It has been an hour into the night since they arrived at the motel. The gang was in their beds fast asleep, drifting into dreamland. Everyone… except for one.
Somewhere, outside on top of the balcony section of the motel stood Rainbow Dash, leaning against the balcony and staring up into the night sky in deep thought. She couldn’t get a wink of sleep due to many thoughts plaguing her mind: G.U.N. hunting them down, some crazy doctor nearly killed them, some super-soldier lady chasing after them, losing the race, losing magic due to said race, and of course, that mysterious blue creature who was the center of it all.
She was beyond frustrated and confused with the whole situation. She wanted to blame it all on the hedgehog for where they are now, but now, after seeing and learning some things about him, she wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Despite knowing that he wasn’t as bad as she first thought of him, there was still something about him that she didn't understand, nor what his true motivation was.
She once again clenched on her “charm” hidden in her pants pocket. She had also been thinking about “him” more than usual since the start of their trip. She wondered what “he” would think if he saw her now. Would he be disappointed that she wasn’t any closer to her dream than she promised, or would he be disappointed in her for the way she’d been acting? But the one thing that was the weirdest and scary thing to Rainbow was that “he” actually sounded and acted like...
"Dash?"
Rainbow jolted up in fright from a sudden sound of a voice behind her and quickly spun around. She relaxed somewhat and to her annoyance when she realized it was none other than the blue hedgehog himself, who had a look of confusion and curiosity. She quickly lets go of her “charm” and crosses her arms across her chest, trying to act like his sudden appearance didn’t scare her at all.
"O-oh… it's you," Rainbow Dash said somewhat casually with her voice cracking somewhat. She then awkwardly cleared her throat. "Uh, what are you doing here?"
Sonic stared at her with his eyebrow raised from the way Rainbow behaved but decided to let it slide.
"I was feeling a bit thirsty, so I decided to go out to get myself a drink, and then I saw you," Sonic responded before tilting his head. "So what brings you here?"
Rainbow frowned. He was the very thing that made her feel so conflicted all night long. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell him anything. She turned her head away from him with a grunt.
"It's none of your business, hedgehog!" said Rainbow, sounding a little harsher than intended.
She expected him to get angry and shout back at her for the way she responded. But to her surprise, he just let out a sigh with a dejected look.
"Alright, I get it… you don't want me around,” he said quietly. “I just want to help in some way. But, if you don't want to share, then I understand. Sorry for being a bother."
As Sonic slowly turned and headed back to his room, Rainbow watched on with a look of guilt. Once again, this little guy didn’t do any harm and was only here to talk, only for her to act like a jerk. She then remembered what she learned about him from Sunset at the Arcade earlier and then the advice she gave to Sunset afterward about being truthful to him. So she decided to swallow up her pride and actually take her own advice by trying to be a little more open with the hedgehog.
"Wait!" she spoke up suddenly.
This caused Sonic to stop in his place and slowly turned towards her with a confused expression. Rainbow inwardly sighed as she faced towards the balcony again while tapping a free space beside her, gesturing to him to come closer. Taking this as some kind of a sign of an olive branch, Sonic slowly made his way over and eventually stood right next to her.
Neither of them spoke for a while as they silently looked up towards the stars in the night sky. While they were marveling at the beauty of its sight, they were actually trying to distract themselves from each other. They even tried to avoid looking at each other. As awkward as this has turned out, they knew at some point, they gotta address their issue. With a reluctant sigh, it was Rainbow Dash who finally broke the ice.
"I… came out here to think,” said Rainbow, answering Sonic’s question from before.
Sonic finally faced Rainbow with a curious expression. “About?”
“About… everything that led to… this," Rainbow responded.
Seeing Sonic’s curious, but patient expression, Rainbow finally decided to completely bury her pride and say what she’s been meaning to say to the hedgehog since they first met.
"I'm… really sorry… about earlier,” she said quietly with a forlorn expression. “For… acting like a complete jerk… for suspecting you… and uh, that thing back at camp?"
Sonic blinked. "Oh, you mean what happened between us in the woods? Water under the bridge!" He then smiled in understanding. "If anything, I'm the one who owes you an apology for being pushy and insulting you."
Rainbow raised her brows, surprised by the hedgehog’s humbleness. "But… I insulted you first!” she insisted. “The things I said back at camp were uncalled for."
Sonic shrugged casually. "Well, to be fair, I wasn't being very nice to you either." He then frowned. "Though, not gonna lie… what you said back at camp really hurts."
Rainbow winced at the memory of her behavior back at the campfire from earlier. She sighed as she looked down and rubbed her right arm with a guilty expression.
"I'm sorry about that too… that was really lame of me. I have this bad habit of speaking my mind before thinking, but that was no excuse for what I said."
"And yet, you still felt suspicious of me?" Sonic inquired.
Rainbow winced again, now feeling even more uncomfortable and awkward for how spot-on his words were. Seeing her in that state, Sonic spoke without a hint of judgment in his voice.
"Look… I'm not upset, and I don't want to fight with you. Quite frankly, I want to get along with you, but it's clear that there is still an issue between us. I just… I just want to know why… why you hate me so much?"
Rainbow turned towards the hedgehog with a look of horror on her face. "Whoa, hold on… I never said that I hate you! Heck, I thought you were pretty cool!"
Sonic frowned, feeling more confused than ever. "Then… why did you give me a hard time since we met?"
Rainbow furrowed her brows as she stared at the blue hedgehog, thinking deeply for a moment on Sonic’s question before she let out a soft sigh.
"Alright, I'll level with you,” she said with a frown. “But fair warning, I won't be able to sugarcoat this."
Sonic nodded. "Fire away."
Rainbow sighed one last time before she looked at the hedgehog right in the eye.
"To be blunt… part of the reason was because… I don't even know you. You're this… strange being who came out of nowhere, which happened around the same time this wacky doctor showed up and almost killed us! And on top of all that, you've been watching us like some kind of creepy stalker! I… felt you've been hiding something from us!"
Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but Rainbow immediately cut him off.
