//------------------------------// // Help from a friend // Story: Familial bonds: part three // by Darling Dearest //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash arrived at the secluded cottage of her dearest friend, everything about it still seeming to fit right within a little filly’s fantasy. Flowers of a multitude of exotic colours bloomed wherever anypony looked, and fluffy animals ran around innocently across fields of lush grass. The scent of nature graced the air, making the atmosphere seem light and friendly. Even the most hardened ponies wouldn’t dream of denying it, Fluttershy had created a paradise. “Ha, same old Fluttershy.” Rainbow joked to herself. She approached the finely crafted wooden door of the small home, contemplating for a moment on how long it had been since she had come to her oldest friend, just to visit, to hang out and have fun, as they used to do so often in the past. Rainbow made a mental note to visit Fluttershy more often, if only just to make sure Discord wasn’t causing her TOO much trouble. Rainbow gently knocked on the door and awaited a response. A second passed, before the door slowly began to open, revealing the small, yellow Pegasus, her baby pink mane almost dropping to the floor. Her adorable cutie mark of three pink butterflies glistening as the sun’s rays shone upon them, also highlighting her less than muscular wings, barely pointing out from her body. “Hello, who is…” Fluttershy stopped mid-sentence, her face suddenly lighting up with glee. “Oh, Rainbow Dash! It’s so lovely to see you again. Why, it feels like a thousand moons since we last saw each other!” Flutershy’s body lit up with more energy than it initially appeared to have the capability to possess. She seemed to forget her own meekness and shy nature, as she leaped onto Rainbow, cutely cuddling her, in a sight that even Spitfire would’ve been forced to blush at. “Hey, Fluttershy, you been okay?” Fluttershy quickly released Rainbow, her sudden rush of enthusiasm having come to an end. “I’m perfectly fine, Rainbow Dash. I’ve just been so busy planning an addition to my animal sanctuary. I won’t lie, this whole thing’s been more hard work than I ever could’ve imagined! But, with a little effort, patience and the reward of seeing those animals happy, it’s all been worthwhile.” “Ha, good to here, Fluttershy… I’m not disturbing you, am I?” “Oh, absolutely not. Why, I think a good distraction right about now might be just what I need right now. That is if you have the time. I’d hate to intrude…” “Stop worryin’ would ya, you’re never intruding on me.” Flutershy’s cheeks suddenly turned a bright red, lighting up as they rose with her smile. “Thanks Rainbow… So, what do you wanna do?” Rainbows previously confident demeaner quickly vanished, being replaced with a more sombre, serious and stern expression. “Well, Fluttershy. If ya don’t mid, I was hoping I could get your advice on somethin’.” “Certainly, Rainbow Dash, what is it that you need?” “Well, in all honesty, a lot of things have been changing lately… An’ I’ve learned a lot about a pony I thought I had all figured out. I know what I need t’ do t’ help her, but I don’t know if it’s really the right thing t’ do… Ugh! This doubt is gonna be the end of me! Could we… Could we, maybe, go inside to talk, this is… kinda embarrassing.” Fluttershy shot Rainbow a sympathetic glare. “There, there, Rainbow. Everything’s all right. We’ll go inside, and you can tell me whatever you need to whenever your ready. Okay?” “Okay.” “Good, can I make you some tea?” “No… WAIT, yes. That actually sounds great. “Very well, you go get yourself settled, and I’ll go make tea.” Fluttershy gestured for Rainbow to enter her peaceful cottage, she did so, smiling at her loyal friend. The inside of the humble home maintained the fairly-tale aesthetic that the outside so gracefully preached. The walls were spotless, not a speck of dust to be seen for miles, yet tiny animals still ran free, playfully chasing each other. A more pretentious pony would have been offended by the sight, though Rainbow just laughed at the adorable sight, before taking a seat on the immaculately designed sofa at the back of the room. She looked around for a moment, birdcages sprang from the ceiling, many hosting families of brightly coloured, exotic birds, holding their young close to them. It was a