Remnant

by Tofazz

Ties

Ties

“Tha new me looks sassy, an’ she got a bite to ‘er as well.”

“Stop it!”

“Ouch! Wha’ was that for?!”

“Well, for starters… stop eyeing yourself in a dress, and, secondly, how come you have never taken me on such a date? We’ve been married for almost six hundred years.”

“Ah… c’mon love! Don’t be like that; yeh know I love yah. Besides, she’s not me, just tha continuation of tha Loyalty line.”

*~*~*~*

Dash was awoken by a nuzzle on her cheek and a small whisper of “good morning” in her ear. She squinted as she felt the morning sun glare in through a window; after a moment, her eyes adjusted and scanned the room. It had light blue walls, with one big window in the middle of the wall opposite the bed. The roof was of an egg-white color, and a chandelier made from glass crystals hung in the center. On the wooden floor stood some simple furniture made of dark oak. She tugged the blanket and dove under it, making a cocoon, enveloping herself in complete blackness.

“I made breakfast.”

Dash answered with something that only could be interpreted as a grunt, “Wha..?” quickly followed it.

She pulled down the blanket and poked her head out. Soarin’ stood next to the bed in blue pajama-shirt with yellow bolts spread out in a pattern on the fabric. He gave her a goofy smile and placed a tray over her in the bed. The breakfast consisted of a hay sandwich and a glass of juice. On the left part of the tray a warm pie was cooling off.

He chuckled and said, “I have never been much of a cook, but I do know how to make pie, so I hope at least that tastes good.”

Dash pushed aside a strand of her mane and cocked a brow towards him. “You’re wearing pajamas?” she noted while stifling a laugh.

He stretched a hoof out at her and said, “Not just any pajamas! They’re the official Soarin’ pajamas from the Wonderbolt merchandise shop! Just feel how soft this is!”

She hesitantly touched the fabric and smiled at him. “Heh, it is soft.”

Turning her attention to the food in front of her, she took a bite off the sandwich, quickly feeling a burning sensation in her mouth. As she chewed the spice scorched her tongue, and the lumpy paste seemed to grow in her mouth.

Suppressing the thought of furrowing her nose she turned and asked “Hey, what time is it?”

“A little after eight, why?” Soarin’ answered quickly with a smile.

Dash swallowed the contents in her mouth and jumped out of bed; the food burned and sent shivers down her spine as it traveled down her throat. “Shoot! I gotta go!”

“Oh… already?” Soarin’ responded with a heavy voice.

“Yeah, I promised Scootaloo I would come early today,” Dash replied as she pushed past Soarin’ through the bedroom door.

Dash rushed down the stairs and leaped through the kitchen. It was built in the same design as the bedroom: oval with light blue walls. The smell of burnt food played in her nose; upon the counter a few pieces of blackened loaf rested on a plate. Light wooden furniture stood at the side of the kitchen, placed so that when one ate breakfast there they would see the sunrise over the rooftops of the city through a small window. The kitchen wall was right next to the street, making the sound of the morning buzz easily audible in the room.

She opened the kitchen door and felt the morning sun wash over her fur. She flared her wings and bent her legs, tensing every muscle in her body. Her whole form was like a spring ready to bounce at any second. The tension in her muscles tightened as they got warmer.

“Wait!”

The voice shrieked through her trance, causing Dash to only launch her rear end. After almost crashing face first into the ground, she folded her wings and snapped her head back, spying Soarin’ fumbling down the stairs.

“What?” she yelled, irritation weighing down her voice.

A shade of red emerged in his cheeks as he reached the door and said to her, “I was just wondering when I could see you again…”

“Tomorrow, I guess? I’m meeting Spitfire then, at least. I assume you will be there?” she offered hastily.

“Well, yeah…” Soarin’ muttered in response.

Dash looked at the blue Pegasus that stood in the door, with his ears now flopped back and eyes drilling a hole in the ground. A turmoil appeared in her stomach as she realized what the question entailed. Sure, she did have a good time last night, even went home with him. The thought of sharing everything with somepony scared her, but Soarin’ gave some sort of comfort on those thoughts. Dash had never been told what falling in love felt like, nor did she care much to learn how it felt. Being able to trust somepony of the opposite gender completely must be part of it, she reasoned to herself. What little she had heard from Rarity was something she didn’t really believe; the white fashionista had a tendency to exaggerate on this sort of things. And when it came to love she had said something about the pony in question would give off an aura that just you could see, nothing around him would matter, and his embrace would be all that counted.

Dash laughed to herself at the thought. Still… another night with Soarin’ wouldn’t hurt. His gentle nature, how easily he got embarrassed and how he stumbled when he got nervous. All those things made him… cute, and maybe a little handsome.

Dash leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Hey… thanks for last night…” She felt her cheeks burn and raised a hoof to scratch the back of her head. “I… wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime.” She turned and flared her wings; with a glare she said, “Don’t tell anypony I just did that.”

With a leap she was up in the air; a grin appeared over her face seeing Soarin’ beam up from the little gesture. Dash sailed away on the currents that rushed between the gates of Canterlot, passing market stalls that were being opened in different manners. Some required just sliding a wooden plate to the side while others required to open up locks, put out posters and set out merchandise for display to lure the many customers of the day in. The closer to the landing platform she got, the louder the common buzz of the city grew. At its worst it was almost like a beehive; no distinct sounds, just a loud buzz.

