//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Visiting Hours (2/2) // Story: Visiting Hours // by Bud Grazer //------------------------------// True to her word, Rainbow only took a couple hours to reach the capital of Equestria. Between that long continuous flight (with only a short break midway on an opportune cloud) and her early morning workout, her wing muscles were starting to feel as supple as wood, so it was with a great relief that the couple of pegasi finally reached the city hanging on the mountainside. “We’re here, squirt,” she called over her shoulder. “Now, where do we go?” She felt Scootaloo squirming on her back, moving left and right to examine the cityscape. After a minute of silence, Rainbow called again. “Sorry, Rainbow,” she answered. “I’m not used to seeing the city from the sky...” She muttered to herself. “Where is it?” Rainbow Dash slowed down, hovering at what she would have called normally an excruciatingly slow pace, but if Scootaloo needed time to find their exact destination, going fast would only make it harder. “Hey Rainbow, do you see the train station?” Identifying landmarks was an essential part of flying, meaning the experienced pegasus had no trouble finding something as obvious as a train station: find the tracks and follow them inside the city. “There,” she pointed a hoof at the building. “Okay so then... Um... Right, then left and down that street, past the fountain...” Scootaloo kept mumbling for a few seconds. “I got it! It’s over there,” she said, holding a hoof over Rainbow’s shoulder. Dash glided down in that direction, wondering in which building Scootaloo’s dad was. The area seemed to be mostly townhouses and small shops, maybe he worked in one of these... The only construction that looked out of the ordinary was a large, almost square building with a big courtyard in its center. The unusual thing about it was the array of bars that closed the top of that yard, making it look almost like a giant bird cage. She figured that whatever was going on inside, it forbid pegasi flying inside directly. Rainbow found a wide plaza that she selected as her landing zone. Once on the ground, she lowered herself to let Scootaloo down and let out a relieved breath as she was able to rest her back. She stretched her wings a few times to make sure her muscles wouldn’t be sore in a few hours and finally was able to fold them neatly on her sides. “So, squirt,” she said nonchalantly, “where to now?” “This way!” Scootaloo chirped as she trotted down one of the streets crossing at the square. Rainbow followed her, turning her head this way and that to take in the scenery. She hadn’t come to Canterlot that often and never had much time to just hang around the streets before, so in the end she knew little more than the castle. The rest of the town was still worth seeing, she decided. The architecture reminded her a little of Cloudsdale and despite being made of stone rather than cloud, the buildings around her still looked elegant, for the most part. The one Rainbow and Scootaloo were heading for was a bit more massive, with high, gray walls standing tall, blocking the end of the street. She quickly recognized that particular building that she had spotted before landing. The purpose of the bars in the courtyard became much clearer once she was close enough to read the large black lettering on the front: Canterlot Central Prison. “Rainbow Dash?” Hearing Scootaloo’s voice made her realize that she had stopped in the street, her eyes stuck on the stone walls in front of her. “Come on!” the filly called her, walking ahead. ‘Why are we going in a prison?’ Rainbow wondered. Her eyes widened as she figured it out. ‘Of course! Her mother was a guard, her father must be one too.’ She nodded to herself and trotted after Scootaloo. ‘I bet they met at work. I wonder why he’s not working in Ponyville too, though... Maybe the pay’s better here?’ Her sight stuck on the massive metal doors in the middle of the building. Why they needed to be that big, she couldn’t guess. Rainbow quickly caught up with Scootaloo, who was waiting next to a smaller but still heavy-looking wooden door embedded in the thick wall. The two entered, Rainbow a little surprised at the sight. She expected a prison to be all bars and cells and such. Instead, she stood in a wide room with a semi-circular desk in the middle, staffed by a bored-looking earth pony wearing a tan uniform. Worn tiles on the ground and definitely not fresh paint on the walls, the place would have been enough to make Rarity faint. A few benches stood on the sides, most of them empty since only two other ponies were waiting in the room, one of them pacing around rather than sitting down. Rainbow and Scootaloo approached the desk. The guard, a middle-aged stallion that looked way too tough for somepony with pink fur, lifted his eyes from a bunch