//------------------------------// // Learning From the Past // Story: "I Promise, Scootaloo. I Promise" // by TheFineBrony //------------------------------// The next morning 3:00 am Rainbow Dash woke up early. Fluttershy was always on time, or even early most of the time. She couldn't afford her or Scootaloo seeing the adoption papers, they would know eventually, but now was not the time. Rainbow Dash had never been good with words or emotions, she still had no idea how she was going to break the news to Scootaloo. She slowly pulled off the blanket covering her cyan figure. Her body screamed at her as she forced it upright out of bed. Dash never got up this early, in fact she had never woken up this early in her adult life. It took her a couple of moments to get her balance, but soon enough she was on her hooves and semi-wake. For Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she began to stretch out her body. She had the worst bed mane in all of Equestria and she knew it. Her rainbow mane covered the entirety of her face, split ends right and left. Rarity surely would’ve fainted immediately upon seeing it, and not even a soothing pink would be able to help her. Rainbow Dash laughed at the thought. She didn't care, Rainbow Dash is who she is, and she doesn't care what any other pony says. With stretches complete, it was time to go. Dash quickly threw her mane out of her face, as she exited her room. She was adept with sneaking out of the house early in the mornings, the rainbow mare still had the prowess to sneak out without waking up Scootaloo. When Rainbow Dash was young, the teachers would take shifts watching the dorms, making sure everyone ate their meals and went to bed. After dinner the teacher on duty would most likely leave or just go to bed. She would slowly creak open the window an hour after dinner. It would take her a total of five minutes to open the window, if she wanted to do it without making any sound. Once outside the filly was as free as a bird, nothing in her way, no worries at all. Rainbow remembered fondly back on the nights she spent hours alone, alive, and with nopony to tell her anything. All night she would fly free, soaring through the clouds at full speed, playing her favorite game: Wonderbolt Academy. Other nights she would sit outside staring at the moon, in shock and awe. Her mother had told her something the night before she left, something that still rang inside Rainbow's head like it was yesterday. “Stare up at the moon, Rainbow,” her mother started as she pulled her filly closer to her.” “Yes, what about it?” “When you look at the moon, I want you to remember something. As long as the moon shines bright, and the sun comes up each morning; know that I love you. Wherever you are, and whoever you are, no matter what you have done or who you are with. I will love you, and I will miss you.” “Then, why are you leaving?” “Because we have to, Rainbow. Keep looking up at the moon, don't lose focus. Whenever you look at the moon I want you to remember that your father and I are looking at the exact same one, thinking the exact same thing, we love you Rainbow. Whenever you look at the moon remember that, for me.” She eventually got caught doing this, the teacher on duty was walking right outside her window when Dash had tried to escape. The young cyan filly was the most scared she had ever been in her life at that moment. She got kitchen clean up crew duty for 3 weeks, because of this little 'stunt' the principle called it. Rainbow slowly creaked up the door, revealing the dimly lit hallway. Her hooves moved swiftly yet silently as each hoof was carefully placed in front of the other. She bit her tongue as she passed Scoots’ room, There is no way Scootaloo can see what I am doing, she thought to herself. Hoof by hoof, Dash slowly trotted down the hallway on the soft cloud carpet. A sigh of relief left her mouth when she reached the kitchen. A folder lay flat on the table, along with a brown saddle bag. The saddle bag was quickly hoisted onto her back, and the folder thrown in. Next was the hardest part, the front door. A big door like that had to make some noise when opening it. Never the less it had to be done. The lock was carefully turned, as to make the least amount of noise possible. Once unlocked, Dash began to slowly open it at a snails pace, moans came from the solid block of wood. Why didn’t I fix this? she thought to herself as the entry was slowly pried open. What took only a few second felt like hours to Rainbow as the entrance was hoisted open. Her body moved through the gap carefully until she was fully outside. A silent cheer went off in her head. Still have it, Rainbow thought. After all those years she still was the best at sneaking out undetected. The