"I know you're not going to do anything bad to us, you've proven to us time and time again that you'll help us at the drop of a hat. But there's this part of me… that I'm still doubting you."
Sonic felt a bit hurt by her words, to which Rainbow noticed.
"Please don't take this the wrong way," she added as she placed her hand over her heart. "My friends… they mean everything to me… and I'm willing to do any means necessary to keep them safe. We were together once and then we… split apart… all because I was being too stupid and prideful to see that we were being manipulated. And my friends suffered because of it… and I don't want that to happen again.”
"How were you and your friends split apart?" Sonic asked.
Rainbow faced away from Sonic and sighed. "It was because of Sunset."
Sonic tilted his head. "Sunset?"
"Back when she was... not nice." She clarified.
"...Oh," Sonic uttered with a look of understanding.
"Yeah... she manipulated us into hating each other just so she can rule the school and no one to opposed her," Rainbow said with a frown. "Admittedly, I held a grudge on her for a while, even after she became my friend. But because of my grudge, I nearly..."
Rainbow quickly shook her head and turned back to Sonic. "But that's all in the past," she added quickly before narrowing her eyes. “Anyway, point is... if you’re really on our side and not going to backstab us… then I need you to be honest with me." She paused for a moment before she spoke with a serious, yet soft expression. “Out of everyone in our town, why… why me and my friends… and why did you stick around for so long?”
For a moment, Sonic didn’t respond. He just simply stared at her as if he was hesitating. Fearing that she may have offended or even scaring him off, she was about to retract her question until Sonic finally responded.
“It’s because… I was lonely,” he responded in a quiet tone.
Rainbow Dash was taken aback. This was the saddest tone she heard from the hedgehog by far, even more than that time after they escaped from Tempest. What really shocked her the most was just how sincere he answered from underneath all of his sadness.
“Ever since I came to Earth,” Sonic continued, not noticing Rainbow’s expression. “I have no one to talk to. Of course, I can’t just go up to anyone easily since… you know.” Sonic gesturing himself to make a point, which Rainbow nodded in understanding. “Still, you humans fascinated me. Doing all kinds of things freely without a care in the world. So all I could do was watch from the shadows. And as the years have gone by, my love for your planet and your town grew more by the day. Everything is just so peaceful in your city, and it makes me wish that I was a part of it.” Sonic frowned sadly. “But what I want more than anything… is to actually make a friend… and to not worry about anyone coming after me just so they can get to my power.”
“... I see,” said Rainbow, feeling pity for the blue hedgehog. She then frowned. “And what about me and my friends? How do we fit into all of this?”
Sonic paused for a moment before letting out a low sigh. “The first few days on Earth… were actually the worst days of my life. Losing my lifelong friend, no home, nothing to eat, and worst of all, I felt… lost. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself and how am I going to live on this planet. That is… until one day…”
Young Sonic sighed sadly as he slowly walked through the wooded area of the park. Things didn't go well for him ever since he first arrived on Earth. First, he tried sleeping in a box, only for it to get ruined from the rain that morning, then he was chased out of a fruit stand while being mistaken as a cat… whatever that is, and now, some human girl, who he tried to befriend, screamed at the sight of him and called him the blue devil. He was starting to wonder if he'll even handle living on this planet.
If only Longclaw was still with him.
“Stop!”
Young Sonic stopped and looked up from a sudden cry for help. He quickly looked to his left through the bushes to see a small playground with a lot of fun equipment, including a swing set, a slide, and a sandbox at the center. However, Sonic’s main focus was on those three kids at the center of the playground.
One was a young boy with brown hair covering his eyes. He was wearing a brown t-shirt, white shorts, and shoes and there were also three basketballs on the center of his shirt. The second kid was another young boy who had gray hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt and gray shorts and shoes. There was also some kind of a dumbbell emblem on the center of his shirt. The third kid was a young girl with long pink hair and teal eyes. She was wearing a white t-shirt, light green skirt, green socks, and white shoes. She even had three pink butterflies on one side of her skirt.
At a first glance, it looked like the three of them were playing together, but with one good look at the girl's face, the two boys were actually ganging up on her. The two boys were playing “keep away” by passing what appeared to be a stuffed white rabbit back and forth, while the poor girl tried desperately to get it back from them. The two boys laughed cruelly as she was getting more and more upset by the second.
“Stop it please!" The girl begged with a whimper. "Please give him back to me and leave me alone!”
“Or else what, Flutter-cry!" The boy with the dumbbell shirt taunted before shoving the girl down to the ground. "Are you gonna cry if I don’t?”
Sonic scowled in anger as the two boys laughed at the girl's misery. “Not cool!” he growled.
He wanted more than anything to jump in and help the poor girl, but Longclaw's stern rule of keeping himself hidden held him back. Not to mention, he had one run-in with the other girl earlier which didn't end well, he didn't want to go through that again. However, the moment he saw tears running down the girl's cheek, Sonic finally made his decision despite the consequences.
Just as Sonic was ready to intervene–
“Hey!”
Sonic, as well as the bullies, turned towards the source of the voice to see another young girl with a determined glare. She had magenta purple eyes and, to Sonic's surprise and fascination, rainbowed colored hair, which was wild and messy. She wore a maroon shirt with a cloud and rainbow lightning bolt insignia in the center and blue overalls shorts. She also wore light blue sneakers with rainbow-striped socks.
“You leave her alone!” the rainbowed-haired girl threatened, glaring at the two boys.
The dumbbell boy scoffed. “Or else what?”
“Keep making fun of her, and find out!” the rainbowed-haired girl challenged.
The dumbbell boy laughed as if he just heard a funny joke. “I would like to see you try Rainbow Crash! How can a weak girl like you ever–”
The rainbow-haired girl suddenly charged up to the bully and tackled him to the ground, much to everyone’s shock, and tried to pull the rabbit plushie out of the boy’s hands. The dumbbell boy tried pushing and even punched the girl’s face a few times to get her off, but the girl refused to give up. The boy with the basketball shirt tried to help his friend out by pulling the girl off of him, but the rainbowed-haired girl elbowed him in the face during the struggle. The girl eventually took the bunny away from the boy and rushed over to the pink-haired girl, standing in front of her protectively. The two boys slowly stood up with tears in their eyes but bore angry expressions.
