Highblood
As the two royals trotted their way through the halls of Highblood’s manor on the way to his office, Rainbow refused to meet Celestia’s gaze. Her mind was brimming with questions, theories and, most notably, suspicions. Celestia easily noticed Rainbow’s distant behavior and, after a few moments of silent contemplation, put a hoof on the filly’s back to stop her. Rainbow looked up at Celestia uneasily.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s the matter?” She asked genuinely. Dash’s eyes instantly flicked away to examine a support beam in excruciating detail.
“N-nothing’s wrong.”
“I know that’s not true. I’ve seen this sort of behavior more than you might think,” Celestia answered with her trademarked motherly smile. “I saw it with one of the fillies at my school, Moondancer I think. She was troubled by an inconstancy in one of my lessons but was worried about bringing it up to me. I saw it in her friends when they tried to cover for her odd behavior. I’ve seen it in Twilight Sparkle when she runs late on an assignment, worrying herself sick that I’ll banish her or throw her in a dungeon or, heavens forbid, some sadistic combination of both of those.”
Rainbow blinked and sighed, slowly shifting her gaze back to Celestia’s uneasily. She didn’t need to say anything; Celestia could see it in her eyes and was swiftly able to piece it together.
“You overheard what Highblood and I were discussing, didn’t you?”
Rainbow nodded nervously. “Um… y-yeah.”
Celestia smiled reassuringly. “Don’t be so worried, Rainbow. I’m not upset with you.”
Rainbow’s gaze hardened, locking on Celestia's firmly. “Maybe, but that doesn’t explain what you’re hiding.”
Celestia lost her smile and closed her eyes in thought. “...Rainbow Dash, I can’t reveal every single secret that I hold to you. Equestria is filled with countless mysteries that I know all too well. I leave them that way, as mere myth or legend, because such things typically need to remain forgotten and unknown.”
“Even why you adopted me?” Rainbow huffed in annoyance, turning her eyes away once more. Celestia sighed before sitting down next to the filly.
“Oh, Dash,” she sighed softly, gently scooping Rainbow up in her forelegs. Rainbow didn’t squirm much, despite wanting to be put down as soon as possible. “No, that’s not it at all. My reasons for adopting you are simple: You needed a home and a family to look out for you. Somepony to make sure you stayed on course, to keep you fed, to give you a roof to sleep under and to give you a good education. You needed somepony to guide you…” she held Dash close, nuzzling her atop the head. “...and if only there were words to describe the potential I see in you, Rainbow Dash. It’s incredible…
“I adopted you because I saw that you needed a good home to bring out that potential. But in truth, I have also been desiring a foal for quite some time. And then I found you… anything else, any other reasons or attachments… they are all secondary.” Celestia finished before giving Dash a squeeze and setting her down. Rainbow slowly turned to look at Celestia with wide eyes.
“Uh… could you, like, g-get rid of the o-o-onions?” she said before wiping a foreleg across her eyes and falling to her haunches. “Seriously… they’re messing with my eyes.”
Celestia giggled softly before reaching out a hoof to the filly. “There is nothing wrong with feeling, Rainbow Dash.”
“Yeah, but it is so un-cool to start c-crying in the middle of a Canterlot Noble’s house.” Rainbow said, sniffling part way through before smiling softly at Celestia.
“Then I suppose we should get this meeting over and done with so we can go home, shouldn’t we?” Celestia guessed with a knowing smirk. She hit the nail right on the head.
With a nod, Dash took her adoptive mother’s hoof and stood.
Rainbow was expecting Highblood to be similar to Blueblood; incredibly well groomed, vain, pompous and a nose in the air at all times. Instead, she found a unicorn stallion in his mid to late forties, wrinkles starting to form on his brow and under his deep green eyes. His white coat had dulled into a murky gray from age and only minimal upkeep. His wiry orange mane and tail, too, had streaks of gray running through them. He also opted to not put on a suit depicting his status, like Blueblood or many of the other nobles did.
He smiled warmly to Celestia when they entered his office and stood from his seat, which rested behind a cluttered desk. “Ah, your highness. Found the runaway, did you?”
