//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - Happy Birthday // Story: The Lost One // by thedarktome //------------------------------// The next day, Buff arrived at the mansion that belonged to the widely-known painter, carrying a very small package wrapped in gray paper in his saddlebag with a smile on his face. Pencil is definitely going to love this, he could already see it. "'Thank you, Buff,'" he whispered to himself, mimicking her voice as he walked past the ponies putting up the fence. "'You're the best stallion ever!' Oh, yeah I'm golden." He chuckled before stopping in front of her door and ringing the bell. It would take her awhile to get to the door so he just simply waited. Thirty seconds later, it opened up, revealing the unamused birthday girl wearing one of her dresses. "Well, well, well," she taunted blandly, letting him in. "If it isn't mister 'I'm always late.'" Buff raised an eyebrow and looked at the large clock above the grand staircase. "It's eight in the morning," he stated, trying to hide that smile. "I think it's the exact opposite." Pencil squinted her eyes at him, getting really close to his face before smiling and giggling. "You know I'm messing with you, sweetheart." "I know. Happy birthday, Pencil." He pulled her in for a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek while she nuzzled him. "Thank you. So what'd ya' get me? Gimme, gimme, gimme!" She yelled, flying up to his face. "Okay, okay!" He said, trying to push her back down. He reached into the side of the saddlebag and pulled out the package, which she snatched out of his hoof. "Oh my god, I'm dating a crazy mare." "Oh hush," She said, ripping the paper open to reveal...... "A.....key?" "Yep. But not just any key. This is the key to my place. If you're ever feeling alone and need someone to talk to, or get away from the hustle and bustle of being a celebrity, you can always come to my place. I know doing what you do drives you out of your mind. And if it doesn't, it will. So when that happens, you can come straight to my house." Pencil looked down at the key before glancing up at her large coltfriend, giving him a small smile. "Thanks, Buff.....this is really sweet." "You're welcome. Now what is it that you wanted me to do today?" "I want to throw you in the pool." "What?" "Okay, I'm not too sure about this!" Buff yelled loudly. He was situated on the top of Pencil's three story mansion with his eyes blindfolded, standing on the edge with his arms outstretched. "I would understand if you didn't have my eyes blindfolded, but you do. So.....why?" "Because it's fun, now hold still." Pencil backed up a few feet and spread her wings, preparing to push him off the ledge. "Try not to flap your wings, it hurts the experience!" "Pencil, I really don't like this, there's no way I'm doing this." He got quiet until Pencil ran into him, taking them both off the ledge. "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" "YEAAAAHHHHH!" Pencil yelled before they splashed into the pool. A few seconds later they popped back up, breaching the surface and gasping for air. "THAT WAS CRAZY!!" Buff yelled, yanking the blindfold off his eyes. "I know, wasn't it great?" He turned and gave her a terrified stare. "No, I was terrified!" "I know it's the rush that gets you really excited!" Pencil squealed before jumping on the shocked stallion, pulling them both under the water. "Please don't do that again," Buff asked as they walked back inside with towels on them. He was shivering in horror while she chuckled. "Oh, don't be a spoil sport. You enjoyed that." "I did not," he said, laughing between the words. He turned around and faced her grinning face. "Just don't go pushing ponies into things when their eyes are closed. It's like suicide. In water!" Pencil sighed and rolled her eyes before nodding her head. "Fine. Just try not to repeat the action when you're alone." She walked past him and flicked his face with her tail. He took that moment to gaze at her flank...and her cutie mark. "Your cutie mark's a lightning bolt?" She froze and sighed deeply. "Yeah......yeah, it's from my past that I wanna forget," she responded quietly, lowering her head. "Oh, I'm sorry." He quickly approached her side. "I didn't mean to intrude." "You didn't, it's just......that's another reason I keep it covered. This cutie mark belongs to Rainbow Dash. But she's not around. So I make sure her cutie mark isn't either to keep her hidden like she wanted. Someday she'll wake up again. But that time won't be coming any time soon." "Oh....well, how about we go out? Get some lunch!!" Pencil laughed and shook her head. "Buff, it's.......only eleven-twenty." "So? It's your birthday! Defy the limit, right?" He grabbed their towels and walked towards the rack, placing them there before guiding her towards the front