door was carefully shut, but left open a sliver for her eventual return. She flapped her wings a couple of times and took off slowly towards Ponyville. It was a short flight, once out of distance from her house she took off full speed. Dash didn’t want to leave Scootaloo alone for all that time. She cared about the orange filly more than she really knew herself. Rainbow never had anypony to really care for in her life pre Scootaloo, it was a new feeling, and she loved it. Shortly there after, Rainbow Dash was standing outside the Pony Express Postal office. The lights shone brightly out onto the street from inside. A 24 hour sign was posted proudly on the outside of the door. It was still dark outside, but this shop lit up the entire street. Rainbow walked through the door only to be greeted by the sound of a bell chime. Dash looked around inside and there was nopony to be seen. “Hello?” “Hi!” a voice coming from the back hollered. Dash knew that voice anywhere, how could she ever forget it? “Hey, Derpy.” “Did you get my letter I gave you?” “Yes, Derpy,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Well, what brings you to this fine establishment at 3 am?” Derpy was one of Dash’s good friends. Ever since foalhood they always had been good friends, nothing like Fluttershy, but still friends nonetheless. She couldn’t tell Derpy, she would tell Dinky, and then intern tell Scoots. By the way, didn’t Dinky play with Scootaloo or Apple Bloom? “Oh, just gotta send some paperwork, you know?” Dash commented pulling open her saddle bag, revealing the large folder. “Just paperwork?” Derpy happily questioned. “Yup, just that same old run of the mill paperwork.” Derpy paused a moment and held the folder in her hooves. Her eyes crossed in thought as she gently raised and lowered the papers in her hooves. Rainbow Dash continued on walking, confused all the while, watching her friend. This went on for 10 seconds before... “Derpy! Can you please just mail the package!” “Oh yeah, sorry, Rainbow,” Derpy stammered as she quickly ran over to the counter behind her and started rummaging through its contents. Pens, quills, and scrolls flew out of the drawer as Derpy vigorously searched. Rainbow Dash had to dodge incoming projectiles, until a scroll landed square on her forehead. “Derpy,” Dash whispered with a hint of anger. “Are you done yet? Can I go?” Derpy spun around quickly revealing her prize. A stamp with Celestia proudly displayed on the front. “Found it, and yes you can go.” “Thank you. Have a good night, Derpy,” the cyan mare stated relieved. She drew her saddle bag back onto her body and closed the side flaps. I did it, she thought to herself, wait I did it. I really went through with it! Dash started to question herself and her ethics as she began to walk towards the door. She was going to be responsible for somepony now. Life was no longer about Rainbow Dash, it was about her and Scootaloo. The mare started to panic a little in her head as she steadily trotted towards the doorway. “You’re going to make a great sister,” Derpy yelled out as Dash was halfway out the door. She immediately stopped in her walk and turned around. Eyebrows raised. “What? How did you-” “I mail a lot of things,” Derpy interrupted, pointing up to the poster on the wall that contained the words ‘Pony Express, We Ship Anything and Everything’. “From the...?” Dash tried to her articulate her sentence, but she just couldn’t. How did she guess it correctly, from just the weight? “The weight, I know things. But anyway, you're going to be a great sister. I know you, Rainbow Dash, you're gonna be awesome.” “Thanks, I guess,” the rainbow mare exclaimed, still obviously in shock. “All they need is somepony to be there for them. Comfort them through the nightmares, and be with them through their triumphs. You not only meet those requirements, you blow those requirements out of the water! You will be the best and coolest sister in all of Equestria, don’t worry. She will love you, if she doesn’t already.” “You know, I didn’t need the assurance, but thanks, Derpy.” “Sure...” Derpy said sarcastically as her friend trotted out of the store with a new spring in her step. The cyan mare made short work of the flight back home. Now to do it all over again, she thought to herself as she approached the front porch. Rainbow still couldn’t shake the nervous feeling despite Derpy’s talk. She loved Scootaloo, but would she be good enough for her? Rainbow was still young and had her whole life ahead of her. No longer could she live for herself, she had a filly to raise. It was the same routine as before. The door was slowly and carefully closed, followed by the saddle bag being set on the counter. Finally, Rainbow Dash snuck back into her room, and