With the sun low in the sky, Clousdale began to glow a warm golden hue. This beauty was lost on one home in the outer mid section of the city. A dark yellow mare with her light sunny daughter on her back flew slowly away from the brooding stormcloud construct. Rainbow Dash closed the front door of said stormy house with a sigh then leant on the solid stormcloud. It felt... not too bad to be home.
“How was that?”
At the sound of her brother’s voice, Dash sprung to attention. She spotted her brother, chilling on the couch in the same spot usually occupied by their father. “Oh, hey Soarin! We had a lot of fun! Fluttershy’s house is really cool!”
“That’s good to hear.” The colt grinned back as he relaxed like a boss. The filly couldn’t help but notice the current similarity between the posture of her brother and their father.
“You had fun with Spitfire?” Dash grinned as she strode closer to her sibling.
“And Fleetfoot,” Soarin added with a nod.
“Hey... uh, Soarin?” Dash hesitantly took a seat next to her brother.
The young colt carefully eyed his sister as she pawed at the soft couch. “Yes?”
“Why didn’t mom teach me to read? And why do we have like... no books in our house? Fluttershy's place has a whole library. They’re like... all eggheads, it’s weird. Well, not as weird as her little brother, he’s... uh... really weird. Kept staring at me for some reason.”
A sad smile slipped across the Soarin’s muzzle. “I guess it’s because our mom doesn’t like paperwork and neither does Dad. Mom prefers to be out there flying, it’s cooler for pegasi to be outside... up in the big open skies.”
“So, you don’t need to know how to read?” Dash asked, rather hopefully.
“Of course you do.” Soarin scoffed. “The entrance exams for advanced flight school are half-written.”
“Oh.” The small filly hunched up, facing away from her older brother, her expression sour at the thought of endless paperwork. “Did mom teach you to read?”
“Dad.”
“Really?” The surprised filly span around so fast to face her brother, she almost fell off the couch.
Soarin was quick to help stabilize his little sister. “Yea. A little bit. Before he was a drunk he was actually a really cool dad.” A hint of a grin rippled across the blue colt’s muzzle as fragments of times long past flickered by.
“You mean, you remember him before he was drunk all the time?”
The blue colt grimaced. “Yea.” Soarin glanced around the lounge, extracted himself from the couch then wandered over to the front door and locked it. At the puzzled look from his sister, he strode back to his sister and at last, continued: “I don’t want mom or dad to just walk in on this.”
“Okay?”
“Look...” Soarin adjusted himself on the soft cloud couch to better face his sister. “Apparently, mom and dad had me just before their last year of schooling. It was a big fuss at the big school in upper Cloudsdale or something. Almost lost dad his place as a Wonderbolts trainee, but Mom and Dad decided to keep me and try to raise me while studying and stuff. Then they tried to have another foal when I was about three. By then they were apparently doing well at their jobs. Mom was on the weather crew at the same base where Dad was stationed as a junior Wonderbolt. But then mom miscarried...”
Dash grimaced. “That sounds bad...”
“It means they lost the foal when it was still being made in her tummy. Her body just suddenly... didn’t want it or something. I- don’t really remember anything aside from mom being really sad for some reason.” Soarin sighed. His gaze drifted from his little sister to someplace far away and long ago. “She sometimes would just stop taking care of me for some reason and Dad... well he tried-”
“But it was hard.” The two ponies on the couch almost hit the roof from shock and surprise. Before them in the front doorway stood Blaze. The stallion looked as ragged as always and held a mostly empty bottle of hard cider in his forehoof. “What? Can’t your old stallion sneak in to see why his kids locked the front door?”
“Where’s mom?” Soarin asked, his voice came out a little squeaky from fear of being caught sharing a forbidden tale.
“She met me at work. Told me to take you both out for dinner while she spends an evening with friends.” Blaze replied, his tone neutral. The hoof that held the bottle tightened ever so slightly.
“Oh...” Soarin shuffled closer to his sister.