wonder to behold, though Rainbow couldn’t deny that the image brought back thought of Scootaloo, of how she had been denied the basic right of a loving family to care for her in her darkest hours. The thought saddened her, but still added fuel to the fire of passion for her plan to work that brewed inside her. Though as the minutes passed, her nerves quickly grew again, like a torrent of fear being thrown onto her spirit, dowsing her confidence and determination with thoughts of uncertainty. “Come on, Rainbow Dash. Pull it together!” She accidentally spoke out loud. “Erm, Rainbow, are you okay.” Said Fluttershy, slowly flying into the room with a trey of tea in her hoofs. “Oh, yeah, yeah. It’s noting. Jus… just come sit down, let’s talk.” “Certainly, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy spoke, with a hint of concern still in her voice. She took one of the cups from her tray and gently placed it on a small table next to Rainbow. Steam rose from the cup, giving of a delightful aroma, making it seem irresistibly sweet and smooth. Though Rainbow knew that drinking it in its current state would burn her tongue, thus she turned to Fluttershy. “So, erm… about why I’m here.” “Ah, yes. Tell me what’s on your mind Rainbow Dash, I’m all ears. Take your time, just tell me when you’re ready.” “Okay then… Here we go… It’s about Scootaloo.” “Oh, of the Cutie mark crusaders, your little sister… IS SHE OKAY!?” “Yeah, yeah she’s fine. Well… it’s just. How do I put this? She’s not in any harm or anything. But, I learned the other day that she doesn’t exactly have the best home life, definitely not one a filly as awesome as her deserves. Heck, not a home life any filly deserves.” “Oh… what do you mean Rainbow.” “Oh Celestia, where to begin! I’m not… I’m not scaring you with all this, am I?” I mean we can stop if…” “Oh, no, it’s fine, I’m here for you Rainbow Dash! And, I wanna hear whatever it is you have to say.” It was true that Fluttershy had become tense from what Rainbow had said, the thought of any young pony not getting what they needed making her fur feel like it was being tightened to the point of snapping in discomfort. However, she treasured the friendships she had gathered over the years over anything else. And, she wasn’t about to let one of her oldest allies suffer alone. “Alright then. So, I first realised, about two weeks ago that something was up. When I saw that Scootaloo was gonna do something really dangerous… I won’t bore ya with the details... Rainbow didn’t want to scare Fluttershy and was trying to hide it. “All ya need to know is that I stopped her in time and made sure she knew what she did wasn’t okay. The upside is, she learned something and probably won’t be putting herself in danger like that any time soon. Then again, she does take after me… Never mind! The downside is, she was allowed to do something like that in the first place. I mean, she had to have let her parents know right, didn’t she? Wait, did she even tell them. Celestia, why did I assume that? I’m a mess!” “Okay, Rainbow, calm down, it’s okay. Just breathe in and breathe out.” Rainbow heavily panted, the situation beginning to weigh her down. Though her breaths quickly slowed, becoming more controlled, as Rainbow reconfigured herself. “Alright, alright. So, I’d known for a while that Scootaloo, wasn’t exactly getting the support I got when I was her age. I didn’t think it was any ‘a my business getting’ involved though. But, after all that happening. I knew I had t’ do something.” “Hu, well that’s certainly strange. I never would’ve guessed that Scootaloo was having home troubles, she always seems so happy when I see her. What did you find out, Rainbow?” “Yeah, well. I tried finding out what I could for a while, but I got nowhere.” “Oh, I’m sorry, Rainbow. You know, you could’ve just come to us, right? We’re your friends, we would’ve had this whole thing sorted out in no time.” “Nah, this wasn’t your problem, you all have your own things to be dealing with, she’s my little sister and I had to be there for her. But, I definitely needed help, so I did end up getting my parents involved, and as annoying as they can be sometimes! They really did come through for me. They really get along with Scootaloo, and they talked me into going to talk with her parents. And… what I found out.” “WHAT! Are they hurting her!?” “No, Celestia