Something is Missing

by Charles Spratt

Midnight Therapy

Rainbow tossed and turned, trying her hardest to get to sleep. However, despite her constant attempts to get comfortable, she simply couldn’t sleep. Whatever was missing was the only thing that she could think of, and now it wouldn’t even let her go to bed. After a half hour of tossing and turning, Rainbow decided that she needed to talk with one of her friends about this. Rainbow rushed to the phone, and dialed in Pinkie’s number, as Pinkie was the only one who was ever up this late. She didn’t have to wait for long, because immediately after she dialed the number, she heard Pinkie’s voice on the other end saying, “Hello? Pinkie Pie here!”

“Hey, Pinkie Pie. It’s Rainbow Dash.”

“Ooohh, Dashie! I’m so glad you’re calling! Listen, I’m currently working on something that I want you to hear about! You see, I was thinking about gems the other day. I mean, ponies like us can’t eat them, yet Spike seems to absolutely love them! That got me thinking about all the flavors we must be missing out on! Omigosh, can you imagine them?? It made me so excited that I decided that I’d try to make something that’ll allow ponies to eat gems as easily as anything else! What do you think??” asked Pinkie Pie, who sounded like she had said the whole thing without taking a breather.

Rainbow removed her ear from the phone and took a look at it for a second, trying to figure out Pinkie’s mind set. When that failed, she put the phone back to her ear and said, “It’s, umm, definitely… something.”

“Isn’t it though? Omigosh, this is the greatest idea ever! I can’t believe nopony’s ever thought of doing this before!”

“Probably for good reason.” Rainbow thought to herself.

“Anyway, why are you calling this late, Rainbow?” asked Pinkie.

“Oh! Right. You see, I’ve been having a really hard time sleeping tonight.”

“Ooh, that’s no fun. Something on your mind?”

“You could say that. It feels like…”

“WAIT!!!” yelled Pinkie Pie suddenly, hurting Rainbow’s ear.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie remained quiet for a moment, before whispering, “I think we should talk in person, away from here. I don’t want to wake up Pound and Pumpkin.”

“If you don’t want to wake them up, then why did you just yell wait at the top of your lungs??” Rainbow asked.

“I wanted to make sure you actually waited, of course! Anyway, meet me by the lake. If you want to talk, I’ll be there waiting for you. Off I go!” said Pinkie Pie, just before she hung up the phone, leaving Rainbow in silence.

“I swear, I will never understand that pony.” Rainbow muttered to herself as she went outside and headed for the lake.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

It was about a quarter till midnight when Rainbow arrived at the lake. The moonlight was reflecting off of the water, which made for quite a pretty sight. Rainbow stood in awe of it for a moment, then looked up and saw Pinkie Pie sitting on the edge of the dock, her lower legs hanging over the edge. Rainbow tilted her head at the odd way Pinkie was sitting, then walked up next to Pinkie and said, “Hey, Pinkie Pie. What’s with the odd sitting position?”

Pinkie turned her head once she heard Rainbow’s voice and said, “Oh, hi Rainbow! I was just trying something out. I was talking with Lyra the other day, and she said that it really feels comfy when you sit on your rear with your legs dangling over the edge. I was skeptical, but it turns out she’s right; this is really comfy! Try it!”

Rainbow shrugged, then sat down on the dock in the same way that Pinkie was sitting. “Huh. What do you know?” Rainbow said as she felt her legs dangle. Pinkie was right: this was pretty comfy. Pinkie then turned her head toward Rainbow and asked, “So, what’s been on your mind, Rainbow?”

Rainbow sighed and said, “Well Pinkie, I just haven’t felt… complete recently, I suppose is the best way to put it.”

“Complete? Like how?” asked Pinkie.

“It just feels like something is missing from my life, that’s all.” Rainbow replied.

“Like somepony else or something?”

“I don’t think so. It feels more like a part of me is missing from my life.”

“What part? Is it my fault?! Am I the missing part?! Ohmigosh, Dashie, I’m so sorry that I’m not a good enough friend! I promise I’ll do better!” said Pinkie apologetically.

“What? No, it’s not your fault, Pinkie! You and the others are the best things that I could ever have! It’s just, I should be content, but recently… I’ve just felt that something in my life is wrong.” Rainbow explained.

“Well, maybe we could figure out what’s wrong by seeing what’s not wrong! What do you have now that you feel should make you content?”

“Well, let’s see. I have five great friends, a really nice home, a kid who looks up to me like I’m her hero, and incredible athletic ability.”