of papers he was scribbling on and set them on Rainbow. She noticed that his eyes were the same color as his mane, a deep ruby, giving him a slightly unsettling gaze. “Hello, miss. Can I help you?” he asked with absolutely no enthusiasm. “Hi, mister Jawbreaker,” Scootaloo answered before Rainbow had time to say something. The guard leaned forward a little to see over the wooden desk and smiled as he saw the orange pegasus. “Hey, it’s Scootaloo! Hi, kid. Are you here to see your dad?” She nodded and he gave the room a quick glance. “Your mom’s not here with you?” Jawbreaker asked. “You know foals aren’t allowed in without an adult.” “I know. She couldn’t come today, but I have Rainbow with me,” Scootaloo answered, pointing to Rainbow Dash. Jawbreaker observed her for a second and shrugged. “Okay then, let me get the log.” He grabbed a book and quill in his mouth. “I’ll need your name and address,” he added. Once everything was recorded and Rainbow had properly signed the log, Jawbreaker led both pegasi through a short corridor ending in a grille gate. He exchanged a few words with another guard standing on the other side, who unlocked the door and opened it for Rainbow and Scootaloo. She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as the door closed behind her with a loud clang. The guard, an unremarkable white unicorn with his face locked in a permanent frown, locked the gate and turned to Rainbow. “Spread your wings,” he said, sounding bored. “Huh?” “I need to search you. Spread your wings,” he repeated, his tone turning into an annoyed one. “Oh. Of course.” Rainbow complied, holding her wings out while the guard grabbed them with his magic and turned them a bit to look at each side. He also did a quick check of her mane and tail. Scootaloo submitted to the same treatment, and the guard also got a quick look inside her saddlebags before he declared them clear to proceed. Without another word, he led both pegasi down a corridor. The trip took less than a minute, after which Scootaloo and Rainbow passed yet another gate that was closed behind them. They entered a small hall that was lined with doors and wide glass windows giving a view inside several smaller rooms. There were a few more guards standing around, too. The two pegasi were told to wait in room number four and headed in. Inside, all there was were a few worn cushions around a table. The walls were painted in the same pale beige color that was chipped in more than one place, showing the grey concrete underneath. A couple of very narrow windows right under the ceiling gave a little light to the room, but most came from the magical fixture on the ceiling. “Hey, Rainbow Dash?” She looked down at Scootaloo. “I have to use the little filly’s room.” “Oh. Sure.” “I’ll be right back.” Scootaloo dropped her saddlebags on the table and zipped out of the room, while Rainbow plopped herself on a cushion and waited, looking through the window in the hall. She saw a few guards walking around, sometimes guiding what she assumed were convicts, considering they weren’t wearing any uniform. She was quickly getting bored though, since there was little activity to follow and so her mind started to wander a bit. In particular, she wondered why she was sitting here if she was going to meet one of the guards. This was obviously a visiting room... Didn’t the staff have their own break room or something like that? Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Rainbow turned her head to see a dark red pegasus coming in. He took a few steps and raised an eyebrow when he spotted her. “Are you sure this is the right room?” he asked over his shoulder. “Yeah,” the guard grunted. “If you don’t wanna see her, just say so.” The red stallion looked back to Rainbow and shrugged. He came inside and sat down on the opposite side of the table, his back to the window. Rainbow gulped as she examined him. His mane was a bit unusual, making a color gradient starting with a very pale yellow-green at the base of his hairs and turning into a darker lime green at the tip. His coat, on the other hoof, was a pretty ordinary deep red color. The thing that Rainbow was really focusing on, though, were the tattoos. Two windigos were painted in bright white and black in his fur, starting near his forehooves and curling up around each leg all the way up to his chest where the heads were. The one on his left side was simply giving a cold glare, while the other was baring its teeth menacingly. Rainbow tried to analyze the situation calmly. She was sitting in a prison room, alone with a pony that was obviously some kind of gangster and from the amount of muscles she could see, he was in top shape. Nothing to worry about, then... “Do I know you?” the stallion asked with a gruff voice. “Uhhh...” Rainbow swallowed the lump in her throat and took her eyes off the windigoes and up to his