“You regret this Rainbow Crash!” The dumbbell boy vowed before he and his friend ran off, crying to their mommies.
“Yeah, you better run!” The rainbowed-haired girl shouted after them.
Once she was sure that the two boys are gone, the rainbow-haired girl turned and knelt in front of the pink-haired girl.
“Hey, are you okay?” the rainbowed-haired girl spoke softly.
The pink-haired girl looked up at the other girl with a bit of hesitation. Her fear and nervousness immediately went away as soon as she saw the bruise on the rainbowed-haired girl's left cheek.
“You’re… you're hurt,” the pink-haired girl gasped in concern.
The rainbowed-haired girl grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about me, this is nothing!" She then gently handed the bunny plushie over to the pink-haired girl. "The important thing is, your bunny is okay.”
With a happy squee, the pink-haired girl retrieved the bunny back and hugged him with a huge smile on her face. Sonic watched the scene with a warm feeling in his chest, happy to see someone there to help that girl. He was also glad to see that there are good humans around and that things may not be so bad on this planet after all.
“Say, what’s your name anyway?” the rainbowed-haired girl said suddenly.
The pink-haired girl froze and then immediately looked away from the other girl while keeping her face hidden with her hair. Despite being saved, Sonic figured that the pink-haired girl must be very shy and wasn't used to hanging out with other kids her age. While the pink-haired was very quiet for a full minute, the rainbowed-haired girl was still there with a patient smile. Finally, the pink-haired girl spoke with a nervous expression.
“I’m… I’m Fluttershy," she said in a very quiet tone, which neither Sonic nor the rainbow-haired could make out.
“I'm sorry, what was that?” the rainbow-haired girl asked.
“I’m Fluttershy!” she said a bit loudly, but still in a quiet tone.
Thankfully, the other girl heard her that time and smiled widely.
“Well, Fluttershy, my name is Rainbow Dash!” she introduced herself. “You seem cool! You wanna hang out and be friends?”
Fluttershy turned her head back to the other girl with a surprised expression. “Really? You want me to be your friend?”
“Totally!” said Rainbow Dash with her huge grin as she extended her hand towards her.
Fluttershy stared at the other girl for a moment before she smiled happily and took the girl's hand to stand back up.
As the two girls ran off to play, Sonic watched on both out of happiness… and longingly.
“That day, your actions inspired me," said Sonic with a smile. "The way you stood up for Animal Girl was really cool and you weren’t afraid to stand up to your friends and to not give up the fight, despite the odds. I really would like to be friends with you right then and there… but I couldn’t. So every day, I come to that same park at around the same time to see you and Animal Girl. To my surprise, each time I see you, you’ve gained a new friend. First, it was Cotton Candy Girl, then it was Cowgirl, and then Fashion Queen shortly afterward. On some days when you girls weren’t at the park, I decided to follow each of you to the point that I know each of your favorite spots, including your school and your homes."
“That… doesn’t sound creepy at all,” Rainbow Dash remarked sarcastically, but Sonic didn’t pick up on that.
“Anyway,” Sonic continued. “Even after you all split up at one point, you all somehow got back together again as friends, including Equestrian Girl. And then shortly afterward, Brainiac.” He smiled admirably. “I guess the reason why I stuck around for this long was that there's something really special about you girls. The bond between the seven of you is amazing and strong, despite being different from each other.” He looked down with a sigh. “And to tell you the truth… I always wanted to be a part of it."
Rainbow stared at the hedgehog in awe, seeing him in a new light. While his method of sticking around was odd at best, he was just a lonely creature. No, a lonely kid, who always wanted a friend but couldn’t due to circumstances. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. And although she would never admit it out loud, she was also touched that seeing her stand up for Fluttershy as kids inspired him to do the right thing and help others. She felt strangely proud of that fact.
"Anyway," Sonic spoke up with a curious expression. "You said protecting your friends was part of the reason. What's the other part?"
Rainbow froze at that and nearly cursed herself. She couldn’t believe she let that part slip since she had originally no intention of mentioning that part. She was about to deny that, but Sonic’s curious expression without a hint of mockery caused her to think. He practically opened up to her about why he followed her and her friends for so long, so it was only fair to her to be open to him too… even if it was embarrassing to her.
Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. “Fine… the other part was…"
Rainbow Dash then muttered something, which Sonic couldn't pick up.
"What?" Sonic asked.
Rainbow muttered again, but even quieter this time.
Sonic frowned. "I still can't understand you."
This caused Rainbow to yell out in frustration. "I was jealous! I was jealous of you, okay!?" Rainbow shouted.
Sonic was taken aback more by Rainbow’s confession than her shouting. "You’re… jealous of me? Why?"
Rainbow crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. "It's because you're fast… faster than me," she admitted with a sigh. "I always dreamed of being the fastest thing alive. And I thought I was pretty much there with my super-speeding magic… that is… until you arrived."
Rainbow frowned bitterly. "The way you move around at high speed, including during our race and that incident at the Arcade made mine a joke in comparison. Like, how am I supposed to compete with that?” Rainbow sadly looked down with another sad sigh. “I… don’t think I’ll ever top that.”
It pained her to say it, but she finally admitted her feelings to the hedgehog, even if she hated it. Now she waited for him to respond, expecting him to laugh at her or gloat that he was the best. But with how she treated him earlier, she probably deserved whatever he could dush out.
“Are you kidding? I thought you were the one who was hard to beat!”
Shocked by that statement, Rainbow quickly faced the hedgehog again with wide eyes. To her confusion, he had a look of seriousness, yet admiration on his face instead of mockery.
“Those moves you pulled out earlier gave me a run for my money," he said in an excited tone. "And the way you used that Sonic Rainboom really has me on my toes! You’re like, the fastest human I ever met! No one has ever actually caught up to me before!”
