//------------------------------// // Truth // Story: Whatever It Takes, I Love You // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// 8. Truth Rainbow glanced down at Scootaloo. "You told Spitfire what?" "I told her Luna was staying in Ponyville to look after you until you had adjusted to living like an Earth Pony." Scootaloo looked up at her big sister and the Princess calmly. "Why would you say this? While I certainly would be happy to do so, it is an odd thing to mention." Luna, while somewhat pleased, was also confused. Scootaloo smiled. "Well Princess, since it was Celestia who sent Spitfire to look for you, I kinda figured it was your business to decide when and how to tell your sister who you're dating. At least," she paused, suddenly nervous, "I assume that you two are dating, right? I didn't...misinterpret you two in bed together?" Rainbow blushed. "Well, I guess, yeah, we'll...umm..." Luna smiled. "We'll figure something out." She nuzzled Rainbow's neck affectionately. Scootaloo smiled. "Anyway, the story I told Spitfire is the one she's going to tell Celestia...although she said I should tell you to get some curtains, sis." Rainbow's blush deepend. --------------- "Luna is where?" Celestia said in surprise. Spitfire nodded. "She knew of your concern over Rainbow Dash in the current situation, so she's going to be staying with her, at least until she's adjusted to living like an Earth Pony." Celestia nodded. "I see. I hadn't expected that of her, although she does consider Twilight and the others to be her friends, so it makes sense...I'll have to make sure this is filed as a matter of Royal Interest for the Protection of the Kingdom, given Rainbow Dash is one of the Harmony Bearers. Don't want this to look to Child Services like Rainbow is appealing to a civil authority for aid..." As Celestia rambled a bit, Spitfire smiled to herself. Whether Rainbow Dash knew it or not, she had a lot of guardian angels watching over her, wanting her to succeed. "...and yes, I think I should go check on things there as well. I know, perhaps I can convince Luna to compete in Sweet Apple Acres Sisterhooves Social with me!" Spitfire felt she had to speak up here. "That might not be a good idea, Highness. While Princess Luna has managed to adjust herself to normal life in Ponyville, your presence might make things a bit...overly formal." Celestia sighed. "I suppose you are right..." She took out a quill and quickly penned a letter. "However, I'm sure nopony could find fault with me having a friendly picnic with my favorite student and her friends. Such an intimate little gathering need not be formal." Spitfire nodded. "The nobles will probably insist on you taking guards, though." "I'm sure you and Soarin' will be more than up to the task." Spitifre blinked. "I beg your pardon, Your Highness?" Celestia smiled. "It will just be the three of us going on the picnic with the others," she said as she sent the letter. "Won't that be nice? You'll get a chance to spend some...informal time with Rainbow Dash and the others." Spitfire nodded. "Yeah...wonderful..." --------------- Since Celestia had told Luna via letter to stay in Ponyville as long as she felt neccessarry - being classified as a matter of Royal Interest meant that she could indefinately delay holding her Night Court during her 'investigations' - Luna saw no reason to hurry back to Canterlot. The roof of Rainbow's house gave her an excellent point from which to raise the moon each night, and from there she used her magic to sense where - if anywhere - she was needed for her duties as Night Princess. Since those duties were few recently - apparently, most of Equestria slept peacefully - she then spent her nights with Rainbow and Scootaloo...as well as the others. Pinkie had actually insisted on holding a 'Recovery Party' for Rainbow, which was made into a sleepover in Applejack's barn. With all three CMC, all six Harmony Bearers, and one pleased Night Princess in attendance, it proved to be a full house. They talked and played long into the night, until eventually they all fell asleep close to dawn. Rainbow Dash began working part time at anywhere that needed the work and could spare the bits to pay her. First day she Bucked and sold apples with Applejack. While that had gone well - somewhat - funds were always tight on the farm, so it didn't become a permanent position. Besides that...it soon became apparent that Apple Bloom was better at selling apples than Rainbow, as her gruff and aggressive air drove off potential customers. Next, she tried helping out at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie. While Pinkie mared the store, Dash watched over Pumkin and Pound Cake. They adored her almost as much as they did Pinkie, and wound up drawing all over her with red marker. She then went to go mind the store with Pinkie, forgetting to wash the marker out first. For some reason, no pony wanted to buy any rainbow cupcakes that day. She also tried working at the library and Carousel Boutique...but neither worked out well. She wound up just making a mess at the library, and she could not bear the fashion focus of the Boutique. Fluttershy didn't need any help with the animals, as her father was still staying over with her. However, Derpy was able to get Rainbow a temp position with the post office delivering letters. While she wasn't as fast grounded as she was in the air, she was still pretty fast, and she knew