Rainbow Dash finds herself all alone when her father visits ponyville... with a surprise.
All these years there has been a piece of information about Rainbow Dash's family that even she didn't know about. One day, her father comes to visit her from Cloudsdale, bringing with him a long lost family member; Rainbow Dash's twin sister, Spirit Dash. Rainbow Dash finds herself all alone when her friends discover that they like Spirit better than Rainbow.
Rainbow Dash looked below her to Mane Street. She was sitting on a puffy white cloud just above Ponyville. It was just like any old day. She placed her head on her hooves and closed her eyes. It was a nice day. The sun was shining, there was no breeze, it was great. Almost everypony was out and about.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called from below. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, wake up!" Dash opened her eyes and looked down at Applejack.
"What is it, AJ?" she called.
"Yer Dad came to Ponyville! He-" She got cut off as Dash swooped down off her cloud and landed directly in front of her kicking up pebbles and dust.
"Dad's here?!? Where is he?!?" Rainbow Dash nearly screamed jumping up and down. Applejack had never seen her so excited before.
"Well he was wanderin' around town an-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get to the point AJ!" Dash interrupted.
"He's over at Sugarcube Corner." She said, gesturing down the street. As soon as she finished, a rainbow streak darted down the street knocking over fruit stands and a couple of ponies.
Dash burst through the doors of Sugarcube Corner, her rose colored eyes darting all around the room. She noticed Mrs. Cake trot to a table to ask the lavender stallion sitting there if there was anything she could get him. Then, Rainbow Dash recognized him.
"Dad!" she yelled while galloping to the table. Her father turned to look at her and she skidded to a stop when she saw a mare sitting across from him. The mare was a light blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tale.
"Dad?" Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted the rest of the way toward the table. "Who is that?" The mare got out of her seat and trotted to Dash.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Rainbow Dash!" she said, offering a hoof for a shake. Dash ignored her and shoved her away to get to her father.
"Dad," she said. "Who is this mare? How does she know my name?" she demanded.
"Rainbow Dash," her father said slowly. "This is your twin sister. Her name is Spirit Dash."
"Twin sister? No! I'm sorry, Dad, but you've got this wrong. I'm an only child. This is... Well this is an impostor,"
"No, Rainbow Dash. This is real." Her Dad said, trying to calm her down.
"Well, then why didn't you ever say anything to me?!?"
"You spent the first few months of your life together. But then one night, just before your first birthday, Spirit Dash was kidnapped. You didn't seem to miss her, so your mother and I decided it would just be better for everyone if you just never knew about her. That's why we never told you." Rainbow Dash looked at her father in disgust. How could he have kept this from her all these years? She had always loved and looked up to her father. Then she moved to Ponyville, and hadn't seen him for years, and all of a sudden, he comes out of the blue and dumps this stranger on her!
"I was hoping she could stay with you for a few weeks, you know, while I fix up a room for her at my house in Cloudsdale." Oh sure, Dad. I will let this stranger who may or may not be my lost twin sister live with me! What could go wrong? Rainbow Dash thought.
"Ok, sure. I guess it would be Ok. She can sleep in my guest room." She said with a sigh.
"Great! I have to get back to Cloudsdale. Why don't you show her around?" The lavender stallion said. "Bye Spirit. Bye Rainbow." He kissed his daughters on their cheeks before he left the bakery. Rainbow Dash wiped the kiss off her cheek.
She turned to look at the mare standing next to her. She looked a lot like Rainbow Dash, light blue coat, rainbow colored main and tail. But her main and tail looked like a mix between Cheerilee's and Berry Punch's. And not only that, but resting on her nose were a pair of freakishly nerdy, hot pink, square framed glasses.
"It's still really nice to meet you. I missed you while I was... well, you know. Away. "
"Mhm." Rainbow Dash said. "Come on. Let's go. I'll take you to my house."
"Uh, actually, I was kind of hoping to um, meet your friends first," Spirit Dash said.
"I'll introduce you to them tomorrow. Today, we're just getting you settled in. That's all." She started walking out of the bakery, and looked over her shoulder to make sure the mare was behind her. She pushed open the door and walked out into the sunlight. She started to walk away and carefully listened to the sound of hoof steps that would confirm Spirit was behind her. She didn't stop trotting for anything until she got to her cloud home.
She stopped and looked over her shoulder again to see her sister trotting up next to her.
"Is this your house?" Spirit Dash said, looking up in amazement.
"Yes." Rainbow Said feeling a little proud of it. It was a nice house; much nicer than any other house in Ponyvillve.
"Dad's house is much bigger." Spirit said. Rainbow's ego deflated slightly at that rude remark. "Just come on." She flew up to the front entrance and opened the door. Spirit Dash trotted inside and looked around.
"The guest room is this way."
...
Rainbow Dash left her house, with her "sister" alone inside. She told her to stay there until she got home. She dove off the front steps of her cloud home, letting the wind rush through her mane. Eyes closed, she silently counted to three, then spread her wings and swooped upward, smashing through countless clouds as she went. Then she opened her eyes and started flying over town. She wanted to find her friends and tell them about this new development.
She saw a pink pony hopping along Mane Street that was unmistakably Pinkie Pie. The pegasus dove downward and landed gracefully on the dirt road.