slowly crawled into bed and let out a loud sigh of relief. Before long she was wrapped up tightly in her sheets and was ready to go sleep until... “AAAAAAHHHHHHHH,” a voice cried out from the next room over. Scootaloo, she thought to herself as she ripped off the blanket, and was on her hooves. Scootaloo! Rainbow’s door was immediately thrown open making a large thud. Her body tense, running on sheer adrenaline, and the desire to protect. In seconds she was at the entrance of the orange filly’s room. She began to fumble with the door handle in her desperate rush to get inside. “Scootaloo!” No reply met her as she ripped open the door throwing it into the wall, just like her own. Everything in the room was normal. Rainbow frantically searched for Scootaloo but, she was nowhere to be found. The window was left slightly open. Her heart was beating faster and faster as she raced over to window. An orange feather was stuck in the window sill, blowing in the wind. That was all she needed to see to jump out the window. Rainbow Dash shivered from the cold and frigid air; Luna’s moon was out in its glory. The moonlight made everything more visible in the night sky. Rainbow quickly dove toward the ground, out of pure instinct. The cold air was like a slap in the face, as she rocketed down. Her eyes scanned the skies, looking for any signs of life. Her heart kept racing. “Rainbow…” a voice called out from a distance. She knew it was Scoots, it had to be her. Just hearing her voice spurred the mare to fly faster. Soon enough a small orange figure appeared. A small pegasus buzzing her wings as fast as possible, slowly plummeting toward the ground. The strain could be easily seen on the young filly’s face, as she desperately tried to fly. Her heart still racing, Dash flew at full speed and grabbed the filly swiftly out of the air. She could feel the filly still buzzing her wings even though she had a firm grip on her. Rainbow slowly began her climb back up toward her cloud home, as her heart finally started to calm down. She looked down in her hooves at a sight Rainbow had never seen before. Scootaloo’s mane was completely frayed and in a total state of disunion. Her body felt weak, tired, and scared in her arms. The buzzing coming from Scootaloo’s wings shortly stopped there after. She had never even looked up at Rainbow, she kept her head down and nuzzled tightly against her mentor’s strong body. A new sensation quickly hit Rainbow Dash as she felt warm tears streaming down her mane. Scootaloo was trying her best to conceal her tears, but her emotions overwhelmed her. Rainbow gently landed on top the cloud supporting her home. She moved her hoof under Scootaloo and tried to pry her off. The little filly pressed back and would not let go, so Dash slid the filly to her underside. “It’s alright, you're safe now.” Again, no reply met Rainbow as the small filly kept crying into her coat. She was at a loss for words, she was never really good with these kinds of situations. Dash slowly stroked the back of Scootaloo’s bright purple mane. “Hey, it’s alright, Squirt.” Still no response came from Scootaloo, she just continued to cry. Rainbow still had no idea what to do. How in the world do I get her off me, I think I need to calm her down first, she thought to herself. Dash slowly slid her hooves onto the filly and began to tickle her. The small grin was barely visible on the filly’s face when she started to laugh. She then carefully lifted the orange pegasus off her body and onto the cloud. “Scoots, what were you doing?” Dash moved herself closer to the teary eyed filly, and wrapped her wings gently around her. “It’s okay. I know how you feel. So let’s turn that frown upside down, what do you say?” Rainbow Dash whispered into Scootaloo’s ear. “Just... Just... Just...” The orange filly cried, pausing while she sobbed. “Just don’t hate me! I am so sorry. I just wanted to be like you. Please don’t get rid of me! Please!” Dash pulled the filly closer into her chest. She felt a warmth, she had never experienced before, overcome her body. It was something new, something different, and she loved it. “Scoots, look at me,” Dash whispered as she lifted Scootaloo’s teary face. One by one she wiped all the tears off Scoots’ face. “Can you keep a secret?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo paused. “I can.” “Good, because if you tell this anypony else, I will deny it.” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment as she thought about her past, images and memories of her foalhood came rushing back into her head. The flight school, her parents’ visits, and the letters, all came back. She was overwhelmed but quickly pushed them out of mind. “I did the same thing when I was a foal your age. Every night I would sneak out and practice flying, no matter what. I eventually got caught, but not even that could stop me. And some nights I would fail too, not like you, but that’s besides the point.” Their eyes met in unison as she continued speaking. “I know how you feel, don’t worry. And where did you ever get the idea that I would get rid of you, like garbage? I love you, Scootaloo, I would never just throw you away.” Scootaloo stopped crying and looked intently at her mentor. Rainbow had never said that to her, nor anypony she knew. She looked fondly down to Scootaloo, as she was wrapped tightly in her wings. Scootaloo could feel Rainbow Dash’s heartbeat, and her warm tear soaked coat and mane. “Really?” “Yeah, I have never been more sure about something in my life. Just next time, Squirt, just tell me when you want to fly, or at least warn me, okay?” Scootaloo’s heart lifted, she had thought Rainbow was going to be angry. She snuck out of the house, alone, trying to fly. Scoots thought that she was going to be kicked out of the house for sure. “Good technique though, by the way, you just need a little more focus,” Dash replied, slowly lowering the filly down to cloud again. “Come on, you got it, give it one more try.” “Um, okay!” Scootaloo cheered while the last tear was wiped from her face. Rainbow Dash stood ready to catch the filly as Scootaloo slowly raised herself into the air. Her wings buzzing at a furious pace as she slowly rose. Her little heart was filled with joy and ecstasy, while she carefully rose in the sky. “Focus.” Scootaloo didn’t reply, her eyes narrowed, focused. The filly’s heart began to race as she worked harder and harder to lift her small frame into the sky. The joy inside her could not be contained, she was flying! “I am doing it! I am doing it!” “Whoo, go, Scootaloo,” Dash cheered the filly on. “Doing good.” Scootaloo stopped climbing in the air as she began to hover. The sounds of Rainbow’s voice spurred her on. Her wings kept buzzing, flapping furiously. Breathing increased, heart rate elevated, and muscles beginning to cramp. Scoots face began to clearly show signs of stress. The orange filly closed her eyes, giving every last bit of energy to flight. The cyan mare slowly positioned herself under filly, ready to grab her. Scootaloo’s wings finally collapsed and shut. She let out a sign of distress when her wings fell beside her body. The filly began to let out a scream before realising the warm strong hooves holding her up. “You did great! You hovered all by yourself, that’s the longest I have ever seen you hover! You will be flying like me in no time, kiddo.” Her heart fluttered upon hearing Rainbow’s words, Scoots had never heard anything like that in her life. Her eyes met Dash’s, as she looked up. There was a moment of silence while the filly caught her breath. “I love you, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo wheezed in between breaths. Her hooves were tightly wrapped around Rainbow, as she hugged her. Rainbow carefully flew over to the front door while the filly nuzzled her mane. This time she didn’t have to sneak into the house. The entrance was thrown open and caught with her back hoof. Through the kitchen and hallway the young filly didn’t move an inch. She intently kept holding onto the rainbow colored mane. Dash opened the door to Scootaloo’s room, and like the front entrance, she caught it with her back hoof. Rainbow walked over to the bed and carefully laid the orange pegasus on the bed. The window was still open, the feather kept fluttering in the wind as the cyan mare walked over to it. The feather was still securely held inside the window sill. She carefully picked it out of the window and examined it in her hoof. It was so small, and somehow it had a meaning to Dash. The mare carefully laid the feather on a desk next to the window, and closed the window, making sure to lock it. Hearing a loud click, she was sure it had locked. Scootaloo’s flight had lasted only around 20 seconds, and yet her body was so tired. She had given her everything to stay in flight and impress Rainbow Dash. She tried to stay conscious and listen to Rainbow, but she was fading off into glorious rest. Before long her eyes were completely shut as she snuggled up in the warm blanket. Rainbow knew how Scootaloo felt, alone, lost, and just wanting somepony to be there for her. She knew that feeling all too well, it was her foalhood. Dash went back over to the bed and tucked the filly under the Wonderbolts blanket. She combed the filly’s frayed mane straight as Scoots began to snuggle under her covers. Once again, she saw herself in the filly, the desperate urge to fly, the need of companionship, and the willingness to try anything. The filly was alone in the world