Ponyville's streets quite well from low altitude stunts. Scootaloo also pitched in trying to help earn some bits, with almost disastorous results. The "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Money Makers" project was thankfully caught before it got to out of hand, leading to a rather quick and informative lecture from Twilight regarding Equestria's counterfeiting laws. By the end of the second week, however, things had more or less settled down, and everyone had arranged a day off for the scheduled picnic with Princess Celestia. Everyone actually made it to the field a little early, having everything et up well before the Princess was due to arrive. Fluttershy had told everyone her father was coming, too, although he might be a little late. While her comment about him 'chasing a scent' went over most ponies heads, Rainbow nodded, knowing what that was about. Recognizing the field as the one she had seen Rarity and Spike cuddled up in on several nights, Rainbow caught Rarity's eye and smirked knowingly. However, to Rainbow's surprise, Rarity had then glanced from Rainbow to Luna and smirked right back. Rainbow ahdn't actually told anypony that she and Luna had gotten together. She figured she'd save that for a better time. Discussion with Luna had led to deciding to save it until after the adoption probationary period ended. How had Rarity figured it out? Finally, Celestia arrived, flanked by Soarin' and Spitfire. "Hello, my little ponies," she said happily. As greetings were exchanged, everypony settled down to enjoy the picnic. Celestia asked questions of everypony regarding what they'd been up to, and listened carefully to their answers. She seemed genuinely pleased to be amongst a group where formality was not a major concern. Finally, her attention turned to Rainbow Dash. "And how goes things with you and Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow smiled. "Just swimmingly, Princess. Scoot's still bringing home all A's, as usual." Scootaloo blushed a bit. "I've also been adjusting to being without my wings. It's...both easier and harder than I thought it would be." Celestia smiled and nodded. "I see. To be perfectly honest, I'm not surprised at the lengths you went to for Scootaloo's sake, to keep her once you'd adopted her." She sipped her tea. "Being adopted yourself, after all." "EH?" The shocked response came from Twilight, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Pinkie, and Fluttershy...although Fluttershy, unlike the otehrs, didn't shout. Celestia blinked. "I'm sorry. I thought your friends knew." Rainbow shook her head. "I didn't exactly make a fuss. I mean, how often does the Sun Princess stick her hoof in when it comes to the adoption of a Pegasus filly." She ignored the stunned shock on the faces of her friends. "Although speaking of, Celestia, since it was you who brought me to my folks, I was wondering..." She paused. Spitfire had turned away, her eyes closed and her head down. "Yes Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked, watching Rainbow with interest. Rainbow sat there for a time. "...never mind. It's not important." She got to her hooves. "Besides," she said, glancing towards Spitfire, "I think I've figured part of the answer anyway. Excuse me, I need to clear my head." Turning, she walked out amongst the nearby trees. As nearly everypony else looked at each other wondering what was going on, Celestia sighed. "That could have gone better..." she mumbled to herself. ------------- Rainbow paused a good distance away from the group, leaning against a tree. Her mind reeled with what she'd just learned. Spitfire, the Wonderbolt, the mare she'd long looked up to and idolized...her mother? It didn't make sense. A memory came back. "I never had a chance to be a mother...and I've come to think of you as a daughter." That was Spitfire, when she'd come to see Rainbow to give her the details about what it meant to be a Wonderbolt, about how much responsibility she'd take on. It was that talk that had led Rainbow to decide to not become a Wonderbolt - yet - despite the position being offered. Dash shook her head, trying to get her emotions under control. "Rainbow Dash, I need to talk with you." She turned. It was Soarin'. "I said I need to be alone!" Dash snapped, turning away. "Well if you're going to be a spoiled foal about it-" "Who do you think you are, my father?" Soarin' was quiet. "In point of fact..." Rainbow Dash just turned and glared at him. Soarin' sighed. "I'm going to tell you a story, Rainbow Dash. You can listen or not as you choose, but I think you should. You could learn something, and it's something you need to hear." He sat down. "Yes, Spitfire and I are your biological parents. We were rather young and foolish when we first became Wonderbolts, and rather high on ourselves for having made it. However, two weeks after our first show, two years into our career...Spitfire began foaling. And, as you know, becoming a Wonderbolt requires a life time commitment." Rainbow nodded. She remembered that much of what Spitfire had told her. Soarin' continued. "When we found out, we considered our options. As far as we could see, we only had two. The first was to leave the Wonderbolts to take care of you. However...breaking the contract would mean that we would likely never get another job the same side of legality in Equestria. Assuming we managed to survive at all, it wouldn't be long before Child Services