of the luxurious household. "You're.....twenty five now, so we'll have to celebrate! Now come on!" "Well let me get my shoes, dress, and jewelry first!" She teleported up to her room and grabbed her things, including the huge necklace of her past cutie mark, making her smile. She put it around her neck before putting on her dress and stepping into her golden hoofshoes, teleporting back down to Buff. "Ready?" He asked her. She nodded eagerly. "Then let's go." During the trek into city filled with skyscrapers, she was constantly asked to sign things from other ponies, mostly shirts and clothing. Eventually, after an hour, they made it to a simple ice cream stand that Pencil asked to stop at, and grabbed some ice cream cones. She picked blueberry while Buff picked vanilla, obviously his favorite based off the rapid amount of attention his tongue was giving it. "So....where to?" He asked in between licks. "Let's just go to a park or something," she suggested as she waved to another pony. "I just wanna relax for awhile. Take a load off." "As my lady suggests." He gestured to the right, walking down another sidewalk and going towards a location she would definitely appreciate. After a few more minutes, they arrived at a large park that even had a pond where some swans were relaxing. There were flowers, green luscious grass, and even a sidewalk surround by trees. Pencil gasped in wonder and awe as she tried to look at everything at once. "Whoa," she muttered, staring wide eyed at the scenery. "This is....beautiful." "I know. That's why I brought us here." He guided her towards a spot by the pond and sat down, letting her get comfortable before draping a wing over her. "You know....I could sleep like this," she commented, making him chuckle. "Yeah, well you're birthday's just getting started. Don't fall asleep yet." "Awww...you pushover." He grinned and nuzzled the top of her head, shifting her head around. "You know....yesterday, I wanted to end the flirting and all.....but now I just want more." "That's what happens when you bond with the rough stallion, as you so put it." The two laughed before looking back out at the pond. Thinking. "Windy......." Bow whispered, walking into his daughter's old room in Cloudsdale. "We have to drop these off....at least once today." He stopped and sighed sadly at seeing his orange haired wife crying into her daughter's pillow before walking into the room and getting on the bed with her, holding her. He felt sad too, knowing they'll never see their daughter again, although Princess Celestia did tell them after the declaration that she could still possibly be alive, even if Princess Luna couldn't find her. "I....I feel so empty without Dashy here," Windy whimpered into the pillow. "I feel like I've lost everything." "I do too, sweetheart," Bow whispered into her ear. "I do too. I feel like everything in this household has disappeared. And there's nothing we could do. But we can at least give her some flowers okay?" Windy nodded, reluctantly getting out of the bed and followed her husband towards the stairwell. They walked down and towards the front door before Bow grabbed the large bouquets on the table next to it, and walked out with Windy behind him. They looked at each other before taking off into the air, headed for the town below. They flew in silence, memories going through their minds as they dipped down, flying through the clouds outside of Cloudsdale and towards Ponyville where a flower made memorial was waiting for them. After a few more seconds, they landed on the outside of town and walked towards Town Hall, being sure not to attract to much attention. Although that wasn't easy in Bow's case. He had Rainbow Dash's signature mane and tail. A spectrum of colors. Kind of makes ponies look at you. After a few more minutes, they arrived at the memorial to find that there were three more ponies there. Or rather fillies. Scootaloo, along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, were busy planting their own flowers in the ground. Apple Bloom, being the farmer that she was, was digging the hole in front of the plaque while Sweetie Belle was checking over the flowers, making sure there were no bad ones in the bouquet. The parents stood to the side, watching Apple Bloom finish up and step to the side before Sweetie Belle passed the flowers to Scootaloo. She sighed and trotted forward, preparing some words. "Rainbow Dash. You were my hero......and you still are. I know you're still alive. I can feel you....like when a mother knows when her child is sad. So I'm not giving up on you. I'm going to find you and I'm going to bring you home. I love you Rainbow...big sister. Happy Birthday." Windy pulled in her lips and tried not to cry as Scootaloo planted the flowers into the ground and Apple Bloom covered them back up. Once they were