face. She felt herself sweating as she saw those purple eyes moving up and down her form, measuring her like a piece of meat. “Hey! Relax, flyer. I’m not gonna do anything to you.” “I’m... totally relaxed,” she said with a strained voice. “Not nervous at all.” She tried flashing her trademark grin, but wasn’t quite sure it came through. The stallion chuckled softly. “Right. Seriously though, the guards wouldn’t leave us alone if it was dangerous.” Rainbow did relax a little at that. It made sense, the staff knew its job and the inmates. They wouldn’t leave her alone in a room with a crazy murderer or rapist... Hopefully. “This is Canterlot Central,” he continued, waving a hoof at nothing in particular. “The prissy Canterlot hornheads would never keep the really bad ponies inside their city. Just crooks and thieves here...” Rainbow nodded, relaxing a bit more. “You still didn’t answer my question, flyer.” “Uh, right. I...” She looked into his eyes. There was something familiar... She had seen purple eyes like these before, she was certain of it. “Wait... Are you Scootaloo’s dad?” The stallion looked surprised. “You know Scoots? I mean... Yeah, I’m her old guy.” He watched Rainbow closely once more, his eyes narrowing and his ears flattening on his head. “Let me guess,” he said with a smirk, “you’re Rainbow Dash.” She nodded, her mouth agape. “Heh. Scoots has been telling me about you for years now... Never thought I’d get to meet you for real.” Rainbow blushed a little, wondering what exactly her number one fan had been telling him all this time. “Well, I hope she’s been saying good things about me then.” “Good? From what she told me, you’re as awesome as all the Wonderbolts put together. And then some...” He chuckled a bit. “My name’s Red Currant, by the way. You can call me Red.” He extended a wing and Rainbow slapped it with one of hers. “Nice to meet you, Red. Heh. I was starting to wonder if Scootaloo had any parents at all, since I’ve never seen any of you around.” She caught herself too late when she saw the smile vanish from Red’s face. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Can’t really go out and visit, huh?” “Uh, sorry... I didn’t mean to–” “Don’t worry, flyer,” he interrupted her with a raised hoof. “No harm done. I’m here ‘cause I screwed up, now I’m paying the price...” The door once again stopped that conversation, this time letting Scootaloo in. “Dad!” she ran towards Red, giving him hardly enough time to open his hooves and catch her. “There’s my lil’ bird! How have you been, girl?” he asked, holding her effortlessly in front of his face. “Great!” The two nuzzled each other and he let her back on the ground. “Hey, dad! Look!” she turned her flank to him, beaming proudly. His face turned into a frown, eyes narrowing, boring into his daughter. “You got a tattoo...” “What? No.” Scootaloo faltered a little under Red’s glare. “Dad...” Red Currant smiled suddenly. “Just foolin’ ya, kid.” He burst into laughter. “Wha– Dad! That’s not funny.” Scootaloo sat down on her haunches with a huff, crossing her forelegs on her chest. She gave her father a glare of her own. “Sorry, Scoots,” he said, calming down a little. “Sorry. Now let me see that mark.” Red grabbed and lifted her to his eye level, examining the picture thoroughly. “That looks great,” he declared with a smile. “How did you get it?” Scootaloo went into a long retelling of the morning’s events, complete with gestures and sound effects, while Red listened, a happy grin on his face. Rainbow couldn’t help but think of her own father’s face, back when she was just a filly and rambling endlessly about the Wonderbolts and her latest flying stunts every evening when he came home from work. While Red was listening to his daughter, Rainbow got a look at his own cutie mark. She was no expert on insects, but with a colorful thin body and two pairs of wings, a dragonfly was pretty easy to identify. She wondered what his talent was... It was hard to imagine the tough stallion taking care of animals as Fluttershy did but maybe she was looking too hard into this, she thought. Cutie marks’ significations were rarely straightforward, after all. Time flew as Scootaloo and her father talked and talked. After at least ten minutes, she finally remembered that she had brought a box of cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner and the three ponies made quick work of them. Rainbow mostly stayed out of the conversation, until the filly explained how she was now like her big sister and was going to teach her all her tricks. Then, she had a chance to chat a little about herself. Red looked with an amused smirk when she mentioned how she was going to join the Wonderbolts. “You don’t think I’m going to make it?” she asked with a frown. “Sorry flyer,” he said, “but every pegasus in Equestria talks about joining the ‘Bolts. Not many make