without guidance or ponies that loved her for who she was. Dash slid into her bed next to her and snuggled up close to Scootaloo. The pegasus turned over facing Rainbow and positioned herself close. The mare could feel the filly’s heartbeat as the pair laid there in silence. She loved Scoots, she really did, and nothing was going to get in the way of that. Not her parents, friends, or anypony. “I love you Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash whispered very quietly into the ear of the already sleeping filly. *** Knock knock knock Rainbow Dash immediately shot up from her sleep. She looked around the room for anything out of place, for she was not fully awake. Knock knock knock What in the world is making that sound? Dash thought to herself as she got out of bed, it was early, the sun was just making its rise over the horizon. Rainbow quickly brushed down her wild bed mane and walked out of Scootaloo’s room. Knock knock knock “Rainbow Dash, come to the door. We have to go,” a voice remarked coming from the front door. “Fluttershy?” Dash questioned quietly in a groggy voice. She began to trot her way over to the door. What is Fluttershy doing here so early? The mare thought to herself, still not fully awake. “Rainbow Dash, please hurry up. I don’t want to miss the train.” Oh, yeah. That’s right, my parents. Ugh, Rainbow Dash thought to herself, as she brushed her mane back. She had forgotten all about it, the whole ordeal with Scootaloo had taken her mind right off it. Dash had gotten quite good at avoiding the topic of her parents over the years. Whenever another classmate or friend would ask, she would move the subject to something else. Adding to that, Rainbow still didn’t want to go, even though Fluttershy offered to come along, it only meant she had to explain her parents to Flutters. Rainbow Dash pulled open the front entrance, revealing a bright yellow mare with a perfect pink mane. Fluttershy stood there with saddle bag in tow, filled to the brim with her things. She was a good friend, maybe even her best friend, but still Dash didn’t want to go nor tell her about Scootaloo’s adoption. The pair stood in silence for a couple of moments. Fluttershy rested with a laid back demor, almost as if she was expecting Rainbow Dash to speak up. But, Rainbow waited there with a slightly angered facial expression as she stared back at her close friend. This went on for a couple of moments before the yellow mare spoke up. “I have the 3 tickets right here,” Fluttershy started as she began to rummage through her bags. “I am just so glad that you said yes. You are doing the right thing you know?” “Wait, 3 tickets?” Dash said, starting to become fully awake. “Am I just really tired, or did you just say 3 tickets?” All the while Fluttershy kept searching through her bags. Stuff was being carefully pulled out and set on the front porch, until finally Fluttershy found what she was looking for. Three bright golden tickets flashed in the morning sunlight. Each ticket stamped with a Celestia seal, and right below that were the words ‘Royal Canterlot Train Service Ticket’. Two of the tickets had ‘Adult‘ clearly written on them, whereas the third had ‘Filly’ stamped out in the same location. “You want Scootaloo to come along?” Dash questioned, not hearing Scootaloo’s door creak open in the background. Fluttershy moved up and handed the adult and filly tickets to Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, I thought that it would be a great bonding experience for both of you. I mean a trip around Canterlot.” She walked back over to her things and started reorganizing her saddle bags. “Thats a great way to bond with her, don’t you think? You can have tea at the castle and visit the Royal Canterlot Gardens.” Scootaloo had opened the door to hear what the adults were saying. She was getting better at sneaking out, or at least she thought so. Last night really didn’t go as Scoots planned, she was just glad that Rainbow Dash wasn’t angry. The orange pegasus tip hoofed her way into the kitchen behind the table to get a better view of what was going on. She was careful to leave no signs of her presence. “I don’t want her to come along. My parents screwed me up enough, I can at least spare her from them.” The cyan pegasus lifted herself out of a slouched position to upright. “What don’t you understand about my parents? They were the worst parents anypony could ask for. They were never there for me, I still don’t get why I should be there for them now.” “Oh, come on, Rainbow Dash. You don’t really believe that, do you? You will be showing your parents that you turned out alright, and that without them you grew up strong. They care about Rainbow, they do.” Fluttershy finished packing her saddle bags