Grounded
Fifteen
Rainbow Dash and Cobalt Streak soared through the skies, the latter with an expression of pure delight on his face. He loved feeling the wind on his coat as he held his mother tight so as to not fall. He saw the shining buildings, which reflected from the sunbeams above, and gentle blue painted the sky with soft white clouds that felt like cottony candy and air in one. He laughed as his hoof reached out to feel the cottony air rush through his fur. No matter how many times his mother brought him up into the sky, it felt like another adventure.
The crystal ponies were mere specks down below, but he cowered away as he glanced down, fear of the high height making him turn away. Only when Rainbow tilted her wings down to descend did he feel calmer, sighing with relief.
Trying to remove the nerves as Rainbow Dash began flying down, Cobalt spoke up. "That ice cream was the best ever! Well, almost as good as the ones Pinkie makes."
"Yeah. At least they don't give out crystal ice cream... I don't think it'd sell," Rainbow laughed at her own joke, her hooves touching the ground. She placed the tip of her wind onto the pavement to let Cobalt slide down.
When he did, he turned to his mother, his face cheerful, lit up after the ice cream and fun ride. It fell a bit, though, when something crossed his mind, and his ears fell down as he tried to look between his eyes at his nose. "Do I have any ice cream on my face?" He pointed, trying to move his head at every angle to see it.
Rainbow grinned at her son moving his head this way and that, like he was dizzy and about to fall over. "Yeah, right there on your cheek." She pointed at her own to demonstrate.
Cobalt licked his left cheek and tilted his head. "How 'bout now?"
"Nope, still there."
"Where?" Cobalt whined, getting impatient.
"Here!" Rainbow Dash poked him in the side, getting out a few giggles in response. "And here, here, aaaand here!" With each 'here,' she ticked him in his side, his belly and under his hooves.
"Hehe, aww no!" he shouted through laughter. "My hooves are the most ticklish; it's cheating!"
"How is it cheating?" she challenged, bowing her head to his eye level.
Cobalt tried to look angry, but his face fell. "I don't know."
Rainbow simply laughed again, nuzzling his neck before straightening up. "Okay, so let's check out our place for the night."
Cobalt nodded and followed his mother into an apartment building, which sparkled with a crystallized glow like most of the things here. Sparkly things often absorbed his attention, so he was lucky he didn't walk right into a building wall.
A wing appeared in his track, stopping him.
When he looked up to his mother, she chuckled. "The door's right here, kid. You almost ran into that wall, so you oughta pay attention next time." She winked and opened the door.
Cobalt Streak blushed, scrunching his mouth. Then he coughed out a feather before entering the house. He took a look inside, his ears flattening, and his first remark was, "It doesn't really look all that crystall-y."
"Well, I doubt they can make everything out of crystals. I mean, imagine if they made, like, the water outta crystals. It'd just be a bit much, don't you think?" Dash asked.
She took a look around the house and showed him the few rooms this apartment contained, including his own very small room. He flopped onto the bed and already wrapped himself up in the seafoam green blankets, giggling as he bundled up. Dash sat in front of him, helping him wrap himself in tighter. "Are you cold or something?" she joked.
"Hehe, no. They're really soft, though."
Rainbow brushed a hoof on the fabric, musing in agreement. Then she jumped off the bed. "Alright, kiddo, so this is the first time I'm trusting you on your own. Here's the one question I have for you: do ya think you can handle it?" she challenged, leaning into him with a smirk.
Cobalt thought about it for a moment, but then he puffed out his chest, the blankets slipping off him. "You bet!"
"Yeah, you're my son alright." She nuzzled him and took a step back. "Just know a few things, since it's your first time 'n all. Don't go anywhere that... yeah, just anywhere except this apartment. Second, don't be tempted by the crystal things—believe me, they're shiny and distracting, so I don't bl—"
"Alright, mom!" Cobalt Streak said, waving his hooves to stop his mother from going on. "I got it, okay?"
