//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: The First Hearth's Warming // Story: Unseen, Unheard // by Nocturnal Reverie //------------------------------// The shrill jingling of her alarm clock startled Rainbow Dash from her excited sleep, and she clapped her hoof over the hammer with a grin. The sun had only just begun to rise, but she was too excited to turn in for a few more minutes. She rolled out of bed, some parental instinct she was unaware of making her tiptoe down the stairs and into Scootaloo’s room. Rising into a hover, she gently glided over the little sleeping filly. As gingerly as possible, Rainbow Dash gathered up the filly’s comforter around her, worming her forelegs underneath Scootaloo’s still form and wrapping her in the comforter as she picked her up. The filly squirmed a bit, hugging her hooves to her chest and snuggling into the crook of Rainbow’s neck as she gave a sleepy, content hum. Rainbow Dash could not have grinned wider as Scootaloo fell asleep once again in her forelegs. She cradled the filly as if she were made of glass as she hovered down the stairs and came into the foyer, beaming to herself. Every time she saw the tree, she had to admit to herself that she’d overdone it. The deep green cedar was huge. The full branches were decked out in the best ornaments Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo could find, the pair even making a few themselves to give their little family their own personal collection, their crafts over the month proudly on monochrome display amidst the colorful, bulbous, glittering decorations one could find at a store, candy canes, popcorn string, and ribbons dipping and dodging and weaving amongst each other and the hanging delights. Rainbow glanced up again at the elaborate star perched atop the tree, the multi-pointed, three-dimensional star sat right where it had been since Scootaloo sat it there, helped up by Rainbow Dash as her father snapped a photograph, her parents more than happy to mark the occasion with the newest addition of their family. The cyan mare landed softly, stepping toward the small wall of presents lined up neatly underneath the tree, all of them addressed to the tiny, precious filly Rainbow Dash held cradled against her chest. She wanted to give Scootaloo the world. The items waiting under the tree would be a good start. Smoothly, Rainbow sat down on her haunches, gently pulling Scootaloo from her shoulder and cradling her as if she were nothing more than a baby. Her heart melting at the beautiful sight, she nuzzled her nose against Scootaloo’s, rubbing her hoof into her chest. Only a couple seconds passed before Rainbow Dash felt Scootaloo’s muzzle scrunch, her little hooves coming up to rub against her nose, groggily pulling the older pegasus’s muzzle down from her own as her eyes blinked open. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash gently tapped. Scootaloo gave a sleepy groan, her stretching hooves pushing against Rainbow’s nose. She yawned, her forehooves coming back down and her fetlocks rubbing her eyes as she gave a quizzical hum. Rainbow Dash giggled. “It’s Hearth’s Warming, Scootaloo. You wanna open your presents?” The mention of the universal foal-exciter did the trick, Scootaloo perking up at once, a switch in her brain flipping and her previous leftover tiredness suddenly nonexistent as she jumped a little in her guardian’s hold. A wide, gorgeous grin split across her face, and she nodded excitedly, pulling herself up to sitting in her big sister’s lap. Scootaloo felt Rainbow’s chest shake a little in a laugh, her forelegs wrapping securely around her as she felt Rainbow Dash scoot forward. Rainbow’s hooves left her shoulders, returning a moment later with a large, thin box. She let Rainbow’s hooves guide her hoof around the rectangular box’s edges, and she easily found a corner and pulled, her throat moving in satisfaction at the funny shaking that came with ripping paper. She shimmied the paper off the box underneath, and eased the lid off, feeling Rainbow’s hooves hold it steady to allow her to explore the contents. She first found a little fluffy ball, giggling at the tickle on her frog as she felt around it, finding it attached to a soft, thick, woven fabric, the design popping out in little curves as it twisted over itself down to a rounded edge. Recognizing the woven toboggan, Scootaloo pulled it out of the box, running her hoof along the wool until she had the pattern memorized, pulling it onto her head and feeling the way it slid over her ears, pressing her mane down onto her forehead until the edge pressed over her eyes. Rainbow chuckled while Scootaloo giggled, and she helped the hat sit better on her head, brushing the purple mane a bit to the side and out of Scootaloo’s face. Little tufts poked out from the back of Scootaloo’s neck, Rainbow Dash noticing the mane had gained about a half-inch as the tip drooped ever so slightly. She hummed to herself in thought, tapping on Scootaloo’s fetlock, “I think your mane might need a trim in the next couple days. It doesn’t look bad, it’s just a tick longer.” Scootaloo paused in her box search, thinking over the implications before she finally requested, “Can I grow it out a little bit? My mane’s always grown slow, but I wanna know what it’s like to have it longer.