Luna's night settled over Ponyville, silent and still. The chill night air brought with it a sense of peace and tranquillity to everypony and their families.
The alicorn herself appeared silently from far above; she relished her night with a slow glide over the town. Wind tickled her feathers and caressed her dark coat as she cruised along. A pair of mighty, deep blue wings carried their owner past the border of the town and on toward a small, majestic cloud house that floated in the sky. Despite the proximity to the Everfree Forest, it was clear that no creature had attempted to harm the dwelling or the family who lived inside. A small rainbow pool was embedded in a cloud attached to the side of the house where it twinkled merrily in the starlight. Tiny rainbow coloured hoof marks dotted the clouds nearby. Somepony small had obviously been playing there today. A smile broke out across Luna’s regal features as she spotted it on her pass. She circled the house at a leisurely pace benefiting of royalty as she gazed down. Her eyes slowly drank the beautiful sights as a smile played across her lips. Yes, this could be none other than the home of her wife’s dear friends.
The alicorn in question swooped into position at her side, purple mane whipped in the breeze as she fought to control the end of her slow dive. Luna noted the mane and tail of her good-looking mare appeared to in a worse condition that they ought to be after a short flight from the local library. Both were frazzled as if they had been recently set alight by the magical fire of a powerful young filly. Luna knew all too well who the suspect would be and couldn’t help but smile a playful smile. The two lovers shared a glance that made Luna wish time could be paused as they swung closer, drawn together by the bonds of love.
The sight of a cloud some distance off caught the royal alicorn’s eye and she slowly glided to it, Twilight in tow. While the unicorn-turned-alicorn seated herself upon the soft puffy goodness of the cloud, Luna shunted it along slowly and placed it within line of sight of the bedroom window at the back of the house. Satisfied, she snuggled down next to her lover and placed a protective, night blue wing across the lighter mare’s back. She smiled, delighted as a thankful nuzzle caused her neck to tingle and her tail to twitch with elation. She was glad Twilight had not been held up for long. After a quick cuddle, the pair turned their attention toward the home of the two pegasi they had helped.
The two proud pegasi in question stood over their rainbow-maned daughter as she drifted off to sleep in her small bed next to the window. Their scarf-like wedding bands hugged their necks while they nuzzled each other gently. Both bands were the colour of their lovers coat, adorned with an accompanying cutie mark, showing the world to whom they belonged. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash watched for a few more moments as their small, deep, sunny yellow bundle of fluffy joy slipped off into Dreamland without a care in Equestria. Her parents smiled as she lightly played with the multi-coloured strands of her mane and dived ever deeper into the fun realms where Pinkie Pie and Lil’ Twi played each night.
All of a sudden, Fluttershy felt her mate drape a wing over her. Tingles raced up her feathers and zipped along her spine as blue met yellow and the two ponies wings brushed together. They shared a smile as their gaze drifted past the bed and out the window the two alicorns were gazing into. Once Fluttershy spotted Luna and Twilight, she smiled warmly, remembering the alicorns' kindness toward the young couple. The pegasus couple rounded the small bed to stand closer to the window where Dash rested her forehooves on the windowsill. The four ponies shared a moment of silence before a satisfied Luna spread her wings and lifted off, away toward home. Twilight lingered a moment longer, her friendly smile lit up the night sky before she too headed off after her mate. In the distance, their castle twinkled in the moonlight.
The two pegasi remained for a few moments more, gazing out over Ponyville. Fluttershy felt a shiver run across her back as the chilly night air reminded them it was late. Dash noticed the discomfort and pulled her wife in closer under the embrace of her strong cyan wing. With a contented noise, Fluttershy nuzzled Rainbow Dash. Together they enjoyed their moment of peace and quiet. The nuzzle slowly turned into a kiss. The light yellow pegasus felt her heart rate pick up pace as time stood still; this was the perfect way to top the long day off for Fluttershy. Her wings fluttered excitedly under the cyan cover of love she was encased in. The nature-lover had everything she could ever dream of and more: her animals, friends, and most importantly, the young family she and Rainbow Dash had begun five years ago. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash pulled away slightly and stared lovingly into Fluttershy's eyes. They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Rainbow drew in close to the buttery mare’s ear. The normally shy pegasus felt like she was in heaven as her wife’s muzzle brushed against her own.
