Firefly let out a small sigh and soared through the clouds, trying hard to ignore the complaining filly on her back.
"Moooom! I don't wanna go to daddy's! I want to go with you to wooork!" The cyan filly grabbed a hoof full of Firefly's blue mane and stuffed her face into it, causing Firefly to wince and sigh.
"No Rainbow Dash. I've told you a thousand times before, I'm not allowed to take you to the stadium. You wouldn't like it there anyways, it's loud and noisy and messy. You also could easily get lost and that would make mommy very very sad. You don't want to make mommy sad do you?" Firefly grinned knowing this would shut the foal up as she heard Rainbow Dash sigh.
"No...." The filly grumbled and took her face out of Firefly's mane.
"Then you need to go to your fathers. Besides, he misses you, and it would make him sad if you didn't visit him." Firefly chuckled as Rainbow sat there in an upset silence.
"No it won't..." she grumbled as Firefly looked back and her and brushed noses with her filly.
"Now come on Dashie, your father loves you just as much as I do." Firefly assured her as they landed in front of a small, light blue cloud house. Firefly quickly knocked on the door and moved back, waiting for somepony to answer. There was a small amount of commotion in the house then the door swung open.
"Dashie!" The stallion that had answered the door said and he reached down and picked up the filly, hugging her in his forehooves. The stallion was a darkish blue with a messy, short Rainbow mane and bright yellow eyes. The filly hugged her father and leaped out of her fathers hooves and flew into the house.
"Make sure she eats all of her lunch and put down for a nap around 1:30." Firefly said with no emotion in her tone. The stallion smiled at her lightly and rubbed the back of his neck with his forehoof.
"Look, Firefly..."
"I don't want to hear it Rainbow Blaze. Just watch Dash and keep her out of trouble. If she comes back to me with the least of a single scratch or bruise and tells me you did it, Celestia help me I will kick your flank so hard, you won't back able to sit right for weeks." Firefly glared at the stallion as Rainbow Blaze backed up nervously.
"Do you understand me Blaze?"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"Then goodbye." Firefly grumbled and flew off without another word. Life had been harder ever since Rainbow Dash was born. She had less money to spend and had to take double shifts working at the racing stadium just to keep up with their needs, which means she had less time to spend with her precious little filly.
~~~
Firefly quickly hustled into the stadium to see a white Pegasus mare with a yellow, bouncy mane.
"Hey Firefly! Where's the filly?" The mare had said as she and Firefly trotted into the locker room.
"Hey, I told her she couldn't come like always. I don't want her running off and getting lost. By the way, how's Fire Feather doing?" Firefly asked as she put on her faded pink racing suit that had her double lightning bolt cutie mark stitched into both sides where her wings were.
"He's doing great! Maybe Rainbow Dash and him could have a play date sometime." The mare smiled as she zipped up her snow white racing suit that had her cutie mark of 3 purple balloons on both sides.
"You know what Surprise, why not? Rainbow loves meeting other foals!" Firefly chirped as she walked out into the stadium where the other racers where. She made small talk with the ponies she knew and shook hooves with the newbes.
Soon, the racers were called to get at the starting line. After a couple brief moments, a gun was sounded off and the pegasi racers took off without a second to spare. Firefly quickly took lead and left the others in her blue lightning trail. she then lapped one of newer racer's and weaved her way to victory. As she skidded to a stop she looked up at the cheering crowd and waved slightly, trotting up and hoofbumping the ones in the front row. Soon she and the rest of the racers cantered into the locker room as she sat there on the bench wiping her face off with a towel when one of the volunteers had trotted up to her.
"Wow! That was awesome!" The teenage-ish mare had said. The mare had a bright yellow coat and a mane that honestly looked like it was on fire.
"Thanks. Now be a good filly and go get me a water bottle." She chuckled to the young mare as the mare nodded and trotted off. Surprise quickly cantered up breathing heavily and hoofbumped Firefly.
"Way to go! You got lucky that I had a bad start, just wait till the next race. I'll getcha' then, you just watch me." Surprise laughed and Firefly just chuckled along with her. After a brief minute the young mare came back with a bottle of water that Firefly happily accepted.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" The orange Pegasus quickly tapped Firefly's shoulder, trying to get her attention.
