//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - What Just Happened // Story: The Story Of Rainbow // by thedarktome //------------------------------// A bright light flashed in front of the Ponyville library as the group popped in. Once the light dissipated, everyone from the castle looked around, trying to figure out where they were. "Oh....we're in front of Twilight's," Rainbow said, annoyed. "At least she gets to go home, I haven't even made my house yet. And neither has Flutters!" Everyone looked towards the shy pegasus to see her scooping around sand with her hoof. "Um...actually, Rainbow...I already found a house....It's..um...on that hill." She pointed to the top of a hill in the distance where a small cottage sat. "I umm prepared it a few days ago before today. So...I can go there." "AWW C'MON!" Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air. Celestia chuckled before turning and raising an eyebrow to Luna who nodded her head in turn. "I will have a home built for you, Rainbow," Celestia said, walking towards her. "Do you sleep on the clouds?" Rainbow nodded her head slowly. "Then I will have a house made for you out of clouds by my guards. For now, I think you should go with Fluttershy to her cottage. If that is alright with her." Everyone turned towards the shy pony, making her squeak and run into the library, making a loud "SURPRISE" sound off. She screamed and ran back out, running straight into Rainbow Dash. They fell and skidded along the ground, Rainbow laying on her back. "Fluttershy...you have to work on that," she groaned out painfully. "Ok...and yes, you can stay at my cottage tonight." Celestia giggled watching as Rainbow got up rubbing her head. "Alright. So now that we got that settled....I bet my right hoof Pinkie setup a surprise party for Twilight here that got ruined," Applejack said, pointing inside the house at all the streamers, cake, and alot of ponies. "Now...she's gonna do it again and ruin your day while she's at it. Sorry, Twilight." "Nuh uhh!" Pinkie protested, looking at the ponies unbelievably. "Everypony loves my parties! That's why they come, duhhhh! Twilight? You're attending my party." Pinkie walked over and pushed a hoof into the purple mare's chest, determination in her eyes. "And I'm not taking no for an answer either!" Twilight looked at the hoof, then at Pinkie, then back at Celestia, who had a smile plastered on her face. Same with Luna. Finally she huffed in defeat. Again. "Fine. I'll come to your next party...whenever it is." Pinkie gasped before reaching into her hair, pulling out a party cannon. "Oh no," Applejack muttered. The cannon let off a boom with confetti coming out, scaring Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Spike. "The pink one is going to give me a migraine!" Luna exclaimed. "I assure you!" That night, Rainbow was laying down on Fluttershy's sofa. She had to admit, the cottage was very nice. Too many animals though, but nice nonetheless. She looked up at the ceiling while biting her bottom lip, trying to figure out what the royalty of Equestria was talking about. "'Very very very important somepony?'" she asked herself. "What did she mean by that? She had to be talking about somepony else." She began tapping her hooves together, pondering on the subject while the clock continued ticking in the corner. "Rainbow?" She shot her head towards the left of the room, spotting her best friend staring at her concerned. How long has she been sitting there? "Something is bothering you." Rainbow sighed before turning her attention back to the ceiling. "Yeah, you could say that," she replied, folding her hooves behind her head. "It's just what Celestia said. 'A very very very important somepony from my past.' I'm trying to understand what it meant. I'm stumped thinking about it." "I too have questions about that." Fluttershy walked over and sat down in front of the daredevil. "Luna also said, 'She has grown up beautifully.' Like they've seen you before. They were very much talking about you." Rainbow shrugged. "They might have seen me before. I don't know. But I have a feeling there's more to it than they let on." "What do you mean?" "Well...think about it." Rainbow sat up in the makeshift bed, turning her head to face Fluttershy. "I'm pretty sure the princesses have seen a lot of ponies. Like, A LOT. They're like a thousand something years old. I heard of the story Twilight talked about, there was a fierce fight. Left a lot of soldiers dead. Then the loser was banished for sixteen or something years. I guess that was Luna. And the first thing she said when she returned and saw me was, 'So Celestia did it.' I know it sounds stupid....but that fight was probably deeper than the average 'you stole my necklace' if someone had gotten banished. What if that fight...involved me somehow?" Fluttershy looked at the ground before looking back up to her friend in worry. "Rainbow," she said, placing a hoof on her friend. "That doesn't sound stupid at all. It sounds completely plausible." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I'm just coming up with assumptions." "No no really. Because there would not have been crying when they saw you. And Celestia wouldn't have scanned you if you weren't involved in something. I think there's something that went on involving you as well." "Yeah...but what?" "We'll find that out later on in life...when it gets to that point." Rainbow nodded before getting back underneath the covers, leaving Fluttershy to begin walking out and up the stairs. "Thanks, Flutters." Fluttershy stopped and looked behind her, giving Dash a smile before heading back upstairs, determined to get some sleep. Rainbow Dash groaned before tossing the covers over her head, trying to block the sunlight from hitting her face. Unfortunately when she did that, something fell off of her and hit the ground with a thump. She popped her eyes open and threw back the covers before sitting up, looking towards the wooden floor. There was a white bunny laying there on the ground rubbing it's head before it looked up at Rainbow with a scowl. "Oh, sorry about that, little fella," she apologized, offering a smile. The rabbit smiled back before it picked up a tiny seed laying nearby and threw it at her eye. "Ow! Why?" There was a lot of stomping coming from the stairs as Fluttershy came pounding down them, hearing the commotion. "What is it?! What....Angel Bunny! Come here this instant!" The rabbit rolled it's eyes and walked over to Fluttershy, stopping in front of her hooves. "Rainbow Dash is our guest! We do not throw things at our guests or anyone! Am I clear?" The rabbit tried to argue before she raised a hoof to silence him. "I do NOT want to hear it! We do not throw things at anypony! Do you understand?" The rabbit sighed before nodding its head. "Now go apologize to Rainbow Dash." The rabbit turned around and walked back over to the pegasus still clutching her eye and extended its paw. Rainbow squinted her good eye at the little rabbit before reaching out and letting him shake her hoof. After that the little demon scampered off to do...whatever it does. "I'm very sorry about that, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, walking around the couch to stand in front of the pegasus still clutching her eye. "Let me see your eye." Rainbow Dash dropped her hoof, making Fluttershy gasp. "What? What is it?" Fluttershy quickly grabbed a nearby mirror that she somehow had in the living room and placed it in front of her. Rainbow gasped, watching as her eye repeatedly changed colors. From red to blue to purple to orange to brown and so forth. "Ok...THAT...is freaky," she said pointing at the mirror. "What is this?" "I don't know," Fluttershy said shaking her head and pointing back at her eye. "But it stopped now." Rainbow looked back at the mirror to see her eye back in its cerise color. "Huh," Rainbow muttered. "That was......strange." Fluttershy nodded before putting the mirror back in place by the nearby wall. "What do you think it was?" "I don't know. Maybe Twilight knows. She's the smart one apparently. She was taught by Celestia." Rainbow nodded before she got off the couch. "Thanks for letting me spend the night here, Flutters," She said, thanking her as they made their way to the kitchen. "I really appreciate it." "Well...I umm....don't usually have friends over so....well, I prefer having you over anyway." Rainbow Dash stopped and looked at Fluttershy, smirking. "You enjoy my company? NO ONE enjoys my company." "Well...you're my friend so...um...I enjoy having you come over." Rainbow smiled before she pulled her into a hug, catching her by surprise. "Thanks. No one has ever said that to me before," she whispered. Fluttershy was frozen for a second before she sighed and squeezed her back. "You're welcome, Rainbow." They let go of each other before Rainbow began walking into the kitchen while fluttershy just stared at her, admiring her form. She finally broke out of her trance and walked into the kitchen after her. "What would you like to eat?" Rainbow sat down on a nearby pillow before responding. "Anything you think would taste good after getting hit in the eye with a seed." "Does it sting?" Fluttershy asked worriedly, glancing over at her friend only to see her shaking her head. "Nope. It was like it never happened. I don't feel any throbbing and that pest threw that seed really hard." "Rainbow..." "Rabbit. That rabbit threw that seed really hard." Fluttershy smiled while Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "So what do you have?" "I have a special salad that I usually make for Rarity. It tastes really good. I think you'll love it." Fluttershy went into her cabinets and brought out the ingredients before she started chopping them up. Once done, she placed them in a bowl, put some dressing on it, then walked over to Rainbow, placing it on the table with her mouth in front of her. "Eat Up." After they had their breakfast, the two mares walked out of Fluttershy's cottage and over the bridge, heading into town. First they were going to stop at the market to pick up some food and vegetables. Then they were going to stop by Twilight's to see how she was handling things, as well as get Rainbow's eyes looked at. "So what are we looking for?" Rainbow asked, looking around the market. There were a lot of ponies out today. "I take it we're not looking for a certain farmer, are we?" "Don't worry, we're not looking for Applejack," Fluttershy replied, chuckling. "We are here for food. That's why it's called a market." Rainbow slowly nodded