NO! They’re actually fine ponies… It’s just, they live REALLY busy lives, as in, barely ever home, busy lives. So, Scootaloo ends up alone most ‘a the time.” “Oh, no. That sounds horrible.” “I know, right. She’s had to grow up so quickly because ‘a them!I mean, they haven’t taken away her foalhood, or anything, but they haven’t given her all the things she needs.” “Like what?” “Like, well. Ya know she can’t fly, right?” “Indeed.” “Well, a Pegasus, a Pegasus filly anyway, can’t learn to fly on their own, they need somepony there to teach ‘em, or else they’re not gonna get it.” “Oh, that makes sense. I certainly couldn’t’ve learned to fly without those nice flight camp teachers.” “Exactly! An’, jus’ between us mares, I think that the reason Scootaloo can’t fly, is that her parents never had the time to teach her properly. Now, ‘cause she’s older, it’s harder for her learn.” “Oh, well it’s a horrible thought, but it does make sense.” “Yeah, and it doesn’t just stop there! Their busy lives obviously cause ‘em a lot ‘a stress. So… they kinda get mad at each other, and argue, angrily.” “Ah, the poor filly, I was lucky when I was her age, my parents got a long so well that they rarely ever argued. I hate to here that other ponies aren’t getting what I got.” “Same here, but it looks like Scootaloo has to put up with it, almost every night! She has to fend for herself durin’ the day and then deal with their bickering at night!” “Wow, that is terrible. Foals deserve to be cared for and loved by their parents, not be forced to put up with them.” “I know, and… Celestia, I hate even thinking about it.” “What is it Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked sincerely. “Okay, you know we had that rainstorm last night.” “Oh, how could I forget!? Even Harry was terrified. It was horrible!” “Yeah, well. Scootaloo’s parents got in a pretty serious fight that evening. And naturally, Scootaloo got pretty scared, she told me that she could here their shouting over the sound of the thunder storm! So… She tried running away.” Fluttershy was suddenly overcome in a state of pure shock. Her eyes burst open, her jaw crashed onto the ground and her breathing became quick and thin. “Oh my gosh, how could they have let that happen?! It was so dangerous out there… and she’s so tiny! Is she safe, did she get hurt!? Oh, I hate to think what could’ve happened…” “It’s okay, Fluttershy. She’s alright now. But, you’re right, she could ‘a gotten seriously hurt. I found her unconscious, in a field near sweet apple acres. If I hadn’t found her… I doubt she’d still be with us.” The two were silent for a moment, the severity of the situation becoming real for them, as the trauma of the night suddenly flashed before Rainbow’s eyes, making her shiver. Fluttershy, remained perfectly still, the usually optimistic and carefree mare, being replaced by a much more sombre and serious pony. “Rainbow Dash… I know you said that Scootaloo’s parents are good ponies, and I’m sure that they are. But, if everything you’ve said s true, then there is no possible way that Scootaloo can stay with them, the poor filly just isn’t safe under their care.” “I know, Fluttershy. I’ve spoken with ‘em a couple times now. And, they’re not bad ponies, they’re not perfect, but they aren’t like, King Sombre evil, or anything. But, you’re right, Scootaloo can’t stay with them. They’re too busy and too short tempered for her. I know something has to be done.” “Well, Rainbow. I’m here to help you in any way you might need me. So, have you thought about what you might want to do?” “Well… Fluttershy. I’ve had an idea… And, I think it’s the right thing… But it’s crazy, and… Forget about it, you’ll think I’m insane!” “No, don’t think that, never think that Rainbow, all of your friends are here for you. And, besides, anything you might have in mind must be better than what she has right now.” “Okay… well, ya know how… erm, I have, like, lots ‘a room in my house. Where, say, a filly, maybe, could fit in nicely. And, how I have a well payin’ career that I don’t actually have to do a lot of work away from home for, so I could stay home… with said filly. Well, maybe, I was thinking, that I could, I could, maybe, ADOPT, a certain filly.” “Om my gosh… Do, do you mean it.” Rainbow was silent for a moment. Her confidence having been assassinated. “Rainbow Dash?” “I, I want