and looked directly into her friend’s eyes. “I know they care about you, why else would they send a letter? Every parent pony loves their child, I believe that.” “I don’t. They left me for 15 years Fluttershy, a pony who cares for somepony else at least tries to make contact with them. I even know that Flutters.” She slouched back against the door. “I still don’t understand how you got me to do this, but I am not dragging Scootaloo into this. I can’t make her go through with meeting them.” “Rainbow Dash, if you don’t mind me saying. I think it would be a great idea for you to take Scootaloo, you could show her around Canterlot and give her a tour of the Wonderbolts Training Academy,” Fluttershy paused a second, and turned her head to get a better view inside. There was a small purple tail sticking out behind the table. She paused for a second and thought. “Hey, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy suddenly called out. Crap, Scootaloo thought to herself as she hid behind the table. If Rainbow Dash was not mad last night, she will sure be mad now. The filly quickly pulled herself together, took a few breaths and prepared a happy face. “Scootaloo is …” Rainbow Dash started as she turned her head to see the orange pegasus walking toward the front entrance. Dash quickly looked back at Fluttershy and gave a subtle shake of the head, almost as if she was saying no don’t tell her. “Is that a ticket to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked. “Why, um, yes it is. You can go with us, if Rainbow Dash is alright with it,” Fluttershy explained looking back over to stunned Dash. “Oh my gosh! Canterlot! Please, Please, Please can I come with you?” The orange pegasus cheered, jumping up and down underneath Rainbow. “Well, here’s the deal Scoots...” Dash tried to explain but was interrupted by the bouncing filly. “I promise to be good, and I will leave you alone, please, please, please, can I come?” Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow Dash with a look that said come on, give it a try. “Fine, alright.” The cyan mare sighed, looking over to Fluttershy with a disapproving look. “Yes, yes, yes!” Scootaloo cheered hugging Rainbow’s hooves. Fluttershy giggled a little bit under her breath as the filly jumped around excitedly. Scootaloo ran back into the house, racing toward her room. A saddle bag was thrown out of the closet with haste, onto the bed. The filly ran through her meager earthly possessions and tossed in the bare necessities. Wasting no time, the bag was raised on her back, after which the filly quickly trotted back to the front door. Upon her return, the young pegasus was met with a less than enthusiastic Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Nopony said a word when Scootaloo arrived. All 3 looked at one another in silence as they set off toward the station. The filly quickly jumped on Rainbow Dash’s back who flew alongside Fluttershy toward the ground. And within a couple minutes of walking, the trio had arrived. Every scenario of what could happen went through Rainbow’s mind as they were waiting at the train station. What if my parents really want to make good? No! That’s not like them! She debated to herself. It was still early morning, Celestia’s glorious sun was beginning to rise. Not one cloud was in the sky, it was going to be one amazing day. Rainbow looked side to side at her friends, Fluttershy and Scootaloo were right next to her waiting for the incoming train. Their coats a different color, from the rays of sunlight hitting their vibrant colors. Her best friend from childhood on her right, and her favorite filly on her left. Emotions swelled inside the mare, like nothing she had felt before. They weren’t nerves, she had felt nerves before, it wasn’t anxiety, it was the fear of the unknown. Images of her mother’s smile shined in her head. The day her mother took her out to the county fair. The smiles, the laughs, and the memories came back with force. All the good flashed before her eyes. Instantly those images faded away, and taking their place were images of her parents yelling at each other, the day before they left. Her mother not reading her a bedtime story that night. Days, weeks, and years at flight school alone. The nightmares, the scary things, the boogie monsters, all came back to mind. An image of a filly tossing and turning in her sleep, softly crying. Rainbow Dash shook her head violently in an effort to make the images go away. “Are you …” Fluttershy injected, staring at her friend with interest. “I’m fine. Okay? Just fine.” Fluttershy reached over and put her hoof on Rainbow’s back. On a normal day she would have removed the hoof off her back, but today was no normal day. She sat there and just accepted it. The