“Do you remember what tomorrow is?" Dash asked and grinned slyly before she gave Fluttershy a playful nip to her ear. This elicited an adorable little squeak from the quiet pegasus who blushed slightly before she nodded in response.
Rainbow turned toward the small bed where their young filly was sleeping and Fluttershy followed her gaze.
"I still remember my first day at school. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.” The bold pegasus grinned. The cheeky, look on her blue face made it clear there was more to it, yet Fluttershy was sure she already knew all the important details.
Fluttershy darted around the small bed and straight into their own bigger cloud bed, fleeing under the covers to cover her cheeks as they rapidly heated. She also did so to cut Dash's flattery short before her companion could to take it further. After a few quiet moments, she felt the cloud they slept on bounce as the ever boisterous Wonderbolt slid in to join her from the opposite end of the bed.
They snuggled down to sleep within each other’s embrace. Neither mare had the energy to continue their little moment of fun as their shared warmth reminded their bodies of the rest they required. They nuzzled each other gently as they let the call of sleep slowly take hold. A cute little squeak of joy emanated from the bed beside their own, followed by the sound of a filly sucking on her hair in her sleep. Both mares broke out in delighted grins as they attempted to picture the dream that managed to cause such a reaction. They rolled over to face their daughter, in doing so Fluttershy’s neck quickly became a pillow for her spouse as they gazed down on their little miracle. The sight of the adorable filly’s smile caused the couple to relax into each other. They rolled back over and their tired bodies once again reminded them of how much energy they had expended in the task of a day’s parenthood.
'I remember…' Fluttershy thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep. Memories of the first time she had crashed into the mare of her dreams drifted, unbidden into her tired mind and continued to entertain her, even in her dreams as she held her dearly beloved close.
The sun was shining, the rainbows were flowing, and the clouds were nice and poofy underhoof. Cloudsdale and all its inhabitants went about their day, their city bathed in its splendor. The white of the clouds around caught the light blue of the morning sky. Even the well-trodden roads bore little in the way of wear after the previous nights cleansing rain. However, all this was lost on a gangly yellow filly with a flowing pink mane who was shyly walking alongside her mother, a mare with a deep yellow coat and flowing red mane. Fluttershy was terribly nervous about her first day at school. This wasn't the usual kind of nerves that would simply cause her whole body to clam up while her brain fought for control of shaking limbs and butterflies assaulted her tummy. No, this was bad enough that she really, really, really wanted to run off and hide in her room at home and not come out until the week was over. She would be spending time in a strange place, surrounded by strange ponies who would hate her. Nothing about school appealed to her. It wasn’t even as if she had any daycare friends to look forward to. Everypony had made fun of her and she was not looking forward to the prospect of subjecting herself to that again.
“Honey, relax. It’s going to be okay.” The soft, rich voice of the introverted mare interrupted her filly’s thoughts.
“B-but, mom…” Pleading filly orbs of cyan gazed upwards into the sky blue eyes of her mother.
“You know that when a pegasus filly or colt turns five, they make you go to school.” Scarlet Sunset flicked her long, blood red mane to the side as she tore her gaze off her nervous youngster. “Unless I’m wrong, my lovely little filly just turned five.”
Fluttershy let out a sigh and nuzzled her mother’s deep sunset yellow leg. “But I don’t want to go to school.”
“I know, dear. But your father has paid for the best school for foals in all of Cloudsdale. You wouldn't want to disappoint your father do you?"
The very thought of attending such a big school made Fluttershy want to run home and hide under her blankets. But on the other hoof, her daddy would get really angry if she did that again. With a fear filled sigh, the little filly inched closer to her mom, attempting to make herself invisible to the pegasi who flew gracefully overhead. She allowed herself to briefly glance up at the spectacle. A smile graced her muzzle as she observed the winged ponies in flight. Oh how amazing it would be to join them one day. Her wings quivered against her sides in wistful anticipation. Suddenly she froze as voices echoed through her head: the voices of the foals who teased her and caused great pain. Unlike everypony else in Cloudsdale, the call of the open skies was accompanied by the threat of failure. She jumped at the soft touch of her mother, the one pegasus who always understood her.