“R–really?” Rainbow said with wide eyes.
Sonic grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. “Totally! That race we had earlier… was the most fun I have had in years! I always knew you were cool the moment I saw you! But after that moment, you are way past cool!”
“You… you really think that?” Rainbow said softly. “Even after beating me and… the way I acted towards you earlier?”
“I already told ya, I forgive you. It’s not my style to hold any grudges,” said Sonic. He then rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression. “And as for that race… we technically never finished it.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened, taken aback by this revelation. “W-what do you mean we ‘never finished it’? Didn’t you run past ahead of me with that sonic boom of yours before I nearly threw myself off the cliff?”
Sonic looked away as he rubbed his cheek with his finger. “Well… when I noticed you were out of control and was heading towards that cliff, I immediately turned around to help you. Even if we were competing, I… couldn’t live with myself if anything happens to you.”
Rainbow stared at Sonic with an awed expression. Unbelievable! He was practically close to the finish line, only for him to give up his win just to save my butt!
While annoyed that their race was never finished, her respect towards the hedgehog grew tremendously. Here she was, complaining about not being the best while this creature only cared about having fun and for the safety of others. On top of that, the hedgehog’s actions reminded her of ‘him’, which was something she never thought of until now.
With a chuckle, Rainbow shook her head with a small grin. "You're definitely the better racer than I am, hedgehog… and I don't just mean speed.” She let out a sigh as she placed her hand in her pocket, grabbing her “charm”. “The most important thing than being the fastest is to be selfless and to help others. It was something my uncle once taught me… which I forgot about.” She gripped her charm a bit tighter. “...for a while."
Sonic blinked. "Your uncle?"
Rainbow was quiet for a moment, before sighing. "Yes… his name was Rainbow Blaze. He's been a friend of my family, but he's been an uncle to me my whole life."
Sonic nodded. "I see. Tell me more about him… if you don't mind that is."
Rainbow Dash tilted her head up, watching the stars dance in the night sky. “Well, Rainbow Blaze is Bow Hothoof’s best friend, which is my dad. While they’re not related by blood, my uncle is practically an older brother to him. They’ve done everything together, including fulfilling their dreams of becoming pilots for the Wonderbolts.”
Sonic tilted his head in confusion. “The Wonderbolts?”
“The Wonderbolts are a group of stunt performers for their air shows," Rainbow explained with a look of nostalgia in her eyes. "They are the best of the best in this country. But my Dad and Uncle Blaze, they’re the best of them all! I still remembered all their crazy stunts and speeds in all their shows and those two are amazing, even as a team!”
“Wow… sounds like your dad and your uncle are cool people!” said Sonic, impressed with their skills.
“Right!?” Rainbow agreed with a huge smile. “But that’s not all the Wonderbolts can do! They were also the special secret air force squad for the military!”
Sonic’s eyes widened. “Really!?”
Rainbow nodded. “Oh yeah! Both my dad and my uncle were specially trained to go out on a mission to fight and help people who needed help. It’s one of many reasons why they’ve joined in the first place. Those two went on countless missions together even before I was even born!”
Rainbow then frowned. “On one mission, however… my father almost died in a plane crash because of an enemy attack. Despite his superior’s orders, my uncle rushed towards the crash site and saved my dad before my dad’s plane exploded with him inside it.” Rainbow looked down, almost on the verge of tears. “If it weren’t for my uncle… my dad wouldn't be here today. However, the crash messed up his back to the point that he wouldn't fly as well as he used to. So he was forced into early retirement as a pilot.”
Sonic frowned, feeling sorry for Rainbow’s father. He can’t imagine what it was like to not fly again. That’ll be like if he suddenly couldn’t run again. No one deserved a fate like that.
Rainbow sighed. “Of course, this crushed my dad. Flying is the thing that he was good at. The only other job he could take is working at a warehouse for Mare-A-Zon. But to everyone’s surprise, my Uncle decided to retire as a pilot too and work at a warehouse with my dad.”
Sonic blinked in surprise. "He did? He actually gave up his dream job, just to work alongside your dad?"
Rainbow nodded with a proud smile. "Yeah. My uncle felt that if my dad goes, he goes. And he did that to help and support my dad too. He was just that loyal to him!”
Rainbow sighed again with a fond smile. “Anyway, shortly after that, they lived together. And even after my dad married my mom and then had me, my uncle stuck around. He even raised me along with my parents.” Rainbow then smiled fondly. “My uncle and I are as thick as thieves. He even allowed me to hang around in our basement where he built different kinds of planes as his side job. There were even a few times when I snuck down there and pretended to be a pilot… just like him...
Rainbow Blaze slowly walked downstairs into their basement with a concerned expression. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked around the room as if he was searching for something or someone. He knew the person he was looking for was down here somewhere since the lights were on. He didn’t want to get scolded by the misses again for letting her down in the basement unsupervised… again.
“Skittles!” Rainbow Blaze called. “Skittles, where are you?”
“Over here Uncle Blaze!”
Rainbow Blaze turned his head towards the source and then shook his head in amusement.
“Of course, she was over there,” he muttered fondly.
He then made his way over to his latest project, which was only half a plane, with little Dashie stirring the yoke within a cockpit.
“There you are, Skittles!” said Rainbow Blaze before he frowned. “You know your mom didn’t want you to come down here by yourself, or else we would both be in trouble!”
“Sorry uncle,” Little Dashie said with a sheepish expression before she smiled brightly. “But look at me! I’m a Wonderbolt! The fastest kid in the world!”
She then started turning the yoke again while making airplane noises, causing Blaze to laugh wholeheartedly.
“You sure are, champ! Now come on down there Skittles, it’s time for dinner!” he said. When Dashie didn’t respond, Blaze then had a sly smile on his face. “I heard that your mom is making pasta and potato sandwiches on sourdough.”
Just like that, Dashie stopped what she was doing and perked up.
“Oh boy! My favorite!” she exclaimed excitedly, causing Blaze to laugh again.
