It all began as normal, but Rainbow Dash was disturbed by a detail during dinner at the Fluttershy parents' home. Maybe it's time to dig into the past and discover what could be a buried family secret.
This story was based on a theory, if this story look like or a close to another one, I'm sorry it's not on purpose.
English is not my mothertongue so I take any advices you can give me thank you.
It was a beautiful peaceful day in Cloudsdale, Fluttershy was visiting her parents with Rainbow Dash following the events with Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy's brother.
Fluttershy's parents had always tended to be too gentle, which had led Zephyr Breeze to behave badly - it took the help of his big sister and Rainbow to encourage him in the right direction.
Ponies who knew the Shy family well always tended to say that the only pony with authority in the family was Fluttershy, which is rather strange when you know Flutthershy in daily life.
"And how has Zephyr been since then?" asked Fluttershy.
"He's doing well, he's in training to run his own establishment, he's changed a lot since he was more confident" replied Mr. Shy.
"I hope he pulls through, because failure is hard to deal with" said Rainbow Dash, who was speaking from experience due to his disastrous start with the Wonderbolts with others called her "Rainbow Crash" a nickname that remind her a lot of unwanted memories.
"Zephyr has more resources than he thinks, and you'll be there if he need" replied Mrs. Shy.
"Indeed, yes" said Rainbow Dash with a slight embarrassed smile. "In any case, Zephyr has always be the most extravagant of your family".
"Sometimes genetics can be strange," Mr. Shy replied with a laugh. "Zephyr isn't too obvious, but Rainbow's is a lot more obvious.
"What do you mean?" said Rainbow Dash with a puzzled look.
"Today you're a flying expert and a Wonderbolt, which isn't surprising when we know who are your parents" replied Mr Shy "I still remember flying school, me and Mrs Shy had already been at school for a year before your parents arrived, They were the new kids on the block, but despite the fact that your father was one of the youngest, he was already much more gifted than the average. As for your mother, although she had a good level at the start, it was complicated for her and it was your father who supported her during school, I think that's where they fell in love".
Rainbow Dash listened fascinated by Mr Shy's tale, she'd never heard this story from her parents, in fact she'd never asked them how they'd met.
"Were you friends even then?" asked Fluttershy.
"No" replied Mr. Shy "Let's just say Bow was quite extravagant and so he very quickly attracted attention and Windy being with him, you could say he put her in the spotlight. Me and your mother were friends at the time, and we actually watched them from afar as curious spectators. But it's true that in retrospect those four ponies were really special."
"Four ponies?" asks Fluttershy, intrigued by the number of ponies quoted by her father.
"Hush, darling," murmured Mrs Shy, giving her husband a swift kick with her hoof.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in amazement at Mrs Shy's reaction. It was clear that Mr Shy had just said something he shouldn't have.
The meal drew to a close in a bizarre and somewhat heavy atmosphere, followed by a final exchange of courtesies before Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off for Ponyville.
On the way home, Rainbow Dash thought hard about what had happened.
"Four ponies? but Mr. Shy didn't seem to include himself and Mrs. Shy in the group and he'd said it himself they weren't friends at school at the time" Rainbow was lost in thought.
"Are you all right?" asked Fluttershy, who was accompanying him to Ponyville.
"I'm not saying your parents are strange, but I've never seen them like this before" replied Rainbow with a questioning look.
"Sure, even I could tell something was wrong, they're hiding something, it's the same feeling with Angel when he tries to hide things from me" said Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy waits, can we stop for a moment?" said Rainbow Dash, landing on a nearby cloud.
"Of course" replied Fluttershy.
"To recap," said Rainbow Dash in a more serious tone than usual, "your father told us about his time at the flying school where my parents were, but he mentioned four ponies and not two, so I'd be willing to bet that this famous group of friends to which my parents belonged was made up of two other ponies, but who ?"
All the questions in Rainbow Dash's mind raced through her head. She caught her head between her hooves and tried to concentrate on her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy watched Rainbow, who seemed to be having trouble thinking. She began to think too.