"Honey, are you alright?" Love and care shone through the eyes of the soft spoken mare as she gazed down into her daughter's eyes.
Fluttershy nodded briskly before she scurried back to her mother's side.
The middle-aged mare nodded slowly, displeased by her daughter’s actions, yet understanding. She chose to hold her tongue and continue their walk to school. It was best if her daughter was not pressed too hard in times like this. After all, in a school so large there was hope that her little filly would find a friend who was as quiet and sweet as she was.
The brightly coloured pair fell into an uneasy silence as the wide open streets narrowed. The cloud buildings become smaller and more condensed as ponies filled the streets as well as the skies above. They rounded a corner, heading toward a pair of large cloud gates with the words 'Cloudsdale Central School' embellished upon the archway. A blue and rainbow streak suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It blindsided Fluttershy who yelped in surprise. The yellow filly's mother turned at the sound to find two fillies tangled in a mess of rainbow and pink manes. The smaller blue coated stranger immediately disentangled herself from Fluttershy and cut off her whispered apologies with a big confident voice.
"Hey there, sorry about that. I need to look where I'm going sometimes." The stranger paused for a moment to take in the cute mess in front of her, her head cocked to the side inquisitively.
"What’s your name by the way?"
Fluttershy immediately hid behind her mane, still sprawled upon the ground, too nervous to get up. After a moment's awkward silence, the cyan speedster realised the filly she smacked into is not as bold as she expected and offered her a hoof to help her up.
The unexpected offer caused Fluttershy to slowly unfreeze. A gentle nudge from behind caused her to glance backwards. Her mom motioned toward the strange blue filly, an encouraging smile in residence upon her soft features. It gave courage to the shy pegasus who smiled meekly back. Fluttershy swallowed nervously as she turned back to the strange filly and allowed herself to be hoisted up.
"So… your name?" the blue and rainbow stranger prompted once more. Fluttershy felt almost ready to faint as those big angelic pink eyes gazed into her own.
In a final bid for more confidence, Fluttershy glanced nervously up at her mom, who smiled warmly down at the pair. The quiet mare took off to stretch her wings, leaving the fillies for a moment. Fluttershy turned toward the friendly stranger and took a deep breath in readiness.
"Flutter.." Her quiet voice faltered and the rest of the word escaped in silence, along with the deep breath she had summoned. This left the blue filly with a questioning look upon her face. The stranger leaned in toward Fluttershy till her vision was filled with spiky rainbow hair and her friendly, expectant face. Those amazing, pink eyes shone vibrantly in the sun as she waited impatiently.
“Fluttershy…" a nervous squeak followed the single word that may as well have come from a mouse.
The cyan filly burst into a brief fit of giggles before a huge grin invaded her muzzle, “Cool! My name’s Rainbow Dash, and I'm going to grow up big and strong and I’ll be the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!"
The smile on the face of the speed talking filly turned out to be contagious, as Fluttershy quickly found herself aglow with a matching grin. Suddenly the day appeared brighter and more colourful, just like Dash's shining rainbow mane. The bold filly powered up her wings for dramatic effect, showing off as if she were a mighty Wonderbolt at a show.
"I can't fly yet. But I'm still practising and I can glide. How about you, Fluttershy, can you fly yet?"
Fluttershy shook her head sadly, her gaze suddenly glued to the soft clouds underhoof. Rainbow Dash gently lifted Fluttershy's head with her hoof to gaze into her shy aqua eyes.
"Hey, it’s ok… I'm sure we'll both learn soon enough. So where are you off to anyway?"
Fluttershy's mother chose the moment to rejoin the pair. "She's off to her first day at school. Are you going too?"
Rainbow vigorously shook her head. "No way. I'm not quite old enough yet. But school sounds boring anyway." Fluttershy felt sadness well up inside her once more. She had almost made her first friend, but as usual, she was out of luck. Rainbow noticed the change and piped up.
"I'll be a big filly soon. In a few months time, I'll see you at school. Okay?"
Fluttershy nodded, her face slowly brightened up as she processed the meaning of the stranger's words. "Yay…" She quickly hid behind her mane again, followed by her signature squeak, blushing slightly.