“Wait a minute,” Sonic spoke up suddenly with wide eyes. “Questioning the edibility of your sandwich aside… your uncle calls you–”
"Yes… he used to call me Skittles," Rainbow revealed with an embarrassed look. “It was a personal nickname reserved from my uncle.”
“Wow… I never would have guessed,” said Sonic. “Why did he call you that?”
Rainbow coughed with blush appearing on her cheeks. “Uh, he… once told me that when I was born… the stubbles on my head reminded him of… Skittles.”
Rainbow felt even more embarrassed and annoyed when she saw Sonic had a huge grin on his face. “W-what are ya looking at? Are you gonna make fun of me!”
Sonic shook his head. “Oh no, you have it all wrong. I thought it was very sweet. Cute, really!”
Rainbow growled as her face suddenly became as red as a tomato. "S-shut up!"
Rainbow then cleared her throat and quickly changed the topic. "Anyway… both my uncle and my dad are heroes to me. They told me about their adventures all the time when I was younger.” She smiled fondly. “I always looked up to them because of all those cool things they have accomplished. I wanted to be in the Wonderbolts to do those awesome tricks and to help people too… just like them.”
Rainbow Dash then lost her smile and sighed with a forlorn expression. "Then, one day… my dad received a letter from his Commander of his old squad. My dad didn't tell me all the details, but he mentioned that the mission was so serious, his Commander wanted his best recruits to be there, including my dad and my uncle. But he could only take one of them… and there is a good chance… that they won't be coming back from that battle.”
Sonic suddenly felt a sense of dread, already knowing where this was going. His hunch was right when he watched Rainbow’s expression change to a look of distress and gripped on the railing tightly.
“Even though my dad's back mostly recovered from the accident, it still wasn’t the same from his glory days. Despite that, my dad intended to accept the assignment right then and there, but my uncle,” Rainbow swallowed. “...had other ideas.”
"Absolutely not!" Bow bellowed. "I won't allow you to take my place! The Commander specifically requested for me!"
"Our Commander requested one of us!" Rainbow Blaze retorted. "Out of the two of us, I'm the best candidate!"
As the two men were busy arguing, little did they know that their loud argument had woken up Rainbow Dash from her sleep. All of their yelling made her feel worried, but also curious about what their argument was about. So she sneaked down the stairs until she reached the bottom while being careful not to get spotted. She peered around the corner so that she could see three adults in the dining room. Her parents were on one side of the table while her uncle on the opposite side. Both her dad and uncle were glaring at each other while her mother stood on the sidelines with a worried expression.
"Best candidate my foot!” Bow growled. “You and I both know that I'm a better fighter than you and I can handle these Changeling punks!"
"You were the best fighter!" Blaze countered who was just as angry. "Have you forgotten that you barely survived that plane crash since our last battle and your back never recovered to this day? Your body can't handle any of the maneuvers while flying on a jet anymore and you know it!" His eyes narrowed. "Besides… you have a wife and kid now, Bow. You can't leave them behind, especially Dashie!"
Bow slammed his fist on the table, nearly made Rainbow jump from the noise. "Don't you bring Dashie into this!" Bow screamed. "She should know what I'm getting into as a member of the Wonderbolts!"
"She's a child, Bow!” Blazed shouted. “She wouldn't understand this at all at her age! Quite frankly, I don't think she knows the risks you have to take when you're dragged into a mission like this! Does it ever occur to you that she'll one day get anxious and worried when you're out on a mission for so long?"
"That doesn’t matter!" Bow yelled stubbornly. "With my skills, she wouldn't have to worry about me leaving for so lon–"
"How would she feel when one day she heard that you died!" Blaze roared.
The whole house had suddenly gone quiet. Bow just stood there in shock, as if someone had physically slapped him in the face. He never once thought about how his daughter, let alone his family would feel if he has perished in a battle. His wife, Windy Whistles, placed her hands over her mouth with tears in her eyes; horrified at the thought of losing her husband. Rainbow Dash, who was still hiding from them, widened her eyes in horror. She felt her whole body was shaking, terrified of the possibility of not seeing her dad again.
As for Rainbow Blaze himself, he just glared quietly towards his friend, still fuming at his stubborn friend. Seeing that he finally slapped some sense into Bow, Blaze breathed through his nose to calm himself down before making a final point.
"I still remember how I felt after hearing the news about my father just months after he was drafted,” Blaze said quietly. “I was about Rainbow’s age when I heard it, and it tore me and my mother apart after that. It was one of the main reasons why I became the Wondercolt; it is so that no child would have to suffer for losing their parents from the battlefield, including Rainbow Dash. I don't want her to go through the same suffering as I was after she loses you. So…" He let out a long sigh. "That's why… I'm volunteering. At least that way, in case if I don't make it, you'll still be here with her and your family. While I… got nothing to lose. She needs you more than she needs me."
"That's not true!"
The adults jumped from the sudden voice. They turned their direction at the voice and were shocked to see Rainbow Dash who finally revealed herself. They were all alarmed when they noticed how very upset she was, telling them all that she overheard their heated conversation.
"R-rainbow Dash!” Windy Whistles stammered. “H-how long have you–"
"What you just said was not true!" Rainbow Dash shouted, ignoring her mom. "While I need my dad… but I also need you too!” Her eyes then became glassy from her unshed tears. “Please… don’t go!”
Rainbow Blaze just stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment with a neutral expression before letting out a sigh. “No Rainbow Dash… you don’t need me and I don’t have a choice… it was something I had to do.”
Rainbow Dash felt her whole body trembling, tears were leaking from her eyes. “N-no… it’s not fair… it’s not fair!”
Rainbow then immediately turned and rushed towards the front door and ran outside, ignoring her parents pleading for her to come back. With the bright moon hiding her way, Rainbow continued to run down the neighborhood, sobbing as made her destination.
Rainbow let out a shuddering sigh, a lone tear trailed down her face as she relieved her painful memory. Sonic stared at Rainbow with a sad frown and his ears drooped, feeling pity for the young tomboy. After a painful moment of silence, Rainbow spoke again in a quiet tone.