"Four ponies, Rainbow's parents, two ponies, so two missing ponies, a group that was extravagant, hm" Fluttershy was as lost in thought as Rainbow Dash "wait an extravagant pony I know one, Pinkie Pie and everyone in Ponyville knows who it is...." Fluttershy's eyes were wide, her mouth was open and she didn't move as if she'd just understood the meaning of life.
After 42 seconds of intense reflection, Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "I don't understand, it's getting on my nerves, I'm stopping here".
Fluttershy put a hoof on her back to stop her leaving, "I think I know what to do".
Rainbow Dash was surprised, a little vexed at not having found something, but still admiring Fluttershy who had apparently solved the riddle.
"In a school when you're popular everyone knows you so we have to find someone who also went to school with our parents". Fluttershy said.
Rainbow Dash was surprised, it seemed so .... Obvious and simple too.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took a moment to reflect. They were the only Pegasus in their group of friends (alicorns don't count). Rainbow had thought of some of the school's former pupils when she was there, but had their parents been to the flying school? Not sure, and then she stared at Fluttershy. She knew that her friend had learned to be more assertive, but confronting her with her former bullies was not a good idea.
Suddenly she had a revelation: her mind was made up, she knew who to turn to.
Many pegasus had attended flight school with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but remembering their names was much more complicated. However, Rainbow remembered that someone she knew had attended flight school with her, and that her family was originally from Cloudsdale, so her parents must have attended flight school. She now knew who to talk to, or at least who to go to, to meet the pony who could give her some answers.
The next day, Rainbow went to Wonderbolts HQ, a place high up in the clouds that served as the air unit's base, where the Wonderbolts academy was located as well as the unit's living quarters. Now that she was a Wonderbolt herself, Rainbow could speak to many of them, many of them Cloudsdale natives, and she knew the Wonderbolt whose parent was a Cloudsdale Pegasus who had surely attended the flight school.
Spitfire was none other than the captain of the Wonderbolts. Rainbow had come across her mother in rather disastrous circumstances during the Spitfire disappearance affair, which had involved Rarity's help as well as a rather famous Wonderbolt, Wind Rider. Rainbow Dash was determined to get to the bottom of it, and set about finding out the truth.
After being in Ponyville, Rainbow was racking his brains trying to make sense of the situation. Why all the secrecy? Something wasn't right. Rainbow was known to have a rather direct temperament and she naively thought she'd ask her parents directly, so she flew to Cloudsdale again.
"Another day my champion, we're busy with your father" replied Windy. Bow nodded silently in agreement.
Rainbow Dash was shocked; it was the first time her parents had spoken to her like that, but more importantly, had turned their backs on her. From an early age, Rainbow Dash had always been supported by her parents, sometimes to the extreme. So much so that as she grew older, she found it more and more embarrassing. Until one day, it became a subject of violent dispute between her and her parents. After several explanations, it was resolved, and even then her parents weren't angry with her.
So why? This indifference and coldness wasn't normal, and Rainbow had an unpleasant feeling. She preferred to leave, seeing that it would lead nowhere.
Fluttershy knew Rainbow Dash's parents well, and she herself was shocked by Dash's account of the events. The two Pegasus' suspicions were confirmed, and for the first time Fluttershy noticed that Rainbow Dash was staring into the void, with a feeling that was unusual for her: incomprehension but also fear, fear of the unknown.
A Wonderbolt show was due to take place soon, and of course the Wonderbolts' friends and family were going to attend.
The crowd gathered in the bleachers on the edge of the cliff, while in the sky the Wonderbolts performed a series of aerial tricks. A huge, well-orchestrated choreography rehearsed over several days by the Wonderbolts, with sound and light effects, because the fireworks incident last time had given the Wonderbolts ideas for evolving their show.
Rainbow Dash took advantage of the quiet moments in the choreography to scan the stands, quickly spotting Stormy Flair, Spitfire's mother. However, something disturbed her: her own parents weren't there, as they usually came to see all the Wonderbolts shows and sometimes came to the training sessions (discreetly most of the time). Rainbow Dash was finally relieved not to see them, because with them around, questioning Stormy Flair would have been tense. The show ended with a final figure followed by fireworks in the background.