Dash shut her mouth and tried not to blush, realizing how motherly she sounded. "Right. So! I'm off. I'll see ya in abit. I won't keep you by yourself for too long."
She trotted off, and Cobalt heard the door slam. He turned around to look out the window and see his mother flying away. She disappeared in seconds.
Cobalt Streak looked around for a bit. He sighed. "Gah, I'm bored... this sucks." He fell onto his bed, struggling in his blankets to feel comfortable. Once he did, his eyes went up to the ceiling. Not even the ceiling shined like the buildings. "How's that fair?" he asked aloud with a pout. "There has to be something interesting to do..."
***
"I remember this one time, and it was, like, Cobalt's first week of school, about two years ago. So he was kinda nervous the whole week. He was supposed to tell something about himself. When I asked him what he told them, apparently, he started screaming his name and stuff." Rainbow laughed, swirling her drink around. "Poor thing. I wouldn't be surprised if he wet himself."
The girls laughed or "aww"-ed in response. In this building, they reserved a large room for Twilight and her group of friends. Light music sang through the air, and Pinkie Pie immediately fell in love with the chocolate fountain. While she got drunk on sugary sweetness, Twilight, Princess Cadence and Rarity joined Rainbow Dash at a long table with pearl white cloth, telling funny stories and drinking apple cider, made from Applejack's farm, while Applejack and Fluttershy grabbed something to eat.
"He seems really shy. Very unlike you. Think he got that from his father?" Rarity questioned.
Rainbow thought about that for a moment. "I dunno," she decided to answer. "When I hung out with him, he just seemed... kinda reserved. I don't know if that means shy, though. So maybe." She glanced at the table of food where Applejack and Fluttershy were chatting, flashing a smirk as she added, "Maybe he somehow got it from Fluttershy."
"How is Cobalt Streak? If we ever have the chance, I'd love to meet him," Cadence said cheerfully.
"Doing good. He seems to really like it here, too! He's back at the apartment. I hope he'll be fine on his own, but-"
"On his own?" Twilight interrupted, which Dash didn't mind too much. Her concern, however, she somewhat did.
"Yeah, so?"
"Do you think he's old enough to?" Twilight asked, worry clear in her eyes. "I didn't even trust Spike alone in the library until he was a couple years older. I'm just saying, he's about five, isn't he? It seems very young to be all by himself."
"I trust him. I might as well test it now. Besides, it's not about age, it's about how you can handle it. And I'm sure he can." Rainbow Dash leaned on her chair and placed her hindhooves on the table, taking a good gulp of cider.
"Well, I doubt having a babysitter would hurt. Wouldn't you feel better knowing somepony was there to watch over him?" Rarity put in.
"I don't trust Cobalt with just anyone. One of you guys, sure, that'd be fine. But some stranger in this city? Just... no way," Dash declined immediately, straightening up with a somber look. The idea of handing off her son to some stranger... it almost terrified her. She shook her head to take away these thoughts.
"Actually, I don't think Shining Armor would mind watching over him for a bit. He knows you enough that I think he'd be alright with babysitting your son," Cadence offered.
"Seriously?" Dash asked, her ears flickering up.
"Of course. I mean, I wouldn't be here if I was super busy, so it's pretty quiet in the castle." Cadence giggled. "Besides, I'd love to see how he is with kids... you know, in case we decide to have one."
"Alright." Rainbow Dash decided to step back. That last reason was more than she asked for, after all. "Thanks for that. I'll, um, go get him them. Back in a flash!"
Rainbow saluted before flying out the doors, waving to the rest as she passed them. Pinkie Pie most likely didn't see her through her large tummy filled with chocolate. Rainbow Dash shook her head and left the restaurant, heaing back to her apartment. Taking no time to enter, she kicked the door open and shut, hoping the sound didn't frighten Cobalt Streak. She noticed it was unlocked and wondered if she did so before she left earlier. With a shrug, she looked inside for Cobalt.
When he wasn't there, she called out, "Hey, Cobalt... Cobalt! Yo, get out here!"