"Pinkie Pie, I need a favor."
"Anything for you, Dashie!" the pony said through a large grin that was quickly forming on her face.
"I need you to get our friends into the library, ok? I'll meet you there."
"Okey Dokey Lokey!" She said just before bounding away in the opposite direction. This was not like any old day.
Rainbow Dash entered the library to find Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack sitting in a circle on the floor.
"Where they hay is Rarity?" Dash blurted.
"Oh. Um... I- I know this one! I know this one! Don't tell me!" Pinkie Pie said while theatrically rubbing her chin. "She's washing her hair! No, wait! She took Opal to the vet! No, no wait!"
"Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"She is just washing her hair," the pink pony shrugged. Rainbow Dash groaned as her face connected with her hoof.
"What's wrong, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said in a concerned tone as she stood up to place a hoof on her friend's shoulder. Dash slumped down and told her friends the whole story.
"I have a sister," Rainbow Dash said as she watched the confused expressions cross her friend's faces. "She was kidnapped before we turned one, and I guess my haybag dad decided to never tell me about her."
"Now wait just a second, Dash," Applejack said. "Are you tellin' us that this whole time, you have had a sister? And I suppose next yer Dad'll be sayin' yer Mom's al-" Applejack put a hoof over her mouth as she realized what she was saying. "I, I'm sorry, Rainbow. I, I just meant... I have to go." The orange mare pulled her hat down and galloped towards the door, but when she swung it open, Rarity was behind it.
"I'm terribly sorry I'm late, girls," She said as she stepped into the library. Applejack swerved around her and galloped into the evening sunlight. "I was washing my mane," she said.
"Told ya!" Pinkie bounced up. Twilight seemed to be the only one to realize that their friend was crying.
...
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes as the first few rays of sunlight peeked through the window. She sat up in her bed and stretched. She swung her legs to the ground and stood up.
"Ok, Dash, you got this. You are going to get out there, and introduce Spirit to your friends. After that, she will go off and get her own friends, and you can avoid her 'till she goes home." She trotted out of the room and towards the kitchen where she found Spirit sitting at the table enjoying some hay.
"Good morning, Rainbow Dash!" she said cheerfully.
"Yeah, thanks. You too, Spirit Dash."
"Please, Spirit is fine."
"Oh, well in that case, I prefer to be called Dash." Perfect, Dash thought. I do not want to share a name, too. She walked over to the box where she kept her hay, and took out a mouthful, dropping it in nearby bowl. She carried it in her teeth to the chair across from where Spirit was sitting and set it down there. As she passed, she happened to notice for the first time what her cutie mark was. It looked like a pair of glasses, the same ones that were resting on her nose, and a quill leaning on them.
"So," Dash said through a mouthful of hay. "What is your talent anyway?"
"Oh, I am a writer. I got my cutie mark when I wrote my third S.O.S letter." She beamed at Rainbow Dash as if writing S.O.S letters was some great feat only a few ponies in the world could accomplish.
"How did you get your cutie mark?" she asked before taking another bite of hay.
"Well, these two haybags were making fun of my friend, Fluttershy, so to stand up for her, I challenged them to a race. We had to go through all these rings of cloud if we wanted to win. One of the rings was way down by the ground. I was going so fast, that when I went through that ring, it made a sonic rainboom!" Rainbow Dash had stood up while telling this part, to make it extra dramatic. "But, you know. Ain't nothin'"
...
Rainbow Dash and Spirit Dash flew down off the front steps of the cloud home and landed on the ground.
"I'll take you to Ponyville now and you can meet my friends." Dash said.
"Great!" The pegasi walked down Mane Street until they came to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie greeted them enthusiastically as they entered. Dash's four other friends were all waiting for her inside, just as they had planned the previous evening.
"Spirit Dash, this is Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight. Guys, this is Spirit," Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to each of the ponies.
"Lovely to meet you, dear." Rarity said.
"Darn tootin'" Applejack piped up.
"Wow! It's so great to meet you! I mean, I've heard so much about you! Well, not really, but I mean I didn't sleep at all last night 'cause I was so excited to meet you today and mmmfff mffff mfff....." Twilight covered Pinkie's mouth with a hoof before saying, "She means it's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you all, too." Spirit Dash said. "Maybe I can get to know you better over some water? I'm really thirsty,"
"Of course," Rarity said as she began to lead Spirit and the others away. Great. So much for plan A. Rainbow thought. Can't ditch her if she's hanging out with the ponies I planned to ditch her for. Guess it's time for plan B...
Ok, Dash. Plan B. You can do this. Rainbow Dash thought as she left Sugar Cube Corner with her five best friends and the pony who was quickly becoming her worst enemy inside.
She trotted out into the street and looked around the town to try and find her two backup best friends. Then finally, she spotted them.
"Bon Bon! Lyra!" she called. The two ponies looked up at her, and started trotting towards her. They met in front of somepony's house.
"Hey, Dash, what's up?" Lyra said.
"My sister's in town, and-" Dash got cut off.
"Sis-" Bon Bon started before she was interrupted herself.
"It's a long story." Rainbow said as she held up a hoof. "So, I wanted to, you know, hang with you guys for a while."