“She merely needed to burn off some energy. I think she’s good now.” Celestia said before smiling knowingly at Dash, who nodded in turn.
“Yup. I’m good. So, you’re Highblood?” Rainbow asked curiously.
“Well who were you expecting, Smash Fortune?” Highblood asked with a small teasing smile. “Yes, I am Prince Highblood, though the title is honorary only; something my son doesn’t seem to grasp.”
“Really?” Rainbow tilted her head curiously.
“Yes. My status would put me and my heirs as Dukes, rather than Princes. It is due to a long and distant family tie to one of Equestria’s founders, Queen Platinum,” Highblood explained before stepping out from behind his desk. “But before we shift too far away from the topic of my son…”
“Nice work making him clean things!” Dash interrupted with a prideful smirk. “Get me some popcorn and a folding chair and we’ll be good.”
“...On the topic of my son,” Highblood said again before bowing deeply before Rainbow Dash. “Allow me to extend my deepest and most humble apologies for his behavior, and the behavior of any of the other nobles who may have caused you grief with their selfish and short-sighted remarks.”
Rainbow blinked and took a step back. “Woah- uh, Celestia? This guy is bowing and it’s kinda weird.”
Highblood rose, though still kept himself at Rainbow’s eye level by lowering the rest of his body. “Allow me to assure you that not all of us nobles share such standards or opinions. It is only in the higher ranking houses that such ludicrous nonsense is allowed to spread. I think you’ll find that the family of Celestia’s prized pupil is a fine example of the more common noble houses.”
Rainbow scrunched up her face a bit in thought. “Wait, if they’re more common, why don’t I hear more from them about all of this stuff?” she asked incredulously.
“Amid a sea of voices, only the largest and loudest will truly be heard,” Highblood explained with a small frown. “The higher noble houses have a much stronger presence in the public eye. Their voices carry farther and louder than most. But an outspoken minority is still a minority.”
“I get it… I think…” Rainbow said, unsure. She glanced up at Celestia who tittered in response.
“I’ll get you a dictionary when we get home. You need to be more aware of the terminology around here anyway.”
“Okay.” Rainbow nodded and then looked back at Highblood with a slowly warming expression.
Highblood smiled warmly before outstretching a hoof to the little filly. “So, as a member of the majority, I would like to personally extend my full and proper welcome to Canterlot, Princess Rainbow Dash-”
“No titles!” Rainbow quickly silenced him, though she didn’t look nearly as agitated as she had the last time she had silenced someone about her title. “Just Rainbow Dash is fine.”
Highblood smiled and laughed somewhat. “Very well then, Rainbow Dash. Allow me to welcome you personally to Canterlot. Don’t let the words of the loudest voices twist your vision of who we are. I believe I speak for most of Equestria when I say that we greet you with smiles and open hooves.”
Rainbow nodded with a small smile forming on her face. “Well, glad to know somepony recognizes awesomeness when they see it!”
Highblood nodded before looking back to Celestia. “It was an honor to meet her, your highness. Is that everything?”
“Yes, Highblood. That will be all,” Celestia nodded before looking to Rainbow Dash. “Come on Rainbow. Let’s go home.”
It was now evening. The pegasi weather teams were organizing and assembling a rainstorm for after sunset, by the looks of it, soaring and shooting around over Canterlot in a highly organized dance of sorts. Rainbow Dash presently sat alone, save for the Earth Pony guard standing not far away, just looking out one of the windows in the hallway with a contemplative look on her face. Occasionally a servant, noble or common pony come for court would trot by, many of them nodding their heads in small bows to Rainbow as they went. She was learning to tune it out quite well.
Mostly, her attention was on the weather team. She was studying them carefully, taking in every little movement the adults were making, the methods they were using to get the clouds to behave and do as they were told. She couldn’t help but smile dreamily when she replaced the image of a weather team with the image of an aerial performance put on by the Wonderbolts themselves.
Princess or not, I’ll work my way there.
