//------------------------------// // Knowing What to Do // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash laid back on the guest bed in Rosalie’s den. Her hooves were behind her head and she was staring up at the ceiling in contemplation. Thinking at any sort of depth was usually deeper than how she normally thought, but that’s what she found herself doing right now. Rosalie, Angie and Jolene were out in the sitting room, talking about who knows what. Wish was out playing with the friends she had made again. Or perhaps practicing her mane styling skills after finding her special talent. It seemed she had become the hot new topic among the kids in Arondel. That was a good thing, a really good thing. That smile… Rainbow Dash thought as she looked up at the ceiling. It was so happy. She finally had a real smile. She had known Wish for a while now and that was by far the happiest she had ever seen the young filly. And with what Wish was doing now it seemed like she might have finally gotten over her own issues. She wasn’t afraid of the other ponies here, or full of hatred or anxiety, she had managed to find peace with herself. It was so simple but so important to her. And now here Rainbow Dash was. Thinking. What had happened with Harlequin Grey was replaying in her head. The fact that… she… was still chasing her went through her mind. Wish’s smiling face was stuck in her head. She thought about the peacefulness of Arondel. The quick friendships that had been made with Rosalie and the others. She thought about the promise she had made Wish. Will you help me? That’s what she asked when she freed me. And then the promises I made to her when we left Hoofica behind… Rainbow Dash sighed and turned over in the bed, grabbing a pillow and pulling it down on top of her head. There were the adventures still to come. The unknown to go through. And her goal of flying all the way around the world that she still needed to accomplish. The danger that was certainly still out there waiting for her. Rainbow Dash groaned and started punching the mattress. “Why does stuff have to be so difficult? How come I have to make a decision like this? This isn’t the kind of thing I wanted to have to deal with when coming to this side of the world… I didn’t think something like this would happen.” She got tired of beating the mattress and threw the pillow off her in annoyance. “So uncool. It’s so uncool. I’m not the one who freaks out or struggles, right? I’m the one who makes a gut decision and busts through any walls in the way.” She turned around again and stared up at the ceiling. “So what’s my gut telling me? What’s the right thing to do here?” She blinked before closing her eyes and sighing. “I don’t know why I even asked myself… not like I haven’t always known.” Rainbow opened her eyes again and hopped out of bed. A glance outside the window showed that it was the middle of the day, nobody had bothered her yet since she told Wish she was going to sleep in. There were still the voices of Rosalie, Angie and Jolene from the other room, Rainbow Dash was going to need to talk to Rosalie before she did anything else. Maybe she could also tell Angie and Jolene to make sure Wish didn’t come back for at least a few more hours? Though she doubted the filly would right now, she was really busy being the center of attention. That mental image actually brought a smirk to Rainbow Dash’s face. To think that uncomfortable, suspicious, withdrawn, and sassy filly was probably being crowded by a bunch of other kids who thought she was just the most amazing thing that had happened to their town recently. And that she was smiling about all of it. With a twist of her limbs, Rainbow Dash popped her joints and then cracked her neck, taking a big stretch and yawning after spending so much time in bed. Her stomach grumbled and she rolled her eyes. “Right… maybe I can get lunch or something from Rosalie first.” Rosalie and Rainbow Dash sat alone on her couch, an untouched cup of tea that had since gone cold sat in front of a nervous Rainbow Dash. The pegasus had been struggling to find her words for a while now, even after shooing Angie and Jolene away for the moment. “Is whatever you wanted to talk about really something we need to be alone for?” A curious Rosalie finally asked. “Umm… I dunno, probably not. Just kind of wanted the privacy I guess,” Rainbow replied. “So what is it then? Is it something about Wish—or are you leaving?” Rainbow Dash groaned and dragged a hoof down her face. “I don’t know why this is so difficult...” A sad look passed across Rosalie’s face and she looked down at her lap. “O-Oh… so you are leaving.” “Aw geez… Rosalie I’m sorry but… I was always going to be leaving. I’m surprised I even stayed here for this many days. But yeah, I’m going to be leaving Arondel and Vissidia behind soon.” Rainbow sighed and reached a hoof over to Rosalie’s shoulder, affectionately patting it. “I’m going to miss the two of you so much,” Rosalie said. Rainbow Dash’s breath hitched in her throat. “That’s… that’s another thing. I wanted to ask you about something.” Rosalie looked over at her with a confused face. “What?” “When it comes to...” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and steadied herself. “In Vissidia, when it comes to ponies that don’t have a home, and don’t have a family, how are they taken care of? Do you have foster families? Or orphanages? Or anything like that?” “Well of course… and we value having a strong community, we take care of any pony who doesn’t have a family of their own. Shelter, food, love, ponies from all over town will come and help,” Rosalie smiled. But in a few seconds the smile slowly disappeared from her face. “Why?” Rainbow Dash’s hooves shook and she felt a tear rolling down the side of her face. “Y-You’ve really made friends with Wish, haven’t you?” “T-That filly has become very special to me, yes,” Rosalie slowly nodded, a few tears now spilling forth from her eyes. Rainbow Dash brought her hoof up and wiped away the tear. “I… I need to ask you to do something.” “Oh, Rainbow Dash...” Rosalie reached over and wrapped the pegasus in a hug.