Foal
By The Rated Ponystar
Edited by Starfall and Apple Cinnamon
Artwork done by RatofDrawn
***
The first thing that Rainbow Dash had hoped to feel the moment she woke up was the smooth, warm coat of Applejack. Instead, she woke up to find herself alone in the house. Flashbacks to last night’s ordeal came back to her in an instant and Dash found herself wiping her eyes in frustration. Applejack knew who Spectrum was, or at least would soon find out if she had the name to go by.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard her little brother’s name, not even in her own mind. She had spent years trying to repress the memory of her lost brother. Looking at little fillies and colts was a nightmare at first and she did little to interact with them. It was only when she started doing her tricks in Ponyville that she started to slowly gain back confidence, but made sure to never let anypony get too close. At least until she met Scootaloo.
Now that she really thought about it, Scootaloo and Spectrum were a lot alike. Maybe she unconsciously found herself attracted to the little squirt who she had come to see as a good friend and student. She knew Scootaloo liked to think of them as sisters, but Dash never called their relationship such, mostly out of fear.
I’m not worthy of being called a sister. I lost the right to that title years ago, she thought as she slowly got up and made her way towards the kitchen.
Pouring herself some coffee, Dash began to think over her options. After last night’s fiasco, Rainbow was certain her wife wasn’t planning to drop this anytime soon. Just thinking about Applejack made her want to throw her cup against the wall while also wanting to embrace her. She had no business looking into my past. I can’t believe she would do all that just so she can have a few brats. She winced upon realizing what she had just thought. No, Dash. She’s doing this out of concern for you. After all, you’ve been acting like a jerk... again. She deserves to know the truth.
The big question was: did Rainbow Dash want to remember it? She closed her eyes and shivered. She could still hear the cries of her little brother, begging for her to rescue him. His eyes were full of terror, yet there was still hope inside. Hope that his big sister would come and rescue him like always. That hope had never come. She had been too late. Too slow. Too weak. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped.
Blood.
Her hooves were covered with blood.
Feeling her heart ready to rip out of her chest, she flew to the sink and started washing vigorously. Why won’t come off! Why won’t it come off!
A knock on the door alerted Dash to company. When she turned back to her hooves, she was stunned to find all the blood gone. She shook her head and cursed her restless state before heading for the door, expecting it to be Applejack. Instead her visitor was Scootaloo, whose smile quickly turned to a frown.
“Rainbow Dash? What happened? Did you have a rough night?” asked Scootaloo, entering the house.
“Something like that...” muttered Rainbow Dash, closing the door.
The two of them walked towards the table and sat down, Rainbow Dash struggling to keep herself awake. Scootaloo bit her lip. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can come back later if you want.”
“No, don’t worry about it... just tell me why you're here.”
Scootaloo blushed. “Well, it’s more like I want to give you something, actually.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and noticed that Scootaloo had brought two wrapped boxes with her. They were no bigger than her hoof and weren’t wrapped in expensive paper, though one of them had a tag with her name on it. Curious, she pulled over the one addressed to her and slowly opened the wrapping. Taking the top of the box off, Rainbow Dash gasped upon seeing what was inside. She slowly took out the box and stared at the silver bracelet that was just her size. But it wasn’t the jewelry itself that had taken her by surprise, it was the writing that was inscribed on it that made her heart stop: ‘Big Sister Forever’.
“I’ve been saving my money on these for a while,” said Scootaloo, while putting on a matching bracelet that said ‘Little Sister Forever’. “I wanted to give you these at the party, but Derpy got the mail mixed up again. I hope you like them.”
“Big... sister...” said Dash, staring at the words.
“Yeah, it’s what I think of you,” said Scootaloo with a soft smile. “You’ve been there for me when I needed you, unlike my parents who are always working. You taught me how to fly and it’s thanks to you that I got my cutie mark. And I’d like to think that I’m a little sister to you... big sis.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t raise her head, nor did she say anything in acknowledgement to Scootaloo’s claim. Scootaloo just sat there waiting for an answer or something from her idol, but Dash didn’t know what to say. All she could do was stare at those three words that sent a chill down her spine. A big... sister...
Closing her eyes, Dash put the bracelet back in its box, much to Scootaloo’s confusion. With a deep sigh, she said, “Scootaloo... I can’t accept it.”