She looked in the small living room followed by the kitchen when he did not respond after a while. Peeping into a few cabinets big enough to hold him, she shook her head, wondering where he could be hiding. A sudden game of hide and seek wasn't a really common game with them, but she might as well try for his sake.
With a sneaky grin, she sped into his bedroom, glancing at his bed, where she saw him last. Only his blankets lay there, thrown about in a messy manner. Dash turned to the closet, which was shut. "Oh, please," she said with a wave of her hoof. "You've gotta try harder with hide and seek, kiddo. You always chose the same hiding place, the... CLOSET!"
Once she flipped the doors open, her grin fell. Empty.
"Cobalt! What the hell?" she mumbled, tapping her chin in wonder. She peeked under the bed, even in the cupboards one more time, just in case. She checked through every corner and possible place one could squeeze through. Options were thinning, until she found herself in the living room again.
"Cobalt?
Still nothing. He would come out by now, wouldn't he? He wasn't always patient, often coming out just to surprise her or because he got bored sitting in the same spot. Why not now?
Something came to her, and her eyes grew small, diluted in fear. "Ah, man."
The door flew open as she raced outside again, going into the air at breakneck seed. Rainbow Dash searched most of the empire high in the air, flying with the greatest might she could force into her wings and checking every moving body to make sure it was Cobalt's.
No signs of her son.
Sweat poured down her face. This wasn't happening... no way! She had to relax. When she saw the building her friends were in, she let out a harsh breath and dived down.
"Guys!" Since she was still far away from the building, her yelling didn't matter. If only she cared. The door was shut, but again, she had no concern. She shut her eyes, preparing for the impact.
Her head felt a strong force of pain as it contacted with the doors. The force from her flying pulled the doors from its hinges, and the pair of doors fell onto the floor. Despite forcing the doors open with her head, and despite the ringing in her ears, Rainbow continued to fly until she found the room her friends reserved for the party.
The girls went on talking and laughing, drinking and eating their meals. That is, until Rainbow came in, shouting as she opened these doors with more ease, though huffing from the flying, "Guys! Twilight, Fluttershy, everypony!"
Their happiness slipped away at the sight of horror etched in their friend's face. They all ran to her, except Fluttershy, who was already standing beside her. "Oh, Rainbow. J-Just calm down. Now what's the matter?" She grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders and made her stare right at her.
Finding Fluttershy's eyes seemed to bring a sort of composure to her. "C-Cobalt," she panted, not from the stress, but the exhaustion from how much she flew in so little time.
"Darling, take a breath." Rarity put a hoof on her back. When she found Rainbow relax with a shudder, she added with a gentle smile, "What's wrong? Something about Cobalt, you said?"
Rainbow took deeper breathes to fully relax herself, taking the time to understand how ridiculous she was acting. Fear overcame her, and only now, did she even try to stop herself from having a panic attack. She ran a hoof through her mane. "I dunno. He... he just left the house. Or worse." Something bothered her eyes, and she rubbed whatever was in them. Gasps entered her ears before she added, "I was gone for, like, ten minutes, and already, I can't find him! I flew everywhere, I'm sure of it, but... I can't find him!"
"Oh, Rainbow, he's so young. Did you really think it was the best idea to leave him all by—"
"I know, Twilight!" Dash grit her teeth in fear of lashing out at her friend, feeling stung by Twilight's remark. Given how she already interrupted their fun at the party, she didn't want to cause trouble between any of them. She lowered her voice, accidentally letting slip a hint of desperation. "But can you not pander me about this for a minute and... help me?"
Twilight took a step back, her eyes softening. "Sorry," she sighed. "I do know that he can't be too far away. Why don't we all search the city for him? Maybe you flew too fast, and you missed him somewhere. If we work together, it'll be easier to find him."
"But first things, Dashie; smile! We're your friends, and we got your back. And Cobalt's." Pinkie pulled up the lips on Dash's face to a forced smile.