took you away. Our second option was to buy a house in Canterlot and hire a live in foalsitter to take care of you. As Wonderbolts, we could afford it, and actually looked into it...but after seeing how other ponies had developed in such settings - Celestia's nephew Blueblood a prime example - we realized that doing that, we would still lose you...and would only be able to watch as you slowly pulled away from us when we couldn't be there for you when you needed us. "Seeing how no matter what we did we would lose you if we tried to take care of you ourselves, we knew we would have to give you up. However, we couldn't bear the thought of putting you into the foster system, so we went to Celestia for help. She found a solution. She knew of a pegasi couple who had been trying to have a foal but couldn't. She told us she would deliver our foal herself, and then do what was neccessarry for the good of our foal, as we saught to do." Rainbow blinked. "Celestia delivered me...herself?" Soarin' nodded. "After you were delivered, she held you in her magic, keeping you from waking just yet. She said she wouldn't let you wake until you were safely in your new mother's wings." "Wait!" Rainbow spoke up. "Don't you mean in Spitfire's wings?" Soarin' shook her head. "No. Celestia had explained that to us. If Spitfire held you even once, you would imprint on her, and you would always be yearning for her, unable to be content with your adoptive parents. Celestia even suppressed your memory of Spitfire's scent, so it would not haunt your dreams." Soarin' swallowed, struggling to hold back tears as he recounted this memory. "We only got one look at you - a tiny cyan body curled up in a ball, your rainbow mane and tail just dry, your wings already buzzing, trying to fly despite the stasis - before she took you to where your incipient adoptive parents were waiting." Rainbow stared, shocked beyond words. Soarin' blinked away his tears. "I can understand why you're upset about finding out your parents gave you up, especially given SCootaloo's birth parents did the same thing because she couldn't fly. But we did it because we loved you enough to let you go. Spitfire gave up her only chance to hold her own foal in her wings to give you the loving, stable home you needed and deserved." Rainbow snapped onto what was said. "What do you mean, her only chance?" Soarin' sighed. He hadn't meant to let that slip. "The doctor's said...Spitfire shouldn't have conceived. Her build was...inconducive to child birth, and they weren't sure if either she or you would survive delivery. That's why Celestia delivered you herself, to ensure that you both would survive. As is, though...she can't conceive again." Rainbow fell back against the tree, shocked beyond words. She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry. Soarin' sighed. "I suppose you're right, now, that you have a lot to think about. I just wanted you to know the whole story before you made any decision regarding this. ...we'll be waiting for you at the picnic." He turned and flew off. Rainbow Dash leaned against the tree, catching her breath, getting control of her emotions. Once she was calm, she spoke up. "You can come down now, Scoot." Scootaloo fluttered down from the tree's branches, looking a tad guilty. "How'd you know I was there?" Rainbow smiled. "Because I know you, squirt. You wouldn't have been able to stay away." She hugged Scoot to her. "I take it you heard the whole thing?" Scootaloo nodded. "What are you going to do?" Rainbow sighed. "I don't know..." They stood there for a time in silence. After a while, they heard the sound of somepony approaching. "Wonder who that is?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow turned towards the noise, expecting to see the arrival of the Admiral. However, the pony head that came out of the foliage was white with a pink mane. "What are you doing here, Candy Cane?" she snarled, putting herself protectively between the pegasus and Scootaloo. Candy Cane smiled under his moustache. "Why, my job, Miss Dash." He seemed to have recovered - somehow - from what Luna had done to him. "It's been a few months since the adoption, so it's time for a review, to make sure the little angel made it to the best possible home." Candy Cane smirked at Rainbow. "We all want what's best for little Scootaloo, after all, don't we? My goodness, whatever happened to your wings?" Rainbow snarled. "What business is that of yours?" "Why, it is ALL my business," he said, his voice oily smooth. "If I feel that your home is unsafe for Scootaloo - or worse, unhealthy - I will have no choice but to...remove her." "You DARE!" Rainbow snarled, lowering her head, ready to attack if neccessarry. "Now now," Candy Cane said, smirking. "That's hardly how you should be speaking to me." "And why shouldn't she?" Bloodmane asked, coming in for a landing. "Who might you be, and why are you giving her trouble?" Candy Cane glanced towards Bloodmane in irritation. "This is not your concern, Mister...?" As Luna entered the clearing - concerned with Rainbow Dash's long absence - Bloodmane suddenly snarled and pinned Candy Cane bodily to a tree. "It's been too long," he said, baring his teeth. "W-what do you think you're doing?" Candy Cane demanded, as everyone else stared in shock. Admiral Bloodmane grinned, his single eye sparking in fury. "I never forget a scent. I finally caught you, Candy Cane...or should I say...Slick Shades!"