The expression on Scootaloo’s face made it clear this wasn’t what she was expecting. Her mouth opened a few times before she finally found her voice. “W-why?! Is something wrong? Should I have gotten gold instead of silver?”
Dash shook her head. “No. I’m just not worthy of being your big sister, and you shouldn’t see me as one. I’m not really a good role model for that kind of title.”
“No way!” shouted Scootaloo, standing up and slamming her forehooves on the table. “You deserve it more than anypony I know! You went on camping trips with me! We flew together and performed for Ponyville! You even visited me in the hospital when I got sick or injured all the time!”
“I was doing that because I was your friend,” emphasized Rainbow Dash, gritting her teeth. She put her hooves over her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry... I really am, but I can’t be your big sister... I’m not worthy of it. Trust me... “
Scootaloo just stood there, her face showing both confusion and hurt. Sniffling, she calmly took both boxes, but stopped and left Dash’s back on the table. When Dash looked at her, Scootaloo answered. “It was still a gift... and I want you to keep it. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Scoots...”
Scootaloo said nothing, hiding her face behind her mane. Making her way towards the door, she opened it and took a deep breath. “I guess I’ll see you around, friend.”
Reaching out with her hoof, Rainbow Dash tried to say something, but the door shut before she could utter a single syllable. She stared at the door for a long time as the gift she had been given sat there, mocking her.
***
Ah’m such a fool, thought Applejack as she made her way down the road towards home. Fluttershy refused to tell her any more than she had, but Applejack knew more than enough. Now she was mentally berating herself for not noticing the signs earlier. Having known the pain of losing a loved one early in her life, Applejack should have figured out the truth on her own. Losin’ her brother and blamin’ herself... sounds a lot like how Mac and Ah felt when Ma and Pa died... and with Granny Smith.
There was nothing else left to do but tell Rainbow Dash of what she knew. Maybe it would make her wife tell the whole story or maybe it would just enrage her even more. But Applejack was willing to take that chance. The talk of foals didn’t matter anymore, and she cursed herself for not letting the subject go nor dealing it delicately. Ah got so blindsided about havin’ foals that Ah ignored Dash’s feelin’s...
But not anymore. She was going to put her wife’s feelings first like she should have done in the first place. Upon arriving at the front door, she opened it and was surprised to find Dash on one of the seats at the table, looking even more crestfallen than before. Applejack stepped inside and cleared her throat to get Dash’s attention. “Hey.”
“Hey...” whispered Rainbow Dash before staring back at the ground. Applejack walked over and grabbed another seat, sitting right next to Dash, who flinched when she felt her wife’s leg over her shoulders. “I’m sorry... for everything...”
“It’s alright, Ah’m sorry too...” said Applejack with a nuzzle and a kiss on the cheek.
“I messed up. I did something... stupid...” said Rainbow Dash, biting her lip.
“It’s alright...”
The two of them just sat there in silence. It was like the wall that they had built between them over the past two days had suddenly crumbled. Neither of them were in the mood to fight anymore, and the truth was now out for all to see. Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but paused and closed it. She had to be patient now and let Dash start first.
Eventually, her waiting paid off as Dash asked, “How much do you know?”
“Ah know that Spectrum was yer brother. And Ah know that he died...” answered Applejack.
“Fluttershy told you, right?” Rainbow Dash slowly lifted her face towards Applejack, who nodded. “Figures, she’s the only one who knew.”
“Dash... if ya don’t want to talk about it now, Ah can wait,” said Applejack, hugging her even tighter. “All that matters to me now is makin’ ya feel better, sugarcube. Ah don’t care about foals or whatnot, just helpin’ ya smile again.”
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and let a few more tears trip down before nodding. “No... I’ll tell you everything...”
***
Rainbow Dash wouldn’t consider herself a lazy pony. Sure, she had habit of sleeping a lot and never really doing anything she didn’t like that involved much effort, but she was still as active as could be. She practiced her flying every day and often went to play hoofball or another sport with some of her pegasus friends in Cloudsdale’s park. And when she really wanted to, she could push other ponies better than any military instructor in the Equestrian Army.