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Sure, kiddo. Whatever you wanna do with it.” With a smile and a grateful little hum, Scootaloo nuzzled back against Rainbow before continuing her hunt through the box. Her hooves brushed against something soft, and her hoof hopped on top of it, running along it as her lips formed a little ‘o’ at the smooth silkiness of the block of fabric she felt. She picked it up, feeling part of it spill over the edge of her hold, the box in her lap bumping as the end fell back into it. Pulling it to her chest, her hoof followed the thin, long, silky cotton back down into the box, where she felt little tassels at its edge. Her throat moved as she picked up the end, pressing her face into the smooth, warm scarf, loving the way it felt against her muzzle. Rainbow Dash grinned at her delight, setting aside the now-empty box. “You like them?” Scootaloo pulled her face from the crimson scarf, the matching hat’s fuzzy ball bouncing as she looked up at her. “I love them!” Rainbow squeezed her tight, nuzzling her face into Scootaloo’s mane as the filly giggled. A tight hug later, and Rainbow asked on Scootaloo’s shoulder, “Wanna open your other presents?” Bit by bit, present after present was torn open, wrappings tossed aside in favor of the surprises inside. Scootaloo cooed and squealed in delight at every new item. More clay for her creations. Play-Dough (so she could practice before she committed, Rainbow said). A warm, fuzzy blanket that practically swallowed the filly in pleasing little tufts of smooth fluff. Braille playing cards and a magically-modified game of Sugar World, each square raised and the art textured to allow Scootaloo to feel it. The cards, a little thicker than normal, contained textured art and Braille underneath the written Equestria. Three-dimensional wooden puzzles (complete with an answer sheet to help Rainbow explain how to put them back together if she needed it). A Braille copy of the newest Daring Do book. Foam blocks not unlike the ones Scootaloo used to play with at the orphanage. And to top it off, the final gift contained a couple stuffed animals, the fluffy Ursa Minor and Bugbear looking far more adorable and cute than either real-life creature had any right to be. Once they were all open, Scootaloo snuggled into Rainbow, happily humming a tuneless ditty as she pulled her new fuzzy blanket tightly around her. “I think this is the best Hearth’s Warming I’ve ever had!” the little filly declared. Delighted, Rainbow Dash squeezed her tight, peppering kisses on her temple as Scootaloo giggled. Rainbow Dash felt a wave of deja vu at a nagging at the back of her mind, knowing one pony whose appearance really would make it the best Hearth’s Warming ever. A knot of dread formed in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to Sugarcube Corner to see whether or not her fears were confirmed. But she knew denying Scootaloo the day with her friends wouldn’t be fair to her, and she pulled Scootaloo away, tapping out on her little fetlock, “You wanna try on your new winter stuff and go see your friends? I think everypony should be heading to Sugarcube Corner by now. We can get breakfast there!” Scootaloo grinned up at her excitedly, nodding her head. Rainbow Dash trudged alongside Scootaloo, the little filly’s brow creased in concentration as she tried to learn what stepping through the snow in her new boots felt like. She had lamented to her sister that she didn’t like walking in boots, not to mention they made talking to others a little difficult—the finer movements of her fetlocks deemed nearly useless from something that reached almost halfway up her leg. But, when Rainbow agreed to let the filly not wear her boots for a day, she almost couldn’t stop her freezing hooves’ shaking to ask Rainbow for them again. Rainbow Dash stopped Scootaloo a moment, adjusting the crimson scarf that was threatening to drag the ground, mere inches away from becoming a tripping hazard for the filly. For the thousandth time since the first snowfall, Rainbow asked if she wanted to be carried, to which Scootaloo looked up gratefully at her and responded, for the thousandth time: “No, thank you. I like the way the snow feels!” Her taps were slow, methodical, and succinct, Rainbow Dash able to just barely feel the connections her hoof wall made on the other side of the thick sole. Through a series of questions made earlier in the month, Rainbow had learned that Scootaloo had never experienced much snow, with the streets of Baltimare constantly being swept during the snowy months, and the snow that fell in the courtyard of the orphanage being taken up by the other foals as they built snow ponies and made snow pegasi. The moment she learned this, Rainbow Dash had spent the entire day playing in the snow with the little filly until no less than three mugs of hot chocolate each could warm them up again, the sisters shivering against each other under a thick blanket in front of the fireplace in the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse, Scootaloo blissfully unaware of the earful Applejack was