//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The filly in the basement. // by Stormy Cloud //------------------------------// After Stormy was let out of the basement, he went to his room to think. He sat in front of his mirror, where he likes to stare at himself and think, pondering over what Scootaloo had said. He looked into his cyan face and stared at his light blue eyes. Scootaloo had commented that they looked beautiful, a statement that creeped him out. He also wanted answers, Rainbow Dash was an old family friend who occasionally foalsat him when his parents had to attend business trips. He knew that Rainbow Dash lived in the town of Ponyville, which wasn't far from where he lived. Leaving the house was going to be a problem as his parents never let him leave. He had no friends and his parents had always homeschooled him. They might let him leave if he played his cards right. Walking into the living room, his parents didn't acknowledge him as he entered. “Mum, Dad, can I ask a question?” he asked, shuffling his hooves in nervousness. “What is it colt?” his father asked, not looking up from his newspaper that he was reading, while his mother acted as if she didn't hear him. “Can I go and visit, Rainbow Dash?” Both his parents looked up, giving him a suspicious glance, his father asking “Why?” “I heard that she got into the Wonderbolt Academy and I want to hear what it's like.” he explained innocently. “Why can you not wait until she comes to foalsat you?” he countered. “I want to see what Ponyville is like. I like listening to her stories. Please let me go.” he begged. His parents looked like they were mulling it over with his father biting his lip in thought, a habit that Stormy sometimes copied. Suddenly his mother spoke up “Maybe it's about time that the colt saw some fresh air, it could do him some good.” His father finally relented saying “Fine, but on several conditions: You will let me take you there, you will not leave Rainbow Dash’s supervision and you do not tell anypony about the secret.” Stormy nodded, his father getting up, he told his son to get ready. Five minutes later they were leaving the house and flying over the treetops towards Ponyville. *** During the entire flight, his father didn't say anything. Stormy had always loved hearing Rainbow Dash’s stories but he had never heard her talk anypony named Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash had known his father from when they went to flight camp together and had the same ideas about Pegasus supremacy. When they arrived at Ponyville, they didn't land in the town proper, instead heading towards a large, cloud mansion on the outskirts of town. It had taken five minutes of his father’s knocking before a very annoyed-looking Pegasus to finally answer the door, however when she did, her face shifted from annoyed to surprised in the space of five seconds before she composed herself. She invited the duo in before saying “What's my favourite colt doing here?” His father answered for him “He wanted to visit you and ask you about your time in the Wonderbolt Academy.” “Really, well first let's give you a tour of the house,” Rainbow said, his father then explained the same rules that he had told Stormy before leaving. Rainbow merely rolled her eyes before telling him “He never gives you any freedom.” She then took him on a tour of the house where he stared in wonder at the Rainbow fountains with Dash explaining “That is pure spectra, straight from the Rainbow Factory” Then to his excitement, she took out a glass jar before filling it up with the rainbow liquid, giving it to Stormy saying “Here, you might be able to start your own rainbow fountain. He held the jar as if it was a precious treasure. He then started in amazement at all the trophies that adjourned the shelves. That was when he noticed a photo of Rainbow Dash sitting next to a familiar orange Pegasus filly. However, before he could ask about it, Rainbow steered him towards the living room before saying “So you want to know what I did at the Wonderbolts Academy?” Stormy nodded and Rainbow immediately started to explain how she got chosen to go to the Academy. Stormy couldn't concentrate on the story, too distracted by the picture, he had seen. Rainbow noticed and asked “Hey is something bothering you, you seem to be a lot quieter than your usual self?” she asked softly. Stormy asked her “Do you know anypony called Scootaloo?” This made Rainbow’s cyan fur go pale as she started to fidget uncomfortably. Rainbow didn't know how to respond, she had Both questions and excuses rolling through her mind. “No,” she said, looking extremely guilty. Stormy knew she was lying, however, he decided not to push it for now. Instead, he asked, “Can we go out?” Rainbow looked relieved at the change in subject “Yeah, let's go to Suger Cube Corner.” she suggested. They then flew into town, where Rainbow showed him a large house that had a Cupcake as a roof. Leading him inside she told him “What do you want?” Stormy peered through the display, his mouth watering at all the sugary treats. His eyes found a very delicious-looking cake, that had chocolate icing on with marshmallows and a flake adorning it. He pointed to it when all of a sudden, a pink mare with the puffiest mane he had ever seen, burst out of nowhere “Excellent choice, those are new but I've never seen you before, which is weird because I knew everypony…” Stormy slowly backed away from the hyperactive mare all the while Rainbow was trying to stop herself from laughing. Stormy then heard the sound of crying coming from the corner of the room, turning towards the noise, he noticed a white, unicorn filly being comforted by a yellow, earth pony filly with a red mane and bow. Walking over he asked, “What's up?” The unicorn kept on crying while the earth pony answered “It's our friend, Scootaloo she’s gone missing, today's the day that we all met each other.” she explained, Stormy was shocked however the yellow filly then asked with desperation “Have you seen her?” pushing a poster in front of him. MISSING SCOOTALOO Race: Pegasus Gender: Female Age: 10 yrs old description: Orange Fur, Purple, Spikey mane and tail, Light purple eyes Last seen leaving the Ponyville Orphanage. If you have any information regarding Scootaloo's disappearance, please contact the Equestrian Royal Police Service, the Ponyville Police Station, The Royal Investigation Service's Missing Ponies Unit, or the National Centre for Missing Foals Reward: 10,000 Bits Stormy stared in shock at the poster, he asked the two fillies “Can I keep it?” They reluctantly agreed, nodding their heads. He stuffed the poster behind inside of his wings, not wanting Dash to see, who brought the cakes over. The cakes tasted very delicious. He was now deeply suspicious of both his parents and Rainbow Dash, the one pony whom he had trusted. When they arrived back at the mansion, they found his father waiting for them. Father asked how Stormy had been, to which Dash replied “He's been fine but we need to talk, now.” she pulled his father into the kitchen. Stormy snuck over to the door and listened through the crack. “What are you going to do with her?” “I haven't decided yet. If you had let me kill her we wouldn't be in this mess.” “You can't kill her, she's just a filly.” “She’s a failure, it is pegasi like her that bring shame upon our race.” “That's not the only problem, Stormy knows.” “How?” “He asked me If I knew anypony named Scootaloo.” “Shit, what did you tell him?” “Nothing, that I didn't know anypony named Scootaloo” “Good keep it that way” Suddenly Stormy backed away from the door as he heard hoofsteps, his father indicated for him to come. Stormy waved goodbye to Rainbow Dash before flying off with his father. Rainbow Dash watched the pair fly away, deep with worry. She walked over to the picture of herself and Scootaloo. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was scootaloo's look of hurt and betrayal. She closed these out and reminded herself that it was for the good of the flock…