“I said flap those wings! And make sure to glide when diving, rookie!” shouted Rainbow Dash, glaring at the blue speck above her. She smirked as he fumbled around a bit before obeying her orders and starting to glide downward. Dash’s smile soon was replaced with a gasp as the speeding blur headed straight towards her. It crashed into her before she could get out of the way, sending the two of them tumbling across the cloudy ground, taking a huge chunk of it with them that left a giant furrow carved into the surface.
Rainbow Dash moaned, as did a tiny colt who had a coat almost exactly like hers, only a little darker. His mane and tail also possessed all seven colors of the rainbow, but his style was more zigzagged and ruffled even worse than his sister’s. Spectrum raised his head and wobbled off his older sister, trying to stop his eyes from rolling around in his head. After a simple shake, he quickly checked his blue and yellow scarf that had the word ‘Wonderbolts’ embroidered on it along with their trademark logo.
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash said, “Don’t worry about me! I’m just feeling like my insides have collapsed inside of my ribcage. Oh no, the scarf is more important.”
Spectrum snorted and smiled, letting his scarf proudly flap in the wind. “Oh, please. You’ve taken worse hits. Remember that time you crashed into the mayor’s building when you tried to copy the Loom of Doom?”
“Oh Celestia, don’t remind me,” moaned Rainbow Dash as she got up. “Mom was so furious that she ordered me to work part-time at the Weather Factory to pay for the damages! I had to spend all summer there!”
“At least Dad managed to get you that job. It was that or working at the Waste Disposal Center,” laughed Spectrum, watching Rainbow Dash shiver at the prospect. When he calmed down, Spectrum proceeded to hop around and flap his wings with an eager smile on his face. “So how did I do, Dash?! Was I awesome?! Did you see me do those two flips from earlier?! Huh?!”
Placing her hoof on chin, Rainbow Dash proceeded to hum to herself. “Well, your brakes obviously need work and your turns are pretty poor.” She did her best to hold in a snicker as her brother pouted. “But you’ve got as much speed as I did at your age and you’ve got some slick moves. I’d say you’re ready for Flight Camp next week.”
“Yahoo!” screamed Spectrum, flinging his forelegs in the air. “I’m gonna be the best in the entire school! Maybe I’ll even find my cutie mark like you did! Or even better, do a Sonic Rainboom!”
“Woah, kiddo. Take it one at a time,” chuckled Dash. “Make sure to remember the first mare to do that move in nearly a thousand years!”
“Oh, I won’t forget!” said Spectrum, grinning. “But I bet I’ll do so great I’ll probably get selected to join the Wonderbolts before you do!”
“Oh, is that so?” asked Dash, inching herself forward. Her face soon became serious as she bent her neck to put her muzzle only an inch from her brother’s face. “But did you know that to do that you have to pass a test first?”
“T-test? What test?” asked Spectrum.
“It’s called the... tickle test!” In an instant, Rainbow Dash grabbed Spectrum and proceeded to tickle him with her hooves. Spectrum roared with laughter as he tried squirming out of his sister’s grasp, but utterly failed to do so.
Pounding the cloud, he cried out, “D-Dash! Hahaha! Stop-p! Wahaha! I give! I g-give!”
“Say the magic words first, kiddo!” ordered Dash as she tickled him even faster.
“O-okay! Dash is awesome! Dash is awesome!”
Upon hearing this, Rainbow Dash let go of her brother, who rolled onto his stomach to catch his breath. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Spectrum looked up and gave his sister a cheeky raspberry to which she responded with one of her own. After blowing a few more, while making funny faces at each other, the two laughed a bit longer before sitting down, exhausted. They turned to watch the sunset for a few seconds until Dash said, “Ah, ponyfeathers. We gotta get home or Mom’s gonna chew us out again.”
Getting back onto all fours, Rainbow Dash lowered her upper body so that Spectrum could get on and wrap his hooves around her neck. Grinning, he said, “Betcha can’t get home in under two minutes.”
“You’re on!” shouted Dash, who took off in a flash.
She made her way from the outskirts of Cloudsdale, which was always the best place to practice without disturbances, towards the cloudy skyscrapers in the center. Within seconds, they made it into the more populated areas, just barely brushing against passing buildings and other pegasi who were flying nearby. Rainbow Dash didn’t give them a second thought as she pushed herself towards a small cloud home only a few blocks away.