Rainbow Dash spotted Stormy Flair waiting outside the Wonderbolts dressing room, and took the opportunity not to go into the dressing room like all her colleagues, preferring instead to go straight to Stormy Flair.
"Hello, have you come to see Spitfire?" said Rainbow Dash as she landed next to Stormy Flair.
"Indeed, she had told me about a new show with fireworks so I came to see" replied Stormy Flair.
"Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself I'm Rainbow Dash" said Rainbow Dash.
"Yes, I remember you, how could I forget you after that affair isn't it" replied Stormy Flair with a slight laugh.
"Yes, indeed" replied Rainbow Dash embarrassed.
Rainbow Dahs knew it was time to attack, but not in a direct way, trying to bring up the subject delicately.
"Spitfire's good, though, running the Wonderbolts and organizing the shows, all the while flying perfectly," Rainbow Dash resumed.
"Yes, she's always been good at flying as a gift" replied Stormy Flair.
"And were you good at flying?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Me? Not as good as my daughter, no. I've mastered the basics like any Pegasus, but not enough to join the Wonderbolts" replied Stormy Flair, laughing.
"I always knew that one day I'd join the Wonderbolts, but did you know what you wanted to do?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Let's just say I didn't really know, in fact it came rather late and as in flight school I wasn't as gifted as others it took me a while" replied Stormy Flair.
"Gifted as others? What others?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"How every year some pegasus at school stood out more than others, when I was there I remember one very gifted pegasus for his age he was younger than me" replied Stormy Flair.
"Like Bow Hothoof?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yes" exclaimed Stormy Flair with shining eyes "it's coming back to me he was called that, you could say he was very gifted a real outstanding pilot for his age".
Rainbow Dash wanted information, but in order not to arouse suspicion, preferred not to mention that Bow was her father. She'd succeeded in getting the discussion where she wanted it, the aim now was to get information.
"And there were others?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Now that you mention it, it suddenly comes back to me, that year, the four prodigies as they were called." replied Stormy Flair.
"Four prodigies?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yes, the four best Pegasus in the school - quite a team, plus they were friends and the same age. We old-timers were rather offended to see youngsters strutting their stuff like that, but we have to be honest, they were very talented." replied Stormy Flair.
"Who were the other three?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I don't remember the names at all but I think there was Bow Hothoof's marefriend, I think they even got married when they became adults, I think it was fate that brought them together. I remember two other pegasus, a boy and a girl, I think they were also in love, but I don't remember their names".
"What was Bow's marefriend like?" asked Rainbow Dash, afraid to hear the physical description of any pony other than his mother.
"She had a red mane I think and vermillion red eyes that I'm pretty sure of because we'd flown together during some classes and it made an impression on me at the time" replied Stormy Flair.
"And the other two?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Honestly, my memories are hazy but I do remember one thing, because already talking about it has brought back memories, but I clearly remember one day in particular when there had been some kind of argument between the two stallions on Team, Bow and the other pony. What they was arguing about I can't remember" said Stormy Flair.
"What happened?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash was concentrating on Stormy Flair's story, looking for the slightest clue to identify these two mystery ponies, she was burning with the desire to whisper the name of her mother Windy to Stormy Flair but avoided doing so in order not to arouse too much suspicion.
"Like I said, I don't remember, I couldn't hear what was being said, but the two sounded like they were talking about Bow's marefriend" said Stormy Flair.
"Maybe it was a lover's quarrel?" replied Rainbow Dash, a little annoyed that a pony would come between his mother and father, but if that was a long time ago.
"Ah no that's not possible" said Stormy Flair in a very confident tone.
"Why's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Because the pony who got between Bow and his marefriend was the marefriend's brother, so in my opinion, he didn't like seeing his sister with Bow" replied Stormy Flair.
Rainbow Dash wasn't saying anything, she was in shock, lost, and looking at Stormy Flair in a daze with big round eyes. She began to open her mouth, but just then another voice was heard.
"Mum thanks for coming, hi Crash" said Spitfire coming out of the changing room.