Dash furrowed her brows and looked up as she glided forward. The Royal Guard was patrolling over Canterlot. She grumbled for herself, wishing that she could pick up speed to get to the outer area of Canterlot, where the flight platform was located, more quickly, but seeing the guards around made it impossible to do so.

Regulations in Canterlot required all pegasi to fly in a slow pace and, if it could be avoided, stay clear of the air space above the city entirely. It were to be kept clear for scheduled flights and emergency transportation such as ambulance or royal duties. Normally, if you broke the flight rules, nothing would happen; you would get a stern talk and then be sent on your way again. But if for some reason the guards saw it necessary they all had a grounding spell; it forced a pegasus’ wings to clasp to their sides, rendering them unable to fly. This solution wasn’t perfect; after a few unfortunate accidents with Pegasi getting injured upon impact with the ground, thanks to an over-eager application of the spell, the unicorns made a staff to attach to the armor of the pegasus guards that allowed them to levitate the affected equine.

An arch of white stone greeted her as she reached the entrance to the landing platform. Her hooves touched the warm cobblestones and clacked as she walked through the arch. The hallway leading to the area designated for takeoff curved away into multiple paths, each leading to a different zone. Dash swerved to the right, trotting down under the sign that read ‘Ponyville’.

Dash raised a hoof fending off the glaring sun as she entered the outside area for flying. On the ground was painted an enormous red circle, with a mix between orange and white inside it, and at the very center the mark of the sun goddess was emblazoned. Right next to the center a black pole stood with two lights, one red and one green, to signal when it was clear to take off. The outer area of the landing platform was decorated with bright green grass and a few trees, with benches placed in the cooling shadow for anypony that needed a rest after a long flight.

While standing in line, waiting for the clearance to take off, Dash spotted a familiar gray mare with a golden mane that shone brightly. Ditzy was gathering up few papers that riddled the ground from her latest crash. After she had picked up the mess, she turned and apologized to a stallion who stood near her before she started to walk away. Dash couldn’t help but to smile towards her; everypony knew what Ditzy was doing in Canterlot during this time of the year, at least everypony from Ponyville.

Right after the birth of her daughter Dinky, Ditzy’s mother fell ill with a sickness rendering her unable to walk, so Ditzy had used all her savings to buy her mother a spot in Canterlot’s finest hospital. She was still paying for her to stay there. She always visited her mother a couple of times a month, but around this time she stayed longer for her mother’s birthday. Seeing how the gray mare struggled to make ends meet, while having only the post office job, the mayor made a fundraiser for Ditzy, gathering bits for the downpayment on their house. Dash smiled, remembering Ditzy’s face once the whole town surprised her. Probably for the first time in her life, she looked straight ahead, focusing both her eyes at the crowd gathered outside her house, and, for the first time since the birth of her daughter Ditzy, cried, thanking everypony for their generosity.

Dash watched Ditzy run into town; she swallowed, a lump growing in her throat. A shadow lingered in the doorway, a grey Pegasus with the same color on his mane as her own. As quickly as the shadow appeared, it vanished like dust in the wind. Just like he had done earlier from her life, just vanished…

Dash snapped out of her thoughts hearing her name being called up, she placed herself in on the mark of Celestia and stared at the red light, tensing every muscle in her body, strung like a spring waiting for it to turn green. With a loud ping the light switched color and she shot herself away, batting up a huge cloud of dust in her wake. Hearing the coughs from under her, she grinned as big as her mouth allowed.

The wind whipped through her mane. Her smile grew bigger as she felt the rush she had been longing for since the day before. Crashing into a few clouds she completely diminished them. Canterlot quickly faded behind her as she upped the speed of her flight. Under her, she saw the train going between Ponyville and Equestria, spewing grey smoke as it chased forward. She dove down as she spotted a green mire filled with lakes of murky water here and there. With her hoof, she brushed the tufts of grass, feeling the coarse sprouts swat upon her fur. The blue Pegasus that soared over the ground like a bolt was the only sign of life upon this wasteland; even with all the water that resided here, not a single creature was to be seen, and with the layer of thick fog it looked like a place no pony would be able to live. Even so, it was rumored that an old race of ponies lived here that somehow managed to live out of what little resources that was to be found. The water in this area had been polluted by creatures venturing here at the end of their lifespan; for reasons unknown, the animals decided to drown themselves. Each race had its own lake so that the gasses created from it weren’t only held at one place; rather, they spread around, killing everything else and slowly turning the lush green area into a land of famine.

It was on trips like this that she felt alive, alone with her thoughts. As she flew forward the turmoil in her stomach grew; the feeling from the platform lingered even as she tried to enjoy her flight. It had been with her since the gala, just not this strong; the shadow of a certain pegasus and the action of a unicorn sat sharply in her memory.

Trees grew at the edge of the mire, signaling that a traveler would have passed the land where no creature lived, or marking their entry to it. The area on the other side stood in stark contrast of the mire. Instead of murky waters, travelers were met with a sight of crystal clear lakes which the rays of the sun played on, gleaming off in a warm welcome to any creature that would venture here. The grass wasn’t coarse, but soft, as if it was inviting you to lie down and relax while enjoying the warmth of the green valley. Here, creatures were in abundance, flocking over the fields in packs or traveling alone. As if a mutual treaty between carnivores and herbivores had been created, not a single animal seemed afraid of getting near any source of water.

