew for several minutes towards a forest she had not returned to since she was a filly. The slowly decaying wooden debris of the cabin her mother had once cared for her in. She landed next to the shining stoneslab and placed her head onto it, "Mom…" she whispered to the grave, "I know I promised you I'd be the best, just like you were."
Tears swelled up into Rainbow Dash's eyes, "But… I don't think I can anymore." She said softly. "You must think I'm such a disappointment." She continued to lay there and cradle the carved stone as she let her emotions flood out, "I'm sorry…"
Realizing the other ponies would have seen her fly off, they would be back at the farm soon. She didn't want any pony to worry about her so Rainbow Dash launched away from the ground and headed back towards the farm. She hurdled herself through the open upstairs bedroom's window and onto the bed hiding her face beneath the pillow and blanket when she heard the sound of hoofsteps clambering up the staircase.
"Rainbow, are yah alright?" Applejack called out from behind the door, giving the doorknob a little jingle and nudged it open. She peered inside locating the lumped up blanket, "Oh sugar cube, it's only a race." She said as she pulled off the blanket from Rainbow Dash.
"I know it's just a race!" Rainbow said as she dried her puffy eyes with a hoof.
Applejack lay down next to Rainbow Dash and looked her in the eyes, "Then why are yah beating yerself up about it?"
"Because Applejack" Rainbow Dash drew in a sharp breath, "This is my future and I can't even beat a bunch of no ponies in some race. I'm a failure…"
"Yah are not a failure!" Applejack said firmly she noticed Rainbow flinching as she said it and decided to change her approach, "Yah know what ah saw there in that stadium?"
Rainbow tilted her looking curiously at Applejack.
"Ah saw a Pegasus who shouldn't even be able to fly at all, yet somehow managed tah come just a few seconds short of first place." Applejack squeezed Rainbow Dash, "What ah saw wasn't you being a failure, it was you being simply spectacular."
Rainbow Dash smiled and wrapped a wing around Applejack and placed her damp face against Applejack's and gave her small frequent kisses that continued to grow in length.
"Ah-hem." Raven Flame cleared her throat from the doorway and the two ponies pull themselves off each other.
"Sorry, did yah want something?" Applejack asked, her cheeks still bright red.
Raven Flame nodded, "I was wondering if I could talk to Dashie, privately."
"Uh, okay." Applejack said giving Rainbow one last kiss before parting.
Once gone, Raven Flame sat down next to Rainbow Dash on the bed, "I thought you did amazing at the race."
"Thanks..." Rainbow Dash sniffled, and the room filled with silence. The two sat there awkwardly for a few minutes.
"I don't… I don't know how to fly…" Raven Flame blurted out suddenly.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, "Wait what?"
"I don't know how to fly! Raven Flame cried out again, "I was wondering… could you teach me?"
"You don't know how to fly?" Rainbow Dash scolded herself silently as she acknowledged how the filly already must have felt, "Sorry. Sure, I guess I can teach you." She answered.
Raven Flame hopped off the bed and trotted towards the door, "Can we start tomorrow?" she asked.
"Sure, I guess." Rainbow repeated.
Raven Flame ran back and tossed her hooves around Rainbow Dash, "Thank you!"