"Spitfire you're here, excuse us Rainbow Dash but we've got to go, thanks for talking with me it was nice" Spitfire and Stormy Flair took off.
Rainbow Dash was stunned, if she had understood everything correctly, her father's girlfriend, who was Windy as Fluttershy's parents had told her, had a brother. Rainbow Dash had just realized that she had an uncle, but how could this be? Above all, she knew nothing about him or who he was. In fact, her parents had never told her about him. Neither her father nor her mother.
Rainbow Dash was questioning her life, especially her childhood and, above all, her parents: how could they have hidden such an important detail from her? She was asking herself thousands of questions on the way home. She didn't bother to eat and preferred to go to bed, not knowing what to think of all this, preferring to calm down and clear her mind before plunging into the dreams of sleep.
Still perturbed by the day before, Rainbow Dash remained immersed in her thoughts.
"Everything all right, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash was suddenly back in the present tense, having come to visit Applejack at the farm. Applejack had invited her because a new cider production had begun, and knowing that Rainbow Dash loved cider, she had decided to grant her a small favor by allowing her to come and drink some before the annual sale in Ponyville. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had always been rivals ever since they met, friendly rivals in the sense of sporting rivals, in fact, Rainbow Dash was very athletic due to her flying skills and Applejack due to the fact that she was a farmer but also a land pony known to be strong-natured ponies.
"The cider must not be as good as last year", Applejack said aloud to herself when she saw Rainbow Dash's face.
Rainbow Dash hastened to reply, "No AJ, the cider's very good, my mind's elsewhere because of other things."
" What's that I can help you with?" asked Applejack.
"It's complicated to explain, but it's about my family" replied Rainbow Dash.
Applejack knew all too well about family matters, the Apple family history was almost like a historical fresco with all the events the family had experienced. from the family's settlement on the farm and the founding of Ponyville to the discovery of Applejack, Applebloom and Bigmac's affiliation to the Pear family through their mother, a Pear family that was a great rival to the Apple family.
"I know a lot about family history, I could help you sugarcube" said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash knew not only Applejack's honesty, but also his story. Above all, Applejack had told him about the discovery the three Apple children had made about their mother and the Pear family, which reinforced Rainbow Dash's decision to talk to Applejack, who was in the best position of all his friends to help him.
"Tell me AJ, what would you do if you found out your parents had lied to you about having an uncle and you found out by chance and your parents had always deliberately kept the truth from you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack didn't answer right away, but was overcome by a sort of sadness at seeing her friend lost, and went over to her to give her a hug, which surprised Rainbow Dash greatly.
"What's that.... " exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
Applejack didn't let her finish her sentence, she squeezed her friend tighter, Rainbow Dash began to tremble slightly and laid her head on Applejack's shoulder, moaning as if she were crying. In fact, Appplejack had sensed that Rainbow Dash was crying. Applejack stroked her head and whispered "it's okay, I'm here". Deprived of parents, Applejack had always been a surrogate mother to Applebloom, so she was used to Applebloom's fits of sadness when she missed her parents too much.
Applejack placed a kiss on Rainbow Dash's forehead, Rainbow saying in a weak voice, "Not in public". Rainbow Dash had pride and ego, but at that moment she just didn't have the strength to stand up to Applejack. Applejack said "Dashie, sugarcube, let me help you". Rainbow Dash told the story while Applejack wiped away Rainbow's tears with a handkerchief.
Applejack was thinking about how to help Rainbow Dash, after all, although the two ponies never let on, they were both in love. And what was hurting Rainbow Dash was upsetting her too; she wouldn't let a friend down, let alone her marefriend.
"You know, Dashi, when me, Applebloom and Bigmac were investigating our mother, we went to see the mayor, who showed us our parents' marriage certificate. Maybe you could find your parents' birth certificate in the Cloudsdale archives and get the information you're looking for," said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash blew his nose and said more decisively, "You're right, I'll go and find out".
Rainbow Dash and Applejack took off in a hot-air balloon for Cloudsdale, Applejack having been keen to accompany Rainbow Dash on this ordeal, after all, Applejack hadn't been alone with her mother's story, she'd been accompanied by her sister and brother, but Rainbow was all alone in this case and Applejack refused to let her go alone without support.