While that smile slipped, Rainbow didn't feel too scared now, some hope returning. It would be okay. With her friends smiling at her in reassurance, she nodded and released her wings. "Alright. Let's go find him."
***
Only the six of them remained, with Cadence returning to the castle in hopes Cobalt was there for any reason. The girls searched in all difference places and directions in the city. They even asked several crystal ponies if they saw a little colt wandering around, with little results.
"I did see somepony like him him, but that was a while ago," said one glittering pink mare. She pointed north of them. "He went that way. Looked similar to you, too; he your son?"
"Thanks! And, uh, yeah."
"It's a big city, miss. You should've kept a better eye on him," she chided.
"Again, thanks," growled Rainbow, gritting her teeth. She struggled to hold back her tongue, because a fight was not what she needed right now. "Now I'm gonna go and find him before I punch you in the face."
The mare took a cautious step and watched Rainbow Dash fly off, a burst of air whacking her face from the Pegasus's immediate flight. The skies were painted a burning orange, reminding her how close it was until night. She couldn't imagine Cobalt out at night in a place he did not know. Already, he was out in a city he could get so easily lost in.
How could she let him slip from her hooves like that? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
In her ascension, Dash saw Rarity not too far away and lowered herself to talk to her. "Anything?" she asked, something she hoped multiple times got a good response.
"Not yet, but don't worry, dear. He's got to be around," Rarity reassured her, something Rainbow heard multiple times in the past five, maybe ten minutes. Time was lost on her by this point.
"I know," she mumbled, feeling less positive than before. She hissed under her breath, her patience thinning. A concerned look crossed Rarity's face, but before she could so much as ask, Rainbow Dash zipped straight up into the darkening sky. Rarity watched her become a speck in seconds before continuing walking around.
"Cobalt!" Dash yelled, her voice cracking as she fought emotions that were ready to burst from her throat.
"I see him!"
Rainbow's heart nearly stopped, the abruptness of that statement sending her into a momentary shock. When she returned, though, she turned to the source of the voice. "Where?" She nearly rammed into Fluttershy, her hooves shaking, before she looked all around them.
Fluttershy grabbed Dash to once again relax her and pointed. Dash turned to where she gestured, and her eyes widened.
Rainbow found herself staring into the jousting field, a round starting as two stallions on either side prepped to take down the other, pawing at the dirt. Her attention, however, was on the crowd standing in the seating area. Of all the gloriously sparkly ponies, only one did not have that sparkle to them. He was young, with a light blue coat, and watched everything with curious rose eyes.
"Cobalt!" she yelled, tears in her eyes. She felt her stress lifting away now that her son was in her sight of vision.
Cobalt's eyes wandered up to the skies, her call somehow reaching that far. When he saw his mother, bright eyes lit up, and he rose from his seat. "Momma! Hi!" He waved eagerly.
She could barely hear him, and this became apparent to him. Cobalt went under the rail and slipped onto the ground of the field. In a blind run, he hurried to see his mother and get her attention. He failed to see the two stallions with pointed swords not too far away from him; he was, in fact, running right towards them, looking into the air and at his mother instead of where he was going.
And like that, the stress returned. What the hell are you DOING, kid? Get out of—Celestia damn it! Rainbow Dash plummeted toward the ground, her hooves reaching out for Cobalt. The wind made her squint, but she kept her focus and almost slammed on the ground. Her heart pounded over and over. Those stallions wouldn’t dare continue jousting with a kid standing in the middle.
However, those sticks that stuck out, pointed right towards him, terrified her to no end. She straightened herself up just in time before she met with the ground. In the midst of her indistinguishable panic attack, she did not even notice one hoof touching the ground, destroying her balance.
The stallions had long turned away at the sight of the ponies in the way, pointing their weapons in different directions. Dash didn’t see them, however, and tripped as her hooves wrapped around Cobalt, who had frozen on the spot. Her wings stretched out as they tumbled into the ground.