As she touched down Dash raised her head to celebrate her achievement, only to find a very angry mare waiting for her just outside the front door. “Rainbow Dash!” screamed her mother, Firefly, who looked ready to kick her daughter off the clouds and sent down into the earth. “How many times have I told you not to use your full speed in town! Do you want to get another complaint from our neighbors?! And what about your brother?! What would have happened if he got hurt?! Or both of you?!”
“Relax, Mom,” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing her neck. “It’s not like anything happened.”
“Yeah! Besides, I can take any danger! I’m not some baby anymore! I’m a real stallion!” said Spectrum, puffing his chest out.
Firefly shook her head and moaned. “Sometimes I wonder where you two get this cocky attitude of yours from.”
“I seem to recall a certain sky racer who always liked to, and I quote, ‘live for the moment and forget the consequences’?” said a stallion who appeared behind his blushing wife from inside the house and kissed her on the cheek. Rainbow Streak shook his head. “They may have gotten most of my looks, but all that behavior is from you, babe.”
Flushing even redder, Firefly glared at her smirking husband and snickering children before turning away with a huff. “Honestly, it’s like I’m the only sensible one in this household. Just come inside and have dinner already.”
The other three looked at each other and shrugged before following her inside. They reached the dining room table and sat down as Firefly brought in a bowl full to the brim with spaghetti and mushrooms. Everypony licked their chops before digging in. Rainbow Dash began sucking up hers like a vacuum cleaner, giving a satisfied sigh of approval after the first bite. “This is awesome, Mom! Where did you learn how to make this?”
“You can thank your friend Fluttershy for it. She taught me her family’s recipe before she moved to that town on the surface,” answered Firefly.
A small gasp was heard as Rainbow Dash grinned, knowing only one pony who could find this such a shocking revelation. Turning to her right, she saw Spectrum look at the spaghetti with wide eyes, gazing at it like it was food given from the gods themselves. With a soft blush, he continued eating his meal. “Well, you know what they say,” he murmured, after swallowing a large portion. “The more lovely the mare, the better the dish.”
“Oh, so when you and Fluttershy marry you’re gonna want her to cook for you every day, huh?” teased Rainbow Dash, making her brother blush even more. He responded with a blow to the foreleg, to which Dash gave a bop on the head in retaliation. The two raised their hooves to continue, but a glare from both of their parents quickly put a stop to their actions.
“Anyway,” continued Firefly, “I was going to tell you, Rainbow, that she sent a letter to you this morning. It’s on the counter in the kitchen.”
Rainbow quickly got out of her seat, only to reappear a split second later. Opening the letter, she quickly read it while Spectrum tried to look over her shoulder. “What’s it say? Did she ask about me? Is she doing well in her new home?” begged Spectrum.
Rainbow Dash was about to answer when an idea struck her and she quickly grinned. Faking a gasp, she said, “Oh my gosh! Fluttershy says she met a handsome stallion who’s rich and plans to marry him soon! They’re even talking about foals!”
She turned around and started laughing her tail off at Spectrum’s expression, which looked like he had been told there was no such thing as Santa Hooves. Slamming his head on the table, he started pounding his hooves on it. “Noooo! Why is fate so cruel!”
“Relax, Romeo. I was kidding,” giggled Rainbow Dash, ignoring her brother’s death glare. “She’s only written to tell me that there’s an open position on her town’s weather team, and she wants to know if I‘d like to come over to try for the job.”
“Well, I think you should try it,” said Firefly with a nod. “After all, you graduated three months ago and have yet to get a single job to support yourself. It’s time for you to leave the nest, as it were.”
Rainbow Dash groaned and rested her head on her hoof, supported by her elbow on the table. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You don’t need to remind me every day, Mom.”
“You know, Dash, I could get you back your old job at the Weather Factory. I know a few guys who owe me some favors,” pointed out Rainbow Streak.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” answered Dash. “At least as a weather pony I can practice my skills in flying, instead of being in some desk job like you do. Uh, no offense.”
“None taken.”
“And besides, I hear Ponyville, or whatever it’s called, has a lot of open space. Perfect for me to do my awesome tricks! Maybe I’ll even gain a fan following!”