The brash youngster in front of Fluttershy failed to contain herself from rolling on the clouds in a fit of giggles brought on from the cute yet hilarious display in front of her. Fluttershy felt her mother give a nudge from behind.
Rainbow noticed the hint too. "Well you have fun, I'm off to go play some cool pranks at my dad’s work."
A mischievous grin overtook Rainbow’s face as she talked. The prankster trotted off before the shy filly could answer her again out loud. The bright blue pegasus waved goodbye and with a mighty flap of her wings, she sprinted off.
"Ready now?" Scarlet Sunset asked, a warm smile plastered all over her kind face.
Fluttershy nodded nervously and resumed following her mom to school. She glanced over her shoulder in an attempt to spot the rainbow moving in the crowd. She quickly turned from her fruitless task as she felt her mother’s tail brush along her side. Dash had disappeared and was not coming back. She could not help but look forward to seeing the cyan filly again in a few months’ time.
Then she realised, she had not even asked if they were to be attending the same school together. With a sigh, the lonesome filly forced herself onwards.
“I see somepony just made her first friend. I am surprised that you didn’t ask her to come and play with you after school today.”
Fluttershy glanced up at her mother and realised she was right. She should have asked Rainbow Dash if she wanted to play after school. Even if she were a few months older, they still could have played together after the hard part of the day was over.
“I wish I had asked her.” Another sigh escaped the gangly filly as her head fell and her hooves continued the tread into school.
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start as her filly's cry reached her ears. Oh the joys of parenthood. As much as enjoyed being a mom, it had its rough times. Who would have thought she, the mighty Rainbow Dash would still be forced awake on the odd night even now that her filly was old enough for school.
Moments later, soft hoof falls pitted and patted across the floor toward the bed where the two mothers lay. Rainbow Dash rolled over just in time to receive a little sunny yellow muzzle and pleading, watery eyes.
"Mom." The single, quietly spoken word hung in the early morning air for a moment while the filly found the courage to continue.
"I... I... Had, a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?" The tearful youngster asked.
Alarm bells rang in the mighty Wonderbolt’s head as her groggy mind was jolted awake by her foal's words. Rainbow Dash quickly scooped the little filly up into her forelegs and cradled her gently upon her chest. Powerful wings encased the precious shaken pegasus she held. “You sure can, squirt. It’s going to be okay. Both your moms are here for you.”
The hint of a smile broke out upon the muzzle of the filly as she lay there, immersed in her mother's love and care. The waves of fear began to retreat under the onslaught of warmth she felt now.
“Do you want me to wake mom? I’m sure Fluttershy would give you lots of hugs to make the bad dreams go away.” A hint of Dash’s trademark cheeky smile lit her muzzle as she posed the question.
Spectra shook her head vigorously before she buried her muzzle further into her mother’s loving hold.
Fluttershy rolled over and suddenly Dash’s left shoulder fell into use as her mate’s pillow. The speedster smiled at her wife. She enjoyed the feeling, even if Fluttershy was not awake to relish it too. Her attention shifted to the filly who lay curled up within her secure hold.
“No? You sure?”
This time the fluffy multi-coloured mane swished everywhere as the youngster nodded. Spectra wrapped her hooves around her mother as best she could and settled down. “Mom worries too much…” She murmured into her mother’s ear as her eyes fluttered closed.
Dash grinned. It was true that Fluttershy could worry too much. The Wonderbolt’s gaze wandered between the two ponies who meant the world to her. She fondly ruffled the spiky rainbow mane of the filly who was trying to get to sleep. Her attention was captured by her lover as the sleeper snuggled her. A creamy yellow hoof fell upon darker yellow as Fluttershy wriggled about.
Happy that everything was right in Equestria once more, Dash planted a kiss upon her lover’s forehead. She turned and followed up with one upon her foal’s forehead too. The sleeping pegasus mare mumbled something in her sleep and snuggled in closer, nuzzling Rainbow Dash a little. The daredevil flyer smiled warmly, her wings twitching in excitement as Fluttershy dreamed her sweet dreams, undisturbed by her filly’s not so sweet nightmare. Rainbow Dash relaxed, allowing the sleep-snuggling beauty to continue her occasional ministrations as she slowly entered the realms of dreams, watched over by Luna.