“Hmm. Sounds to me like you’ve got it made!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

“I know it does, but… I… I just can’t convince myself of that. I must sound incredibly selfish right now, huh?” Rainbow asked somewhat sheepishly.

Pinkie shrugged and said, “Eh, not really. We’ve both had more selfish moments then this. But instead of looking into that, why don’t we try seeing when these thoughts came up?”

“Hmm…”

“Well?” asked Pinkie.

“…They’ve been around in my head off and on for as long as I can remember, but it’s never been this big before.” Rainbow replied after a bit of contemplation.

“Why did it come into your mind this time?”

“Well… I think it was due to Scootaloo’s odd behavior.”

“Scootaloo, huh? How was she acting strangely?”

“She just seemed really… twitchy. When she gave me a hug after I told her about the race, she recoiled a bit, as if her arms had touched something weird. In addition to that, she seemed really jumpy when I asked her about it.” Rainbow explained.

“Maybe your sides feel different from the rest of you? Maybe they feel like sharkskin! I bet that’s it! They must feel…” started Pinkie as she rubbed her hoof along Rainbow’s sides, than around her back and neck.

“…Just like the rest of you?” Pinkie finished in confusion.

“Yeah, it’s weird. It’s like she was expecting something different than what she felt in that hug.” Rainbow said. Pinkie didn't reply for a moment, and instead appeared to go deep into thought about that. After a few seconds, Pinkie's head shot up, as if she had figured out the answer.

“Ooh, I know!! I bet it’s not what she felt, but what she didn’t feel!” said Pinkie excitedly.

Rainbow scratched her head in confusion and said, “I don’t follow.”

“Think about it, Dashie! When she gave you that hug, she was expecting to feel something on your sides. However, they weren’t there! So, what do you think she was expecting to feel, that can only be felt on your sides?” Pinkie asked.

“Umm…”

“Oh COME ON, Rainbow Dash, isn’t it obvious? She was expecting to feel your wings!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“I don’t have wings, Pinkie. Scootaloo knows that. Heck, everypony knows that! Why in Equestria would she be expecting to feel wings?” asked Rainbow skeptically. Pinkie tilted her head, and went back into thought. After a moment, Pinkie Pie gave an answer.

“Umm, maybe she sees you as a Pegasus like her, even though you’re an earth pony? I’ve heard of sisters being the closest thing to a mother somepony has ever had, so isn’t it possible that she has such a close relationship to you that she sees you not only as a sister, but also a Pegasus, despite the fact that you are technically neither?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“That’s…” began Rainbow, before she stopped and thought about it. After a moment she continued.

“…actually possible, I guess. That would explain why she flinched: she was so caught up in her illusion of me as a Pegasus that she would be a bit shocked that she felt no wings.”

“That’s what I think, Rainbow. Does that help with your missing feeling?”

“…Not really. That moment may explain Scootaloo’s odd behavior, but it doesn’t explain why I’ve been feeling like something was missing off and on since forever ago.”

“Well, I’m no psychiatrist, but if I were to give advice, I’d say don’t worry about it too much. Maybe this’ll go away, maybe it won’t, but I wouldn’t get hung up on it. If you keep living life to the fullest, and doing everything that you feel is important, then you’ll eventually feel completed. And who knows? Maybe one day you will discover the one thing that you were missing! I mean, just look at me! As a filly, I never would’ve dreamed that the thing I was missing from my life was party planning, and yet here I am now, as Ponyville’s designated party pony! If you just complete what you feel is important, I’m sure what’s missing will come up sooner or later! Does that make sense to you, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rainbow stared at Pinkie for a second, then sighed and said, “You know what? You’re right. I guess I am being a little selfish, being so self-absorbed with what I feel is missing. It’s a problem I’ve always had, even as a filly. I’ve always looked at myself and just felt inferior to other ponies. I’ve always felt like I should have the magic of a unicorn, or the speed and mobility of a Pegasus, but was instead just a ground-bound loser who could be easily pushed around by either one. And that’s honestly something I still have troubles with…”

“What do you mean? I thought that…”

“Besides our friends, Pinkie. It’s just… ever since that time in grade school, when I was verbally abused by Comet Dust and Afterburn…”

“Comet Dust? Afterburn? Who are they?”

“They’re two bullies from grade school. Comet Dust was a unicorn, and Afterburn was a Pegasus, and both of them really seemed to hate me. They often attacked me for my lack of a cutie mark, among other things. However, even when I got my cutie mark, they weren’t phased in the slightest, and simply congratulated me on discovering my talent for running away. I tried to explain that it was for speed, but they would only laugh and shift it to me being skilled at fleeing. It eventually got to the point where I…” said Rainbow, before stopping for a moment.