“Can I come too?!” asked Spectrum. “I really want to see Fluttershy again! And besides, I’ve never been to the surface before! It sounds so weird, but cool!”
Firefly bit her lip. “I don’t know...”
“Please!” begged both siblings.
Firefly turned to her husband, who chuckled and nodded. Sighing, Firefly said, “Alright, you can go too, Spectrum.”
Spectrum punched the air with his hoof. “Alright! We’re gonna show those Ponyville fillies and colts who the most awesomest and fastest siblings in Equestria are!”
Rainbow Dash grinned and raised her hoof as well. “Yup! The Amazing and Awesome Rainbow Duo! Future stars of the Wonderbolts!”
“Booya!” they shouted in unison, slapping their hooves together while their parents looked on with amusement.
“You two remind me of myself so much it really does scare me,” chuckled Firefly before turning serious. “Rainbow, just be sure to watch out for your brother. He’s your responsibility.”
“And be sure to come home before the end of the afternoon,” urged Rainbow Streak. “Tomorrow there's gonna be a big storm coming, so be sure to be careful.”
“I will, guys. Just relax,” said Rainbow Dash with a smile. “Everything’s gonna be just fine.”
***
One of the disadvantages of having a cloud floor was anypony could sneak up on you during the night. It was only thanks to the fact that Rainbow had such a messy room that she was able to hear somepony step on her action figures and yip in pain. Rubbing her eyes, Rainbow Dash looked over the side of her bed and saw Spectrum lifting his hoof while blushing. She chuckled at the sight of seeing his Wonderbolt scarf still around his neck.
“What’s up, Spectrum? Wet your bed again?” joked Rainbow Dash.
“No!” shouted Spectrum, only to cover his mouth. The two siblings held their breath for any sign of their parents waking up, sighing in relief when they heard nothing. Spectrum nervously shifted his hoof on the floor. “I... I had a bad dream and I-I wanted to make sure you were still here.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and sat straight up. “What are you talking about?”
“I dreamed that we were flying, you know, like how we promised and everything. But then you went faster than me and I couldn’t keep up. I kept calling your name, but you were gone. You just left me alone and I didn’t know what to do,” muttered Spectrum.
Frowning, Rainbow Dash leaned over and picked her brother up. Tilting his chin up with a hoof, she said, “Listen. I will never abandon you. You’re my brother and one of my best friends. If there is one thing Rainbow Dash doesn’t do it’s leave her friends and family hanging. You and me are gonna be wingponies forever. We’re gonna be Wonderbolts together. We’re gonna be the greatest fliers in history together.” Spectrum smiled and wrapped Dash in a bone-crushing hug. Although she felt a bit embarrassed by how ‘mushy’ this was, she decided to follow through with her feelings and hugged him back. Breaking the embrace, she raised her hoof and grinned. “The Amazing and Awesome Rainbow Duo! Future stars of the Wonderbolts!”
Spectrum grinned as well and raised his hoof to slap his sister’s, both of them crying out, “Booya!”
“Rainbow! Spectrum! Get your flanks back in bed!” shouted Firefly from the other side of the hall.
“Sorry, Mom!” they responded in tandem. As Dash got ready to cover herself with the blankets again, Spectrum tapped her shoulder.
“Um, Dash? Can I stay with you for the night?” asked Spectrum.
Rainbow was ready to dismiss this, saying he was old enough for his own bed, but quickly found herself going against every little filly and colt’s special technique: the puppy eyes. Rainbow Dash tried to cover her own, but it was too late. It was like being stuck in Fluttershy’s stare; there was no escape. Reluctantly, she slid over and let a happy Spectrum take his place right next to her in the bed. The two snuggled under the covers and bid each other goodnight. Just as Dash was about to go to sleep, she heard her brother whisper, “Dash? You’re the coolest sister ever, you know that?”
Dash smiled. “Yeah, I know...”
***
The trip down to the surface wasn’t impressive for Rainbow Dash, who came down every so often. However, Spectrum, riding on Dash’s back, couldn’t stop talking about how strange everything looked as they flew across the green valleys and forests. He talked about how alien the animals and fauna were, surprised that things were so colorful and bright. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but remember herself when she was a filly and saw the ground for the first time in her life. Although, admittedly, she was more worried about Fluttershy, who had fallen down from the clouds, than anything else at that time.