while she looked around, observing the area. There were a large number of ponies there, particularly bright colored ones. Farmers, musicians...wait...musicians? Rainbow Dash took a closer look to see her friend Octavia Melody sitting there in the street, playing her Cello with her eyes closed. She had a smile plastered on her face while she stroked the strings, basking in the sound. She shrugged and abandoned Fluttershy for a moment as she made her way over, dodging the other ponies so she didn't bump into them. She stopped in front of the out-of-this-world earth pony, watching her for a moment before speaking. "Hey, Octavia." The Celloist stopped her playing before she looked around for the source of the voice. Finally spotting Rainbow Dash, she offered a big toothy grin. "Rainbow! How are you? I haven't seen you in awhile. Did you finally move down here?" Rainbow took a seat in front of her, preparing her tale. "Well, I've mostly been home in Cloudsdale. And yeah I moved here yesterday, trying to kick it back for awhile before I try out for the Wonderbolts." "Still going on that, huh?" "OF COURSE!" Rainbow yelled, throwing her hooves out in desperation. "Who WOULDN'T want to be part of the Wonderbolts?!" "Me if I was a Pegasus," Octavia answered while chuckling and putting away her Cello. "Because I like the way my life is now. Playing my music, relaxing with Vinyl, doing shows, and providing entertainment. That's what it's all about. If you're just doing it for the bits, then you're not fit for the business." "Pretty good slice-of-life there, Octavia." The girls looked over to see Vinyl walk over and sit down next to her, facing Rainbow. "Hey, Rainbow. How's your flying? Still doing rainbooms?" "Duhhhhh. I haven't stopped doing them," she replied with an attitude. "Mmmmhmmm," Vinyl scratch hummed smirking. "Let's see. The last time I even HEARD your magnificent rainboom was uhhhhh...around three years ago, right?" "Shut up, DJ." The two lovers chuckled until they focused back on Rainbow. "When's the last time you did a show?" "Last week. There's this new club that just opened here. Right there actually." Rainbow looked to where Vinyl was pointing to see that there was indeed a new club. It was a black wooden building with a magic sign on it. "Wooden Ear?" Rainbow asked. "Sounds neat. I'll probably check it out sometime. Maybe come see you host." The DJ sighed before turning to Octavia. "Actually, you want to see Octavia play. She puts crowds in moods." The Celloist rolled her eyes before looking down at her hooves, blushing slightly. "Be quiet, Vinyl," she muttered. "Besides you're better." "Stop being so humble, you know you're great," she said, giving her girl a grin. "And you better believe it. Or else I'm going to keep saying it." The Celloist grinned before leaning in and pecking the DJ. "Thank you." "Anytime." Rainbow Dash looked on in envy before a voice called to her from behind. "There you are!" She looked behind her to see Fluttershy walking over to her briskly. "I was looking all over for you! Don't run off like that!" Rainbow looked at her confusedly. What happened to the shy pegasus bit? "Hey, Flutters," Octavia greeted. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane before responding. "Oh, uhhh...hey, Octavia." Rainbow smiled. There's that shy pegasus. "Sorry, Fluttershy," she responded. "I spotted Octavia here playing, so I stopped to say hi." "Oh! Well, tell me next time!" She reached up and grabbed Rainbow's ear with her teeth, pulling her away. "Now, we are leaving and going to Twilight's!" "Okay, okay, why are you biting my ear?! Ow!" The couple watched while she tugged Rainbow by the ear into the crowd, causing some other ponies to stop and watch. "Since when did Fluttershy get 'in control?'" Octavia asked. Her marefriend shrugged in response. The pair walked up to the library door and knocked, waiting for somepony to open it, or for a voice response. They got the latter. "Come in!" Fluttershy pushed the door and walked inside with Rainbow behind her. Twilight was seen dusting off the shelves and reordering the books to some system she has. Something with 'Sparkle'. They just stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Twilight...we umm...need your help," Fluttershy said getting her attention. The egghead walked over, throwing the duster out of her magic hold over her shoulder, and hitting the sleeping dragon. "What is it," she asked, closing the door behind them. "Well, this morning, Angel Bunny and Rainbow had a little spat." "I'm guessing Angel Bunny's actually a bunny?" Fluftershy nodded her head, while Rainbow just looked nonchalant. "Ok, go on." "Angel threw a seed at her eye, and it started changing colors." "Changing...colors?" Twilight asked looking confused. "What do you mean?" "The white area of her eye changed colors. Like to red to blue to green...Rainbow, poke yourself." Rainbow groaned before lifting her hoof up and poking her eye. "OW!" She yelped, slowly removing her hoof to reveal her color switching eye. "What?!" Twilight bent Rainbow's head down, pulling it close to her face as she got a closer look. "Is this the same eye from earlier?" "No." Twilight let go and watched the colors stop changing. Now her eye was white again. "That was strange. Did you eat