it.” Rainbow scoffed. “How many are selected for tryouts at the Wonderbolt Academy?” she shot back. “You were?” Red said with genuine surprise. “Okay, that’s not bad. How did you do?” “I came out on top of my group and I was made a leadpony,” Rainbow answered with a haughty grin. “And I’m scheduled to go back for training at the Academy next summer. I’ll be in the Wonderbolts before you know it!” Red’s amused face turned into one of respectful admiration. “Is that true, Scoots?” he asked his daughter. “Yeah! Rainbow Dash is the best. She even won the best young flyer competition in Cloudsdale. They should make her a Wonderbolt already.” Rainbow blushed a little, but still reveled in the (totally deserved) praise. “Well what do you know,” Red said. “Looks like you’re the real thing, flyer. Hey Scoots, you should get as many autographs as you can before she’s famous. There’s good money to make,” he finished with a chuckle. “Hey, now that I have my awesome cutie mark,” Scootaloo said, jumping in place, “maybe I can join the Wonderbolts too some day.” “Maybe,” Red said, ruffling her mane with a hoof. “You manage to fly yet?” “Well, no... Not really,” Scootaloo answered, looking down. “Hey, don’t worry kid. You’ll fly some day. Just need to get those little wings up to speed.” The orange filly spread her tiny wings and watched them with a frown. “Why are my wings so small anyway? How am I supposed to fly with these?” “Hey now, it’s not a matter of size,” Red chided her, poking her on the nose. “Look, I bet Rainbow here has bigger wings than me. And she’s a mare!” The stallion spread his wings as wide as he could, which indeed only gave him a very modest wingspan. “But that’s never kept me on the ground.” “It’s true,” Rainbow added with a nod, “have you seen Bulk Biceps? That bodybuilding guy? He’s as big as an ox and he’s got wings as small as yours, but he can still fly.” “See?” Red continued. “And you’re not all grown up yet. You’ll be flying some day, kid.” “Thanks, dad,” she answered, giving him a hug. “That’s what I’m here for,” he said softly, petting her mane with a little smile. “I wish you could teach me,” Scootaloo muttered with her muzzle in his chest. “I mean, having Rainbow as a teacher is awesome... But... I wish you could be the one teaching me how to fly.” He sighed sadly. “I know, kid. I wish I could, too.” He held her a little tighter. “It sucks that I only get to see you once a week.” “Yeah... It does,” Red said in a breath. He kissed her on the forehead to try and keep her cheerful, but the filly started to sob a little. “We– We’re gonna have a party,” she said, choking a little, “for my cutie mark. I want you to be there.” “I want to be there too, Scoots.” “Can’t you come? Can’t they let you out... Like, just for a day?” Red took a little while to answer. “It doesn’t work that way...” “But... But... It’s not fair!” “That’s the way it is, my lil’ bird. You know I did some stupid stuff. I can’t go back and change that now.” Scootaloo buried her face in his chest and he furled his wings around her in an embrace. “You... You could break out?” she asked timidly. “No, Scoots. I can’t.” She remained silent a moment, sniffling and sobbing while he petted her gently. “Rainbow could break you out...” Both Rainbow and Red’s eyes widened a little at what they heard. “She’s strong and fearless and... and awesome.” Scootaloo watched in her father’s eyes with a hopeful smile. “And with Twilight and Applejack and all the others, they could get you out.” “Scoots,” he tried to interrupt her. “And then we’ll be together with you, me and mom. We’ll be... like a real family and–” “Stop.” Scootaloo winced at his commanding tone. He was frowning at her. “Scoots, don’t say that kinda stuff. Not even to joke, this is serious.” “But–” “No! I’m not kidding. You have to stay out of trouble, okay? The last thing I need is you becoming a punk.” He pushed her back a little to stare in her eyes. “You’ll just end up like me.” Scootaloo looked aside. “Well,” she muttered, “maybe if I go to jail I can be with you, then.” “Shut up!” he said with a glare. “I don’t want to hear that kinda bullshit.” Red’s frown softened a little. “It wouldn’t work anyway, they don’t keep mares and stallions in the same place. And foals your age don’t go to prison anyway.” Scootaloo watched Rainbow Dash with a desperate look that almost broke her heart. The blue pegasus opened her mouth, but her brain couldn’t come up with anything to say. “Listen,” Red said softly, using a wing to turn Scootaloo’s head to face his. “You know I won’t be in here forever. You have to be patient.” “How long?” He sighed. “I have five years left... But I’ve been behaving. I’m sure they’ll let me out early,” he said, trying to smile a little. “How long?” she repeated. “I don’t know... Maybe two or three years? One if I’m lucky.” “And if you’re not lucky?” He didn’t answer. He simply cradled his daughter silently for a minute. Rainbow jumped when she heard the guard tapping on the window. Red Currant turned to watch and sighed. “Looks like it’s time for you to leave.” “I don’t wanna go!” Scootaloo whined. “I know, Scoots.” He put her back on the ground in front of him and stood up. “You’ll visit me again soon, won’t you?” Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah.” She rubbed the tears out of her eyes with a hoof. “I’ll get mom to come, too. I promise!” “Great,” he answered. With a smile, he kissed her on the forehead once more. “I’ll miss you.” Red gave Rainbow Dash a glance and turned back to Scootaloo. “Hey, Scoots. Can you do me a favor?” “What?” “I’d like to have a few words with Rainbow here. Can you go tell the guard to give us five minutes?” Scootaloo looked suspiciously between him and Rainbow. “You’re not going to do any gross stuff, are you?” “What?” Red and Rainbow asked simultaneously. “Every time you ask to be alone with mom, you start kissing and stuff.” “No no no!” Red quickly interrupted her, waving his hooves and looking slightly panicked. “I only do that with your mom!” Rainbow blushed when he gave her an embarrassed glance. “I really just want to talk with Rainbow for a minute. So I need you to go out and give that guard your best sad puppy eyes. Can you do that for me?” “Humph. Fine.” “Thanks, Scoots. Now give your old guy a kiss.” He held his head down to her level, cheek turned and ready to be kissed. Scootaloo gave him a quick peck. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Be good and do what your mom tells you. And tell her I miss her too.” Scootaloo nodded and reluctantly left the room. “Shit,” Red said with a sigh as he watched his daughter close the door behind her. “I wonder how much she’s seen...” “What do you mean?” Rainbow asked him. “We usually do a lot more than kiss...” Rainbow blushed as his words sunk in. “Wait... You... Here? But... The window,” she said, pointing at the glass that gave a good view outside. “Yeah, that’s as much privacy as we’re allowed... You gotta take what you can get,” he answered with a frown. “Most of the guards are nice enough to look away... Or at least pretend to.” He looked over his shoulder a second before turning his eyes on Rainbow. “That guy, though?” he said, nodding at the stallion standing outside. “He likes to watch. Fucking pervert... He’s probably expecting a show right now.” Rainbow took a look at the guard who was not-so-subtly peeking inside. She felt a shiver run down her spine when she saw his grin. “Eww. Guess he’s going to be disappointed.” “That breaks my heart,” Red said flatly. “Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.” “Er, yeah, what did you want to tell me?” “Well, for starters: thanks.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m glad to know that there’s somepony to watch over my lil’ bird. Matchstick doesn’t spend as much time as she should with her. “Now, don’t get me wrong,” he quickly added. “I’m not saying she’s a bad mother. I know she does everything she can, but she has to work hard to pay the bills, so Scoots is on her own most of the time. And I’m not blaming her for anything, this is all my fault. If I didn’t get myself stuck here...” He let out a long sigh. “It’s too late to cry about the past. It doesn't matter who’s to blame, the fact is, Scoots doesn’t have the family she deserves... So, if you can...” Rainbow nodded. “I know I don’t have the right to ask anything from you, but please, keep an eye on her. I’m always scared she will do something stupid. Like when she talks about breaking me out, I think she’s serious sometimes...” Rainbow fidgeted a little. Until now, her role as an unofficial big sister consisted mostly of being awesome and she wasn’t quite sure what else she was supposed to do. “You know, it’s almost funny, in a sad way,” he said with a dry chuckle. “When Scoots was born, I promised myself I would be a great dad. I never knew mine, so I wanted to do better, give her a real family... I fucked up good, huh?” Rainbow watched in surprise as the tough stallion slumped on the table, holding his head on a hoof. “What happened?” she asked quietly. Red looked up at her. “You want the whole story?” She hesitated for a second, wondering if it was her place to get involved with Scootaloo’s family. On the other hoof, if she was going to be an awesome big sister, she couldn’t pick and choose what about Scootaloo she wanted to know... Rainbow looked at him with a determined face and nodded. Red observed her for a second. “Where did you grow up? Ponyville?” “Cloudsdale, actually. I moved to Ponyville when I got a job on the weather team.” “Cloudsdale? Nice place, for the most part. Unless you’re from the lower levels, things get hot sometimes down there. But I bet you grew up in a nice enough neighborhood...” He