“Over here!” Fluttershy called out, flying towards the scene. The other four girls followed behind her in a hurried gallop. Dust surrounded them, causing a tension in which silence was cold and taunting. A pin drop could be heard should one land on the ground. The excitement in the group dissipated to painful silence as they waited to see Rainbow in midst of that blasted dust.
At last, Applejack decided to step up in caution. “Rainbow, Cobalt! Are ya two okay?”
The dust thinned, first revealing the two jousters, fallen down with their spears dropped onto the dirt. They struggled to get up and glanced around in search of what caused the chaos.
The two jousters turned to their side, revealing two bright blue figures laying in the ground, one bigger blue holding the other tight. The girls gasped and rushed over to them.
“Sh-shit, Cobalt, holy crud… don’t—are you…?” Rainbow stuttered in a whisper, never letting go of her son as she stammered to say something comprehensible.
“I’m sorry, mom. You told me about these things, and I wanted to see what they were like. I was only gonna go for a little bit, I swear! I didn’t mean to scare you. Please don’t hate me!” He hid in his mother’s arms, burying himself into her coat and wings.
“Are you kidding me?” Words finally formed with clearance. She let out a large sigh, almost laughing. The fear disappeared, and so much emotion replaced it, too many to name. She wasn't used to this. “You’re so silly. You’re talking to your mom here; it’ll take a lot for me to hate you.” A tear slipped from her eye, but she let it go this time.
Rainbow Dash groaned, pain ripping somewhere in her back once the adrenaline disappeared.
“What’s wrong, mom?” Cobalt asked, his ears dropping in worry.
“Oh, your wing!” Twilight exclaimed.
Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see both of her wings bent up. It looked more like a weird piece of art instead of her glorious wings. However, she turned back to her son, and he mattered far more than those. “Ah, it’s nothing. I’ve dealt with broken wings all the time.”
Fluttershy breezed over to her, examining her wing. Her pupils shrank. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go get this checked! You’re hurt, and it looks… really bad. This isn’t something you can let go like a bruise or a paper cut.”
“Agh, paper cuts are the worst,” Cobalt muttered, shuddering.
“C’mon, we’ll take you to the hospital,” Applejack said, offering a hoof for her.
“I said I’ll be fine.” Rainbow stood up, brushing away Applejack’s offer in her stubbornness.
***
In the blink of an eye, Rainbow found herself in a bed, in a room with brilliant lights and a window looking out into the city.
Her eyebrow raised in confusion. “What the hay?” she asked, her voice cracking as she rose from the pillow… only to lay back down with some pain striking into her head and even her wings. She stretched out her wings as best as she could without feeling any sort of pain and saw bandages wrapped around them both.
“Hey, someone tell me what happened?”
“She’s awake!” Twilight shouted from outside in the hallway. The five girls came in with relieved looks on their faces. When Rainbow saw Cobalt approach her, she reached out for him, ignoring the bit of pain in her head, and he jumped into her arms. His hooves wrapped around her.
“How are you feeling, Dashie?” Pinkie bounced over to her, tilting her head to the side in concern.
“Like I just woke up with a major headache in a hospital,” Dash answered, rubbing the back of her head while holding Cobalt in her coat with the other. “What exactly happened? I don’t even remember coming here!”
“The doctors said you suffered from some sort of concussion. It was minor, so it wasn’t too bad,” Fluttershy told her. “Did you hit your head when you were… well, trying to get Cobalt?”
“Well, no, but I think, uh, I have an idea how that happened.” Dash winced, recalling when she rammed into that door to get to her friends. In the midst of her panic, she didn’t even feel anything or acknowledge the pain.
“Momma?”
“Yeah, Cobalt?” she asked with a curious look down at her son.
“Don’t fall down like that, okay? It was scary.”
She considered shooting him a glare but knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. “Just as long as you don’t walk off on me like that again, got it?”
Just as her son nodded, a light yellow stallion with a silver mane entered the room with a clipboard in his magical grasp. “Glad to see you’re awake, Miss Dash. Are you feeling any better?”
“Sure,” was Dash’s vague answer. She shrugged.
