//------------------------------// // rainbow's secret // Story: The Lone Gaurdian // by 21latenighter //------------------------------// As Twilight came closer to ponyville that evening, she started to think about how much it had changed over the years. Today marked six years since she had been sent to ponyville by Princess Celestia. They had been the best years of her life, but she had also had some bad times. Just some of the events that had happened since her arrival to ponyville was the return of Nightmare Moon, then her transformation back to Princess Luna. Then there was the return of discord, which had tried the friendships of all of her friends. Then there was the reforming of discord, which even though had changed the villain's heart, it hadn't changed his behavior, which wasn't all bad, just a little irritating at times. Then the wedding of her brother to a princess she knew her whole life, the beginning had been awful with the changeling invasion, but turned out all right in the end. The return of the Crystal Empire had been tough on Twilight, to have such a big job placed on her shoulders. Her princess hood had been more confusing than tough. Then there was the near end of equestria when Tirek escaped and stole all of the equestrian magic. She had made the five best friends in the whole world. Over the years her friends changed as they aged in the six year period. Rainbow Dash was now a wonderbolt reserve, but was always in awe when they preformed. She had nearly had a heat attack when Spitfire came into ponyville to give Rainbow her costume and badge. Pinky Pie had moved out of the cakes home. She had then traveled across equestria to find the humorous Cheese Sandwich. They then begin to throw parties across equestria as the super duper party ponies, and brought laughter to all they came by. Though Pinkie and Cheese traveled all across equestria, they had purchased a house on the eastern side of Ponyville, where they had placed all the memorabilia of all the parties they thrown. Fluttershy had went to Pony University and became a veterinarian. She had a clinic beside her house now, but was rarely there. Like Pinkie Pie, she traveled the land helping all the critters she could. Rarity had been very profitable, after her sale to Sapphire Shores, had bought a boutique in Canterlot. After that, her business had taken off, and had persuaded her to buy a boutique in Manehatten. Applejack had still been the same old farm pony she had always been. Granny Smith had fallen one day on her way to town and had broken her hip, and was bedridden for what seemed to be the rest of her life. She just wasn't the same any more, and her health started to go downhill. Applejack had not let that get her down, as she had increased her business area to make more money to get the things granny smith needed, but it included buying more ground around ponyville to grow apple trees to give her more product to sell. Twilight didn't see where she was going and almost ran into her castle, "Wow, I really need to keep the daydreaming to a minimum while I'm flying," she said, beginning to descend towards the ground as her friends walked into the castle to celebrate the sixth anniversary party of Twilight moving to ponyville. As Twilight walked into the castle, a blast of confetti was shot up into the air in front of her. "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PARTY!!!" Pinkie screamed as she jumped in front of Twilight. "thanks everypony!" Twilight said. She looked around the castle to see the decorations, there were balloons everywhere, Streamers were also strung anywhere and everywhere. There was a table with a punch bowl and glasses, she wondered what kind of punch Pinkie had made, hopefully the same recipe as Rarity's birthday the year before, it had been her favorite. She then looked to her friends standing in the middle of the floor. Fluttershy was by the punch bowl, in her own little world, Pinkie was standing before her with a smile clear across her face, and Rainbow was getting a drink of punch. Rarity and applejack were in the middle of the dance floor, politely debating personal hygiene. "Twilight, it has been six years since you came into ponyville, and our lives changed so much," Rarity said. "We are so proud of you, and here is to more years of joy," they said in unison. The six ponies then began to party and party hard. After a while, Twilight looked around and seen that Rainbow Dash was walking out suspiciously onto the balcony. Twilight followed her outside. She seen Rainbow looking up at the stars. As a shooting star passed, she could of swore that she seen a tear hit the ground in front of rainbow's body. "Rainbow, are you ok?" Twilight asked. "What, of course I'm ok, why wouldn't I be ok Twilight," Rainbow said