anything weird?" Rainbow shook her head. "Drink anything weird?" Another shake. The egghead pulled in her lips before going to her bookshelves. "I'll try to research it. When, or if I don't find something, I'll come and get you to let you know. Should take me around three hours. Should I send a letter to Celestia?" "Not unless something else weird starts happening," Rainbow requested. "And this stays a secret between you, Fluttershy, Spike if he's awake, and myself. Clear?" "Crystal." "Thanks, Twilight," she replied while walking towards the door. "Knew I could count on you. How you adjusting in ponyville?" "Well, it's not bad. Grand galloping Galla's coming up in a few moons." She walked back over to the kitchen. "You guys want some food? Stay and chat! Spike is asleep so I actually have no one to talk to." "What ya' wanna do?" Rainbow asked, turning to Fluttershy, who stared back in disbelief. She was asking...for permission? "Well...umm...let's stay and chat," she replied. Rainbow smiled then nuzzled Fluttershy, making her gasp and blush, before they walked with Twilight into the kitchen. While Rainbow and Fluttershy were investigating Rainbow's eyes, the Princesses were visiting a certain family up in Cloudsdale. Celestia was looking around the home while Luna was drinking from a mug on the couch. Celestia picked up a family photo of Rainbow Dash, Cookie Crumbles, and Bow Hothoof. Probably when she got her cutie mark. She sighed at the photo, thinking about what it would be like if she got to see that. "You raised her well. I really wish I could've been there." Princess Celestia set down the photo of the family before turning around and walking back over to her sister. "I missed so much." "Why couldn't you?" Bow Hothoof asked her confusedly. He sat down on the couch next to his wife. "I know that you put magic in her, but wouldn't it be better for you to-" "No, it would not have," Luna interrupted, placing down her mug. "Thou sister was defeated, but only for small moons. Lady Spectrum will rise again soon, and her thirst for power will certainly bring followers. If not more than what she had." "She had...workers?" Windy Whistles asked, across from Celestia, who nodded. "Indeed. They also wanted that power. And those workers had workers as well. If they discovered I was with child, I would have lost my daughter within a moon. So the only way to protect her was to hide her along with the power. I really did not want to. I wanted to keep my child with me." They all looked at her in silence, trying to think of other ways that it could've went, until a knock sounded at the door. Windy Whistles got up to go open it while the royals continued drinking. She looked through the peephole and gasped slightly. "It's Rainbow," she whispered. Celestia nearly choked on her drink before she set it down with her hooves. "Let her in." Windy opened the door, allowing her.....weird eyed daughter to walk in. "Hey, mom," she greeted, trotting inside the cloud home. "Can you see what's up with my eyes?" Windy looked at her daughter's constantly changing irises. "I have no idea what that is, sweetheart," she replied, moving the mare's head around. "Drink any weird potions?" "No" "Any weird food?" "Nope." "Good. Keep it that way. But I don't see anything that could've caused lt." Celestia and luna looked at each other in confusion. And wonder. "Well, thanks for trying," Rainbow said turning around and walking towards the living room. "Twilight said she couldn't find anything about it, so-PRINCESS CELESTIA!" The Pegasus planted her face in the clouds when she bowed in front of her. The Princess of the sun chuckled. "Oh, get up sweet-" Celestia cleared her throat. "Please rise, Rainbow. There are no formalities between us." Rainbow Dash stood up slowly and looked at Celestia, revealing her eyes, which were both changing colors. "Luna? Please assess her." Princess Luna stood up from the couch and walked around, heading for Rainbow Dash. She lifted her wings, ran her hoof through her tail, and looked through her mane, as well as check her eyes and feel her forehead. After that she backed away and shook her head. Rainbow Dash just looked confusedly between the two of them. "Aaannnd...what was that?" "You will learn in due time," Luna said. "But for right now...continue to fly and practice like you usually do." "Wait...how do you know what I do on my spare time?" Rainbow asked confusedly. "Your parents," Celestia answered, grimacing a little. "But your home is almost ready. In fact, it should be done by now. There will guards there." "Wait, guards? Why would there be guards, it's just a house." Celestia smiled as she and Luna walked towards the front door. Celestia stopped and smiled at her over her shoulder. "Because there's more to you than meets the eye. Thanks for having us over, Bow and Windy." "Anytime, Celestia," Windy replied, waving as they walked out. Once the door shut, Rainbow looked at her parents confused. "What was that?!" "When do you think the mutation will happen," Celestia asked, stopping in front of another home. "Today? That is what I perceived." Luna nodded. "Her horn will start to grow by tonight. Thou daughter will come home soon, sister." Celestia breathed in relief before walking again. "Good...good. I miss my daughter."