After passing what looked like an apple farm, Rainbow Dash and Spectrum made it to Ponyville and were surprised to see how small it was. Then again, it looked like the kind of place that Fluttershy would like to live in.
They landed in the center of town, noticing a few ponies briefly look at them before going back to their own business. Spectrum looked at unicorns and earth ponies with wide eyes. “Woah, they looks so weird without wings.”
“Hey, be careful where you say that. You don’t wanna insult somepony, now do ya?” warned Rainbow Dash.
Spectrum nodded before he started asking more questions, such wondering what the houses were made of and why the ground felt so hard and cold. Dash tried to answer these as best as possible - occasionally making it up when she didn’t have a clear answer - while they made their way through the town. Finally, she spotted a familiar yellow pegasus who was doing her best to avoid getting in other ponies’ way.
“Fluttershy!” cried out Rainbow Dash, galloping to her oldest friend. Fluttershy spotted her and waved hello before hugging Dash.
“Rainbow, I’m so glad you came. I’m not late am I? I met this really nice bunny named Angel and he wanted to play with me so - oh dear, I’m not talking too much am I?” asked Fluttershy.
This only made Rainbow Dash laugh before slapping Fluttershy on her back, nearly causing the latter to topple over. “Still the same as ever, Fluttershy.”
Spectrum, who had been watching from a distance, slowly made his way forward. His cheeks were flushed and he was shaking so badly you would have thought an earthquake was happening. Taking a deep breath, he stuttered, “H-hi, Flut-t-tershy. R-remem-mber m-m-me?”
“Of course I do, Spectrum. How have you been doing?” asked Fluttershy with a kind smile.
Spectrum beamed before puffing out his chest. “I’m doing awesome! I’m getting ready for Flight School soon and I’ll be so good I bet I’ll be flying circles around even the instructors.”
“Oh my, you sound very confident in yourself,” said Fluttershy.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so where’s the guy I need to see in order get that weather position?” interrupted Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, well I went to go check and it turns out she’s in a meeting with the mayor for a few hours. You’re going to have to wait.” Fluttershy slowly lowered her head and ears. “Y-you're not mad, are you?”
“Naw, I got all day to hang out. Besides, I’ve been meaning to show you some of the new moves I learned since you last saw me. Is there a place where I can practice?” asked Rainbow Dash, stretching her wings.
Fluttershy rubbed her chin in deep thought until she nodded. “Oh yes, I know. There is this nice clearing where I often go to watch butterflies. Not many ponies go there so it would be a perfect place to see you fly.”
“Sweet, let’s get going already!” cried out Rainbow Dash, zipping high into the air and flying off into a random direction. Fluttershy and Spectrum stared at the each other in amusement before Dash returned, blushing. “Um, which way was it again?”
***
It didn’t take them long to arrive at the glade with Fluttershy guiding them. When they landed, Rainbow Dash started to do a few practice stretches while the others sat down and waited. Spectrum shivered with excitement and yelled, “Hey, Rainbow Dash! Do you think you can show me your Sonic Rainboom?”
Rainbow Dash momentarily stopped her push-ups before continuing. “Uh, maybe. We’ll see.” Upon seeing the disappointed look on her brother’s face, Dash mentally berated herself. Despite her stories about the biggest, shining moment in life, she had yet to replicate the Sonic Rainboom. She had tried hundreds of times, but it always ended up with her either crashing or being thrown by the backlash of failing to break the sound barrier. Spectrum had asked multiple times to see the Sonic Rainboom, and she had had to lie multiple times to keep her pride and hero status in her brother’s eyes.
After making sure every part of her body from mane to tail was ready, Dash took a deep breath and leaped into the air. The familiar feeling of adrenaline coursed through her veins, bringing a smile to her lips as she ascended to the heavens. Her cyan wings beat the sky as she left behind her signature rainbow streak. The air started to get cooler as she rose higher and higher, a feeling she never stopped loving no matter how many times she did something like this. It was like letting yourself loose upon the world with no limits to hold you down. With her wings, Dash felt like she had the power to go wherever she wished.