giving Rainbow Dash for letting the filly get so cold. At the end of the day, they had both decided it was worth it. Even if both of them had stuffy noses for the next week. Rainbow Dash breathed an internal sigh of relief for the filly as they came up on Sugarcube Corner, knowing the warmth of the building meant the removal of the mildly infuriating hoofware. Despite the filly’s claims of loving the snow, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help her little smirk at Scootaloo’s own relieved sigh as she felt the sinking snow give way to solid hardwood. The moment she opened the swinging doors, she looked about the bakery, eyes scanning over her friends and several other residents of Ponyville. She made two quick passes before she came up with the similar observation: Foggy Day was nowhere to be found. Sighing to herself, Rainbow Dash helped Scootaloo out of her scarf, hat, and boots, two familiar fillies bounding their way and taking her hooves, exchanging a quick push-hoofed greeting before leading her off to a quiet corner to talk all-things Hearth’s Warming with each other. The sight teased a smile from Rainbow, and she stepped her way to Pinkie, putting together the final pieces of a pastry tower. “Heya, Pinks! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Dashie! What can I help ya with?” Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly, “Uh, me and Scoots haven’t had breakfast yet. Can you ring me up for one banana nut muffin and one chocolate chip?” “Sure thing! The chirpy pink earth pony ducked out of sight, only to pop back up a second later with a little paper food boat with the two requested muffins. With a light giggle, Pinkie Pie slid them across the counter, smiling brightly. “There you go! On the house!” Rainbow Dash paused in reaching for her Bit purse, looking back up at Pinkie Pie in surprise, a smile melting onto her face at the warm, insistent grin from her friend. She chuckled her gratitude, sliding the little tray into her hoof. “Thanks, Pinkie, you’re the best!” “No problem, Dashie!” Pinkie giggled as Rainbow Dash went to find Scootaloo, her friends letting her get pulled away to a table as Rainbow passed her her muffin, the little filly snuggling into Rainbow’s lap as they enjoyed their first Hearth’s Warming breakfast together. ‘You know,’ Rainbow thought to herself, ‘this isn’t a bad first tradition…’ Rainbow Dash nuzzled her little sister, who hummed happily at the affection and taste of the chocolate chips in the large muffin. She pressed her head into the motion, sighing contently as she felt the warmth all around her and grinning as she counted herself the luckiest filly in the world. As the breakfast with her big sister finished up, Scootaloo found herself experiencing something odd. She grinned in the direction of her sister's face, held gently in her lap as she waited. And waited. A moment passed, and with a start, she realized it was the actual waiting that was odd for her. What was she waiting for? Her mind pranced around the question, finally hopping onto the solution. It was usually around this time that she would be read to. But…that was…back then. She found a tiny hole in her chest probing at her heart. Her usual Hearth’s Warmings with Foggy typically consisted of, among other Hearth’s Warming things, one little tradition that meant more to Scootaloo than she realized until that moment. And suddenly its absence was opening an unexpected chasm in her soul. She swallowed, feeling the desire for tears fill her heart. Though she was able to fight them back, she couldn’t deny to herself the reason behind them. She…really missed Foggy right now. An odd sensation tingled up her spine, her mind for a moment making her believe it was the gentle, warm embrace of the unicorn that held her instead of the strong, affectionate one from her sister. A pang tapped her heart, and she felt her smile twitch. Foggy was gone, but… ‘I wonder if Rainbow Dash likes poetry…’ her mental hoof absentmindedly skipped through her brain. Her smile gained a self-pointed shyness, and she squirmed away from Rainbow Dash, her guardian picking her up off her lap before setting her down, two little hooves tapping her canon bones and taking her away into the throng of Hearth’s Warming activities, Apple Bloom letting her know Granny Smith was about to read the story of Hearth’s Warming. For now, she decided, she’d focus on the new traditions unfolding in front of her. She’d worry about bringing up the past later. Rainbow Dash trotted to the train station with her charge secure on her back, Scootaloo’s jittery excitement knowing no bounds as her little body rode on the continued high of what she had declared to be the best Hearth’s Warming of her life. One Rainbow knew was about to get even better. She stomped her booted hooves as she found the wood of the train station, shaking off the layer of snow and perking up at the whistle of the approaching locomotive. Feeling her stop, the little filly on her back squirmed as she reached for the ground, Rainbow Dash helping her down and the little filly grinning as she felt the platform vibrate through her boots. She hopped in anticipatory delight as the train pulled to a steaming