nervously. "Rainbow, you look more nervous than when spitfire came to town to give you your wonderbolt badge?" Twilight asked worriedly. "ok fine Twilight, I guess there is something bothering me", Rainbow mumbled, "But you have to promise not to tell anypony Twilight, anypony." "I promise dash," Twilight replied as she leaned in to hear the secret of the cyan Pegasus. "Do you remember when I was writing all those letters to my parents Twilight, Well they weren't going to my parents," Rainbow said slowly. "Then who were they going to?" Twilight remembering the Pegasus borrowing over a hundred parchments from her to write a few letters. "They were going to somepony special to me," said Rainbow shaking. "That's very sweet Rainbow, but why didn't we ever meet him," Twilight asked. "You did Twilight,...One year ago," Rainbow said as Twilights mouth dropped. "Rainbow..." she started, but was cut off by dash. "What kind of monster am I Twilight, I sent my own love to his grave, is that how I will be remembered, as the wonderbolt who sent all the ponies who care for her away!" Dash said, tears filling her eyes. This caused twilight to start crying, because she had only seen rainbow cry once, when Tank hibernated for the first time. Rainbow calmed down and then began telling her story. "We met in cloudsdale, about ten years ago at a wonderbolts show. He looked like a fan, he was a greenish tan and had a fiery mane. We began talking and before I knew it, we were seeing each other, meeting all over cloudsdale. we never met in the same place, because I lost my home and was having trouble holding down a job. He had always came looking like a Pegasus, but I knew that something was up. On the day that I asked him, he was real scared to show me. at first I thought that it was because he wore a wig or something, but then he brought me to a room and then showed me his true form". "What happened next?" Twilight asked. "ok,ok," Rainbow said. "Then I laughed and told him it was a funny joke. Then he told me it wasn't a joke. We didn't speak for a couple weeks, and when he found me, I just accepted the job of weather manager here in ponyville. We talked for a little bit, and he explained that he thought it was a mistake showing me his alicorn form, because I wouldn't like him anymore, or like him for the wrong reasons. I told him that I liked him for him, the real him, not the mask he hid behind," Rainbow paused, as a small tear streaked down her cheek, and falling to the balcony floor. "After I moved to Ponyville we didn't see each other as often, but we promised to visit each other once a month if possible. A few years back, he was traveling equestria, mostly just checking in on former friends resting places, and royal business, so we wrote to each other," Rainbow said as she ended her story. "Rainbow... that is so sweet, how come you never told us," Fluttershy said as both Twilight and Rarity stared with an open mouth and shocked look. Rainbow's ears shot up at the sound, and her cyan coat went crimson immediately. "How long have you been there?" Rainbow squeaked out barely audibly. "We seen Twilight walk out so I thought that she didn't like my party, so I followed her out here, then I saw you were crying, but I didn't want to say anything so I went back in here to get you some balloons and cake when Rarity asked what I was doing, so I told Rarity that you were sad and I thought you didn't like my party...." Pinky took a deep breath and started to continue before Rarity interrupted her by placing her hoof on pinkie's mouth. "What Pinkie is trying to say is that we heard enough to know why you are sad Rainbow Dash darling," Rarity said softly, trying to calm the cyan Pegasus. "Well, now you all know the real Rainbow Dash," Rainbow said, drooping her head and letting the tears fall freely. Rarity walked over and placed a hoof on rainbow's shoulder. "It's ok darling, you know that we all had no choice in what we did, if he would have stayed, he would have destroyed equestria, and we would have not been able to stop him," Rarity said comforting Rainbow Dash. "I know Rarity, but it is just so hard seeing all of you having great lives. You and your business, AJ and the farm, Pinkie and Cheese, Fluttershy and her animals, and even Twi. I am just the odd one out. I cast out the one pony I truly loved, and I'll never get him back," Rainbow said, looking like she was going to fly off. Twilight seen it, and used her magic to hold rainbow in place as she flared her wings to take off. "Rainbow, the last thing you need right now is to be alone, so how about a sleepover at the castle tonight?" Twilight said, with a soothing smile. The other four agreed, and Rainbow silently agreed and they went into the castle and resumed the party before settling in for the night.