Gathering her thoughts, Rainbow Dash began to ready herself and let herself stall until she hung in the air like a small, sky-blue cloud. The hands of gravity tugged gently at her as she turned her body towards the ground. The consistent downward pull assisted in Dash’s ever-accelerating dive as her colorful tail streamed out behind her. Before her fall could terminate in a bone-shattering crunch, Dash flared her wings and turned her dive into a blazingly rapid glide.
Cheers from Spectrum could be heard all across the field while Fluttershy slowly lowered her hooves from her eyes. Rainbow flew dangerously close to the ground, weaving and turning to dodge the sharp rocks and old stumps in her path. One mistake and she would be in a world of pain, but she wasn’t the least bit worried. Dash could feel the very tips of the grass blades tickling her soft underbelly, but ignored the sensation. Excitement began to swell up within Rainbow Dash as she flew upward.
The audience of two gasped and cheered together as Rainbow Dash unleashed trick after trick: corkscrews, flips, dives, and spins. She even used the clouds in her act, either by plowing right through them or bouncing off them for added speed. While performing, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel a warm glow in her chest as she glanced at Fluttershy and, more importantly, Spectrum’s joyful expressions. Except there was more than just two pegasi now.
A small group of pegasi, all around her own age, were clapping and cheering alongside her original audience, who looked surprised by their arrival. Curious, Rainbow flew herself back to the ground where the group of newcomers came forward. Leading them was a yellow-coated mare with a pink mohawk mane and ear piercings; she also had storm clouds as a cutie mark, but the strange thing was that the lighting bolts accompanying them were shooting upwards instead of downwards.
Rainbow Dash touched down on the grass as the mohawked pony grinned and raised her hoof. Although a bit surprised, Dash returned the hoof bump. “Sweet moves out there, girl. Never seen anything like that before. You new around here?”
“Uh, yeah. Well, kind of,” answered Rainbow Dash, leaning back and giving the best cool look she could come up with. “I’m from Cloudsdale, name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m out here trying for that open position on the weather team.”
“Really?” said the mohawk pegasus with a raised eyebrow. “I’m Gale Storm and I happen to be part of the team. These guys,” she nodded to the ponies behind her, “are also in too. You sound like the right kind of pony we’re looking for: fast, crazy, and cool.”
“R-really? I-I mean, yeah I am cool,” said Rainbow Dash, crossing her forelegs in an attempt at nonchalance.
“She’s really cool!” shouted Spectrum.
Gale Storm looked at the colt and snorted. “Who’s the runt?”
“Oh, that’s Spectrum, my little brother. And that’s Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash.
“What’s up!”
“Um... hi...”
“Yeah, whatever,” said Gale dismissively, turning her focus back to Dash. “Listen, that crazy, annoying pink pony that usually holds the parties in town has gone to her folks’ home for the weekend, so we can finally party like real adults. You seem like a cool pegasus, want to join us? We can show you around town and see what kind of other moves you got.”
“Really?! That sounds awesome,” said Rainbow Dash, wings flapping.
“Cool! We’re gonna party!” shouted Spectrum, who started pretending to play air guitar and bobbing his head.
“Uh, one thing,” said Gale, pointing towards Spectrum. “Adults only.”
Spectrum paused in his fake playing and looked up in disbelief. “What? Aw, come on. I’m old enough! Can’t I come too, Dash?”
Rainbow looked back and forth between Gale and Spectrum and bit her lip. She didn’t really want to disappoint her brother, but at the same time Gale seemed really cool and looked to be very influential among the weather ponies in Ponyville. If I play my cards right she might recommend me to the mayor.
Turning around, she faked a smile towards her brother. “Listen Spectrum. I’m just gonna be away for a few hours. Why don’t you hang around with Fluttershy for a while and I’ll come back and getcha. Deal?”
“But I wanted to hang out with you, sis!” cried Spectrum.
“I know, but I’ll come back soon! I promise!” vowed Rainbow Dash. She turned to Gale and nodded, flying after her and the rest of the weather team
Spectrum fell to his haunches and whimpered while Fluttershy walked over and nuzzled him. “It’s okay, Spectrum. I’m sure Dash will be come back for you soon. Just give her a while. Why don’t I introduce you to some of my animal friends?”
“I-I guess,” muttered Spectrum, getting up and following Fluttershy. He turned around and saw the speck that was his sister getting further and further away.
“Just come back soon, sis...”