Earlier in the day, Applejack had gone to see Twilight so that she could cast the spell enabling ponies other than pegasus to walk on clouds. Twilight, curious by nature, had asked Applejack why she wanted to go to Cloudsdale, Applejack preferred to avoid talking about the real subject, but as she was incapable of lying she said she wanted to accompany Rainbow Dash to Cloudsdale and that it was important, a roundabout way of explaining the situation without giving too much away. Twilight saw Applejack's dark face as she removed her hat, a rare occurrence and usually a sign that Applejack was serious about her actions.
After a short hour's flight, the two ponies arrived in Cloudsdale. Applejack had already been there once to accompany Rainbow Dash on a race, so she didn't know Cloudsdale at all, but let Rainbow Dash guide her. The two ponies made their way to Cloudsdale Town Hall and entered the large, cloud-covered building. In front of them was a long counter with several pegasi to welcome visitors. Rainbow Dash and Applejack approached the counter to greet a pegasus.
"Hello, how can I help you?" said the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash tried to find the words, yet something as trivial as a request at a reception desk wasn't hard, but this time she was as if slightly paralyzed by fear.
"Is it possible to consult Cloudsdale's birth certificate archives?" asked Applejack, placing a hoof on Rainbow Dash's back to calm her down.
"Excuse me, ladies, but the archives are not open to the public, only registrars can consult them" replied the pegasus.
"Even if it's for your own family?" asked Applejack.
"If it only concerns your family, it should be possible, but let me refer to my hierarchy first, please be patient" replied the pegasus.
The Pegasus took off and headed for the upper floors of the town hall. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh.
"Thanks Aj, I don't know what I had, a blockage" said Rainbow Dash.
"It's all right, sugarcube" replied Applejack, comforting her friend.
Few long minutes later Applejack and Rainbow Dash saw the pegasus return with a piece of paper under its wing.
"Well ladies, the consultation is possible in the case that it is about your family, thank you to fill the form CERFA number 13460-05 concerning as the name of the form indicates it the 'Request for consultation of an annex of a civil status document in accordance with article 8 paragraph 1 of the decree of civil status of Equestria' " says the pegasus.
All this information turned Rainbow Dash's head, slightly annoyed that it was so complicated. Applejack kept her cool even though she was no better at this than Rainbow Dash - Twilight would have been in her element. Applejack took the paper and walked away with Rainbow Dash.
"Well, let's fill out the paper and then we're good to go, everything's going to be fine and I'll be right by your side Dashie" said Applejack.
"Thanks Aj" replied Rainbow Dash, giving Applejack a quick peck on the cheek.
Applejack was surprised it was the first time Rainbow Dash had taken the initiative in their relationship and as she turned to Rainbow Dash she saw her blush and look away. Applejack knew that Rainbow Dash was counting on her and she was determined to go all the way for her friend, her marefriend.
The Pegasus accompanied Rainbow Dash and Applejack to a room on the upper floor of the town hall, then down a corridor. The Pegasus stopped in front of one of them and opened the door with a key she'd previously retrieved from a safe.
"This is the archive room, but you're not allowed in, so please tell me the names of the ponies concerned and your relationship to them".
"Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistle, they're my parents" replied Rainbow Dash.
"Very well, wait here" said the pegasus.
She opened the door, the room was filled with shelves containing thousands of boxes probably containing Cloudsdale's archival documents. A place Twilight would have been delighted to discover, not least for the history of the town and its laws.
The pegasus flew to the top shelves and began rummaging through various boxes. It took quite a while until she picked up two sheets under her wing, then went downstairs to look for another box, then took out a third sheet.
"Well, Miss Dash, I have your birth certificate here and I've been able to verify what you've said, so here are your parents' birth certificates. Of course, these certificates are individual and are not intended to be copied or borrowed, so you'll have to consult them in front of me" said the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash first took the sheet of Bow Hothoof, her father, at first sight nothing unusual, then she could see the names of her paternal grandparents and then nothing else, no other apparent filiation, then she took the sheet of her mother Windy Whistle with a trembling hoof and began to read the sheet.
