//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Clarity // Story: Runaway // by RedScootaloo //------------------------------// Knock. Knock. Knock. The weather changed. It was raining. Her knocking on the door in front of her seemed endless. She was scared and unsure if she was doing the right thing. But she had to make sure Bash was alright. She had to explain everything. The knocking had come without thinking. She almost regretted it. It was like the day she came back to the ponies that raised her. To Rusty and Sharon. She hadn't heard of them for a long time. She hadn't tried to. But she knew that if one of them had died, she would've known. Lightning Runner. The name she gave her foal. Orion's foal. Orion was dead. He had to be. He and Aurora had infected each other with a disease they couldn't survive without medical help. "Rainbow Dash!" an orange filly jumped on her, putting her hooves behind the mare's neck. Completely surprised the mare froze. "S-scootaloo?" She had hoped to find her here, but didn't dear to believe it. "How did you get here?" "Uh.. It's a pretty... long story. Come inside, I'm sure Rusty won't mind!" She moved to let her pass. Rainbow Dash smiled unsure and entered the house she had left all those years ago. So this is how it ends... she thought. I'm gonna meet the daughter I left when she was just a little filly. I'm like my parents... Except they never returned to see me. That thought was somewhat depressing. But she couldn't go back now. She stopped and closed the door behind herself. "R-rusty?" she called. She was scared how he might react. He possibly thought she would've shown up sooner. The stallion eating his soup froze. Even after all those years he still recognized her voice as she called him. And he knew what it meant. He knew what would happen next. He had to admit that after a few weeks he had really started to love Bash like his own child. Deep inside he had hoped for her to never come back, though he had always missed her. As if she was her daughter, too. He never blamed her for running away. A filly in love does stupid things, but she truly regretted it when she came back. He had seen it in her eyes. But he had waited long enough. They would have to do a lot of talking. "Rainbow Dash." He said. "It's been a while." His rusty voice he had earned his nickname by brought back all the memories of Rainbow's childhood. "Yes. I mean, yeah. I mean, I'm sorry." He could see how nervous she was. Her hooves where scratching on the ground, her voice quivered. "You don't need to be. You should talk to her, I suppose." he said as friendly as he could. It didn't sound like that, though. Hopefully Rainbow would understand it was only the nervousness. "I- I really should." She didn't make any attempt to move. Then she raised a hoof. And put it down closer towards the table in the next room. She moved on like that, and it seemed to her like it was taking forever. Until she finally was there. Face to face with... Orion's foal? No. She didn't look like him at all. She had her mane, her fur, her tail, her face. Except... Her eyes were darker than Rainbow's. They were a mixture of rose and red. It looked... beautiful. "Lightning Runner." she whispered. Bash was shocked by the mare that looked so similar to herself. "How- How'd ya know my name?" "I- Look, you never had parents, right? Like, real parents." What was she saying? That was the worst way to tell her. "Alright, let's start over, sorry. I-" "What the buck are ya talking 'bout?" she asked. Rusty's face came up behind the mare. "Now don't ya talk to yer mom like 'dis." he said. Suddenly it was quiet. Not only the room. It seemed like the rain outside had stopped exactly in the moment Rusty said 'mom'. Perfect. Just perfect. How will she not hate me now? "Rusty?" Bash asked. "Who is this mare?" "It's true, Lightning Runner. I am your biological mother. My name is Rainbow Dash. I came..." Rainbow paused for a second. "She came to take you with her." Rusty finished. "Only if you want to, of course!" Rainbow quickly added. "I'm living near Ponyville, a while from here, in a cloudhouse. If you decide to come with me, we can change whatever you want about it." Bash was stunned. But that was not even comparable to Scootaloo's reaction. She stood behind Rusty, quietly watching the whole situation. If this was Rainbow Dash's daughter... She was her adopted sister? The first pony she kissed was her stepsister? "You mean she is, like, my stepsister?" she asked. Now Bash was completely confused. "What'cha talking about, filly? I- wha- I-" "Yes, Scootaloo. She kind of is." Rainbow answered. The whole situation was just confusing and getting pretty out of her hand. Bash understood nothing at all, though. Rusty had never talked to her about her parents, and the similarity to Rainbow Dash was undeniable, but she still couldn't quite believe it. She had never even thought that one of her parents might come to take her with her. "The offer to come with me is not for Bash only, but for you and Sharon, too. Where is she, anyways?" Rainbow Dash said, putting all her confidence in it. Silence. Suddenly, everypony inside the room focused their thoughts on Sharon. Sharon, who was living out there, somewhere, in her old, run-down house drinking all day long. "She-" Rusty tried. "Look, don't take this as blame for it, but you leaving us kind of... broke her. She never came over it and... She started to drink." Bash stayed quiet though she was disappointed Rusty had lied to her all this time. But that wasn't important now. "Well, a drink every now and then is-" she started when Rusty interrupted her. "Very often." he said. "But now that you've returned we might be able to get her away from it. I would prepare for her blaming you, though. You know, the alcohol." "It's not like I didn't deserve it, right?" the sad voice responded.