"Sure!" Lyra said. "Me and Bon Bon were just headed over to the soda shop. Wanna come?"
"That sounds great," Rainbow replied.
The trio began to make their way to the soda shop as Rainbow Dash explained the entire story to her friends. Lyra and Bon Bon listened intently as they took in every detail. Besides Fluttershy, they were the first friends Rainbow Dash had made since she moved to Ponyville, and she loved them dearly. Possibly more dearly than the other elements of harmony...
...
"Ok, so, the other day, I was talking to Carrot Top, right? And so she tells me, that she overheard Berry Punch and Minuette talking about..." Rainbow Dash tuned out Bon Bon and sipped her cherry soda. Usually, she would have been more than happy to hear whatever it was Carrot Top had overheard, but today she was too down in the dumps. She turned her head just in time to see Lyra squirt her lemon fizz soda out her nose before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
"Wait, what? I missed it," Whatever it was, it must have been pretty funny, so Dash gained interest.
"Ok, so, Carrot told me that Berry and Minuette were talking about-"
Crash!
Bon Bon was cut off from her story as Mr. Cake came running out of the kitchen looking extremely flustered.
"Have any of you seen Cupcake? I need some help with Pound and Pumpkin..."
"No, sorry, I haven't seen her. I would be happy to help you out with them though," Bon Bon said as she stood up and began trotting towards the orange stallion.
"Great. Sorry, I'm just a little... shaken up," he said. He turned and began trotting to the kitchen from which he emerged. Sadly, his exit was made less dramatic when he tripped on a baby bottle and fell flat on his face. Bon Bon helped him up and the two trotted into the kitchen towards the sound of crying infants that had gotten significantly louder in the past few seconds.
"So, heh, guess it's just us two, now," Lyra said.
"Yep," Rainbow Dash replied. The two ponies finished off their sodas and Lyra popped her head into the kitchen to tell Bon Bon that they were going to the park and that would probably be where she could find them.
The pair trotted off down the street and talked about the weather, and Princess Celestia, and stuff like that. Then, just when Rainbow Dash was beginning to enjoy her outing with Lyra, who should they run into but Spirit Dash and her five former best friends. They were all hanging off Spirit's every word and laughing there heads off as if each and every thought that tumbled through her lips was the most hilarious thing that any of them had ever heard.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash! We were just looking for you! I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with us to the soda shop," Spirit said to her.
"Sorry, girls, but Lyra and I just came from there," Rainbow said, putting great emphasis on the word Lyra to show her friendship. "We were headed to the park."
"Oh, sorry. I'm really thirsty, so I'd rather go to the soda shop. Come on girls," she said. The group continued chatting and laughing as they trotted in the opposite direction of Lyra and Dash.
Ugh. I don't believe this. She insults my house, she steals my friends... ugh! I wish Dad would just come get her already! she thought.
"Guys! Guys! " Bon Bon said as she galloped towards the duo. She was gasping hard when she finally caught up with them. After a few seconds, she finally caught her breath and blurted a couple words Rainbow Dash was anxious to hear.
"You'll never guess what I just heard Spirit Dash say!"
"Well come on! Spit it out already!" Lyra said, anxious to hear another piece of Bon Bon's gossip. Bon Bon, however, had a look on her face that indicated it wasn't just gossip; this was serious business.
"Spirit Dash just said..." she paused as a look of sympathy crossed her face. "Spirit Dash said that she found a bunch of drawings of Big Mac under your bed." Rainbow Dash's mouth dropped open when she finished. Sure, she thought of Big Macintosh as a friend, but that's it. A friend.
"No! I-I..." Dash stuttered as she started to cry.
"Rainbow, I'm so sorry," Lyra said. Dash turned away to try and hide her tears.
"Look, Rainbow," Bon Bon said. "If she wants to make up stories about you? Who cares? We know the truth."
"I know, but it's just that..." Rainbow Dash felt her face grow hot with anger. What is wrong with this pony? She thought. She spun around and pounded her front hooves against a tree. A couple of leaves and a poorly drawn orange flier with the words "Mr. Cake's Soda Shop: help wanted" scrawled across it landed by her tail. The paper was encased in golden magic and floated in front of Lyra's face.
"Well that explains why Mr. Cake is at the soda shop..." she said.
"You were wondering about that too?" Bon Bon asked.
"Guys! We have bigger problems right now then Mr. Cake!" Dash nearly screamed at her companions.
"Sorry, Rainbow," Lyra said as she tacked the flier back onto the tree.
"It's OK. I'm just a little angry at my so called 'sister' right now." The three ponies sat and thought for a while until Bon Bon piped up with a new idea.
"I know! Let's get her back!" she said.
"Yeah, but how?" Rainbow Dash asked.
...
Rainbow Dash sat up awake in her bed. She had saddle bags by her door that were packed with quills and paper. If she remembered correctly from the conversation she and her two new best friends had had at the park that afternoon, it was her job to bring writing supplies. Bon Bon's job was to bring snacks, and Lyra's job was to just be there because she was the only one who could use those writing supplies.
Crash!
"Lyra! Be more careful!" Bon Bon said in a hushed tone.