Silence fell awkwardly in the room like a stuffy old blanket. Rainbow Dash scratched an itch while her eyes shot between her brother and dad who continued to idle in the doorway.
At long last, the stallion moved once more. He strode over to his two kids and plonked himself down. He knocked back the rest of the bottle then tossed it behind the couch. A clatter of glass against glass rang out.
Dash jumped, high strung. She lent over the rear edge and peered down the back of the cloud couch. It was indeed full of old cider bottles that had not there last week.
“So I heard my two kids talking about your lost brothers.”
“Brothers?” Dash tentatively asked as she slid back down the back of the couch and landed in between her dad and brother.
“Yea... your mom and I lost two foals. Both apparently boys. Then we gave up trying. You Dash- you were a happy accident. But ‘till you came along it was rough on your mom. The second time is about when I started drinking...” The stallion trailed off as his eyes sank to his forehooves. “That- did not go well.”
“You started drinking when I was like five or six.” Silence fell in the wake of the colt’s surprisingly cold statement.
Blaze nodded slowly, his gaze pensive as it rested upon his precious son. “Two weeks before your sixth birthday. Remember your mom getting big but happy in the months leading up to your birthday?”
“Yea. Maybe. I think so, I guess... I mostly remember her getting happier.” Soarin quietly replied, sure that he did not like where the conversation was headed. He leant back against the couch and put a foreleg protectively around his little sister. She accepted the offering mutely.
“Well... she was supposed to have the best birthday present ever for you... a baby brother. But then something went wrong. We lost him three weeks before your birthday. A stillborn foal...” Words failed the ragged stallion who stared at his forehooves for a few distraught moments. It was then Rainbow Dash realized her father was crying. Something inside of her tore at the sight as he continued softly: “It destroyed your mother- and I... Well me, a young star of the Wonderbots, quit to look after you, Soarin.”
Soarin eyed his father with disbelief, clearly torn between memories and his father’s words. “You... quit the best career ever because of me? Why?”
“Your mother. You... And well, emotions and all kinds of other crap just- I couldn't’- couldn’t take it... It just spiralled out of control and since my wife, my everything-” The tough stallion’s voice once again broke as fresh tears spilt forth. “-She was suffering an’ I went down hard too. After a pay cut for poor performance at a big show, I decided I had to get out. Family is more important than work, son. You too, my girl.”
Dash scoffed. “Sure. Then why don’t you ever take me out flying? Mom does.”
The light purple stallion fought back his tears and squared his jaw. He locked his gaze upon his children as they sat enthralled beside him. “Let me- finish the story.”
Dash wilted under her father's look, her brother straightened up awkwardly, neither sure how to react to their mostly sober yet distraught father.
“Your mom thought she was broken... threw herself into her job like crazy.” The stallion’s voice broke slightly while his gaze wandered beyond the horizon into a time long past. “She became even more dedicated than me. First I tried to get her to quit, to just be a stay at home mom. That went badly... So I tried to look after you while also looking for easier work. It felt like I was losing her. When the family was all home, she seemed to get better but each time I had to go on tour with the ‘Bolts I would come back and- and she would be even worse.”
The light purple stallion took several deep breaths as if to steady himself before he continued softly: “Starting off as teen parents sucked. I had no idea what I was doing and even when I was twenty-three with a six-year-old son to look after it was still hard. I could see that the older you got, the more of a chance I might have at actually being worth something to you as your dad. But after the second mid-pregnancy mishap and countless other tries, your mom would cook us dinner, go for an evening flight then vanish into her room while I tried to keep you entertained till bedtime or let you play with your toys. If it weren't for getting pounced on the moment I walked into the bedroom most nights, I might have begun to ask if she still loved me.”
“Yea, I heard you two sometimes...” Soarin shook himself with a brief but violent shudder. "Didn't know ponies could make some of those noises..."
Dash cat her brother a concerned look as their father barked out a husky laugh.