“Where you what?” asked Pinkie.

“I… I really don’t want to talk about it, Pinkie Pie. Can we please just drop it?”

“Oh… Ok then, Rainbow.”

Rainbow sighed and then said, “Oh well, as traumatic as it could get, it gave me a goal. It gave me a reason to push myself: to show that even without their gifts, I could still be the greatest athlete in Equestria! Everypony would know the name Rainbow Dash. That would be awesome!” she finished with a content sigh before lying down on the dock.

Pinkie lied down as well, and the duo looked up at the stars for a moment. After a bit, Pinkie said, “Well, I’m glad that you at least seem to be doing better now, Rainbow Dash. What do you think you’ll do next?”

“Next? Hmm… I guess I’ll ask Scootaloo about your theory. I think that your theory makes sense, but I just want to be sure. Also, I’ll probably ask her if there’s anything she’s hiding, since she seemed a bit nervous when I talked about my missing feeling.” Rainbow replied.

“So, you’re still going to pursue your belief that something is off, huh?” asked Pinkie.

Rainbow shrugged and said, “What can I say? Some ponies just let things happen to them, and some ponies make things happen. I’ve always been one to make things happen.”

“That you have, Rainbow Dash. That you have. Same time next week?”

“Are you crazy, Pinkie? It’s twelve o’clock at night!” Rainbow said with a small laugh.

“What? I thought all psychiatrists said that!” said Pinkie, also while giving a light laugh.

“But you’re not a psychiatrist, Pinkie! You said so yourself!” said Rainbow, who was still giggling.

“Never too soon to start!” said Pinkie, who was also giggling.

“We’ll see. Thanks, Pinkie.” Said Rainbow Dash, as she got up and walked back home.

“See you tomorrow!” yelled Pinkie over her shoulder.

“You too!” Rainbow yelled back.

Meanwhile

Scootaloo hid in a bush, listening to everything that Rainbow and Pinkie had said. When Rainbow had finally left the area, Scootaloo crept out of the bush and started to panic.

“Oh no, Rainbow really does know something’s up! I knew I shouldn’t have been so jumpy in that hug. Still, I can’t believe Rainbow has felt so low and inferior, and ever since foalhood, no less! And worst of all, it’s all my fault. If I told Rainbow about what has happened, and why she feels something’s missing… would she ever forgive me?” Scootaloo said to herself, all while trying to avoid breaking down and sobbing.

Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her say, “Why wouldn’t she?”

Scootaloo rocketed up and started to fly away, but was pulled back to the ground by something. When she reached the ground, she spun around, to see that it was Pinkie Pie who was holding her down.

“Again, why wouldn’t Dashie forgive you, Scootaloo? What could be bad enough for her to hate you?” Pinkie asked.

“Please Pinkie Pie, you don’t understand. I have accidentally taken away one of the most important things in Rainbow’s life, all for my own selfish intentions! She’d never forgive me if she knew what I’ve done…” said Scootaloo as she sniffled a bit.

Pinkie put a hoof around Scootaloo and said, “Scootaloo, don’t worry, you can tell me. I can keep quiet about it if you want me to.”

“But… but it’ll sound so crazy. Nopony would ever believe it.”

“Try me.” Said Pinkie Pie in a more serious tone than Scootaloo had ever heard her sound in her life.

“Well… ok. But you have to promise not to tell Rainbow Dash about this, okay?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Said Pinkie, as she moved her right hoof around a bit while saying it.

“Huh?” asked Scootaloo in confusion.

“Oh, that’s just how I Pinkie Promise. When I do that, then it means that I swear on my life that I will keep my promise.” Pinkie explained.

“Oh, okay then. I’ll talk. Let me explain everything…” said Scootaloo.

Comments

[BronyPonyMan]

“Oh COME ON, Rainbow Dash, isn’t it obvious? She was expecting to feel your wings!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“I don’t have wings, Pinkie. Scootaloo knows that. Heck, everypony knows that!

bookriotcom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/gasp.gif

[The Cynical Brony]

This is great! But there's one MAJOR, glaring plot hole: If Rainbow Dash is an earth pony in this universe, then how do the Mane 6 have their cutie marks? Rainbow was the one responsible for their success!

[Charles Spratt]

5012593 Yeah, that plot hole was one that I noticed pretty early in development. That's why I added an alternate universe tag. Aside from that, glad you like it.

[MelancholyIguana]

5012593 very good point

[MelancholyIguana]

Liking the story. Felt like I knew where it was going quite early though. I'm still interested to ride this one out and see where you will take me