"Sorry!" Lyra spat back. Rainbow Dash took this as her cue and jumped out of bed, pulled on the black jumpsuit that was hanging off her desk chair, and dove into the strap on her saddlebags. In five seconds flat, she had got up and was out the door. That's an academy record! Rainbow Dash couldn't help thinking.
She dove off the front steps of her house and met Bon Bon and Lyra on the ground below.
"Do you have the supplies?" Lyra asked as she landed quietly.
"Yeah." The trio tip-hoofed to the park, and sat under a tree. Rainbow Dash took a quill and a sheet of paper from her saddlebag, and Bon Bon passed around apples.
"Ok. So, what do we know?" Lyra asked as she began to levitate the quill. The ponies thought for a moment before replying.
"She always seems to be thirsty," Rainbow Dash said, still trying to call to mind anything of importance.
"Got it." Lyra began to write on the paper. "Possibly changeling," she spoke as she wrote.
"Lyra! She's not a changeling!" Bon Bon whispered. "Be realistic! We're trying to get back at her, not get her banished!"
"That would be nice though..." Dash thought out loud.
"Rainbow Dash! How could you say such a thing? She is your sister after all," Bon Bon scolded.
"Yeah, but she still made up rumors about me..." she said. "Joking! Joking!" They were all silent for a moment before a light giggling spread among them all.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Bon Bon said excitedly as her face lit up. "Earlier today, I saw her talking to Thunderlane, and she blushed! A lot!" For the first time, Dash thanked Celestia that she was so into gossip.
"Likes Thunderlane," Lyra said as she wrote it down before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Bon Bon giggled too, and it wasn't long before Rainbow Dash joined in.
"Oh, and another thing," Bon Bon said before turning to Dash. "Lemon Hearts says Thunderlane likes you!"
...
Rainbow Dash woke up late the next day because she stayed up so late the night before. She was sort of excited for today, but a little nervous too. If Pinkie Pie had been there, she would have said that Dash was nervoucited.
She got out of bed and trotted over to her desk where her plan for the day was. Normally, she would not have had a plan for the day, but today was special. She trotted to the door and dove off the front steps. She trotted down Mane Street as she cautiously looked around for Spirit Dash. She wasn't at home so she must have been out and about with Rainbow's old friends.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called. "Rainbow Dash!" she was galloping towards Dash fast, and she looked mad. "Who the hay do you think you are?" she screamed as she skidded to a stop.
"What are you talking about?" Dash asked.
"I don't want none o' that! You know very well what I'm talkin' 'bout!"
"Uh, AJ?"
"You listen here," AJ said, tuning out Dash's protests. "I know all about those pictures of my brother! I'm gonna put a stop to it right now! If I hear one more thing about you an' Big Mac, I'm gonna-"
"Applejack!" Rainbow screamed. "Look, I know what you heard and it's not true! I don't like him that way!"
"Ah no! I ain't fallin' for any o' that!" At this point, Rainbow Dash just walked around her angry X-friend, and continued on her journey to Lyra's house. "Hey! You get back here, Missy!" Rainbow Dash tuned out Applejack as best as she could as she began to trot.
...
Dash knocked on Lyra's front door, and saw Bon Bon peek around the curtain before allowing Lyra to let her in.
"Ready?" Lyra asked.
"Yep," Dash said. the trio walked into Lyra's inspiration room. You see, Lyra had always truly wanted her fashion career to take off, but sadly, it never did.
Lyra brushed Dash's mane until it was straight and beautiful. Then, Bon Bon wheeled in a portable rack filled with simple outfits.
"Oh no. No, no! You are not putting me in a dress!" Rainbow said.
"Oh come on, Rainbow! Do you want this to work or not?" Bon Bon asked.
"Well, yeah, but..." Rainbow Dash trailed off mid-sentence.
"How we just put you in a saddle, OK?" Lyra asked, holding up a nice magenta one that matched Dash's eyes.
"Fine," she said. "But just the saddle."
"Perfect!" Bon Bon said as she stood back to view her friend. "Time to go visit Thunderlane."
Rainbow Dash trotted along the streets of Ponyville searching for Thunderlane. She could feel Lyra and Bon Bon's eyes on her as they watched her incognito. The plan had very few flaws, but she was still unbearably nervous. The saddle was too tight, and she wanted to stretch her wings. Her mane was tied back in a side ponytail, and it kept getting in her face. She tried to tell herself everything was fine and was going to go according to plan, but the sensible part of her kept running over everything that could possibly go wrong.
Thunderlane came into view and Rainbow Dash could feel her face getting hot as it connected with her hoof. Why am I doing this? Rainbow Dash thought. She peeked over her shoulder to make sure her saddle was straight and to make sure her hair was right. Her two friends winked at her, giving her the OK. She sighed as she began to trot forward.
"Hey, Thunderlane," she said cautiously.
"Hey, Dash! What's up?" Rainbow Dash mentally facehoofed as she pulled a blank on what to say. "Uh, Dash?" Thunderlane asked.
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I guess I just, blanked out a little." Rainbow Dash looked at her secret followers as they waved their hooves in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. "Wanna hang at Sugarcube Corner?" she asked.
"Sure!" Thunderlane replied to Rainbow's delight. Everything was going according to plan. So far.