"I… ended up running all the way to the town park… where no one could see me cry.” She vented as she closed her eyes. “The news about my uncle leaving in place of my dad, crushed me. Granted, I’m both happy and grateful that my dad doesn’t get dragged into it, but not at the cost of my uncle. I was both sad and angry that he basically had to go and leave us… me behind like he doesn't care about my feelings. I can't remember how long I was crying but at some point…”
Little Dashie sniffed as she sat on one of the swings with tears running down her face. She still couldn't accept the fact that her uncle is leaving for a possible never to return mission. She wondered why can't her uncle have simply stayed and why everything had to be so unfair.
“Skittles.”
Rainbow Dash ceased her crying somewhat from the sound of her uncle’s voice. Normally, she would be thrilled to see her uncle, but due to circumstances, she was too upset to even look at him. She heard her uncle letting out a soft sigh from behind her.
“Skittles… I know you’re upset with me right now, but you know why I have to do it, right?” Blazed inquired.
Rainbow knew why, but she refused to answer. Despite that, her uncle answered for her anyway.
“If I don’t, your father would be the one who is leaving, with or without his back injury," Blaze said softly. "I don’t want you to lose him in case something happens to him.”
“But what about you?” Rainbow spoke in a croaked voice, before facing him with red eyes and tears running down her face. “If you leave… it’s possible that I would lose you too!”
Blazed frowned. “Skittles–”
“You are just as important to me as well as my dad!" Rainbow shouted, no longer caring that she was crying in front of him. "And I know we’re important to you too! So why are you going to leave us behind? To leave me behind? Don’t you love me?”
“Of course I love you Rainbow Dash!” Blaze exclaimed. “Which is why I’m volunteering in the first place!”
Rainbow Dash stared at her uncle with a stunned expression, feeling more confused than ever. “I… don’t understand.”
With a low sigh, Rainbow Blaze knelt in front of Rainbow Dash, looking her in the eye.
“Well… one of the main reasons was because… I owed your father my life,” he revealed softly with a somber expression, stunning young Rainbow Dash further. “After my father died… I thought my whole world had ended, and I don’t know if I can go on without him. But your father… he picked up the pieces and was there for me even at my worst moments." He grinned. "He was stubborn, but his loyalty was true to the point that he became my brother right then and there. Heck, he was always there to save my butt again and again in all of our missions.”
His expression became serious. “And now that he has you and your mom, and that his back wasn’t the same as it used to… I figured I can finally repay my debts to him… as my way to say thanks for being there for me… and to show him I’m just as loyal to him. Besides, if anything happens to him after leaving you behind, I won’t ever forgive him… and myself.”
Rainbow Dash sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “But… there’s a chance that you… won’t make it back either.”
Blaze gave his niece a cocky grin. “Hey now, look who you are talking to! No one's gonna take me out so easily!”
Rainbow Dash wasn't convinced with her uncle’s words as she looked down with a crestfallen look. Her uncle frowned for a moment, thinking of a way to cheer her up and to believe in him. Then, an idea struck him, causing him to smile a little.
“Maybe this will convince you,” he said in a soft tone.
For a moment, Rainbow Dash heard her uncle fiddling with something, causing her to wonder what he was doing. Her uncle then appeared in front of her again with his hand outstretched in front of her.
“I was going to give this to you on your birthday," he said. "But I figured now is the best time.”
Rainbow Dash looked up to see what he was holding and let out a huge gasp. It was his "good luck charm" necklace that he always wore around him. He usually never takes that necklace off, not even when he has to take a shower or when he went to bed. But the fact that he willingly took that off and handed it over to her really shocked her.
“Unc… that’s your–”
Blaze nodded. “It was. But now… it’s yours!"
He then handed his charm over to Rainbow, who was still surprised by her uncle’s gift. “With this, a part of me will be with you and a reminder of our promise when we meet up again someday.” He then grinned. “Buuuuuuuut it doesn’t hurt to have some luck on your side! This thing saved my life more times than I could count! It certainly gave me luck when I needed it, so who knows? This thing may even help you out someday, or maybe even your friends!”
Blaze placed both his hands on Rainbow Dash’s shoulders and gently squeezed them, all while looking at her in the eyes.
“So will you do it? Will you look after your folks while I'm gone? And will you do your best to become a fast, strong, and even a loyal person to become a Wonderbolt someday… even when I’m not around?”
Rainbow Dash began to cry again, but she nodded. "I… I… I'll try, uncle," she choked. "I… I will try to be that loyal person for everyone to count on… a-and… I will b-become the next Wonderbolt a-and… b-be the fastest person in the world. M-maybe even be faster than you… a-and and…" she began to sob right into her uncle’s chest. "And I will make you proud!"
With a loving smile, Rainbow Blaze hugged her little niece. "You already have Skittles," he said softly. "And remember, no matter where I am… I will always be here with you."
Rainbow felt her tears running down her face as she recalled that particular memory. As for Sonic, he felt sad for the tomboy girl. A part of him wanted to comfort her but figured it was not a good idea at the moment since she probably wouldn't appreciate that. Rainbow Dash then rubbed her tears off of her face and let out a somber sigh.
"The next day, my uncle left our home and took one of his planes to travel to the Wonderbolts base halfway around the world on a secret mission… and I never saw him again."
"What happened to him?" Sonic asked softly.
"...I don't know," Rainbow answered quietly while looking away. "All I know from my dad was after an enemy jet shot him down, his plane disappeared somewhere on some tropical island.”
Sonic frowned. “Did they ever find his plane?”
“They eventually found his plane,” Rainbow answered with a grim expression. “But it was all wrecked into piles of scrap metal… and there were no signs of him. They thought my uncle got himself captured by some men for their tyrant king, but after the Wonderbolts succeeded in their mission to stop them, they couldn’t find him among the many prisoners of war… and the Wonderbolts reported him M.I.A. ever since."
Sonic blinked with a confused expression. "M.I.A?"