She also saw her grandparents on her mother's side this time, nothing unusual until then. Then in the filiation she saw an additional entry something that didn't appear on her father's side. Windy Whistle she saw another pony appear and read his name, at which point Rainbow Dash turned pale, very pale. Her eyes fixed on the sheet, she was speechless, unable to tear her attention away from what she was reading. Applejack tried to reason with her by waving the hoof in front of her eyes, but nothing happened, so she decided to take the paper from her in one go to make her react and... Rainbow Dash offered no resistance as if she were frozen in place, unable to move like a statue.
Applejack began to wonder what information the paper could contain to make Rainbow Dash so impassive. Applejack rubbed her eyes several times to make sure she'd read it correctly, but the text didn't change. She'd read it correctly and began to understand why Rainbow Dash was paralyzed like this.
Applejack handed the two papers back to the Pegasus, who quickly stowed them in the archive before closing the door. Rainbow Dash, still in a state of shock, didn't react to anything that was happening around her. Applejack had to drag her to the Town Hall reception desk before thanking the Pegasus for her help and leaving, pushing Rainbow Dash towards the exit.
Once outside, Applejack yelled at Rainbow Dash to wake her up.
"RAINBOW DASH!!!" shouted Applejack.
"huh what?" gasped Rainbow Dash.
"I saw what it said, is it so shocking to you that you can't react?" Applejack.
"You know very well why it's shocking" replied Rainbow Dash.
"To reassure you, I don't think he knew who you were when the affair took place" said Applejack.
"Yes, but still" replied Rainbow Dash.
"But now you're going to have to go and talk to him, and above all to your parents, because now they can't keep the truth from you" said Applejack.
"Aj, could you come with me?" replied Rainbow Dash in a weak monotone.
"Sure," replied Applejack.
the two ponies found themselves in front of a house in Cloudsdale, a pretty average house but decorated in an atypical way. Pegasus had always had a particular taste in architecture, which explains why your house is partly made of clouds, but here more than any other in the vicinity. Rainbow decorations adorned the walls of the house. Applejack didn't need to ask anything, she knew where she was.
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath like I'd seen her take, then huffed and puffed for a long moment before heading for the door, Applejack following behind without saying a word as she moved slightly behind Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash kicked the door twice with her hoof before stepping aside, and then the door opened: a large Pegasus stallion with a short mane of rainbow oculur had just opened the door. Applejack knew very well who it was - there's no mistaking the details.
the pegasus said in a cheerful voice: "My champion, you've come to see us," he said, giving her a hug.
"Hi Dad," said Rainbow Dash in a voice that was still monotone.
"And say Dashi, who's that mare?" said Bow.
"Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself, my name is Applejack and I'm from Ponyville" replied Applejack.
"Ah yes, I should have noticed the cutie mark, it was obvious Dashie told us a lot about you, you're one of her friends from Ponyville" said Bow, still in a cheerful tone "Come in, come in, won't you have something to eat?
Applejack and Rainbow Dash entered the house. It was the first time Applejack had been to Rainbow Dash's childhood home, visiting a little and being guided by Bow, who adored his daughter more than anything else, he made the perfect guide.
Applejack joined Rainbow seated at the kitchen table, she introduced herself to Rainbow Dash's mother Windy and Applejack was very surprised, she thought she saw Rainbow but older, the resemblance was really crazy which left Applejack speechless for a little while.
"So tell me, what brings you here today?" said Bow.
"I KNOW!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
Bow and Windy were taken aback.
"Uh, what's that, dear?" replied Windy.
"I know what you tried to hide from me the other day and never told me" said Rainbow Dash.
Bow's and Windy's faces tightened, they remembered exactly what happened last time and now they were stuck, unable to find an excuse or dodge the subject. Windy sighed heavily, then spoke up.
"Listen, darling, circumstances dictated that we didn't tell you about it, to protect you from all that," said Windy.
"We were afraid for your future, especially with the Wonderbolts" said Bow.
"I know why you were so reluctant to come and see the Wonderbolts now, why it was Dad who took me and never you, Mom" replied Rainbow Dash.