“Yea, sorry about that kiddo. I mean it..." The light purple stallion trailed off as he once again glanced away in shame. "Anyway, as if a six-year-old son and an emotionally challenged wife weren't enough... I had to contend with her family too. They really began to hate my guts, like it was all my fault and I wasn’t doing something right. We used to be cool. Then one day, I realized we were, in fact, the opposite of cool. It- yea...” The stallion ruffled his own rainbow mane as he unleashed a large sigh. “Anyway, then that gangster had to come back, get us involved in a gang incident or two while you were at Spitfire’s for a week. Then that cheeky sod tried to take my mare away. Said I was no good for her! Me! Can you believe it?!” A light purple hoof waved and two powerful wings shot open as the indignant stallion appealed to his children.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin shared a concerned look before the cornflower blue colt returned his gaze to his father. “I dunno dad, I think you were perfect for each other. Even though you both got messed up.”
“Thank you!” Blaze settled down somewhat, although his daughter continued to look at him with wide eyes. “Luckily, before my reputation could get ruined as a ‘bolt, a buddy got me into the Rainbow Factory and got me introduced to the good stuff. Once I established myself there as head of the processing everything was sweet as for a bit. No more long trips away from home and crazy hours would mean no more drifting apart, right? Well, that was how I hoped it would go...”
Silence fell upon the room as the two younger ponies processed their father’s words. With his mind on times long gone, the stallion eventually continued, his voice even more hoarse than before. “It was kinda cool having a son like you Soarin. I could take you out flying... teach you my cool tricks while I dreamed of how you might shine even brighter and longer than I did. Then your mom even started joining us again properly and taking you out to do stuff... it was the first time it felt light we might be a somewhat normal family. You were what, almost seven by then were you?”
“But you also came home drunk,” Soarin stated rather pointedly.
The purple stallion nodded solemnly. “Yea. I did... It used to be fun, going out with my mates at the rainbow factory for drinks. I didn’t realize what it was doing to me or this family, but it eased the pain of seeing my wife all sad on the darker nights and knowing we probably could never have any more foals. We wanted success and family and wound up with a small family and failed success. How's that for starting early, huh?” Blaze coughed hoarsely. With a light rub to his throat, the stallion extracted himself from the couch. He flicked his dirty rainbow mane out of his face then turned to his children. “You kids want a drink?”
“Juice?” Dash spoke up, eager to hear more of the long lost story of her family’s past.
“I’m fine,” Soarin added stoically.
The purple stallion nodded to his daughter then left the room. Silence fell upon the two siblings on the couch.
“Bro. Brother... Soarin!” Dash gave her older brother a light shove.
“Huh, what?” The cornflower blue colt gazed down at his little sister.
“Why are you being all stink? Dad never opens up and now you’re like a stone. It's uncool. Relax.” Dash tentatively gave her brother a hug which he accepted slowly.
“You don’t get it sis. I was there. I don’t remember it all... but on the good days, I had two of the coolest parents in town. It was awesome... On the normal days, I had a clueless dad or a burned out mom... On their bad days, I went to Spitfire’s house. And before I met Spitty... Well, you probably don’t wanna know.” A light blue wing ruffled the rainbow mane while its owner took his own trip down memory lane.
“That you did. And I’m so very glad that Stormy Flare and her late husband were able to take you in on occasions like that.” Blaze took a swing of his hard cider as he re-entered the room. He strode over to the couch and placed his daughter’s drink down before he took another big gulp of his own. “After this drink, I’ll take you both you for dinner, sound good?”
“Sure.” Dash nodded, she noticed her brother was still as a rock and rewrapped one of his forelegs with her own in a loose hug.
The patriarch of the house settled down on the couch, “good... Now, where was I?”
“You took me out flying one day, we had so much fun... then the next you were off your nut and I ran away to Spitfire’s for the weekend.” Soarin faced his father.
“You... didn’t have to put it that way.” Blaze sighed, defeated and hurt.
“But you did. More than once.”
“Yea, yea. I’m a bad father, okay?”