She pushed back the thoughts and let a grin draw itself over her mouth as she spotted the perfect lake; the moment she was over it, she folded her wings to her side and dived. The cold mountain-water enveloped her body as she crashed into it, and after a few seconds she emerged at the surface and laid back so her body dipped in the surface. With her eyes closed she felt the wet fur on her stomach being heated by the warmth of the day, while her wings were spread out below her in the cold of the lake. She shuddered in delight; the contrast of temperatures gave her a unique feeling.

Lifting up a hoof, she found her herself smiling as her eyes followed a drop of water that ran down her fur. She moved it slightly to the side, letting the sun gleam through the pearl of liquid that dribbled over her. Dash couldn’t shake the feeling she had of doing this before; she knew something would happen soon, just not what specifically. Shaking the thought away, she let her hoof fall in the water causing a faint mist to douse her face.

A frown grew on her face. Rarity had arranged a get together this afternoon at the spa of all things. But seeing that it was Rarity it was no surprise; after all, she had to keep her fur posh. She would probably want to hear everything that happened last night. Dash snickered at herself as she mimicked the white unicorn’s voice in her head. ‘Darling, do tell, what happened last last night?’ She shrugged and continued to drift lazily in the lake.

She submerged herself one last time and leaped out of the lake. Her wings were cooled down to such a point that it almost stung with every stroke of her them, just enough to give her that extra kick as she dived over the vast green landscape dodging thin trees and bushes as she flew.

Dash grinned as she passed the white-tipped mountains that boxed in the green valley. Yesterday’s events had sparked something in her: a sense of accomplishment she had never felt before. Her decision was final, and the more she thought about it the better it felt. The adoption of her number one fan. With the support of her friends nothing could go wrong. Sure, she wasn’t the best at this family stuff, but being a good role model was something she could do pretty well. It couldn’t be that much different, could it? She dove again, touching the snow briefly with her hoof before shooting up into the air again. She closed her eyes and imagined the smile on Scootaloo’s face once she told her about this.

She opened her eyes again, and her grin disappeared. First there was a certain unicorn she needed to confront. The uneasy feeling she had had in her chest since the gala; the feeling that wouldn’t go away no matter how much she focused on different things. The same sorrow she had been feeling for many years after her father left her; the same pain that pierced her heart at the platform.

Dash never knew why her father left. He just did. She sometimes woke at night after dreaming about that day, the day her father stood in the doorway of their house whispering a quiet goodbye and sorry to the filly he left behind. He was the reason she had such a hard time letting anypony close. She swallowed; when she finally did let somepony close, she had left as well. Dash clenched her teeth and pressed back the water welling up in her eyes. Twilight had a reason, and, unlike her dad, Dash knew exactly where she was.

As Ponyville drew closer over the horizon, the familiar colors and shapes started to spring forth. She flew straight for the library, passing by Rarity’s shop and Sugarcube Corner in a flash. Dust whirled as she landed on the road; she waited for it to settle and took a deep breath.

Dash approached the library; the large hollowed tree towered over her in the sun, draping the green grass around it in a black shadow. The leaves on the branches crackled as they fluttered in the wind. Small bugs sat still on the walls, basking in the warmth of the day. At the end of the road a red door was embedded to the tree, the golden hinge of it gleamed in contrast with the rest of the building.

She stared at the door for a short while, contemplating what she would say once Twilight came out. Her neck tingled with warmth while she held her hoof in mid-air. Twilight had done just like her dad and left her alone the moment it became difficult, alone and wondering why. She felt her chest contract as she remembered the faint whisper of goodbye from her father. Like that was going to make up for the fact that he left. Dash forced away the painful lump that started to grow in her throat like a balloon and jabbed her hoof forward, getting a loud thud in response. Only a few seconds later, annoyed grunts and the sound of hooves hitting wood could be heard inside, followed shortly by the scraping from some locks being opened.

Twilight emerged from the doorway, squinting at Dash with a perplexed expression. Her violet eyes had huge bags of dark fur under them, and her mane shot strains of hair in all directions, almost giving Twilight a purple halo as the sun glared into the dark library through the messy mane.

Dash forced an awkward smile. “Hi…”

Twilight furrowed her brows and glared. “What are you doing here?”

Cocking a brow, Dash snarled, “I came to talk to you, and what’s with the attitude?”

“Like you wouldn’t know…” the unicorn said with a heavy voice, as she started to slide the door shut.

Dash slammed her hoof on the door and stared at Twilight. “No, I don’t know! And I’m not leaving until you tell me!”

Twilight’s ears flopped back while her eyes bored a hole in the ground. “Let go of the door, Rainbow.”

“Are you afraid that just because I went on a date I’ll stop hanging out with you?! Is that it?!” Dash felt her eyes burn while she glared at her friend.

Twilight turned her eyes at Dash with a defiant stare. “No! You wouldn’t understand anyway!”

“Then what?! Help me understand!” Dash bellowed.

Twilight hissed back, “No! And you know what, you don’t deserve to know!”