The pair entered the bakery as they talked about what to order. Dash looked around the brightly lit room and was pleased to see Spirit and her friends sitting at one of the tables. Applejack shot her a particularly dirty look as she passed. She noticed Lyra and Bon Bon sitting at a table near the wall, so Rainbow selected a table where she could see them, and Spirit could get a good look at who she was with.
"Thunder, could you do me a favor?" Rainbow asked her companion.
"Sure, Dash. Anything," he replied.
"Could you order me a couple of zapapple cupcakes?" she asked.
"Of course," he said as he began to trot away. Rainbow's gaze drifted to her sister and she noticed Spirit suck her cheeks way in and turn away from Thunderlane. The plan was unfolding perfectly. A small fold of paper encased in golden magic floated to the place Rainbow Dash was sitting and opened up so she could read it.
"Ask him if he's in a relationship," it said in Lyra's writing. Dash turned to face her friend and nodded as the paper floated away.
A minute or two later, Thunderlane trotted back to the table with a tray of four rainbow colored cupcakes in his teeth. He carefully set the tray on the table and took one.
"So," Dash said before taking a cupcake off the tray. "What's going on in your life?"
'Well, not much. Do you know who that pony over there is?" he asked, gesturing towards Spirit Dash.
"Oh her? That's my um, sister," she replied. Once again, she explained the whole dreadful story.
"Wow," he replied looking shocked. "That must have been hard on you." He leaned over and laid his head on his hooves.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash finished off her first cupcake, then took the second. When she turned her head to take a bite, she noticed Thunderlane looking into her eyes. This had never happened to her before. She looked back into his eyes, and that went on for a moment. Rainbow Dash shook the feeling away when she got butterflies in her stomach. She knew that if she formed an emotional attachment to him, the plan would ultimately fail. So, she looked away and finished eating her cupcake.
Rainbow Dash swallowed her last bite of cupcake and looked over at Thunderlane just in time to see him lean forward and plant a quick kiss on her forehead. Dash felt her face turn red and a smile spread on her lips. She turned away to hide her embarrassment just in time to see a tear form in her sister's eye.
...
Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane trotted out of Sugarcube Corner.
"So, do you want to meet here again? Same time tomorrow?" Thunderlane asked.
"Sure! Can't wait!" Rainbow Dash said. She blushed and poked the ground with her hoof. After a second of silence, she felt Thunderlane's forelegs wrap around her in a quick hug.
"Bye," he said before spreading his wings and taking off. Rainbow stood still for a moment, watching him fly off as she took in the events of the afternoon. After just one split second, she had completely abandoned the plan. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she had feelings for him. Multiple emotional sonic rainbooms had taken place in the past ten minutes.
"Rainbow Dash!" Bon Bon said as she trotted out of Sugarcube Corner. "What happened? Why did he kiss you? Why did you blush?" She threw many more questions at Dash who simply tuned them all out.
"I- I gotta go," she said as she spread her wings to fly. She took off and looked down just in time to see Lyra run out to accompany Bon Bon. Rainbow Dash flew the air letting the wind rush through her mane. She had never felt so alive! She looped around and swerved downward, brushing the water with her hoof. She swooped upward and landed on a cloud as she realized her saddle was gone.
She slowly flew over the town, as she retraced her route. Soon she saw Lyra and Bon Bon walking along, with her saddle. Feeling relieved, she flew back to her cloud home.
Rainbow Dash landed on the front steps and entered. She darted through the halls and flopped on her bed. Dash quickly buried her face in a pillow and screamed. She got up and darted to her desk where she picked up the paper that concealed her plan for that day, and clutched it to her chest. She was so happy that she had made that plan that she could barely breathe.
The lighthearted pony dropped the paper and buried her face again. It was going to be a long wait until tomorrow.
...
"Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus pony slowly opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep while she was laying on her bed thinking about Thunderlane. "Rainbow Dash! Open this door!" Spirit Dash was pounding her hooves furiously on Rainbow's bedroom door. Dash slowly stood up and walked over the door. Slowly she opened it to reveal her sister's angry, tear stained face.
"What is it, Spirit?" Dash asked.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you steal him from me!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know! Your little date with Thunderlane! How dare you!"
"Look, it wasn't a date. Me and him are friends. Just like me and Big Mac."
Spirit Dash looked stunned. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Rainbow said just before she slammed the door in Spirit's face.
I can't believe that little creep moved in on Thunderlane! How dare she! Guess I will have to drive Thunderlane away from her as well as the others. Sorry, Big Mac. I'm gonna have to use you again. Oh, and then there's the problem of that little unicorn and the earth filly. Lyra and Bon Bon, I think. They are obviously helping her out with Thunderlane. If I get rid of them, their whole relationship might go down in flames without me having to lift a hoof! Although I might want to intervene anyway, just to secure the outcome. Oh, yes. This will be delicious.
Rainbow Dash stood in Lyra's inspiration room as the unicorn brushed her rainbow colored mane.
"You really are going a little far with this, Dash. Don't you think?" Lyra asked. "I mean, we're only doing this to get back at Spirit, you know?" she turned away from Rainbow's mane to look at her face and saw the far-off expression that had formed. "Dash?"
"Huh? What?" Rainbow said as she shook away her thoughts.