“Rainbow Dash!” came Twilight’s voice from behind and to her left. Rainbow turned and smiled at the sight of the lavender filly approaching at a brisk gallop.
“Sup?”
“‘What!? ‘Sup?!’ After what we talked about at my house that’s how you say hi?! I couldn’t get any work done on my assignment I was so busy worrying about what you said!” Twilight asked in exasperation, throwing her forelegs wide. Rainbow just rolled her eyes.
“Chillax, Twi. I figured it out.” She said simply, booping Twilight on the nose playfully.
Twilight snorted and shook her head upon being poked, but then looked at Rainbow curiously. “Wait… you figured it out? What do you mean?”
“I mean I know why Celestia adopted me,” Rainbow said simply, leaning casually against the frame of the window. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious.”
“But… but…” Twilight stuttered before shaking her head again. “You’re sure?”
“Yup.”
Twilight sighed as her body relaxed somewhat. “Well, that’s a relief…”
For several moments, the two stood in awkward silence. Twilight slowly brought herself to sit next to Rainbow and peer outside along with her. Rainbow smiled softly at Twilight before returning her gaze once more to the weather teams outside. “Wanna hang out sometime?”
“Huh?” Twilight blinked and looked at Rainbow in surprise. “Hang out?”
“Sure. Like, you know, spend time together, talk, play games, that kinda thing.” Rainbow explained, shifting to look at Twilight directly again. “I’ve been pretty much holed up in this castle since I got here and, well, I haven’t really shown everypony who I am yet. I just dunno where to start.”
“So… you want to hang out with me?” Twilight put a hoof on her chest just to make sure that she was the topic of this abrupt request.
“Yup. If I gotta start showing ponies around here who I am, I guess the best way to start would be spending time with my friend.” Rainbow replied, though she lost her smile to a befuddled look when Twilight visibly twitched at her remark.
“I, uh… Sorry, but I don’t think I can do that anytime soon. I have my studies to conduct, books to read, lessons to take from Princess Celestia. I don’t have the… time…” Twilight trailed off when a memory entered her mind.
“Rainbow Dash will be needing somepony to keep her company when I cannot. A guide, a playmate, a friend. I will do what I can on that front whenever possible, but my royal duties won’t wait for me.” Celestia had said.
Twilight bit her lip before closing her eyes in thought. When she looked at Rainbow again, she saw the face of a disappointed blue filly staring back at her. Twilight put on a small smile. “Actually… I think I can squeeze some time for you in somewhere.”
Rainbow’s smile returned with gusto. “Ha, awesome! What do you have in mind?”
Twilight pondered this for a few moments, tapping her chin with a hoof. Then it hit her. “Well, I have this book I think you might actually enjoy reading back at my house.”
Rainbow tilted her head. “A book?”
“Yeah. have you heard of it? It’s called Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.”
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Once again, excellent work on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in this chapter. I particularly liked the scene with Rainbow, Celestia and Highblood as well as Rainbow and Twilight meeting back up at the end of the chapter. And, yeah, I DO like how Twi and Rainbow are ALREADY starting to SLIGHTLY influence each other.
I'll very certainly be looking forward to more of this, but will also be perfectly willing to respect the need to be patient if real world concerns sometimes get in the way.
I knew this would come up at some point.
man this story is making me want to read something that put blueblood in a good light.
Still a interesting story to read though.
It's at this point a future apple friend would slap you around the back of the head.
She'll fall asleep after page 1.
Rainbow Dash was never seen again...
No RD, you really don't...
And so it begins...
sat
Daring Do reference wohhhoo
Celestia diplomatic as usual, even with her adopted daughter. Eventually the trust may get there... Maybe.
My goodness. It seems somepony has quite the imagination. ^.^
8369369
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/18087/the-best-night-ever
This is a lovely one; very well written and a fun concept
Assuming you're still looking for a story like that, considering how old that comment is...
Aww. Now that’s just so cute and heartfelt
Im gonna cry about the whole talk with Celestia, i read a lot of "rainbow is celestias daughter" fics and its so sweet to see one where shes a good mom