Dash snarled at Twilight, “Have you gone insane?! I didn’t run away, you did!”

“So?!”

“So? That’s all you have to say?! Did you get hit on the head with one of your stupid big books or something?! I have no idea what’s going on and you try to put the blame on me?!” Dash shot her wings out with the response.

“You hurt my feelings, alright?!” Twilight growled. “I helped you get that appointment with the Wonderbolts, and all you do is to go get a date!”

“Your feelings? Did you ever stop for more than two seconds and think about how it felt for me?!” Dash yelled and clenched her jaws together.

“Felt for you? Aren’t you awesome and all that stuff? Can you get hurt? I didn’t think you could; you’re too absorbed in yourself to be hurt or have proper feelings!” Twilight said, as she mimicked Dash with a flex of her hooves.

“You’re wrong! Watching you run away hurt... hurt more than I can describe...” Dash felt the lump in her throat return, painfully pressing inside her and making her voice crack. “How could you...?” She tilted her head down, letting her tears fall from her chin, making dark circles on the ground.

A deafening silence occurred between them; only their breaths could be heard, amongst the gust that entwined itself in the leaves of the trees scattered around in Ponyville. Time passed as Dash sat on the ground, trying to contain her sulks, flinching every time one escaped her lips. After a few intakes of breath, an audible gasp came from Twilight.

Twilight pushed forward and lifted Dash’s head with her hoof. “Rainbow… why are you crying?”

Dash blinked away the veil of water in her eyes and looked back at Twilight’s violet eyes. Her voice came as a hoarse whisper, “You left me… just like he did... Why would you do that?” Dash felt every muscle in her body tremble as she slumped down. She jerked her head away from Twilight’s hoof and wiped away the rivers that ran down her cheeks away. “I thought…”

Before she could continue she felt a pair of hooves embrace her, Twilight whispered with a shaken voice. “I… I didn’t think...”

They sat in each other’s embrace for a good while, not saying anything. Dash felt Twilight’s hoof run up and down her mane. The tension she had carried in her body since the gala ebbed away with each sob that jolted through her body. As if her body moved on its own, she clasped her hooves around Twilight and pressed her muzzle harder into the purple fur, letting out muffled sobs.

Twilight leaned down and whispered, “Would you like a cup of tea?”

Twilight grabbed hold of Dash and guided her towards the red bench that stood by the side of the tree and disappeared inside.

She sat down with a sigh, wiping away tears that trickled down her chin. Dash leaned back and closed her eyes, her mind falling back to the last weeks: the feeling she had gone with all this time, the feeling of abandonment. The void in her stomach slowly disappeared as the minutes passed, and her limbs felt unusually light as the tension slipped away from her body. Her ears picked up the sound of ponies walking by on the road that went past the library and continued into Ponyville. Some stopped and assumingly looked at the blue pegasus that sat alone on the red bench. One side of her mouth pulled back into a half smile. Right now, Dash did not care if ponies looked at her; she had a sense of relief washing over her and nothing could take that away right now.

She slowly cracked her eyes up as she heard the sound of cutlery being placed in front of her. Twilight poured some colored liquid in the two cups that stood ready and lifted them up with a violet-hued glow.

Accepting the cup floating in front of her, she smiled weakly. “I-I don’t know what came over me, Twi—”

“Don’t…” Twilight said as she sat down next to Dash.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say that you’re sorry… or anything like that. I’m the one who should be sorry… I panicked and ran away from a tough situation, which obviously was something I shouldn’t have done. I didn’t realize how much it would upset you…” Twilight turned towards Rainbow, her features were drawn and pulled together in a stern frown as she continued, “I’m truly sorry. Can you forgive me for being such an idiot?”

“Of course I will; everypony can panic now and then... Just promise you won’t do it again,” the blue pegasus said before taking a sip of the tea.

Dash let go of a hum while she felt the soothing warmth of the tea tingle down her throat. A careful smile tugged on her lips as she felt the taste of cinnamon and other herbs dance on her tongue. It was the same brew Twilight had made them on their first reading night. She had heard something about a tea that soothed a stressed mind, and, seeing as she had been under a lot of stress that week, Twilight had decided to try it out. Dash had always wondered how a smart pony like Twilight could have such trouble following the recipe for a simple tea; the first attempts had been a disaster. After the whole evening with her nose stuck in a cookbook, she finally managed to get it right, just like now.

She turned to Twilight and continued, “Why did you panic, though? It wasn’t like I told you anything that’d cause your world to crash down.”

“Well…” Twilight dragged her hooves through the grass, before quickly shaking her head. “Never mind. Tell me, how did your date go?”

Dash felt her cheeks burn. “I-I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Oh?” Twilight exclaimed with a faint smile curling at her lips.

“It’s just… he’s a decent guy and all that, but he just seems so… happy. In a childish sort of way, though,” Dash answered, waving her hoof in dismissal.

They sat still and enjoyed their tea in the sun, not saying anything at all. A gust cast itself over the plains in front of the library causing the leaves to whisper a subtle welcome. The smell of the tea rose and entwined itself in the wind, tingling softly in her nose, not too strong, just as a reminder that it was there with the smell of the flowers that followed the gust. In a bush nearby, crickets chirped their songs; joined with coos of the birds, it painted the perfect spring morning. Dash smiled to herself; this was exactly what she had missed: being able to sit in silence without it being weird. She leaned her head back, feeling the sun warm up her wet coat. Dash turned and opened her eyes again as she heard Twilight clear her throat.