“You and mom were cool to fly with. But I had to get Stormy Flare and Spitty to help me with my writing, reading and other stuff that you never bothered to teach me once you started drinking with your so-called friends at the factory.”
“Bookwork is boring...” The old colt sullenly took a swing of his hard drink. “Plus, your mother reads better than me. She should have taught you if it was so important. Besides, I did teach you to read.”
“Picture books. And that one little chapter book you like. Then I went to school and you gave up all of a sudden. I met Spitty and her mom was reading her chapter books that took them a month or more of evening reading to get through. She was way more advanced than me. Last week I found the entrance tests to the advanced flying school hard because of being raised by two ponies who pretty much left literacy to my teachers and Spitfire. Now Rainbow Dash here tells me she’s getting Fluttershy to help her learn books too.”
“Soarin!” Rainbow Dash winged rather loudly.
“What?” The young colt rounded on his sister.
“You said you wouldn’t tell anypony I need help!”
Soarin scoffed. “See, Dad. She even doesn’t want you to know.”
With a growl, the rainbow maned stallion downed the rest of his drink then shot the empty bottle a death glare as if it had committed some kind of crime. “I need another one.”
“No you don’t,” Soarin halted his father’s progress off the couch. “If you do, I’m taking Dash out to dinner and then I’m sleeping at Spitfire’s house.”
“I’m not drunk.” Blaze shot back indignantly. “Besides, I’m your father.”
“I know. But that’s not the point. Either talk to us, take us to dinner or I’ll do it myself.”
“I’ll be back to talk in a minute, then we can go for dinner. I’m not doing this without another drink.” The stallion shook his son off then hurried into the kitchen to collect another drink.
“Come on Dash, we’re leaving.” Soarin stood.
“But-”
“Scull your juice, then hurry up.” Soarin urged as he made his way out the front door.
As Dash heard the fridge close she felt a burst of urgency and the indecision she felt vanished. She leapt up, sculled her juice then ran out the front door to join her brother.
“Hey, you two come back right now!” Yelled Blaze as he hurried after his children.
Soarin slammed the front door on his father. “Quick, jump on my back, we gotta lose the drunk.”
The door to the rain cloud house flew opened as Rainbow Dash leapt onto her brother’s back with well practiced ease and the duo sped off into the skies. The indignant cries of their father receded quickly as they flew. “Well, that could have gone better,” Soarin muttered.
“Yea. Why did you have to annoy him?”
“I challenged him. Just like Mom’s been doing.” Soarin shot back. “Anyway, where do you wanna eat?”
“I dunno, pick somewhere,” Dash shrugged. The filly sighed as she adjusted the grip on her brother’s back
“Alright.” Soarin grinned. “I might just have someplace in mind... Hey, uh... got somewhere to say tonight Dash? I don’t think dad or mom is gonna be in a good mood by the time we finish.”
The blue filly shrugged, “I guess I could try Fluttershy’s house, if she doesn’t mind me coming back already.”
“Or you can crash with Spit and me.”
“Or that. Hurry up, I’m getting hungry up here!”
“Oh, you’re hungry?” Soarin laughed, “look who’s doing all the work here.”
“Holding on to you is a lot of work!” Rainbow Dash insisted playfully.
The young colt couldn't help but smile lightly, “oh yeah? Then I better hurry up and get us to that place I have in mind.”
“Yea, go faster!”
With a more solid smirk, the teenage speedster took off with gusto. His young sister clung on for dear life. Faster and faster they flew. In no time at all, they reached the air ways around the central city and he was forced to slow down.
A sunny yellow mare with fiery orange two toned mane sat next to her light yellow daughter who had an even brighter, more vibrant mane. Across from the duo sat Soarin and Rainbow Dash. Around them, the diner was bustling with activity and filled to the brim with pegasi eating and talking. A giant awning hid the city above from view while torches suspended from above filled the night with warm light. Three sides were open to the cloud city beyond while one side had the counter for orders and the kitchen beyond where meals were prepared with as much haste and care as the cooks could manage.