A rainbow mane flapped in the breeze as its owner gazed out over Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash listlessly watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon, bored out of her mind but unwilling to go home. She sat atop a small platform of cloud her mother and older brother had made for her. The construct had stairs up the back side to allow access for younger pegasi who were not yet skilled fliers. It was placed above the rooftops so the youngsters could enjoy the majestic sight of Cloudsdale as well as the world beyond. The sweeping cloud landscape dissolved into houses on every side. It made the ridge an excellent vantage point for spotting Dash’s next prank victim.
Her thoughts drifted across the horizon to the cool but shy filly she had met over a month ago. The bored filly wondered if Fluttershy even remembered her. ’She probably has a whole bunch of new friends by now,’ Rainbow grumbled to herself and sighed. Then a new thought invaded her mind, 'Maybe not, she was awful shy when I last saw her. Maybe I still will have a chance to make her my friend. It would make my life about twenty percent cooler if she was my first friend. I just hope she's ok.' The small filly vigorously shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash realised something.
"About twenty percent cooler, I gotta remember that one. It's so… cool."
That put a smile on the face of the seemingly infallible filly. She flicked out her wings in a manner she imagined to look cool and attempted to take off from the cloud ridge she had climbed to. She flew a few feet before her wings give out completely and she plummeted to the clouds below. With a rough shake of her mane, Rainbow Dash disentangled herself from the cloudstuff that had become stuck to her, she fluttered her wings in an annoyed manner before she stalked off toward home. ’I can’t wait till I’m older… I’ll fly everywhere…’ She grumbled to herself.
She wasn't fond of home. All the other foals in the area had cool parents who took them places and gave them awesome birthday parties. She knew hers was in a few days time. Dash was certain of how it will go. Always the same old boring family party where all the older ponies in the family get together for a few drinks and forgot about her. Her, the super awesome Rainbow Dash! She unleashed a sigh. At least her brother would be there at least, he was cool. Her mane almost brushed against the clouds beneath her hooves as she slogged onwards. That was the problem with having parents who were so old. They just didn't understand what it was like to be young anymore.
The small filly strutted through the small cloud streets, she forced her family out of her mind. The amazing cloud houses, all hoof made boxed her into the small alleyways she was traversing. Bright blues, yellows and brilliant golds sparked from the trimmings of some houses. The brilliance set a brighter tone within the one filly who soon found herself moving her head in time with a random cool tune. She picked up her pace, doing her best to hold her air of awesomeness. She rounded a corner and almost dropped it in shock, her heart stopped as she spotted a group of 4 rough looking colts. They were all wearing scraps of clothing covering various parts of their hides and where there are no clothes, scars and tattoos showed. Rainbow Dash knew she has been spotted by the nastiest gang in the area. Fear bubbled up her chest, she fought it and forced herself onwards trying not to break into a gallop. False courage drove the one pegasus onwards even though she knew the next part would probably hurt. The two parties met in the middle of the street. Rainbow held her head high and attempted to continue on her way nonchalantly. The gang colts flare their wings, a wall of feathers and brawn in front of the fearful filly.
"Look what we have here, colts."
The gang leader, a tall, muscular pegasus colt who had every hair on his young frame painted dark colours, punctured the troubled silence with his mocking voice.
"It's Rainbow Crash."
Rainbow stopped, her wings flared in typical pegasus fight or flight fashion. Her entire frame took on the stance of a petrified filly. It was clear that the latter course of action was desired. However, from muzzle to eye, her features transformed into one of hatred at the sound of the name.
"It’s ‘Dash’ you featherbrain!" Somehow she found her voice. It was coloured with fear and fueled by the dislike for the colts standing in front of her. One of them snickered at the insult thrown at his leader. The lead colt gave Rainbow Dash an intimidating stare, which was returned in earnest by the cornered filly. The gang continued to force their prey closer to the cloud wall at her back.
A soft yet menacing chuckle escaped the group as they slowly advanced upon their victim. They had all the time in the world to enjoy this little victory, this little bit of fun. The colts gradually backed her up till she hit cold, hard cloud with her rump. Cruel grins plastered themselves on the features of the aggressors as they spotted the impact.