shrugged. “I’m from the north side of Detrot. Real shitty place. But you must have already figured out that I don’t come from downtown Canterlot... “So, I said I never knew my father, that’s because my mother’s a whore. She didn’t really keep track of who was the winner of the daddy lottery. Not that it really mattered anyways.” He paused when he saw Rainbow’s shocked face, but simply shrugged. “It’s a living. That’s what she always says... At least she’s an honest mare. So, I ended up raising myself, more or less. Spent my time in the streets... When I was a little older, me and some other young ponies made up our own little gang.” Red laughed dryly. “We were just a bunch of punks, but we thought we were tough. Look at that...” He tapped a hoof on his tattoos. “Tough ponies got tats, so if you get some, that means you’re a tough pony... Ah well, at least mine don’t look too ridiculous. The only good thing about that time is that I got to meet Matchstick.” “She was in your gang, too?” Rainbow asked. “Yeah... But she wasn’t like the rest of us. Most of the guys thought we were something big, but not her. All she wanted was to leave the slums and get a life. I thought that wasn’t a bad idea, too... But it’s not easy to do when all your skills are getting into fights and causing trouble. “Still, you gotta work with what you have and when it comes to fighting, she’s really good. Good enough to get into boxing. I did what I could to train her and become her manager. We had big dreams back then. She started doing fights as an amateur, made a name for herself in the local circuit. All she needed was a chance to get a fight with a real boxer to go pro...” Rainbow swallowed hard when she remembered what she had agreed to earlier that morning... Red didn’t notice, or maybe ignored it. “Then I knocked her up,” he said. “She had to stop fighting until Scootaloo was born. And me, all of a sudden, instead of earning enough money for myself, I had to provide for two ponies. And then three... All I knew was the street, so that’s what I turned to. I could have tried getting an honest job... I should have. Getting into crime was just easier for me and I already had some experience. Except, a small-time criminal makes small-time cash, so I stepped things up.” He watched Rainbow straight in the eyes. “I thought I was tough before,” he said. “But then I got involved with ponies who really meant business. At first, I thought I was gonna be a real gangster. They say that crime doesn’t pay, but if you’re good enough, it totally does... I wasn’t exactly good, though. A couple years later, I was neck-deep in manure. I had to lay low all the time, hiding from the cops, or... worse. Match and Scoots had to make themselves real small too, of course, so her boxing career went down the drain before it had time to begin... “Turns out, the cops had way more evidence than they needed to arrest me. They were just aiming higher, I was small fry... Then one day, my... boss asked me to burn some pony’s shop because he refused to pay his protection fee.” He made air quotes at the last two words. “And since he wanted to make it an example, I was supposed to burn the building with that pony inside... “That’s where I drew the line,” he said, looking Rainbow straight in the eyes. “I did torch the place, but I personally took that stallion outside first. I’m not a murderer. For all the crap I’ve done, I’ve never killed anypony. I’ve never even seriously hurt anypony, for that matter... Of course, that guy had taken a good look at me, so it was hard to pretend I didn’t do it. “So, in the end, the cops charged me with everything they had all at once. I fell for drug trafficking, bookmaking, burglary, counterfeiting... Oh and arson, of course. Their plan was to offer me a lesser sentence if I gave as many details as I could about the family...” “The family?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t ask, flyer. Better not to know anything about these ponies.” She was about to insist, but only nodded after seeing his glare. “So, you spilled the beans?” “No. I pleaded guilty and hoped they wouldn’t go too hard on me. That stallion I refused to kill even sorta witnessed in my favor. That was cool of him.” Red shrugged. “Since I admitted everything and wasn’t convicted for any violent crime, I got to stay in a nice prison, at least. This place is almost comfy. Food’s terrible, though.” “But... Why didn’t you–” Rainbow narrowed her gaze, staring at the stallion in front of her. “You didn’t want to lose your contacts? You’re going back once you’re out...” “What? No!” he scoffed. “Fuck Detrot! I’m never going back to that dump. The only thing I want to do when I’m out of here is to get back to my family and live a normal life with them. That’s it. I’m being the perfect convict until then, so they’ll let me out early.” Rainbow examined him. He