"Missing in Action," Rainbow clarified with a sigh with an anguished look. "He just disappeared without a single trace of him to the point that many believed he was…”
Rainbow stopped herself before she could speak any more, refusing to even think about the possibility of her uncle’s fate. She quickly shook them away as she raised her clenched fist and glared up into the night’s sky.
"But I don’t believe it!” she exclaimed. “There’s no way he can be gone! I know my uncle, he would never be taken out or to give up so easily! He's too tough for that! Besides…" She added softly as she opened up her palm, revealing her uncle’s lucky charm. "We promised…"
Sonic took a good look at Rainbow’s charm and his eyes widened. "Hey, is that..."
On Rainbow’s palm, it was a necklace with a dark blue geode hanging from it. The geode itself was somewhat dull and had some cracks due to age and wear and tear. But what really caught Sonic's attention was a familiar cloud with a lightning bolt image, etched on the surface of the geode.
"I know what you're thinking… but this isn't my necklace," Rainbow stated while her eyes never left her necklace. "This was my uncle's. He used to wear this thing all the time, believing that this'll give him luck for his shows and missions. He gave that to me believing that I needed more luck than him… although it makes me wonder if that was probably his downfall."
She then let out a small chuckle. "And when I first received my geode, which has the same mark as my uncle's… I was quite shocked. This feels like fate… it's as almost if my uncle was watching me this whole time. But regardless..." Rainbow squeezed her uncle's charm, closing her eyes. "My uncle's necklace… will always be my most prized possession."
Rainbow sighed as she placed her uncle’s necklace in her pocket. “It was even more painful to me… when someone called me by that nickname that was usually reserved by my uncle. Fluttershy, who was my best and only friend at the time, understood that." She frowned bitterly. "But people like Lightning, however…”
Little Dashie and Fluttershy were walking through the hallway of Cloudsdale's Elementary towards their next class. It has been a few months since Rainbow Dash has seen his uncle off on a mission with the Wonderbolts. She had hoped every day that his uncle would beat the bad guys and return home safely, but her hope diminished when she overheard her father last night, saying that her uncle had disappeared during the battle… and that he's most likely gone. The news about her uncle crushed her. Even when Fluttershy was trying to comfort her in between classes, it didn't help bring Rainbow’s spirits back up. She just wanted to get through the day so that she could mope in her bedroom, thinking about her uncle.
"Hey Skittles!"
Rainbow Dash froze for being called by her nickname. She slowly turned around and groaned when she saw who it was. It was another girl with two shades of gold hair and was the same age as Rainbow Dash. She wore a black t-shirt with a white lightning bolt and three yellow stars emblem on her chest, white shorts, and shoes. That girl was none other than Lightning Dust, and she had a very nasty smirk on her face.
"What's wrong?" she mocked. "Feeling sad that your uncle's gone, Skittles?"
"Don't call me Skittles!" Rainbow shouted angrily, getting the attention of other kids.
"Why not Skittles?" Lightning taunted some more. "I thought that name suits you since you're a widdle baby!"
“S-stop that!” Rainbow stuttered, trying her best not to let Lightning’s words get to her.
Lightning smirked as she began to chant. "Skittles Skittles Skittles Skittles Skittles Skittles Skittles!"
As all the other kids in the hallway were laughing at her, Rainbow Dash hid her face and began to shake violently. Fluttershy stared at Rainbow Dash with a concerned look, feeling helpless to help her friend. This allowed Lightning Dust to fully twist the knife.
"Aww, feeling embarrassed?” Lightning asked with an evil expression. “You should feel proud that your uncle calls you that, after all… he's probably dead now!"
This was the final straw for Rainbow. With a scream, she tackled Lightning to the ground, while ignoring her friend's plea. The two of them wrestled to the ground as the kids surrounding them chatted "fight" over and over. Even as she was taken to the principal's office by a teacher, Lightning’s cruel words about her uncle still hurt her, and a lone tear trailed down her cheek.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, trying to get rid of her painful memories. "The only reason she knew about it was because she used to be friends with me. My guess was, she grew jealous of me hanging out with Fluttershy more than her." She frowned. "But regardless… Lightning and I were no longer friends after that, but she still mocked me with my uncle's nickname, further spoiling the good memories I had with him. So I would challenge anyone who misused that name towards me again if that is what it takes to preserve those memories of him… without me forgetting him."
“I see…” Sonic said quietly with a guilty expression. “So that’s why you were mad when I called you… that.”
Rainbow sighed with a regretful look. “Yes, and I realized that you are not like Lightning or my other bullies who would taunt me with it and I’m very sorry for acting so harshly.” She then looked up at the stars. “I guess deep down, whether he’s alive or not… I still haven’t gotten over not having him in my life.
“...I understand,” Sonic responded with a look of empathy. "Believe me… I know what it's like to lose someone you care for."
Rainbow faced Sonic with a surprised and curious expression. "You do?"
"Uh huh," Sonic sighed heavily. "I… don't know my own parents,” He revealed quietly. “But I was watched over by this guardian who was with me for most of my life.”
Rainbow blinked, intrigued by that revelation. “What was she like?”
“She’s pretty much a really big owl, but with years of knowledge and fighting experience,” Sonic described, before putting on a fond smile. “She was basically Obi-Wan Kenobi… if Obi-Wan Kenobi had a beak and ate mice.”
Rainbow snorted in amusement from that analogy.
Sonic shook her head with a chuckle. “Anyway, she was assigned to protect me, but over time… she became my longtime friend… and also a mother I never had.”
Sonic let out a soft sigh. “But then, one day… our pursuers found us… all because I was too careless. I only ran out just to get a gift for her, to show her all of my appreciation for being there with me, only to get spotted by them and I led all of them to our hiding place. We tried to flee like we always do… but she got badly hurt in the process. So in the process…" He swallowed. "She used one of her rings to send me here on Earth… while she stayed behind and fended them off."