“Rainbow… if you don’t mind me asking… what did you mean by ‘You left me like him’?” Twilight said as she fixed her gaze at Dash.

Dash spun the cup between her hooves and said hesitantly, “I’d rather not talk about it…”

Twilight rested a hoof on Rainbows shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “Are you sure? I did something to upset you, Rainbow. I know what it was, but help me understand why. I only want to help anyway that I can.”

A sigh escaped her lips and she swallowed. “Fine…” Dash turned to face the sun. “You know how I never talk about my father?”

“Yes?” Twilight quickly nodded.

“Well, I don’t know when it was exactly, but a few months after the Equestria Games judge was in Cloudsdale...” She swallowed, struggling to keep her voice from breaking. “I came home one day, having just aced the flight speed test; I was super excited about it and wanted to tell my dad.” A tear trickled down her cheek as she swallowed, “But once I got home… I found him standing in the doorway, whispering a goodbye… that’s the last time I saw him.”

“I...” Twilight exclaimed while putting a hoof over her muzzle.

“Who does that to a foal? I was Scootaloo’s age for crying out loud! And with my mom gone… he left me as a filly to fend for myself alone!” Dash felt her hooves shake as she clenched her teeth together, feeling streaks of water flowing down her cheeks. “I was just a foal, dammit! How could he…”

Twilight laid a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “I get it; you don’t have to explain anything more to me.” Her eyes got a veil for them while she continued, “If it is any comfort, I promise that I will never put you through such a thing again.”

Dash smiled weakly towards Twilight and nodded. An appreciated silence grew over the library yard again, letting only the faint chirp of the birds nestling in the branches above sing through. Dash’s ear flicked as the short snores of a sleeping dragon joined in on the morning choir.

“I’m going to adopt Scootaloo…” Dash said while grinning at her own reflection in the colored liquid in her cup, breaking the silence.

Twilight sprayed the contents of her mouth forward, creating a mist in front of her. She turned and exclaimed to Dash, “You’re what?!”

“I’m ad—”

Twilight put a hoof up. “No, I heard you, I just find it… odd. What made you decide this?”

Dash took a deep breath and chuckled. “Why not? I’m spending all my free time with her, anyway; we are more or less like sisters.” She lifted her head up and felt the warmth tingle on her fur.

Twilight took a sip of her tea and responded, “It’s a huge responsibility, Dash, have you ever thought about that? As it is now, you don’t have to make sure she has food or anything like that. Now you’re just there whe—”

“I know, Twilight… I know how it is not having anypony to rely on.” Dash swiped away a tear and smiled towards Twilight. “I don’t want her to grow up like me, having nopony around, nopony to turn to if it gets difficult, growing resentful and unable to let anypony truly close... She deserves better, Twi, and I can give it to her.”

“But are you sure you’re up to the task?” Twilight quickly asked.

Dash snorted. “You managed to take care of a dragon; I’m sure I can manage a filly.”

“It’s a bit different…” The unicorn answered with a wry smile.

Dash rose and flared her wings. “I’m the best flier in Equestria, and soon the best role model and sister ever! You just wait and see!”

“As long as you’re sure about it...” Twilight said, with a hint of reluctance weighing in her voice.

“I am.” Dash grinned.

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head down a little; it had been a long time, too long. Dash opened one of her eyes and turned to face it at Twilight, “Say… could we read together again soon?”

Twilight hesitated and bit her lip while her eyes focused away from Dash, after an audible sigh she answered “Sure, I’d love to.”

“It doesn’t have to be at once; just so I have something to look forward to again,” she said, still with only one eye turned towards Twilight.

Twilight took a deep breath and huffed, “Say in a few days?”

“Awesome! See you tonight at the spa, then!”

With a strong bat of her wings, she took off into the air and made haste to the orphanage. Dash felt an inner warmth while she flew forward; Ponyville passed like a fast blur.

Seeing the orphanage rising in the distance, she grinned at the little orange dot that sat and waited for her at the stairs. The house had an almost black color on its walls, and the windows had a bright red color on their frames that matched the color of the huge wooden door to the entrance. A cloud of dust rose as she landed; before it could settle, Dash got tossed backwards and felt something cling onto her neck as she tumbled backwards.

“You’re here!” Scootaloo said with a big smile etched in her face.

“Of course I’m here, Squirt. Ready for some fun?” Dash said, patting Scootaloo on the head.

“You bet! I’ve been waiting for this the whole weekend.” Scootaloo jumped over and headed to a pile of gear that consisted of a purple helmet and four orange kneepads.

“Say… Scoot, would you like to ride on my back today? Y’know, just fly and relax?” Dash asked while looking at Scootaloo, as she struggled to put on the kneepads.

“Really? Can’t we just train some more? Then I can fly with you, instead of just sitting on your back,” Scootaloo said as a perplexed expression came over her.

A careful smile came over Dash’s face. “I want to show you something, and wouldn’t it be awesome to just have a day with me?”

“A day off couldn’t hurt, I guess. We can train extra hard next time!” Scootaloo bellowed while jumping down from the stairs.