done, the pegasus brushed off the plaque, unaware of the two parents approaching from behind. Windy placed a hoof on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug before she turned around herself and reciprocated the act, crying lightly into her coat. "That was beautiful, Scootaloo. Thank you so much, girls." Scootaloo nodded before she pulled away, walking around the mare and towards a different road, the other crusaders following behind her. After they left, Bow gave one of the bouquets to Windy, noticing the other five flowers there. The remaining elements must've been there earlier. Yeah, it was definitely them. There was a cupcake beside the pink bouquet. Windy sighed deeply before standing up straight in front of the memorial. "Rainbow.........I love you. As a mother to a daughter, you were the best thing that has ever happened in my life. In both our lives. Just like Scootaloo said.....you were a hero, and still are. And if you are out there......please.......please come home soon. Your mother and father, best friends, the crusaders, all of Cloudsdale, and even more misses you and are waiting to see you again. I love you." She leaned down and placed the flowers softly by the plaque with her name on it. Before Bow did the same. "We love you, Rainbow Dash," he said before wrapping a wing over his wife. "We love you very much." He led her away from the memorial and took back off into the air, heading home. *** "Are you sure she's out there, Scoots?" Apple Bloom asked as they walked up to their treehouse. "I mean it'd be great if she was, but how do you know?" "I can feel her," she responded with determination. They walked into the small building while Scootaloo went behind the podium and grabbed some sheets. "I've been having these feelings ever since she disappeared two months. I have been tracking weird things that go on in Ponyville, such as the Mystery Mare. Well, considering that we had something like that here before where Rainbow Dash was actually the mystery mare, I've been thinking.....'What if she's doing it again? What if she's out there saving people and we think she's dead?'" She walked back over to the fillies before Sweetie Belle asked the question. "You think Rainbow Dash might be the Mystery Mare?" "It's not only that, but she's three different people." The two fillies shared a look of skepticism while Scootaloo shut the blinds and the door, leaving the area dark. She turned on a flashlight and pointed it upwards, the glow bouncing off the ceiling before she took the papers she grabbed earlier and spread them out in front of her friends. "I'm sure you know about Pencil Sketch right?" She asked them. "Yeah," the unicorn filly responded, taking a seat in front of the orange Pegasus. "That millionaire painter that showed up out of nowhere and painted all those amazing paintings." "Yeah, well........I've done some research on her." The two smirked at her. "Hey, I can search for stuff, don't act so surprised. Anyway, I overheard Rarity speaking to the others that Pencil Sketch had a necklace that was shaped like the cutie mark of Rainbow Dash. So I got some pictures of her from the newspaper. And you'll never believe what I discovered." She reached to the area beside her and grabbed the clippings, tossing them in the middle of the group. They looked at the photographs, gasping lightly at the jewelry. "They were exactly the same, down to the cloud. But the strange part is.....nopony else in Equestria has that cutie mark, let alone knows it even exists. Rainbow told me that years ago." "So....how does she know about the cutie mark?" Apple Bloom asked, gesturing to the photo. "Because.......she created it. I believe, after everything I've searched and seen so far, that Pencil Sketch.......is Rainbow Dash. Look at the photographs of her." She reached behind her and grabbed the photographs of Rainbow Dash that they would have hanging around during the fan club they started years ago, and placed them beside the pictures of Pencil Sketch. "Now look at Pencil Sketch. This is a picture of Pencil Sketch boasting at one of her shows, as well as Rainbow Dash." The two fillies looked at the pictures carefully, noticing that Rainbow's smirk matches the same degree of Pencil Sketch's. "You seeing what I'm seeing?" "Her smirk," Apple Bloom said in amazement. "It's in the exact same curve." "And her eyes are narrowed just like Rainbow Dash's!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, pointing towards the images. "They don't even change!" "Exactly! There are wayyy too many coincidences here. So I think Rainbow Dash left and became a painter. Why? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. And I'm going to find out soon. Rainbow Dash has left us thinking she's dead, and I want to know why. I know that's her and she owes me an explanation."