Rainbow Dash froze. This was bad. This was really bad. The smell of fear seeped into the atmosphere as Rainbow Dash feebly cowered. She did her best to keep up appearances in the face of the looming evil but felt what was left of her mask break wide open.
“Ya know. I don’t see that brother of yours anywhere. Guess that means we have a brat with no protection in our patch.”
“This place doesn’t belong to you losers!” Rainbow Dash retorted.
“Oh, yea?” The lead colt smirked as his buddies finished completing the semicircle around his prey and the wall.
Rainbow Dash's imagination began telling her what the beating would feel like. Past experiences rose, unbidden to mind, and she resolved to win this time.
The lead colt entered hoof range only to have received a swift delivery of cyan hoof to the face as a frightened Rainbow Dash lashed out.
"Get her!"
The barked command caused the others pile onto Rainbow Dash, laying her low on the cloudstuff where they continued to beat the stuffing out of her tiny frame. She bucked and kicked with all her strength, however the overpowering, stronger, and older colts tore her down. Her body cried out in agony as blow after blow landed on her small body.
Suddenly Rainbow Dash felt the attacks cease. Her mind blurred, reeling, unbelieving of the events that were unfolding. Somepony was yelling but she shut them out and willed herself to get up. She staggered to her hooves, sore wings flapped slowly to assist her rise. She focused on the muscular stallion who stood before her and a groan escaped. Uncle Raincloud towered over Rainbow Dash. His short greying mane, flecked with shades of dark blue-black, stuck out in every direction. He wore a tight-fitting dark leather jacket adorned with a raincloud insignia that showed off the ripple of muscles underneath. Both the jacket and the stallion looked like they had seen better days. His cornflower blue coat stuck out on his lower body and flank wherever the jacket did not cover. His coat was flecked with white and had patches of fur missing from random areas. A black raincloud cutie mark with a lighting bolt through it adorned his middle-aged, yet muscular, flank. His lightning bolt yellow eyes scanned the cyan filly before him as he checked for signs of a major injury. Rainbow felt a wash of annoyance as the treatment continued. Of all the ponies in Equestria, it just had to be him who flew past, her tough as steel uncle.
"Hey, filly. I know you like this as much as I do, but unless you want to get beaten to a pulp again, you will follow me and explain to your mother why you are out late like this.” The deep voice of her older relative hung in the air as he awaited a response from his niece.
'Great.' Rainbow Dash thought to herself. Despite her unwillingness, the beaten up filly nodded to make sure her uncle knew there was at least some level of understanding between them. Without a word the large pegasus trotted off. Dash hurried to keep up, she knew that Raincloud would follow up on his threat without a moment’s notice. Despite his age, she knew that nopony in Cloudsdale ever messed with him. Even after all his years Raincloud somehow managed to run both the Cloudsdale weather team and the streets. The few gangs around hated his guts and his antics made him none too popular with most other ponies either. This became exemplified again and again by all they encountered. Every single pony crossed to the opposite side of the street or took flight to avoid him as they marched along. His face bore his signature welcoming scowl and his wings occasionally flicked and quivered, unable to stay still. Rainbow was forced to canter to keep up, afraid of the repercussions of lagging behind.
The pair quickly passed out of the middle-class section of Cloudsdale and came upon the rich district. Large neatly manicured cloud houses melded together to form a small cluster of homes for the affluent few who could afford such dwellings. Many bore extra special additions such as snowflakes magically imbued upon their front door. There were even two that bore small pools of rainbow near their front door. Unlike unicorns and earth ponies, most pegasi in Cloudsdale lived in small cloud apartments. Not only did this save space in the airborne city, but many pegasi preferred to spend their time outdoors in the sun. Wings were a wonderful thing to have after all and Rainbow Dash couldn't wait to join the multitude of airborne city dwellers.