The orange filly fumbled towards Dash as she attempted to walk while taking off two of the kneepads she had put on, failing at it halfway, losing her footing and fall chin first onto the ground. She let go of a giggle, quickly stood up and headed towards Dash.

Dash kneeled down and spread her wings; feeling Scootaloo getting in place after some struggle, she smiled. Scootaloo’s hooves encircled her neck and clamped a tight hold.

“Hang on tight then, Squirt!” Dash yelled as she jumped up from the ground, following with a strong bat of her wings.

Ponyville quickly faded behind them as they soared upwards in the shifting winds. They broke the sky layer through a gray cloud, creating a thin veil of water on their coats that gleamed in the sun as they flew over the cloudbanks. Rays broke through the clouds and shot down as beams of pure orange.

They flew around for a good time, skipping between clouds and making the puffy balls spin as they passed by. They soared up to the highest layer of the sky and were met with a rare sight. The clouds layered themselves together, entwining into each other to create a landscape of white clouded hills, divided by lines of shadow, with small slits of light between them. Over the horizon the sun rose slowly like a fiery red gem, shooting out an orange glow to engulf the area nearby in a bright light.

Spying a big white cloud that floated a little over the rest, Dash flew higher with a strong flap of her wings. As they landed, small puffs of white floated up around them creating a barrage of tiny cloud fragments. Scootaloo jumped down and rolled around on the cloud instantly after Dash folded her wings.

Looking at the filly, Dash remembered the first time she brought Scootaloo up on the clouds. Never being able to feel the clouds before left Scootaloo terrified; so terrified, in fact, that, no matter how much Dash reassured her that it was okay to jump on them, she refused to let go of the blue wing she held on to.

After a few times it became easier, and, just like now, Scootaloo started to jump off her back instantly after the landed, longing after the feeling of clouds more and more.

“It feels so nice!” Scootaloo said quickly following it with a grin.

Dash looked as Scootaloo ran around on the cloud, taking in the sights below from every angle the filly could. Well, it’s now or never… she thought, swallowing heavily.

“Hey… Scoot, come and sit down for a minute, will yah?” Dash said while she flinched at her own uncertainty that weighed in her voice. Dammit… get it together, there’s no going back now.

Scootaloo jumped around and landed in front of Dash with a huge grin; she sat down and squeaked. “What is it?”

Dash tapped a hoof on her chin, thinking of how to formulate what she had to say. Taking a deep breath, she slowly spoke up. “Well… I sorta took you up here for another reason…”

Tilting her head, Scootaloo responded, “Oh? What for?”

“It’s just… err...” She tapped a hoof to her forehead and swore at herself. “Ok, let’s try again. How do you like the orphanage?”

“I like it there!” Scootaloo chirped. “But... sometimes, I wonder how it would be to have a room of my own. Or just have a house to call home...”

Dash looked at Scootaloo while she smacked her lips, as she tried formulating the next question. “Don’t you ever feel… alone?”

Scootaloo nodded slowly. “I do, but it’s not so bad.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Cause I’m not alone. I have Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to play with all the time.” She stood up and walked over to the edge of the cloud and stared down at Ponyville. “And I have you…” Scootaloo turned and smiled at Dash. “I don’t know who my parents are, and I may never know, but I know you’d never leave me, so I don’t worry so much about it. When I’m not with you or Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle I just have breaks.”

Dash smiled and quickly offered, “Well… what if you didn’t have those breaks?”

“What do you mean?” the filly said, as she turned to face Dash with a brow cocked up.

“Heh, I been having this crazy thought for some time now, seeing as I’m with you every time I have the chance... I was thinking that maybe… you know…” Dash cursed at hearing herself speaking this awkwardly. “How would you like to move in with me? Like a real sister.”

Dash watched as Scootaloo stood frozen in place, staring directly at her. It looked like somepony just had struck her with an electric shock, a little twitch under her left eye was the only thing that moved. Scootaloo’s eyes widened as the words slowly dawned on her.

Waving a hoof up in front of her Scootaloo’s face, she said in a low whisper, “Scoots… you there?”

A small tear trickled down Scootaloo’s chin, she blinked at Dash and stuttered, “I-I… you would...? I mean… really?”

Dash nodded, placed a hoof on Scootaloo’s mane and ruffled it. “Yeah. I may not be all that good with this kind of thing, but I want to try being there for you, Scoots.” Her lips tugged back into a careful smile. “You’ve been alone long enough, Scootaloo, don’t you think?”

With a strong leap, Scootaloo tackled Dash sending them tumbling down from the puffy cloud. Dash flared her wings and sailed down, landing on a cloud further down.

Still having the small filly clutched around her neck, she chuckled. “You still gotta be careful up here, Squirt.” Turning to face the orange orb in the sky, Dash smiled. “One day, though… you won’t need to; I’ll make sure of that.”

Scootaloo pressed her muzzle into Dash’s coat, shouting into it. “Thank you!”

With a hesitant motion, Dash folded her wings around Scootaloo, grinning as a warm sensation spread from her stomach and out to the tips of her wings. They sat still like that for a short time, Dash with her head resting on top of Scootaloo’s, staring out over the grand cloudbacks of the sky. Light streamed through and shot like beams from the slits between the clouds.