"Never mind," Lyra said. "It's not important."
"Ok, guys, here's the plan," Bon Bon started as her friend's faces turned to them. "Me and Lyra will make our way to Sugarcube Corner. Then, after about ten minutes or so, you start coming, ok Rainbow?"
"Ok," Dash said.
"Great. Let's go, Lyra." the two ponies began trotting out of Lyra's house. After Rainbow Dash heard the front door close behind them, she walked over to her saddle bags that were leaning against a wall. She flipped one open with her hoof and stuck her muzzle inside. She pulled out a small fold of paper. Rainbow Dash unfolded it, revealing a crumpled and torn picture of her five friends having a group hug; with Dash in the middle.
...
Rainbow Dash trotted through the park on her way to Sugarcube Corner. Thunderlane filled her thoughts. It seemed like forever since she saw him last, even though it had just been the day before.
Dash's mane hung down over her shoulders. Lyra had insisted on using a flat iron on it that morning, and Bon Bon insisted on sprinkling glitter on her coat. She looked more girly than she liked, but it was all worth it if it meant seeing Thunderlane and getting back at Spirit at the same time.
Rainbow Dash nearly fell over as she ran into something sturdy.
"Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "First you draw pictures of him, then you go out with some random stallion? For shame. I can't believe you would do this to my brother."
"Look, Aj. I don't know what Spirit told you, but I really don't have time for this right now," Dash said as she tried to swerve around the mare.
"No, Rainbow Dash," she said as she stepped in front of Rainbow in an effort to keep her where she was. "I don't know what's going on in that little head of yours, but as of now, we ain't friends anymore." The harsh words departed from her lips just before she turned around and slowly walked away.
Rainbow sighed. She couldn't let this bring her down. Not today, and not right now. Eyes on the prize, she thought. Eyes on the prize.
...
Rainbow Dash pushed the door to the bakery open with her hoof. She stepped inside and searched for a few ponies. First, she looked around to see if Spirit was there. Of course she was; sitting at a table near the front with all of her new friends, save for Applejack. Then, she found Lyra and Bon Bon, sitting at their usual table near the wall. Then, of course, there was Thunderlane, waving Rainbow over.
She trotted to the table as a tray with four zapapple cupcakes came into view. She sat down and took one of the cakes.
"Hey, Dash! Glad you made it," Thunderlane said as his face turned slightly pink.
"Me too. I was almost late because-" the pegasus stopped herself when she realized it might not be such a good idea to tell Thunderlane about a certain caramel colored pony.
"Yeah?" the stallion across from her asked.
"Uh, I had to catch the mailpony, because," she stuttered as she tried to think up an excuse. "He dropped off the wrong package." She smiled a nervous smile and her companion smirked.
"He does that to me all the time," he said as he carefully placed a hoof over Dash's. Rainbow saw a horribly angry expression form on Spirit's face in the corner of her eye.
"So, guys, guess what? I brought one of the pictures I found today!" She said rather loudly. Getting to her hooves, she unfolded the paper, revealing a poorly drawn picture of Big Macintosh with the words "Rainbow + Mac" scrawled across it as Applejack's voice filled the room.
"Rainbow Dash!" she screamed. "I thought I told you to stop it!" Laughter filled the room, nearly drowning out Applejack's anger.
"What?" Thunderlane asked, confused. "I thought- I thought we had something special here." He got up out of his chair as his face turned dark red. "This is over!" he yelled before turning to gallop out the door.
"Thunderlane, wait!" Rainbow Dash screamed after him. She shot a dirty look at Spirit, and slumped to the floor. A single tear rolled down her face and landed on the wooden planks. Laughter surrounded her, and she could feel everyone staring. Instinctively, she galloped out of the bakery, and she didn't stop until she got home.
...
Once again, Rainbow Dash had her muzzle buried in a pillow, but this time it wasn't to hide her screams of joy. This time, it was to muffle her sobs. Her mane was messy and tangled, and her coat no longer sparkled. Then, she heard hoofsteps out in the hall.
Rainbow Dash burst through her bedroom door to find Spirit, Applejack, and the four ponies who had laughed the hardest.
"Yes?" Spirit asked, while trying to hide a smirk. Rainbow's face turned red and hot and tears came streaking down it as the memory of the laughter erupted in her brain.
"Get out!" she screamed. "All of you, get out of my house! Now!" All of her enemy's mouths dropped open as she yelled. None of them, not even Twilight, had seen Rainbow Dash so angry before in all their lives. "Are you deaf? I said get out!" She jumped in front of them all and stuck her wings up. One of her front hooves brushed the ground as if she was going to charge. Everypony began to slowly back up.
"Fine! We're leaving, ok?" Spirit said before she turned to face her friends. "Well don't just stand there! Come on," she said as she began walking through the group. All of them turned to leave the house.
Rainbow heard the door slam shut, and she turned tail and darted into Spirit's room. She ripped apart the blankets and pillows, tipped over all of the furniture, and ripped all the papers to shreds. Then, she realized that she should have read those papers. She should have invaded Spirit's privacy like Spirit claimed to have invaded her's. She ran to get her saddlebags.
Dash bit down on the middle strap of the bags and ran back into Spirit's room. She carefully picked up all the scraps of paper and put them in the saddlebags. Then, she left her house to go see Lyra and Bon Bon.