In what felt like no time at all, the pair arrived at the large, dark foreboding house Dash was forced to call home. Although it was one of two homes to bare a small rainbow pond, the aged, moulded cloud surfaces between noble pillars held a foreboding grey colour. It was almost as if somepony had chosen to make their home out of storm clouds rather than their fair weather counterparts. The white cloud clad houses on either side appeared to be squeezing the life out of the dark, smaller standout in the street. This was not the kind of home one would expect to see in the richer side of town. Unlike the other trim and tidy dwellings around, this home bore signs of neglect and misuse. It was a family home, passed down more generations than Rainbow Dash could bother to remember. Now, it was in the hooves of two high standing ponies who could not care less about the state of their sleeping quarters. Either that, or they enjoyed the stormcloud appearance and stark contrast to the rest of the well of pegasus in the area. Dash wasn’t quite sure which, either way, it did not make for the most welcoming of homes for a young filly. Rainbow Dash gazed the length of the street before she allowed a sigh to escape as she stepped up to face the door to her own home.
The dark swirling patterns on the ancient frame cried out for her to depart. The proud filly paid them no heed as she forced the dark door open. Her senses were immediately invaded by the smell of hard cider and the low bass snoring of her dad. Blaze had a light purple-blue coat with a greasy rainbow mane that hit the floor as he slept on his back. He was asleep in his usual position on the cloud couch that was up hard against the far wall. His hooves were up in the air, dead to the world around him. Empty cider bottles lay around the floor nearby. A flash of annoyance crossed Rainbow Dash's face, that was all he seemed to care about. Hard cider and sleeping. 'And work too,' she thought angrily to herself. She noticed he hadn't even bothered to clean himself up at all since arriving home from the rainbow factory where he worked. The evidence was easy to spot. Small smudges of multicoloured goo were scattered all through his coat. They stained the cloud couch he was sleeping on and some of the floor too.
Her uncle entered behind her and stopped short at the sight.
"Well, I see your old mom isn't home. Guess I'll just go. We don't want to wake sleeping beauty from the nap of the century."
Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. A grin spread across her annoyed features, only to be killed by the parting comment.
"I'll see you on Sunday, young one."
Rainbow Dash turned to watch him leave, a frown covered her features. The small pegasus noticed her uncle shaking his head sadly before he abruptly launched himself into the sky. She turned back to the bombsite that was the family living room. The box-like room was a good size really. It could comfortably fit over 10 pegasi. Rainbow Dash knew this from experience and it was the largest in the house. Yet apart from the litter strewn across the floor, it was a pretty empty room. The walls had rainbow swirls mixed into the cloud walls. Blaze had told her it was real rainbow mixed in with stormclouds, no pony else that Dash knew had a house with rainbows or stormclouds from the rainbow factory. Not believing the stories told to her by her dad, Dash had in her younger days even tested the truth of his words out and could still remember the sour taste of the blue rainbow.
Her eyes drifted to the one addition to the rainbow stormcloud walls. Behind the couch, there were a few old pictures of Wonderbolts from days gone by. One of the pegasi in the center frame looked like a younger version of the pony who was currently passed out drunk on the couch. Dash had no idea how her dad could ever have been a ‘Bolt.
She wrinkled up her nose as she snuck past her dad toward the kitchen where she hoped to find something half decent that a filly could eat. Unlike the living room, this space gave away clearer hints of the family wealth. Silver and golden platters bore a variety of fruit, a chandelier hung from above the dining table, it’s light divided by lack of candles. Without a care for any for the expensive items on the kitchen counter top, Dash pushed one of the many ornate chairs over and used it as a step to leap up onto the hardened surface where she scanned the bench for offerings. The speedster quickly became bored of staring at the same old food and picked something up that she figured was ok. She proceeded to wander off toward her room as she snacked on the chosen apple.
The cyan filly wandered down the cloud hallway, her eyes passed over the photos on the wall to her left. The first to catch her eyes was one of the older frames; the joy in her grandparent's eyes still shone radiantly like the morning sun as they held their storm cloud grey filly. She passed several more frames and eventually reached the ones that included her. Rainbow noted how old everypony appeared to get before she entered their lives and made the world a cooler place to live.
Rainbow Dash awoke from a nap that she didn’t realise she had fallen into. After few seconds she realised somepony was leaning over her. Her eyes slowly focused upon two pink orbs that hovered in space. The rest of the light greyish-blue mare appeared as her wind-whipped black mane came into focus. Her mother. Gust Dash waited patiently in front of her, flight goggles still hung around her muscular neck.