Seeing the birds dance over the clouds, a realisation dawned upon Dash; she felt more happy now than what she did when Spitfire told her that she could try out for the Wonderbolts. The thought of being a pony Scootaloo could rely on excited her more than the thought of being a Bolt. Dash almost let Scootaloo go in panic of this realisation, but instead took a deep breath and let a smile grow on her lips. She let her eyes close and thought of her future as an adult family member and a pony of trust for Scootaloo. The more she thought about it, the less the thought scared her.

Dash opened her eyes and pushed Scootaloo at a hoof-length. “It won’t happen at once, though. I will fill out the papers tonight, and then some time after that it will be done.”

Scootaloo’s small wings swatted in a furious tempo, causing her to float a little above the cloud. Completely ignoring it, she yelled towards Dash. “I can’t wait to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! This is so awesome!”

They sat on the cloud talking about what they would do once they moved in together. The ideas went from building a ramp in the living room, to having sword-fights during the night when they both should be asleep. But the most important subject was how they would solve the living conditions, as Scootaloo couldn’t stay at Dash’s cloudhouse. After some quick thinking, Dash concluded that they could rent a house down in Ponyville till Scootaloo managed to fly.

Dash looked at the sky, seeing the sun almost right above them. “I’m afraid we have to cut it short here, Squirt. I’m meeting Twilight and the others at the spa.”

Scootaloo snorted before bursting out into a laugh. “You at the spa? Isn’t that a bit girly for you?”

“It’s not like I do all those girly things, but they have a very nice hot-tub there,” Dash said as she bumped Scootaloo on the side.

“I’m sure they do,” Scootaloo said, as she climbed up on Dash’s back with a giggle and tightened her hooves around her neck.

“Hey, I’m the bigger sister, so I’m the one who’s supposed to make fun of you,” Dash retorted and jumped down from the cloud.

The wind whipped through their manes as they dived towards Ponyville. As the ground drew closer they dodged small birds that flew lazily forward, not expecting a blue Pegasus with an orange filly on her back to almost crash into them. Some of the birds let out a high pitched chirp, before they bolted off in another direction. For them, it was a close call with their certain doom, not just a meeting with a daredevil of a Pegasus.

They landed outside the orphanage and headed towards the stairs, with Scootaloo jumping forward in lead. She disappeared through the door before Dash could say anything.

The door closed before Dash could reach it, giving a loud bang as it shut. Each step she took up the stairs felt heavy, almost like she was walking with weights. Her eyes rested on the handle of the crimson colored door; it seemed bigger than before, almost like it towered over her. She slowly raised her hoof towards the handle, feeling her heart beat faster the closer it got. Dash swallowed hard and yanked the door open.

No going back now; she deserves it, Dash thought to herself as she passed through the doorway in front of her.

The insides of the orphanage had a lively yellow color on the walls, adorned with small red swirls in line down to the floor, which was laid in a gleaming light wood color. The roof was, in contrast with the floor, a dark oak color. Lamps hung from the huge support beams that stretched all the way over from side to side, and on the beams farthest away a sleeping chamber had been made on top.

In the myriad of foals that ran around on the floor giggling loudly as they chased each other for some game they played, Dash spotted Scootaloo jumping up with her small wings buzzing with excitement, causing her to hover for a second before dropping down in front of the head nurse. She ran around in a circle and bolted off towards her room.

The nurse turned and headed towards Dash with a smile. She had luminescent white fur, with a mane and tail of bright red; her eyes had a golden gleam to them and her cutie-mark resembled a baby’s rattle. Dash felt a twitch in her right wing as the white pony came closer; she had an uncanny resemblance to nurse Redheart at the hospital where Dash was when she had injured her wing.

As she reached Dash, she stuck out a hoof and smiled a little wider. “I don’t believe we have met properly. I am Kindle Heart, but you can call me Kindle.”

Dash took the offered hoof and shook it. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Scootaloo just told me that you have decided to adopt her. Is that correct?” Kindle asked with a quizzical expression.

Dash nodded quickly and said, “That’s right.”

Kindle clapped her hooves together and squealed, “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that, Miss Dash. Now, would you like to join me in the office so we can set up some papers for you to fill out?” she finished as she started to walk towards a door that hid in the back of the room.

The little room beyond had little special about it; the floor and roof were the same as the bigger room, and the walls had a boring white color. In the middle of the room a small, round glass table with light grey legs stood, while next to it a couple of light blue pillows with yellow flowers embroidered into them rested on the floor. Dash sat down on one of the pillows and looked as Kindle shuffled through the dark wooden bookshelves in the back of the room, tossing books to the side or sending paper out flying. With a happy little squeak, she nibbled out some papers and turned to give them to Dash, as she sat down on the opposite side of the table.

“Here are the required papers for the adoption of Scootaloo,” Kindle said as she slid them over, giving a smile at Dash before she continued, “I’ve got to say, Miss Dash, that I have been hoping and looking forward to this day for quite some time.”

“You have?” Dash responded while she read through the papers.

“Yes. Ever since you started coming here to be with her, it’s all she ever talks about. If she isn’t out with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she waits for you to come around.” Kindle giggled. “So I think with this around the corner for little Scootaloo, I will see that happy smile of hers every day.”

Dash retorted with a laugh, “Yeah, I bet!”