seemed serious about this. “I don’t get it,” she admitted. “If it would have gotten you out earlier, why not?” Red leaned back a little and looked at Rainbow coldly. “It’s true that if I did it, I would already be out by now. This way, I have to wait a few more years, but the difference is that I still have a mare and a kid waiting for me outside.” “Why wouldn’t they be–” “Listen, flyer. There are some ponies that you really don’t want to believe that you’ve betrayed them. Get it?” Rainbow Dash remained silent for a second. “I... get it,” she finally answered. “I’m glad I got caught, in the end,” he said with a sigh. “It gave me a way out. I’ll get a chance to start over after I’m done here. I heard Ponyville’s a really nice place, too.” “Yeah, it’s not as cool as Cloudsdale, but it’s got its own awesomeness. It’s where I live, after all,” she added with a grin. That smile quickly disappeared as she remembered one particular pony in Ponyville. “Hey, how good was Matchstick at boxing?” she asked, a little nervousness creeping in her voice. Red watched her with a bit of surprise. “Really good. Like I said, she could have gone pro if she only had the chance.” “Oh ponyfeathers,” Rainbow said, letting her head fall on the table with a loud smack. “What’s wrong?” “I challenged her to a fight...” “Okay... Why?” “Because she said I couldn’t take her on. I might have gotten carried away this time.” “You ever boxed before?” Rainbow shook her head. “Any kind of fighting?” “I’m not completely helpless, I’m good with my hooves. I’ve beaten up a bunch of changelings, for one. I fought a dragon once, too.” He raised an eyebrow at that. “How did that go?” “Not too good...” Red laughed a bit, then examined Rainbow closely. He scooted a little closer and spoke with a hushed voice. “Okay, I’m only telling you this because I think you don’t stand a chance, and you can never ever tell Matchstick that I told you about this.” “You have some tips? Weaknesses?” Rainbow raised her head back up when he nodded, making her grin and turn her ears to him. “First thing you need to know,” he said, “she fights in a southpaw stance.” “A what-now stand?” “Southpaw...” Red facehooved. “It means she stands with her right side in front.” “Oh. Okay... And that’s important?” “Hoo boy...” He rolled his eyes. “Let’s take it back from the beginning. Usually, a right-hooved boxer stands with the left side in front. He’ll do jabs and guard with his left hoof and wait for a chance to get the strongest punch possible with the right one.” He placed his front hooves in position to illustrate. “Match does the opposite, keeping her dominant side in front.” He swiveled his torso to show Rainbow the stance. “The downside is that she can only throw short punches with her right hoof, so she won’t land a big knockout blow as easily. The upside is that her jab is very quick and much stronger than you would expect and she can put a lot of strength behind it if she wants to. Usually, she would try to stun you with one of these strong jabs, then connect with a big left hook.” “But her left hoof isn’t as strong, right?” “Yes. It might not knock you out, but you’re still gonna feel it, believe me. My point is, watch out for her jabs. Don’t get too close and keep your guard up. You said you’re really fast in the air, maybe you can move fast in the ring too... Here’s something you can try.” Red grabbed Rainbow’s right arm and extended it in his direction as if she was attempting to punch him. “When she tries to land a right like that, bob under the punch on her right side.” He demonstrated by leaning to his left and ducking his head under her arm, as if he had narrowly dove under it. “Then, hit a left punch right in her ribs,” he said, extending his left hoof to Rainbow’s side. “She won’t be able to block that.” “Shouldn’t I aim for her head, instead?” Rainbow asked. Red shook his head. “Not in that position. You won’t have much strength if you try to hit high. Just get a shot in her ribs, you’ll take some of the wind out of her. You can try a right punch in her gut, too.” “So, you’re saying I should wear her out?” Rainbow folded her arm again, using her hoof to tap her chin. “Yeah, once she’s weakened, I bet I can finish her up.” “Hah! Fat chance!” he said with a lopsided grin, “No, I don’t think you can win,but at least you’ll land a few hits. Just remember to move back quickly, never stay close and always keep your eyes on her right hoof. If she can land a good uppercut, you’re done.” Both ponies turned around when the guard tapped loudly on the glass. “I guess we should go before I get in trouble. He must be pissed that there’s nothing to see in here,” Red added with a chuckle and stood up. “Hey, one last thing. Don’t talk about my past to Scoots. We told her enough, she doesn’t need to know the details.” Rainbow mulled that for a few seconds before she nodded. “Sure, don’t