Rainbow widened her eyes in horror. She had heard some of his past from Sunset earlier at the arcade, but never in this much detail. While felt the pain of losing a loved one, but to lose someone in front of him as a child… she couldn't even imagine how painful that must have felt. She could help but pity this poor hedgehog.
Sonic closed his eyes in sadness. "And the worst part? I don't even know if she got captured, escaped, alive, or even... dead." Sonic then tightening up his fists. "But what I do know… is what happened that day… was my fault… and it was my fault that I unknowingly alerted everyone at Canterlot City and dragged you girls into it… all because of my cursed power! ...that is why I have to do what she told me to do: is to never stop running… and stay hidden. So that way no one, including me… won't get hurt by me again."
There was silence on the balcony. For Sonic, this was the first time he ever talked to anyone about his past, instead of talking to himself for once. While he still felt the pain of losing Longclaw, but strangely, he felt a bit lighter after finally talking to a live person. The only thing he wondered now was what Dash thinks of him now. Would she think of him even lower than before? Sonic still has his eyes shut, ready for whatever remarks she throws at him.
"Well, no offense to your guardian mom, or whatever… but I think she was wrong."
Sonic opened his eyes and looked up at Rainbow in mild shock. Not only he wasn't expecting her to not look down on him, but also her telling him that Longclaw was wrong. As he stared at Rainbow Dash with a confused expression, Rainbow elaborated.
"While you may think it's a curse and dangerous if anyone gets a hold of you, but at the end of the day… it's yours! That power is yours and yours alone! No one else has the right to take it away from you and to use them for their own selfish desires. Why? Because it's all about how you use your powers that counts!
Rainbow pointed to herself. "Take me for example! When I first got my super speed, I'll admit… I don't know what to do with it… and I'm a bit scared of it, too. That is until Sunset told us to just embrace my magic, don't hold it back… and learn a little more what it can do… because it's a part of me! So… I did. And, oh man… I enjoyed every bit of it! I can go faster than I could ever have dreamed! And I learned new things with my magic every time I used it, like what we just did with our race!
"I'm sure there are tons more things about my magic that I have yet to learn! And aside from wanting to be the fastest thing alive… I also wanted to use my magic to help others… and to help and protect my friends when they need me. So... my point is, instead of using it to run away– no pun intended, you can use it for so much more. And only you have the right to use that power!"
Rainbow then leaned forward so that her eyes met Sonic's. "So, now that I told you everything about my experience, I have one question, hedgehog, well… two actually: who are you, and what do you want to do with your power?"
Sonic paused for a moment, thinking deeply over the question that Rainbow gave him. After what it felt like internally, Sonic let out a long sigh with a troubled expression.
"I… don't know," Sonic admitted softly. "I honestly do not know. I've been using my speed to avoid danger, entertained myself, or to play pranks from time to time… but I never thought I could do anything beyond that."
Sonic looked up, expected to see Rainbow Dash being annoyed by him, but to his surprise, she actually smiled and had a look of understanding.
"Hey, it's no sweat," she said. "We all still have time to figure things out. I'm still figuring out what to do with my life for myself."
Sonic blinked in confusion. "I thought you said you wanted to become a Wonderbolt?"
"I do. But I would also like to be a major soccer player for the country… maybe even for the world." Rainbow shrugged. "Or… I could be both... but who knows?"
"Yeah, they both sound pretty cool," Sonic nodded. "As for me… I'll have to think about it. And I hope you'll think about what I said to you too about being who you are." He smiled. "Though, if you were to ask me… I think your uncle is already proud of you."
"T-thanks…," Rainbow said shyly with a small blush. She quickly cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes. "Just… keep this conversation between the two of us alright? If you tell anyone else about this… I’m gonna deny it!”
With a chuckle, Sonic gave Rainbow his teasing, yet a friendly wink.
"Your secret is safe with me, Dash!" He said, before yawning. "Anyway, I'm gonna go catch some Zs. It was nice chatting with you."
As Sonic walked away, Rainbow called out to him. "Hey, hedgehog!"
Sonic paused and glanced back at Rainbow who had a serious expression.
"If we ever have time… I want to race you again someday. But this time… it'll be fair and square, and I won't hold anything back!" Rainbow vowed.
Sonic stared at Rainbow for a moment before he broke out into a grin and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Looking forward to it! That’ll be our promise!" Sonic then turned away and started heading back to his room. "Goodnight, Dash."
Rainbow watched as Sonic was walking away from her with a soft expression. "Goodnight… Sonic."
Rainbow then turned and looked up at the stars, while gently holding her uncle’s charm. She felt a bit lighter and all her worries were laid to rest after her conversation with Sonic. While the two of them didn't become friends right away, at least they both reached an understanding and found common ground. She is even willing to get along with him for the sake of her friends. Plus, the blue hedgehog is actually a pretty cool dude… not that she’ll admit this out loud. She can only hope that their trip to Manehattan will go smoothly from here on out.
"Fastest human in the world, eh?" Rainbow wondered before grinning. "Heh… I can live with that."
But unbeknownst to the two speedsters, another person was awake and couldn't get a wink of sleep due to her worries about current events. After noticing Sonic was missing from his bed, she went outside to search for him, until she spotted him with Rainbow Dash. She was worried that the two of them were arguing again until she started listening to their conversation.
By the time that they finished, she felt many different emotions swirling in her heart. She was relieved and happy that the two of them got along and reached a common understanding, but she mostly felt sad and guilty for pretty much listening to their painful past without their consent. Even so, both of their stories drove her to tears. She wanted to come over and hug the two of them, but she knew it was not her place, especially since she was partially responsible for her friend's misery when Rainbow mentioned the time when she and her friends were separated. Even after she was forgiven for her actions, there were some things she still regrets she had done back when she was a bully.
All the more reasons why she has made her decision.
When she noticed Sonic was about to head back, she quietly headed back to her room and then immediately went to bed before he noticed her. She even made sure to face towards a wall, appearing to be asleep as heard Sonic climb back to his own bed. She let out a quiet sigh.
One thing was for certain, Sunset Shimmer will have a much harder time sleeping tonight.