"Yeah?" Firefly asked taking a sip of water and looking down at the teenage mare with a smile.
"Can I get your autograph?" The mare asked pulling out a pen and a piece of paper and Firefly choked on water.
"W-what? My autograph? Why?" Firefly looked down at the fire-like mare with shock. Nopony has ever asked for her autograph before, not even the ponies in the stands that paint their faces pink and spray paint there manes blue and scream Firefly's name as loud as they could just so they could get her attention.
"Because you're probably the fastest Pegasus in Cloudsdaile! When I get older, I want to be just like you!" The mare said holding her head up high. Firefly on the other hoof, was sitting there in shock.
"I... Well.. Uh... Sure... I guess I'll give you my autograph... What' your name filly?" Firefly stuttered as she took the pen and started to sign the paper.
"My name's Spit Fire! " The young mare exclaimed. After Firefly finished signing the paper she handed it back and smiled.
"Awesome. Remember to follow your dreams and never give up Spitfire, and you might just make it somewhere in life." Firefly smiled as the mare let out a small 'Yes!' And trotted off to show some of the other volunteers.
~~
After many hours of long, grueling races with little 3 minute breaks inbetween Firefly flopped down onto a bench in the locker room. She had won fifteen out of the seventeen race's and came in second the other two. She looked around and realized that all the other racer's were still hyped up and ready for more and some were just arriving. She let out a small sigh and looked at the clock, realizing she didn't have to race anymore.
"Oh thank Celestia I can finally go home." Firefly sighed unzipping and leaping out of her racing suit and shoving it into her messy locker. As she picked up her duffel bag and started to trot out the door, she noticed the young mare form earlier.
"And she was like "Remember to follow your dreams and never give up Spit Fire!" and then she gave me her autograph!" Spitfire boasted showing a group of volunteers the paper she had signed earlier. One white stallion with a blue, spiked backwards mane raised and eyebrow.
"No way. There is no way that's real. You're totally lying. Firefly is way to awesome to ever talk to you." The stallion said sticking his tongue out at Spitfire, who only scoffed in return.
"Shut up Soarin'. I did ask her and she did give me the autograph. She even asked me to get her some water. Ask Fleetfoot or Misty Fly if you don't believe me!" The orange mare stamped her hoof and stuck her tongue out at him as well, in return the rest of the group giggled. Firefly smirked and decided to help the mare out as she trotted up and the whole group went completely silent except for a few gasps.
"Hey Spitfire." Firefly smiled as the group of young ponies eyes averted form Firefly to Spirtfire and back.
"H-h-hi Ms. Firefly!" Spirtfire stuttered out then smiled from ear to ear.
"Hey, call me Firefly. I sort of overheard your buddy here givin' ya trouble. Everything alright?" Firefly looked at Soarin' whose pupils and irises were as small as marbles and his mouth was hanging open.
"Y-yea everything fine! N-nothing that I can't handle!" Spitfire laughed nervously as Firefly rubbed Spitfire's head messing up her fire like mane and trotted away happily.
~~~
Firefly tiredly kicked open the door to her apartment and cantered over to the couch, gently placing the sleeping Rainbow Dash down onto it. By the time Firefly had gotten to Rainbow Blaze's house the little filly had been fast asleep on an air mattress. She had considered leaving the little one at her father's, but decided not to because Rainbow Blaze... Well... Let's just say that stallion wasn't the best with foals. Firefly exhaustedly flopped down on the other end of the couch and stared up at the ceiling.
"Oh Dash... What are we going to do? I just can't let you live like this forever..." Firefly whispered and rolled off the couch, trotting over to her closet to get a blanket. She had a small apartment, a one bed one bathroom type of apartment. Even worse was that she was using the only room for storage, so she and Dash slept out in the living area. As she gently laid the blanket over Rainbow and curled up on the other side of the bed, using to other end of the blanket.
"Oh Celestia... Please let things get better.. I want to raise Dash in a good home, not this old, crappy apartment." Firefly whispered before slowly drifting off into dreamland.