The small filly fidgeted as she waited for her meal to arrive. Her brother had a wandering gaze, captured by the young fiery young beauty across from him. It wandered across her mane as it rippled in the evening breeze, down her face then slowly across her chest. Green eyes shot back up as soon as he realized where the wandering was taking him. Spitfire giggled, poked her tongue out at her best friend then took a bite out of her meal. Light blue cheeks flushed a darker shade, the young pegasus knew he had totally been busted. He quickly blew a raspberry at Spitfire who rolled her eyes in return and took another bite of her meal.
Stormy Flare sat patiently, her food in front of her while she waited for the two other young ponies to be served too. “Do you remember me, Rainbow Dash?”
“Nope!”
“Last I saw you, you were only a wee nipper. It’s nice to see you’re growing up into a strong young pegasus.” Stormy Flare smiled warmly.
“I’m gonna be like Soarin and Spitfire and join the Wonderbolts when I’m older and bigger!”
“No doubt.” A hint of a smile played upon the middle-aged pegasus’ mouth.
“You okay?” Spitfire spoke up, her gaze upon her best friend. “You walked in looking super pissed at something.”
“Oh, it’s just dad,” Soarin replied dismissively.
This caught the attention of a suddenly concerned Stormy Flare. “I thought he packed that up when he received his recent promotion at the factory?”
“Oh yea, well. He did, kinda. I think he and mom are just going through another rough patch. Say... you don’t mind me sleeping over tonight?”
A smile broke through the concern on Spitfire’s muzzle. “Dash can take the spare room and you can bunk with me.”
Soarin grinned back.
“Actually, I want to try and sleep at Fluttershy’s house. If her parents don’t mind.” Dash spoke up. Soarin shot his sister a look while Spitfire giggled at her good friend’s reaction.
“Is that a friend of yours?” Stormy Flare asked.
“Yep, she’s my best friend!” Dash confirmed with a confident grin.
“Well, in that case, Soarin, you are most welcome to take the guest room.” The deep yellow mare offered, “I assume you will be dropping her off?”
“I could go too.” Spitfire was quick to offer.
“Na, I gotta chat with Dash about something on the way.” As Soarin finished speaking his eyes lit up. He had spotted his meal incoming. “Hey, Dash. I think I see our food.”
“Sweet!” Dash sat up extra tall in her chair to try and spot the incoming bearer of food.
Sure enough, a young stallion placed their respective meals in front of the two young siblings who with a word of thanks began to eat.
Happy that everypony at the table had their meal, Stormy Flare began to enjoy her meal too. She regarded the youngest filly at the table with great interest as Dash dug in with so much gusto it was as though she had not been fed in days.
Under the new moon, two pegasi strolled through central Cloudsdale. High above the two siblings, the upper city level blocked the direct view of stars above. Stars twinkled in the sky out beyond the upper city limits that fell well short of the middle tier level of Cloudsdale. The sky called to the young colt. It felt like a good time for a night flight out in the wide open expanse beyond the city. Yet he remained cloud bound. He had a mission to complete. Soarin and Rainbow Dash walked through streets illuminated with the soft warm glow of lanterns periodically placed along the road. They turned off the main road and onto a smaller lane that Rainbow Dash was sure led directly to her best friend's house. An inviting house. The house where her best and only non-related friend lived.
“Hey... uh, Soarin?”
“Yes, little sister?” The cornflower blue colt side eyed his sister.
“So about Dad... Why did you do that back there?”
The light blue colt sighed, his wings drooped ever so slightly and his pace slowed. “I guess I got angry at dad...”
“Yea, but is it really just because he gets drunk and doesn’t do much. The way he and you talked, it sounded like he was cool. Oh, and Fluttershy’s dad knows him! He had been to a lot of his shows back in the day and now they work together. You think they’re friends or something?”
“Don’t count on it. That factory is huge and lots of ponies always come to see the Wonderbolts perform.”
“Okay, but what was he like? You made him sound cool.” Dash reminded her brother of her earlier question, eager for an answer.