halt, the doors opening smoothly. Almost at once, Rainbow Dash heard their voices. Two pegasi burst from the warm breath of the engine’s pistons, engulfing the two waiting on the platform in hugs and kisses and greetings both verbal and tactile. The youngest giggled and cooed out her excitement, almost too caught up in the happiness of being held by her grandma to tell her how great her day had been so far, her little hoof nearly cramping up as she spilled all of the recent exploits of her life to Windy Whistles. The young guardian hefted a large wrapped box her parents had brought onto her back, relieving her father a bit of his burden as he smiled gratefully. Smiling to one another, eldest mare scooping up the little filly into her forelegs, four pegasi chattered and caught up as they flew up to the hovering house to begin their first of many Hearth’s Warmings together, their small family now just a little bigger…and a little filly brighter. Away from the prying eyes of the world, a lone mare closed her door, shaking off her boots and shivering as she removed her cream-colored scarf and hat, hanging them on the hooks by the door. She briefly looked into a passing mirror, careful to avoid looking at her own eyes as she briefly scanned over her pulled-back mane, shaking away the remaining snow. A brief trip into the kitchen, and she traipsed back into the quiet, empty living room with a large, steaming mug of her favorite tea, climbing onto her couch and pulling a blanket over her lap. She reached out with her magic, the light snapping of the small fire behind her warming the room as she plucked one of her favorite poetry books from the bookshelf across the room. The spine cracking as it opened, she began to read. The light shift of pages shuffling over themselves was all that accompanied her, her mug growing more and more empty as the time wore on. She flipped another page as she finished her mug, and froze. Gazing upon the page, a more popular poem stared back at her: “The Road Not Taken” by Snowfall Frost Despite her best efforts, she could not stop the phantom sensation of a small filly in her lap from haunting the forefront of her mind. Her breath suddenly struggled to move as she felt tiny hooves holding her own, a wispy mane tickling her chin as the precious, sightless thing pretended to read as she waited for her to translate what was on the page. Every year, this was the one thing she ever requested. She pressed her hoof to her chest, unsure whether she was trying to brush away the sensation of a face pressed against her…or keep it there longer. Her hoof moved on autopilot, her mind and heart reciting the poem by memory, her skin tingling at the question she was always asked. “What’s yellow like?” To which she would always give the same answer: “It’s like the warmth of the sun filtering through tree leaves. It warms you up just enough to get a smile out of you.” Once given, the filly would grin, settling into her as the mare continued with her favorite poem. Tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks, dripping off her chin only to plip onto her fetlock as she reached the last stanza. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the road less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. The welling water in her eyes pulled the dancing ambient colors of the flames within the fireplace around her. Too subtle for her to notice, too trivial for her to care, the blending, warbling colors gained a shade of gray. A gasp reignited her, leaving a gnawing emptiness in her heart as she rubbed her fetlock into her eyes, sniffling and clearing her throat as she shut the small tome and set it aside. Wishing for anything else to do, she looked around her living room, only for her eyes to land on a small tinderbox on the mantel, hidden away in the shadow of the corner of the chimney. A lump rose to her throat, and without her mental command, an azure aura surrounded the tinderbox, pulling it to her until it rested inches away from her heart, the thing her magic instead had chosen to respond to. Her hooves numb, she took it, the smooth worn metal begging to be opened. She obliged it. With the tiny pop of brass, the ghosts of laughter rose to her ears, delighted little squeals guiding her hooves as she reached in and pulled out the first item. The tiny hospital band stared back at her, the edges of the stark white plastic reflecting the orange of the fireplace as small, thick black letters revealed the name of the newborn it had once labeled. Placing it within the lid of the tin, she pulled out the second item. Tied tight with a little white string, a purple curl lay in her hoof. The squirms of the fussy one-year-old bounced a little smile to her face, huffs and puffs of unreleased energy forcing the filly’s first manecut to stretch on for over an hour. A little chuckle, and the lock was replaced, a small folded sheet of pink paper taking its place. She gingerly unfolded it, despite already knowing its contents. Glued onto the page were Braille letters carefully cut out of a book, wishing the mare who held the note a happy Hearts and Hooves Day. Her heart soared, remembering her shock when she’d discovered the torn-up tome, what was