to. I REALLY want to. I know I can make Scoots happy, and she already respects me, so there won’t be any problem there. But… This is ME where talkin’ about. Rainbow Dash! I’m not exactly known for bein’ too… what’s the word? MATURE let’s say. I make real newbie mistakes on things that I should know better on at this age. Can I really take in a foal? I mean, Scootaloo’s great an’ all, an’ she’s already real grown up. But… she still needs somepony there to give her advice and stuff… I’m not sure if… I’m not sure if I even deserve to be the pony to try and give her that.” Rainbow suddenly looked defeated, the confident aura that usually beamed from her, having vanished, leaving only a cold, depressed shell, in which the mare remained. Fluttershy gracefully flew over to Rainbow Dash, taking her into a loving and genuine hug. They remained there for a few second. Whilst Rainbow was never one to be overly affectionate with anypony, even she couldn’t deny that Flutershy’s tender nature made it hard to disguise her feelings around her. Though she quickly turned to face Rainbow directly, a stern, yet still loving look in her eye. “Rainbow Dash! I don’t want you to say those things about yourself anymore. Sure, you can be a little immature sometimes, but you always realise when you’ve done wrong and do your upmost to fix it. And, no mater how hard anypony tries, nopony will EVER be perfect, so if you think that not being the perfect pony in every way makes you a bad choice to take care of a filly that’s already family to you, then you’re absolutely wrong. And, you know what. I couldn’t think of a better pony for the job if you gave me all the time in Equestria. You get along, she trusts and respects you, and I’ve never seen any filly smile so wide than whenever the name “Rainbow Dash” gets mentioned in front of that little darling. I know that you’ll face hardships, but you’ll get through them and you might even learn things together. I get why you’re scared Rainbow, the thought of having a foal is a scary thought. But, and take this from a childhood friend, I know you’re ready for this.” “Yeah, but…” Fluttershy raised her eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. “No but’s, Rainbow Dash. I won’t lie, taking care of smaller creatures than yourself can be hard work sometimes, but when you see them happy, nothing can ever compare to the feeling. And, nopony will ever make that little filly happier than you, Rainbow.” “Ah, you’re probably right… I just, I just want to know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that I’m the right pony to take in Scootaloo.” “I know you are, Rainbow Dash. I know you might not be known for your sensitive, caring side. But, I know it’s there, I’ve seen it on more occasions than I can ever hope to count.” Fluttershy waited for a response, she was greeted only with silence. “Look, I can tell that you want this, and it really is the right thing for you to do. But, if you’re still not sure, why not try going to talk to Applejack about it.” “You really think that’ll help?” “I know it will. She’s the most honest and upfront out of all of us. And, she’s going to tell you the exact same thing I’ve told you. So, that way you’ll know that there’s really nothing to be worried about.” “Thanks ‘Shy, I’ll give it a shot” “That’s good, Rainbow. But, I promise, you’ve absolutely nothing to worry about. And, when you do take her in. I wish you and Scootaloo a lovely life together.” “Thank you… You really do know exactly what to say, don’t you?” “Rainbow Dash, I’ve known you since fillyhood, if your ever feeling down, I’ll always know what to do to comfort you. And, never think I won’t be there Rainbow, I’m ALWAYS here, if you need me.” “Thanks ‘Shy, it’s nice to know. And, if you ever need me, don’t think I won’t return the favour.” The two hugged once again, Rainbow’s confidence having slightly returned from her friend’s speech. Though Fluttershy soon saw herself waving Rainbow good bye, as she flew off into Celestia’s golden sun, her eyes solely set on the apple farm of Applejack, current head of the famous Apple family and personal rival to Rainbow Dash herself. Though her honest words could often come across as harsh, they were words that needed to be said. Thus, Rainbow knew that a talk with her should finally give her the confidence she needed to move forward with her plan.