Kindle’s face got stern and she leaned over the table, “I assume you have taken into account what a huge responsibility this is? She needs food, a ro—”

“Relax, Kindle,” she interrupted, with a smile drawn on her mouth. “I have given it a lot of thought. I know I’m ready for this, and I will be sure to give Scootaloo everything she deserves,” Dash said as she folded the papers together and picked it up with her teeth.

The smile returned to Kindle’s face, and she stood up. “I’m glad to hear it. I think that that is all you need from me, for now. Be sure to fill those out accordingly and return here once you’re done.”

Dash and Kindle walked towards the door, crossing paths with dozens of the small foals that ran around yelling happily at each other. At the end of the room, Scootaloo sat on a small white bench and waited by the door with a huge grin plastered on her face.

Kindle tapped Dash on the shoulder and whispered, “I’ll leave you two alone. I’m over here if you need me.”

Scootaloo jumped up as Dash reached her and bounced up and down. “Are those the papers? Yes! This is so awesome!”

Dash placed the paper on the bench next to them and smiled. “Yupp! Soon it’ll official that we’re sisters, Scoots!” She ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “But now I gotta go; the others are waiting for me. I’ll be back in a few days, though, with these papers all filled out.”

Scootaloo turned around and dived under the bench; she returned with an old grey saddlebag. She placed it in front of Dash and said, “I want you to have this.”

Dash picked up the bag and looked at it; the fabric was worn like one would expect from a saddlebag of a traveler. At the bottom of one of pouches, a red cluster of crudely done threads was visible, as if a foal had sewn together a hole that had been there. The seams on the rest of the bag were done with a light orange thread, and on the front flap it had the markings of the international mail guild, an envelope encircled by two pegasi.

A stutter escaped Dash’s lips, “I-I… I can’t take this, Scoots. It’s the only thing you have left from your dad.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Take it.” She smiled and continued, “I want you to have it; it will be a new start for both of us.”

The filly leaned forward and embraced Dash’s neck, quickly whispering something barely audible before she let go and started to walk away.

Dash’s eyes followed Scootaloo as she walked away. “What was that, Scoot?” she asked shortly after.

Scootaloo’s body stiffened like a bolt of lightning went through her and muttered, “Nothing…”

A smile formed itself over Dash’s face. She stood up and caught up with Scootaloo. She grabbed hold of her and pulled her close, placing a soft peck on her forehead.

“I love you too…” she said as she felt her eyes well up.

Sitting like that, she felt the filly’s mane tingle on her snout. Her eyes wandered down and saw a tear trickle down from Scootaloo’s eye. She blinked as she felt moisture run down her own chin.

When did I become this soft? she thought as she sniffled and croaked, “Hey, Scoots… let’s make it less sappy when we tell this to the others, alright?”

Scootaloo nodded quickly and answered, “Yeah…”

After some time had passed, they said their goodbyes and Scootaloo ran down to her room. Dash walked over to the saddlebag that lay on the ground and picked it up. The bag was a few sizes too big, but not too big to be used. Picking up the paper, she placed it down in the bag and closed it.

Exiting the orphanage, she felt the midday sun play on her fur, warming her to the very core of her body. She opened her eyes, looked towards Ponyville and chuckled.

It’s going to be alright, I know it… she thought to herself as she jumped up and flew away towards the spa.

Author's Note:

I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.
I did at least have great fun writing it.

And as always, please leave comments, I love reading them.

Comments

[Unknownlight]

TwiDash, SoarinDash, and Scootalove all combined into one awesomely well-written fanfic?
Don't pinch me; if I'm dreaming I don't want to know it.

[Enix]

A nice chapter of feels with a side order of d'awwws, leaving me wanting for seconds.

s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/please-sir-can-i-have-some-moar.jpg

[Cedric Inuzuka]

Okai, did Rainbow sleep with Soarin', on the first date ?
Tell me she just sleep with him and didn't have sex, because on the first date, that damn fast...( and wrong by the way)

My over analytics brain pick some good thing when comparing Soarin/Dash and Twidash moment :

- It's Soarin who ask to see Dash again but it's Dash who ask to see Twilight again, a detail maybe but the devil hide in the detail.
- Dash didn't like Soarin sandwich but like the tea from Twilight, yeah I know another detail.

And finaly you throw a joker in the middle of everything with scootalove, let see how Soarin will react when he became second on Dash list, because your child must alway be your priority, especially if you're a single parent.

In the end Twilight is still sisterzoned, I can't wait to see how she will go out of the danger zone... And I hoping for the end of Soarin relationship with Dash as soon as possible.

Cédric out

[RainLight]

2287308
Fairly certain Dash didn't sleep with him. She barely gives him a kiss on his cheeck :P

[Stormgnome]

Hurray a new chapter
And a good one

[Paradox949]

2286837
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120514003615/mlp/images/0/04/Berry_Pinch_ID.png

Um, I mean:

jenniferbrouwerdesign.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pinch.jpg

Anyway, nice chapter, I await more.

[Vertorm]

Oh my god! I never knew you had started a TwiDash! I now must read this. I see you haven't updated it in over a year though. Perhaps that might soon change?

[McRandom]

This fic looks really promising, but if it's never going to be finished, I don't really want to start reading it...

Will this ever be completed?