“Well, good then.” He flipped over a piece of paper from the clipboard. “Aside from the broken wings, you also suffered a minor concussion. However, a good night’s rest should help you feel better by tomorrow. And I recommend not moving around too much or doing too much for the rest of the day. In fact, I wish to keep you here so we can be sure you’re okay.”
Rainbow Dash glanced at her friends. “Don’t we have tickets to go home later?”
“Yes, but we can get more tickets for the next train. It’s fine. We don't wanna leave you here all alone,” Twilight said with a smile.
“You guys can go,” Rainbow said, waving her hoof at the door. “I don’t care. You shouldn’t waste tickets because of something stupid I did.”
“We’re not leaving you here alone because of some tickets, Rainbow Dash. That’d be terrible of us,” Rarity said with a sharp look. She changed her attention to the doctor, who was looking through his notes, unconcerned with their conversation. “When can she leave, doctor?”
“Tomorrow morning would be a safe time to let her go. Some more rest for her head will make her better, but she will need to be careful with her wings for a week or so—”
“Yeah, I got it. Trust me, doc, this isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation before,” Rainbow Dash cut him off with a grin. She glanced at her friends, and it fell. “So, can you leave me and my friends alone?”
“Of course. Visiting hours end in about ten minutes, so you shouldn't take too long,” said the doctor before leaving the girls and Cobalt to themselves.
When all eyes were on her, a shyness washed over her that she didn't expect. This whole day surrounded her in unexpected emotions. "I, uh, didn't realize this would happen, guys. I... I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash started, lowing her voice in embarrassment.
Somehow, they didn't need her to repeat that. "I don't think anyone had any idea this would happen!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And it doesn't matter; it's all okay now!"
The girls nodded, but Dash felt a strange paranoia staring at their reactions. She couldn't tell what they were thinking or feeling, and that was the worst part. Dash could tell Pinkie didn't care, but the others? There was uncertainty there.
"'S long as you're alright, then that's all that matters!" Applejack said, stepping up. Rainbow gave her a weak grin. AJ turned to the girls. "Right?"
They all murmured in agreement, but even with AJ's help, Rainbow didn't feel like it helped her any better. Something bugged her mind, but if only she could figure out what. The clock ticked, and about two minutes remained. Her head moved to look at Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, can you take care of Cobalt for the night?” she asked. "Obviously, I can't keep him here, and I'd rather he be in a real bed anyway, and not some small, uncomfortable bed like this one." She shifted a bit, proving it didn't provide comfort she wanted. She didn't complain, though.
“Absolutely,” Fluttershy answered. She took Cobalt’s hoof and murmured to him, “As long as you’re okay with that.”
“And Cobalt Streak.” She said his full name to emphasize how serious she wanted to be at the moment. His eyes widened, and he shied away with a bit of a blush on his cheeks, taking a great interest in the floor now. “Don’t go wandering off this time, got it? You’re lucky I’m not punishing you for what happened today, but… it’s the first time. Just… don’t get it happen again, got it?” She shifted from anger to worry in the course of a few sentences, but Cobalt failed to notice, still scared to meet her eyes.
“Yes, momma.” His hoof brushed the floor shyly, and he took Fluttershy’s hoof again. “I think mom’s mad at me.”
Rainbow Dash’s face fell again, but Fluttershy simply smiled. “Oh, of course she’s not. She’s just very worried about you, Cobalt. You did scare her.”
“Really? But she told me she’s not scared of anything.”
Fluttershy giggled. “There are a few exceptions.”
“I’m right here, guys,” Rainbow replied flatly.
"We'll come and get you tomorrow morning," Twilight informed her, as she checked the clock in the corner. "We should go now. Do you need anything?"
Dash waved a hoof, blowing a raspberry. "Nah, I'm good. Just some sleep. See ya guys!"
The girls and Cobalt left Rainbow Dash, and as she turned the lights off, she let the silence be her company. The outside shimmered like holiday lights, and the purple skies of twilight. She needed this quiet, this tranquil scenery for one thing: to think.