"Lyra! Bon Bon!" Rainbow Dash hollered as she burst through Bon Bon's door. She found the two ponies sitting on the couch polishing each other's hooves.
"Rainbow," Bon Bon said as she got up and began walking slowly towards her friend. "What are you doing here so late? Isn't it like, midnight?" She asked.
"I know, but I needed your help. You weren't at Lyra's so, I thought I'd come here," Dash said.
"What do you need, Rainbow?" Lyra asked as she got up from the pink sofa and trotted to the pair. Rainbow Dash walked to an empty spot on the hard floor and dumped the bits of paper out.
"I went into Spirit's room and ripped up everything. I was so angry- But then I thought I should read them. So, I thought you guys could help me piece them back together."
"Sure, Rainbow!" Bon Bon said.
"Yeah! Sounds kinda fun!" Lyra added. Together, the trio sorted out the shreds and taped them together.
...
Hours later, most of the papers were whole again; though a few pieces were missing from some of them.
"Well, that took much longer than I thought it would," Lyra said as she magically placed the last bit of tape. Rainbow Dash began sorting through the pile they had made. Most of the papers were just pictures of Big Mac, but Rainbow had remembered a few had words on them.
"Ah ha!" she said as she held up the first she had found. She placed it on the floor in front of her and began reading.
"One- introduce myself to Rainbow Dash's friends and lead them away from her.
Two- ask them if they have any siblings.
Three- with any luck, one of them will have an older brother living in Ponyville.
Four- claim to have found drawings under Rainbow Dash's bed.
Five- remember what they said the pony looked like and draw him to show them."
Rainbow Dash finished reading the paper and looked at her friends.
"She was planning this. This whole thing," Bon Bon said quietly.
"Uh, guys? I found another one..." Lyra said as she levitated a paper in front of her face. She read:
"Log:
Today, I met a pegasus named Thunderlane. He is so handsome; even more than that Big Mac. I talked to him a lot today and tried not to blush."
"The rest is too hard," Lyra said as she showed the other ponies the paper. It was written messily with lots of hearts everywhere. On a better day, Dash would've laughed; but right now was serious.
"Here's one," Bon Bon said and began to read. "Rainbow Dash took Thunderlane. Plan to get rid of him:
One- listen carefully at their first meeting.
Two- find out where next meeting will be held and be there for it.
Three- wait for perfect time and show picture of Big Mac.
Four- comfort Thunderlane."
"I can't believe her!" Rainbow screamed. "Why doesn't she want me to be happy? She takes my friends, then Thunderlane... ugh! She's going to take my whole life!" Dash slammed her hoof down as she finished her sentence, sending a small pile of unclaimed shreds flying. She looked down and saw part of her name on one. It was strangely shaped and all she could make out from it was "Rai," "Dash," and "pa." The paper was covered in golden sparkles as Lyra picked it up and looked at it.
"Rai Dash pa," she read with an extremely confused facial expression. "What does that mean?"
"Revenge." Bon Bon read as she picked up another scrap. Rainbow's eyes brimmed with tears as she whispered two words.
Rainbow Dash lounged on a cloud near Fluttershy's cottage. She had been sitting there all day and had been hoping to catch the yellow pegasus and try to explain. She did see Fluttershy; she was coming home from the market, but when she saw Rainbow Dash she dropped her basket and ran into her house. A little while later, she had sent Angel out to retrieve it, and he had shot Dash a very angry scowl as he disappeared into his house.
Now, Rainbow Dash still moped on the cloud thinking of what her evil twin could possibly have told her friends now.
"Rainbow Dash!" a familiar voice called. Dash looked down and saw a little orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail. She swooped down and landed next to her.
"Hey, Scoots. What's up?" Rainbow said as she and her tiny companion began walking.
"Apple Bloom said that Applejack told her that you-"
"Yeah, I know, and it's not true."
"I know it's not I just wanted to help you."
"Oh really? What do you have in mind?"
"Well, me and the other crusaders could... um... throw an egg at her!" Scootaloo jumped in the air and buzzed her wings as she spoke.
"I don't think that will do much."
"Oh. If it makes you feel any better, Rumble's kinda sad too," the filly said.
"Really? What's wrong with him?"
"Something about his brother. It's not very interesting."
"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash stopped walking and looked at Scootaloo.
"Um, he says his brother is sad, and that makes him sad," she said with a confused look.
"Thunderlane is sad? What's wrong?"
"Uh, I'm not sure... I kind of blanked out," Scootaloo said with an embarrassed laugh as her cheeks turned the same shade as Pinkie's coat.
"Scoots, this is really important. Can you remember anything at all about what Rumble said?"
"Um, he said something about cheating. That's really all I can remember." Rainbow Dash did a flip in the air.
"Woo hoo! Thunder misses me! Yes!"
"Uh, Rainbow Dash? What are you talking about?" Scootaloo said with another confused look.
"Um, nothing. Can I trust you to do me a favor?"
"Uh-huh!" Scoots said excitedly as she jumped into the air again.
"I need you to ask Rumble to tell Thunderlane to meet me by the willow tree in the park tomorrow afternoon. Can you remember all that?" she asked.