Soarin thought carefully for a few moments while he walked. “Yea, a long time ago. Back when I was really young, it was kinda cool having a Wonderbolt for a dad. He and mom took me to all their shows that were close to home. I think I remember a little bit of him performing. I guess that’s a part of why I want to be a Wonderbolt when I grow up. Then- well, they struggled to give me a brother or sister. So dad starts drinking... Mom would sometimes sleep at her friend’s house, her parents' house ...or out on a cloud in the middle of nowhere when she was off on a big job. Dad would sometimes disappear off with her. Sometimes they would tell me before they did it, like when it was a big weather crew job over in Manehattan or something. But it was often a last minute thing... yea. Anyway, did you know she used to help weather crews all over Equestria?”
“Yea. It’s cool, isn’t it? I mean, she’s the best, right?”
“Yea.” Soarin agreed, a hint of a proud smile upon his lips. “But I think she also did it because she was hurting inside. She just... disconnected from me for a while and it hurt. It still does some days. Spitfire’s mom is now like a second mom. It sucked hard when her dad died though. They were awesome when things were rough at home.”
Dash didn’t quite know what to say to that, so she instead opted to keep walking in thoughtful silence.
After several pensive moments, Soarin once again spoke up. “Anyway. Things slowly got better for mom as time went by. Mom and Dad gave me an amazing seventh birthday and it started to look like I had a cool family again. This continued for a few months until, well, Dad got into trouble for getting too boozed up in public. Uncle Raincloud also got into some kind of trouble around then again and it seemed to make mom dad even more unhappy. But just when it looked like I might have to live at Spitfire’s place again, mom and dad had you.” Soarin shot his sister an affectionate glance and ruffled her mane with a wing. “You were their little miracle. Two months before my eighth birthday. Oh what a time that was...”
“Me?” Dash shot her brother a look, unable to quite believe that her entrance into the world could cause such a change in her family.
“Yea, Dash. You have no idea... I had never seen mom light up like that before and Dad... he even stopped drinking for a little while.” A ghost of a smile lit the colt’s lips.
Soarin playfully ruffled his sister’s mane, “yep... My little sis changed the family. But it did get annoying having this crying filly keeping us all awake at random hours of the night.”
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad! I’m super cool!”
The light blue brother laughed, “I didn’t know a creature that small could make such loud noises. But somehow Dad slowly began to slip again and by the time you were two, he was either doing work... or drinking with friends or drunk on the couch... or yea... uh doing stuff with mom. But I dunno... I didn’t realize that neither mom or dad had done anything to prepare you for school. Sorry, I guess I’m no good at sticking around either, am I?”
“Mom’s been teaching me to fly and do cool stuff with clouds.” Dash indignantly shot back. “And dad has given me a ride. Maybe... twice this year, or something. And you’re a cool brother. But I would like to see you more.”
Soarin nodded slowly as he considered his next words. “I’ll try Dash. But trust me, stop getting into fights and apply yourself to reading and writing. I’m sure a pony as gifted as you can learn it as fast as you are learning to fly.”
“Why does everypony say that? It seems hard. And boring! Some words are so long too...”
Soarin smiled to himself. Yep, this was his sister alright. He could remember the challenge of learning to read and write all too well. “Has Fluttershy sat you down and read with you?”
“Yea. Twice so far. It was weird.”
The young colt nodded at his sister’s words. “Good. Has she tried to help you write?”
The vibrant young pegasus shook her head.
“Well when she does, maybe try it with your teacher there too. Mrs. Breeze is good, she can help you. She probably still remembers what I was like too...” Soarin trailed off with a dry laugh.
The little filly rolled her eyes, eager to escape the conversation, “fine... I’ll try. Okay?”
“Would you let me try and teach you too? We can go out flying and Spitfire and I can help you with your writing when we stop for lunch or whatever.”
Rainbow Dash mulled over the offer for a few moments. “I guess that sounds okay. As long as we do the cool stuff first.”
“Of course,” Soarin grinned back.
“Okay... it’s a deal then.”