supposed to be a textbook, had now adorned the hoof-made card, the three-year-old spelling out her message letter by letter in the only way she knew how words got onto a page. She had run out of patience when it came to signing her name, and had simply stamped her tiny, ink-coated hoof onto the page underneath it. It had taken weeks to scrub out the ink stains in the filly’s fur. She traced the tiny hoof on the paper, and a laugh, the first and only song of the evening, filled the house for the briefest of moments as the Hearts and Hooves Day card was refolded and placed on top of the lock of hair. The final item made her pause. She dipped her hoof in, pulling out a small photo album no bigger than a couple inches across, and an inch thick. Whenever she could, she would take her small Polaroid; and away from the prying eyes of the agents, she would take a picture. The tiny metal hinge squeaked as it was opened, revealing the first photo. A tiny orange newborn, held in the loving forelegs of a teal mare, stared back at her. Tired, cloudy eyes freshly removed of their bandages tried to learn how to blink to keep a moisture they didn’t understand the purpose of. There were a few taken that day, the face of the mare responsible for the photos finally revealing itself as she grinned at her camera, leaning her head softly into view as she held the filly close. Flip by flip, photo by photo, a story revealed itself to her. The story of a little filly learning her way and enjoying the simplest things in life under the guidance of a mare who, to an outsider, was in every way the filly’s mother. But she wasn’t an outsider. She knew the truth. Each flip sent her crawling to the end of the tiny album, with the last picture showing a little, confident filly blindly blowing a puff of air as the tiny flicker of a candle leaned away from her onslaught, the candle perched atop the little cake announcing the seventh year of her young life. She could still hear the giggles of delight, could still see the muzzle smeared with icing as a bright smile lit up the filly’s sightless eyes. For the briefest moment, her world lit up with the memory of that smile, only to come crashing back into darkness as she remembered that, for her, it would never be anything more than that. A memory. Alone in an empty house, Foggy Day held the only things she had of Scootaloo. And wept. Rainbow Dash’s hooves thundered as she raced across the dry earth. Her heart pounded in her ears, eyes wide in desperation. She had to get there. She needed to get there. Everypony was depending on her. She was depending on her. Her head swiveled as she reached the edges of Ghastly Gorge, her wings flapping as she tried to take off, only for her feathers to refuse to grab the air, her attempt in vain. Gasping for breath, she screamed: “WHERE ARE YOU?!” Her legs trembled beneath her even as she forced them forward, her hooves going numb at the force of the impact with the ground. Her aching muscles could finally give no more, and her legs locked up underneath her, sending the mare sprawling to the dust below. Painful, ragged breaths wheezed from her lungs, her body trembling as she forced herself to stand again, head and vision swimming with the movements. Rainbow groaned, finally pulling her scraped-up body to standing again, forcing her double-vision to focus. As two became one, a figure stood at the precipice not twenty meters away from her. A solitary unicorn stood, staring out over the edge of Ghastly Gorge, her teal fur untouched by the surrounding grime, and her long charcoal mane flowing in the breeze. Rainbow’s breath caught in her throat. “Foggy!” She went to run, only to nearly fall again. She clambered her way up, limping toward the unicorn, her legs nearly collapsing under her by the time she reached the shadow. “Foggy! What are you doing out here?” The mare in question’s gaze never left the daunting depths of the valley below them. Voice dry and monotonous, Foggy echoed, “What are you doing out here?” Rainbow Dash blinked, her brow furrowing at the lack of an answer she received. “I came to get you. What are you doing out here?” Again, Foggy’s azure gaze never wavered from the cliffside. “Why are you here, Rainbow Dash?” Breaths heaving, Rainbow Dash gaped, “What are you talking about? I told you! I’m here to get you!” A cloud passed over the sun, blanketing the world around them in a shade of gray. A spark lit behind Foggy’s eyes, and she asked, “Why?” Rainbow grunted in frustration. “Because I want you to see Scootaloo again! I want to see you again!” “Why?” The cyan mare only stared at the monosyllabic teal unicorn, her ears ringing as the world seemed to crawl to a halt. The clouds ceased their movement, the dust hung in the air, and the wind quieted its whistling. Rainbow Dash stepped toward Foggy Day, raising a hoof and putting it on her shoulder, a single answer rising from the depths of her heart. “Because we love you.” A quiet moment passed, time, space, and Rainbow’s words suspended into stillness. The silence was broken by Foggy herself, movement restoring with the motion of her head as she finally pulled her gaze up from the gorge below her. The wind grazed through her mane, carrying