"Yes! I got it! Thunderlane, willow tree, park, tomorrow afternoon!" she repeated.
"Good! Now hurry up! It's important!"
"I'm on it!" Scootaloo squeaked as she began to gallop away.
...
Rainbow Dash sat under the willow tree. Her mane was brushed; but other than that, there was nothing special about the way she looked. She nervously scanned the park hoping a certain blue pegasus wasn't there, and sure enough, she wasn't. After a couple minutes, Rainbow Dash saw Thunderlane slowly walking over to her.
"Hey, Thunderlane!" she said with a smile.
"Why did you want me to meet you here?" he asked. Rainbow Dash sighed before she answered.
"Because I wanted to tell you that Spirit Dash was lying. I like Big Macintosh as a friend, but not more than that. And if you don't believe me, I understand. And, if you never want to talk to me again, I understand that too. So before I leave you alone forever, I just wanted to say... I love you." Rainbow turned away after she finished.
"Dash," Thunderlane said as he walked in front of her. "I love you too."
Spirit Dash sat in front of a mirror in the motel bathroom. Her new friends had offered to let her stay at one of their houses, but she had politely declined. She had plans. Plans that they couldn't interfere with.
She peered into the mirror and looked at her mane. That was the first thing to go. She picked up her manebrush in her wing and began to brush the waves away. Once she had finished with that, she lifted her hooves to her head and ruffed it up a bit. It didn't look exactly like her sister's, but it would have to do. Next was her cutie mark.
Spirit Dash carefully took a paintbrush in wing and dipped it in a jar of blue paint that perfectly matched her coat. She spread the paint around on her flank, covering the quill and glasses on both sides. While she was waiting for it to dry, she set aside four more paintbrushes and four more jars of paint. The colors in the jars were white, red, blue yellow. She also got out a piece of paper and began to practice. She painted Rainbow Dash's cutie mark over and over until she got it just right.
She picked up the paintbrush with the white paint on it and carefully drew a cloud onto her flank. Thankfully, the blue paint was dry and didn't smear. She was satisfied with the cloud. Like her mane, it didn't look exactly like Rainbow's, but who would notice? Next, she picked up the blue brush and traced around the cloud and down the side, forming the edge of a lightning bolt. Spirit picked up the yellow and red brushes, and finished the drawing. Spirit Dash now had her sister's cutie mark. She picked up the white brush once again and proceeded to draw the same thing on the other side of her flank. Soon, she would be an exact replica of Rainbow Dash.
...
Spirit Dash opened the door to her room and peered into the outside world. It was morning. The sun had just risen and Spirit was sure that Rainbow wasn't even awake yet. Perfect. She sighed and let her glasses slide off her nose onto a nearby desk and stepped out of the motel room, closing the door behind her.
She couldn't see very well without her glasses, but she had been in Ponyville long enough to know where everything was. She opened her wings and flew through the air in the direction of her destination. The destination where nopony would ever think Rainbow Dash would be... until today. The spa.
Spirit landed on the cobblestone path just in front of the entrance. She glanced around to see if anypony was watching and sure enough, there were a few ponies staring at her with their mouths agape. Spirit swung open the door and proudly stepped inside. She flopped herself down in the waiting room until one of the spa ponies came to assist her.
"Rainbow Dash! It's... well it's been a while, hasn't it? In fact I'm not sure I've ever seen you in here before. At least not for a treatment. Well, that's enough chatter. How can I help you?" Lotus Blossom asked. Spirit Dash had been practicing her sister's voice all morning and was sure she had it down. She chose to say as few words as possible anyway, just in case.
"I would like a hoofacure."
...
The morning had gone perfectly. Everything had gone exactly as Spirit had planned. Some of the townsponies had seen who they thought to be Rainbow Dash enter the spa. Lotus Blossom had witnessed who she thought was Rainbow Dash ask for a hoofacure, and by the time she left, the entire spa was abuzz. And the best part, Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, or any of Spirit's new friends had been there. Yet.
Spirit Dash knew that every other morning, Rarity would go to the spa and get the latest gossip along with her treatment, and today just so happened to be the other day. Soon, Rarity would think that Rainbow Dash got up early for a hoofacure, hoping nopony found out. Rarity, naturally, would spread the gossip and everyone would be talking about it.
Spirit went back to the motel bathroom and stepped into the shower. Slowly, all the paint was washed away from her flank and her cutie mark remained. She took this time to think about the lies she had told her friends. She was kidnapped, that part was true. But eventually, the kidnapper went to jail for shoplifting, giving Spirit the perfect time to escape. She was happy to get away from all the beatings that awful pony gave her. Sadly, however, she had thought that pony was her father.
She didn't get her cutie mark from writing sos letters. Not even close. After Spirit escaped and began easing back into the natural world, she found out that somepony had been making rumors about her, and because of these rumors she didn't have any friends. Eventually, she made up her own rumors about that pony. That day, she had hurt someone with stories. And she had gained friends by doing so. Spirit Dash loved how that power felt, and she got her cutie mark. Not for letters, no. For rumors.
Spirit Dash stepped out of the shower, brushed her mane and put on her glasses. It was time to go out into town and see what torment had befallen her sister that morning.