Gust gave her filly another gentle prod to check she was awake. Rainbow Dash rolled over to face away from her mom. The greyish blue mare remained in place waiting, her presence was enough to chase away the remnants of sleep. Rainbow put on a show of sleeping as she attempted to fool her mother into thinking she was still asleep. Gust smiled knowingly and decided to play their little game. She prowled to the doorway before turning and slowly walking out.
She called to her daughter over her shoulder. "Good to see you’re finally awake, dear. Dinners ready. We don't want your father to eat it all now, do we?"
The reaction was instantaneous. Dash leapt out of bed and zoomed out of her room so fast, she left a small rainbow trail in her wake. Her mother smiled mischievously then waltzed after her, satisfied that she had won again. Rainbow Dash sped into the dining area currently occupied only by Blaze, who was already stuffing his face. He ignored Rainbow Dash, intent on his big meal. Amethyst eyes locked hungrily onto the food in front of him. Rainbow raced across to the opposite end of the table. In her haste, the speedster almost knocked everything onto the floor before she proceeded to enjoy her small meal.
"I see you two started without me. Again."
Blaze turned and spotted Gust standing behind him, a massive piece of cabbage hung from his mouth. His 'I'm busy eating’ expression quickly dissolved into a sheepish one as he spotted his mate and the look she wore on her face. He quickly devoured the cabbage and gave her an apologetic kiss on the cheek. Apology accepted, Gust seated herself down next to Blaze, her tail quickly entwined with his. She joined in with his meal and the two shared what's left of it together. He compensated for his actions by draping his unkempt wing over her, promptly gifting her with some of the rainbow coloured muck on the tatty appendage. Despite the mess that now stained her coat, the matriarch of the house accepted her husband’s offering. She nuzzled him lovingly and he reciprocated, a look of immense pleasure covered his light purplish-blue face. His earlier uncaring attitude toward his daughter had been washed away as he lost himself in the moment with Gust.
As an unwilling witness to this show of affection, Rainbow Dash felt like she wanted to gag on her food as the pair continued to engage with each other. ‘I’m trying to eat!’ she complained to herself. ‘Go find a room where you won’t scare ponies…’ The small pegasus fought back a sigh as she forced another mouthful down. Why was it that her mom could break the lazy stallion, yet she could do nothing? Dash quickly cleaned her plate with one last lick to just make sure she is finished. Rainbow Dash gazed inquiringly up at her mother who gave her a quick nod before she returned to her shared meal and the stallion who was now putty in her hooves. Rainbow slowly made her way to her room. She felt content enough with a full belly and happy to escape the scene in the dining room before it escalated.
She plonked herself down on her small bed. Her gaze wandered up to her posters of the Wonderbolts. Her heroes. The most amazing ponies alive. A grin filled her small face as she allowed herself to be captured by the heroic images above her. She allowed her gaze to wander to the big poster that claimed centre of attention above her bed. Tiny wings opened as imaginary wind filled the room. Her wild imagination took over, she leapt about her room, wings outstretched, pretending to fly. She bounced off the walls, floor and bed, completely lost in her own world.
Suddenly the door to Dash’s room opened, her dreams instantly shattered into nothingness at the unwelcome presence. The small filly was startled and almost fell off the bed she had just landed upon as her head whipped toward the now open door.
"Your father and I can see you have been in another fight today, Rainbow Dash. Who was it with this time?"
Rainbow froze under her mother’s withering gaze as the mare drew closer.
"Uh… it… it was Rocky and his gang, but Uncle Raincloud saved me."
She tried to smile and pass the event off as nothing. The look on Gusts face however told her that her mother didn't buy it.
"Right. Well, I guess I'll just check with him when he arrives for your birthday party then. Goodnight sweetie." Gust easily picked her daughter up and placed her under the sheets. The older pegasus lightly kissed her daughter before walking out. Blaze lingered in the doorway, his presence revealed by the absence of his wife. He stood, seemingly unsure over what to do after his mate’s departure.
"Good night Rainbow. You have a big day coming up."
With that, he walked out, the door closed silently and Rainbow Dash found herself left to her thoughts. The filly quickly decided on bedtime. Sleeping always held an appeal for her. 'I suppose it's one good thing I got from my dad,' Rainbow consoled herself as she wriggled further under the covers and allowed herself to drift off into dreamland.