the faintest of whispers across Rainbow’s ears as Foggy’s face painfully slowly came to rest upon Rainbow. Her eyes, dull, empty, and dead, gazed through Rainbow Dash, sending a ball of dread into the pit of her stomach. Disembodied whispers began riding a crescendo, tingling Rainbow’s ears as Foggy’s mouth opened. “No, you don’t.” Rainbow’s heart jumped to her throat, the odd, ominous reply leaving her only capable of saying one word. “What…?” Before she could receive one more word from Foggy Day, an eruption of darkness billowed from the gorge, its waking wind yanking the mares’ manes up and threatening to pull them into the atmosphere with its sheer residual momentum. The cyan pegasus leapt away from the edge in terror, a booming, unintelligible voice quaking from the darknes that pulled and stretched and roiled over the edge of the gorge, reaching and wrapping its cloudy tendrils around Foggy Day’s legs, barrel, and neck. “NO!” Rainbow screamed, throwing herself to Foggy and grabbing the mare desperately trying to pull her out of the grip of the unknown force. Her teal legs didn’t budge, despite Rainbow’s panicked tugging. She looked up at Foggy as the darkness gripping her began to sink, the smoky tentacles growing more and more taut around the unicorn as she stared back at Rainbow Dash. Crimson, pleading eyes met azure, exhausted ones. As the terrible, phantom finger tightened around Foggy’s neck, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, the older mare’s voice barely a murmur in the space between them. “I was never meant to be loved…” All at once, the tendrils snapped tight, plucking Foggy Day out of Rainbow’s grip and leaving the pegasus to only watch as the lone unicorn was dragged down into the depths of the gorge, disappearing out of sight. “FOGGY!!” Rainbow Dash jerked awake, sitting up from her dead sleep as the shadow’s name shrieked across her lips. She shivered at the sudden loss of her covers, a cold sweat drenching her coat and sticking her mane to her forehead. Her stomach lurched, and she clapped a hoof over her mouth, scrambling out of bed and across the hallway. Several minutes of gags and dry heaves passed as the events of the night terror replayed in Rainbow’s mind against her will, her legs trembling and her heart skipping beats from the leftover horror of what her mind had conjured. “It was just a dream,” she croaked, gagging into the toilet. “It’s okay, it was just a dream.” Rainbow forced herself to breathe, finally sitting down and leaning her head against the tub, shivering at the chills coursing through her body, the cool tub wall easing a deep burning in her— Her eyes popped open, and her fetlock rose to her forehead. She was burning up. Suddenly her aches and pains and clouded mind made a lot more sense. Groaning, she pulled her weak legs under her, trudging to the stairs and hobbling down them, her wings feeling far heavier than they were meant to be on her back. Reaching the second floor, her hazy eyes slid to Scootaloo’s door, and she trudged over, carefully nudging it open to find the filly sound asleep, with nothing akin to Rainbow’s ailments bogging her down as she slept. Swallowing another wave of nausea, Rainbow Dash decided she’d take her to Twilight’s tomorrow to keep her away from whatever was affecting herself so horribly. The darkness from before loomed in the back of her mind, and she shuddered, Foggy’s empty words hovering between her ears. Rubbing a fetlock into her exhausted eyes, she staggered to the stairs, her knees wobbly as she made it to the first floor, her mind still reeling from the vivid nightmare. Passing the coffee table, she paused. Mouth open with ragged breaths, Rainbow Dash’s heart thundered in her chest, her worries creeping up her throat and demanding she resolve her emotional turmoil. Reluctantly, her body begging for rest, she indulged in the thing that would quiet her mind for the time being, and picked up a pencil: Dear Foggy Day, I’m sorry we didn’t see you at the Hearth’s Warming party. You must be pretty busy, so I don’t blame you for missing it. Did you have a nice Hearth’s Warming, at least? I understand if you’re busy, but…it would really mean a lot to me and Scootaloo if you could come to our birthday party next month. I forgot to mention that our birthdays are actually just a day apart! So we’re gonna celebrate both of ours on Scootaloo’s birthday! I’ve already talked to my friend about it, and it’ll start at 2. It’ll be in Sugarcube Corner, same place as the Hearth’s Warming party. Again, across town from the train station. Cake-shaped bakery, can’t miss it. I…I really hope we’ll see you there. Rainbow Dash pondered a moment, swiping a hoof across her sweaty forehead as her hesitation finally gave way for her convictions as she added to the letter: I really want you to keep being a part of Scootaloo’s life, even though she doesn’t live with you anymore. I know you care about her, and she cares about you. Please don’t disappear. I really hope to see you soon. -Rainbow Dash The task finally achieved, Rainbow Dash left the letter to be mailed off to the agency later on as she stood up and dragged herself into the kitchen for some desperately-needed medication.