worry,” she answered, standing up too. “Thanks. And thanks for coming, too. It was nice to chat.” Both pegasi exited the room under the annoyed glare of the guard. “Took your sweet time,” he said with a grunt. “You think we make our schedule around yours?” “No, sir” Red answered obediently. “Sorry.” The guard grunted again. Red quickly turned towards Rainbow and Scootaloo, who had rushed to join them. “Goodbye girls, come back soon!” “Goodbye dad!” she answered, jumping to hug his neck. “Visiting hours are over. Move it!” the guard said with a grump. Scootaloo let him go and Rainbow only gave a quick wave. Red Currant turned around and headed to the door, followed closely by the guard. Rainbow watched as he was quickly searched and led to the other side, the gate closing with a clang. On her side, his daughter looked down. “You okay, squirt?” she asked softly. “Uh, yeah. Yeah... Let’s get out of here,” Scootaloo answered, heading back towards the visitors’ door. She walked with little energy in her steps, her eyes stuck on the ground. Rainbow herself felt a little down too, watching over her shoulder at the ominous gate separating the inside from the rest of the world. She had never given much thought to prison life before that day, it had been simple in her mind, clear cut. Criminals went to jail and that was it. Of course, it was fine as long as she didn’t start to consider individual stories of the ponies inside. How many were like Red Currant, separated from their loved ones? The place looked more depressing the more she thought about it. Rainbow frowned and quickly accompanied Scootaloo out. Once outside, neither of the two ponies looked back and simply walked in the busy streets of Canterlot for a while with no particular destination in mind. Rainbow’s stomach interrupted the silence with a growl. It had been a while since she had her breakfast and her stomach was not happy about being ignored. “Maybe we should get something to eat,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh ponyfeathers... I don’t have any money with me.” She slumped, her head hanging so low it almost touched the ground. “I have a few bits,” Scootaloo said, patting her saddlebags. “I can’t let you treat me, squirt. It should be the other way around!” “It’s okay. You saved me a lot on the train ticket, actually.” “Well, okay... I’ll buy you something when we get home, then.” The two ponies nodded and went to search for a restaurant. A little while later, the two pegasi were munching on a daisy pizza in a cheap diner. Cheap for Canterlot at least. “Hey, Rainbow Dash?” “Huh?” She focused her eyes on Scootaloo, who was watching back with a perplexed frown. “Are you okay? You’re not eating anything. And you’ve been staring through the window for five minutes.” Rainbow shook her head and watched her almost untouched half of their lunch. “Sorry, I was just thinking...” “Thinking about what?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head to the side. Rainbow took a bite, buying herself some time before answering. “Family, I guess,” she finally said with a shrug. “Family?” “Yeah... All in all, your dad looks like a cool guy.. How long has it been since...” “Four years,” Scootaloo muttered, looking down at her plate. “We moved to Ponyville when he was sent to Canterlot. It’s closer... And I think mom didn’t want to stay in Detrot.” “What was it like? Detrot, I mean.” Scootaloo shook her head. “I don’t really remember much. Just a few places... I think we were moving a lot back then, I’m not sure if we even had a real home. What I remember most are some freaky ponies who came to see dad sometimes. They looked really mean.” “I see...” Rainbow looked at the frowning Scootaloo and smiled. “Well, I’ll just have to be extra-awesome then.” Scootaloo looked back at her with raised eyebrows. “Until your dad gets out, I’ll be the best big sister in Equestria!” Rainbow declared with a grin, reaching a hoof across the table to tousle Scootaloo’s mane. The filly slowly smiled too, her eyes brightening up. “You know, all of this made me realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen my own father.” She scarfed down another slice of pizza. “I can see my parents any time I want, really. I just... don’t.” “Why not?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head to the side. “I don’t know...” Rainbow looked outside. It was still the middle of the day, with perfect weather. She stayed silent for a while, her eyes going back to Scootaloo who was chomping down on another slice of pizza. “Hey, Squirt,” she suddenly said. “You’ve ever been to Cloudsdale?” “Glowbf–” Scootaloo paused to swallow. “Cloudsdale? No, I’ve never been. Why?” Rainbow watched a tiny patch of cloud drifting along before looking back at Scootaloo and smiling warmly. “I was just thinking, today’s a good day to make a little family visit.”