Daring and Rainbow looked at each other, then back at their father and stepmother.
"I think we still need some time to take it all in." Daring said.
"I understand." Bow looked between his daughters sadly.
"Come on Rainbow, we should head back." Daring said, turning away from them and pulling on her cloak.
"Okay..."
Rainbow followed her, but then stopped. She turned back to them.
"But um...who's the older twin?"
Daring pricked her ears, eager to hear it as well. Of course, Rainbow was probably right, Daring was far too bossy to not be the older sibling.
"Well..." Bow smiled. He glanced at Windy, who grinned.
"You are Rainbow. Your mother used to laugh and laugh over the fact that Daring acted like the older, wiser twin. Even when you were babies Daring seemed to take charge of any mischief you got yourselves into."
"I guess I was wrong. Not the first time." Rainbow shrugged. Daring laughed softly before pulling up her hood and leading Rainbow out of the room.
"What now Daring?" Rainbow asked as they flew off.
"We go home Rainbow."
"Home...?"
"You to yours, me to mine." Daring explained. Rainbow bit her lip.
"But...I want to get to know my sister." Rainbow whimpered.
Daring stopped and pulled Rainbow by her hoof so they hovered in midair. Daring smiled softly at Rainbow.
"Rainbow, you already know me. I'll be with you, and you'll be with me. We're connected, by more than just blood."
"The sphere?" Rainbow asked, to be sure.
"Yeah. Anytime you need me, just use our...twintuition." Daring said, cracking a smile.
"Same to you."
Rainbow threw her hooves around Daring in a hug, and Daring hugged back immediately. The two embraced each other as sisters, then let go. Daring and Rainbow smiled at each other.
"It's a straight shot to my home from here."
"What about the sphere?"
"You helped me so much to find it. And as my sister, it's time you had the chance to turn an object over to a museum."
"Thank you." Rainbow smiled
"No problem. Princess Twilight should be able to help you if you have any questions."
"Yeah..."
"What's wrong?"
"I guess this is goodbye." Rainbow sighed.
"My uncle taught me, that we don't say goodbye." Daring said.
"What do you say?" Rainbow asked.
"We say: donec iterum. It means: until next time." Daring smiled. "It's the only phrase in Old Ponish that I know."
Rainbow laughed, then Daring hugged her once more, then turned. She flew off, turning to wave once more. Rainbow waved back, letting a tear fall.
"Donec iterum, sister."
Rainbow fell onto her couch with a sigh, and a groan came from the stallion next to her.
"Dashie I know you're excited but you nearly sat on me." Soarin whined, and Rainbow shifted, laughing.
"Sorry Soarie, I just can't wait to open it!" Rainbow held a paper-covered package in her front hooves.
"Then what are you waiting for? Open it!" Fleetfoot took a seat next to Soarin, Spitfire beside her.
"Yeah, now where were we?" Spitfire asked, gazing at the package.
"Well, you two were sitting over there, and it was a lot less squished." Soarin said dryly.
"Can it, Pie Boy." Spitfire shot back, as Fleetfoot leaned over him.
"Fleet!" Soarin yelped.
"What? I'm gay."
"But I'm not! Get off!" Soarin pushed Fleetfoot so she slipped from where she was perched on his lap. Spitfire glared at Soarin, who gulped and shrank into Rainbow for protection.
"Soarin!"
"W-well, what about Fleetfoot? Don't you care about your marefriend?" Soarin asked, and Spitfire turned red.
"She's not my marefriend!"
"Then why are you blushing?"
"U-uh...n-no homo?" Spitfire stammered.
"All three of you quit it!" Rainbow, waved her wing for silence and her magic from the sphere made it glow blue temporarily.
The group of friends fell silent and watched quietly. Rainbow ripped off the paper and gazed down at the book. The cover read:
Daring Do and the Scroll of Genealogy
The cover showed a long scroll of paper winding from the top to the bottom. Daring's magenta eyes were faded as though they were looking through the scroll at them. Another pair, slightly off-centered from Daring's, also gazed out at the reader. There was the barest shadow of a rainbow tint to a grayscale rainbow that looped over the title.
"Wow." Spitfire breathed.
"Scroll of Genealogy?" Soarin asked.
Rainbow flipped open the book to the first few pages and scanned it.
"Guys, look." Rainbow then read it aloud. "Rain Bolt spun on her hooves, coming face to face with Daring Do. She gave her a signature cocky grin and hugged her longtime friend..." Rainbow looked up at them.
"She revealed you...without revealing you? My head hurtth jutht thinking about it." Fleetfoot murmured.
"I'll have to thank her. After all, she was brave just to put this out."
"That was really nice of her." Spitfire said.
"Yeah."
"Have you two decided what you're going to tell your parents?" Soarin asked.
"Daring mentioned in her last letter that she knows avoiding them won't help. We've been thinking about trying to build up the trust they lost."
"Sounds reasonable." Spitfire remarked.
"Still, I wish it wasn't even necessary. You know, that they hadn't given Daring up in the first place." Rainbow said, as Fleetfoot took the book, and noticed something.
"Guyth, look in the acknowledgementth."
The other three stopped talking and looked over to where Fleetfoot had the book open. Rainbow took it from her and read the page.
To the one pony who never stopped believing in me and stuck by my side. She is a true sister and friend. This book is dedicated to the fastest Pegasus in Equestria, my spirit sister: Rainbow Dash.
"Spirit sister?" Spitfire asked.
"Somepony who is like your sister though they aren't related to you. I bet Daring is trying to stop ponies from connecting the dots between your name and the name she wrote in the story." Soarin said, putting his forelegs around Rainbow's body and laying his head on her shoulder.
"Yeah." Rainbow smiled, blushing slightly. "But nopony will anyway."
"Why not?" Spitfire asked.
"Because she didn't use my real name, and she knows it."
"How does she know? Also, Rainbow Dash isn't your real name?" Soarin asked, surprised.
"She knows because she mentioned that she looked up my address to find where I lived. That means she would have found out about my name, because my house is listed under my real name." Rainbow explained.
"So then what's your real name?" Spitfire asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's really just my full name."
"Rainbow Dash isn't your full name?" Soarin asked.
"Nope. It's a shortened version my...'mom' came up with for me."
"Tho what ith it?!" Fleetfoot demanded. Rainbow grinned.
"It's...."