images all started to fade, but one image faded slower than the others. It was her mother’s smile. Rainbow looked into the sun, with image in mind, and let out a small grin. *** “Everypony getting off at Canterlot, this is your stop!” the conductor yelled, standing outside the train on the platform. The trio packed up their things from the train and began to set off. The conductor was right outside the door that they had exited from. He looked over to Rainbow Dash. “You have a good day, madam.” Pffffffft, not likely, she thought. “Thank you,” Dash still replied, though without much enthusiasm. The sun was just over the horizon, still the morning light persisted. The trio stood in awe at Canterlot in the early dawn. The light beaming off all the windows of shops, stores, and hotels. It was a perfect sunrise, nothing out of place, everything in check. The sounds of early daybreak progress could be heard. The trio walked on, still in shock of Canterlot’s beauty. Unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi slowly filled the streets and began their days. Eventually they passed the castle, rays of light hit it just right and the crystals inside shone brightly. The steep walls fully illuminated in Celestia’s ball of fire. “Wow,” Scootaloo muttered, with eyes as wide as saucers looking at the sight before her. Rainbow Dash looked over to Scootaloo and smiled, pulling her close. The glimmers from the windows could be seen in the filly’s eyes. Scootaloo wanted the moment to last forever, and so did Dash. The cyan mare and orange filly staring onward toward the beautifully illuminated Canterlot castle. In this moment Rainbow felt truly happy, freedom in a way. Fluttershy interrupted the moment by tapping on Rainbow’s shoulder and pointing to the road. One last glimpse was all the more she got. Her eyes were glued on the castle and its beauty. The trio continued on uninterrupted, Scootaloo’s head swung from side to side catching every sight to be seen. Dash laughed to herself, Scootaloo really had never explored Canterlot before. Fluttershy led on, heading directly for the hospital, and guiding her friends all the while. Eventually stumbling upon a large yellow shaded building. Its height and size was menacing, the windows were minimal. The beautiful sun shone on it, but no reflections came from the hospital. This is it. Rainbow thought to herself, following Fluttershy through the front door, closely followed by Scootaloo. The waiting room was quiet, a couple of pegasi and unicorns were scattered throughout the room. The only noise was coming from a small filly that must have been no older than 5 months old, crying in her mother’s hooves. The mother tried desperately to silence her young foal, as the three walked on by toward the front desk. “How can I help you?” The clerk never looked up, and continued to type feverishly on her keyboard. “Um, yes. Visitors here for Mrs. Dash,” Fluttershy announced, as the clerk continued to type. “Hm, let me see here. Oh yeah, third floor. Room 316.” “Thank you,” Fluttershy said weakly, beginning the search for the elevator. Dash’s heart rate rose as Fluttershy found the elevator and called it down. There was no backing out now, no escape. The ding of elevator interrupted her thoughts as Fluttershy entered, followed by Rainbow Dash, and last but not least, Scootaloo. The elevator ride only took about a minute, to Rainbow it was an entirety. She hadn’t seen her father or mother in years. She was no pony for emotions, or lovey dovey things. Really what was Fluttershy thinking, did she honestly expect me to come here and just poof, make amends with my parents? Her anger started to quell for Fluttershy taking her to the hospital. It was quickly stopped by the loud ding of the elevator. Fluttershy, again, was the first out of the elevator, Scootaloo went next, leaving Rainbow in the elevator by herself. “Come on, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy urged. “It’s just around the corner.” Dash felt like her feet were 500 pounds each as she slowly walked out of the elevator. She turned only to see the doors close, her only escape was gone. Signs were hung high above the doors. 300 to 312 were in the hall next to the elevator. Again, what seemingly took 30 seconds to reach the end of the hall, felt like eons to Dash. Left hoof, right hoof, left hoof, right hoof, she had to think to herself. Eventually reaching room 312, they rounded the corner to a site Dash had not seen in years, nor she wanted to see. An older stallion sat outside room 316 on a bench, with hooves in his face. At the moment the trio rounded the corner he looked up, and a wide smile dawned on his older but still fresh looking face. “Dashie!” the stallion exclaimed, trotting down the hall.