Applejack watched the scene unable to speak and it wasn't her place to do so, she could only silently support Rainbow through this ordeal.
"You know, I've met him before," said Rainbow Dash in a calmer voice.
"We suspected it, darling, but you don't know what happened back then" replied Windy.
"Maybe, but I'm old enough to understand, especially as I feel I don't know you anymore and what other things have you kept from me?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Nothing darling, apart from that nothing at all" replied Bow holding his wife's hoof.
"I don't think he wants to see me after the affair between us, but I want to confront him anyway" said Rainbow Dash.
Windy raised her hoof as if to tap the table and opened her mouth, but at the last moment stopped with her hoof in the air and a dazed look on her face - she simply couldn't stop Rainbow Dash from talking to him. Resting her hoof calmly, she said in a quiet voice
"You know my brother, your uncle, and I haven't seen each other since, not even once, he left Cloudsdale out of the blue, but years later I somehow saw him again when I saw him in Wonderbolts in a Cloudsdale newspaper, it was a shock" said Windy.
"At that time you were still very young Dashie, we had made our decision in order to protect you in a certain sense" says Bow.
"Maybe, but he came after me anyway, but I don't think he knew who I was" replied Rainbow Dash.
Bow and Windy were stunned they knew Rainbow Dash had already met his uncle but didn't know the conditions of their meeting, Rainbow Dash's words made them go into mini cardiac arrest.
"What do you mean?" asked Windy in a trembling voice.
"You know very well, when Scootaloo told you about me in her book, she told you the story of this Wonderbolts who had tricked me, but she never told you his name" replied Rainbow Dash.
Bow and Windy were shocked, their eyes wide open as if they'd just seen a ghost.
The tension in the room was palpable, with Applejack silently supporting Rainbow Dash as best she could.
"Why?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"It was a long time ago after flying school," Windy recounted, "Wind Bow and I were all three of the best in the school at the end of our schooling, there was also another pegasus called Light Darkcloud with her we formed a very good quartet but where me and Light got on well there was friction between Bow and Wind over who was the best, At the time, your father was much stronger than Wind, and during our last race, which closed our flight tests for the diploma, Wind and Bow fought fiercely for first place, and Wind made a rather dangerous manoeuvre by going off-course through storm clouds. I was as scared as Light when we took off into the clouds. After a moment we saw him emerge from the clouds and in the end he came second behind your father who was first, I came third and Light fourth," said Windy.
"In truth, we were very good and our flying diploma was assured, but let's just say that Wind took it very hard. He accused Bow of having put him off the track in the clouds, and Light and I stepped in to stop them at that point, I couldn't bring myself to choose one of them, and I resented him for accusing your father, so I pushed him away. I don't need to explain how he reacted. "Windy recounted
Applejack and Rainbow Dash listened attentively to the story; they had their own opinions on the situation at the time, but with hindsight it's easy to judge, in the moment much less so.
"Two years later I tried to renew the dialogue and went to his house and found it empty, that's how I found out he'd left Cloudsdale, he hadn't told anyone so I never knew where he'd gone. I also went to see Light, but she'd left too. What I didn't tell you is that Wind and Light were together at the time and I think she followed him. Me and Bow always got on with Light, but she supported Wind, so it doesn't surprise me that she followed him without telling us, to respect Wind's wishes I suppose," recounted Windy.
Rainbow Dash decided to get up and leave the house, followed by Applejack, who confounded himself with customary politeness before catching up with Rainbow Dash. Applejack managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash, who had already flown away from the house. After a few minutes' flight, Rainbow Dash landed near the edge of a cloud and sat down.
"If you need to talk I'm here," said Applejack, who came trotting up.
"All lies, how do you expect me to trust them after this, no excuse or justification can excuse them." replied Rainbow Dash.
"Indeed" said Applejack frankly.
Rainbow Dash turned on her heel as if in a rage and began to raise her wing in order to strike Applejack, except that she had seen the blow coming, Applejack bent down and tackled Rainbow Dash to the ground.
"You're angry ok, now it's your turn to act and move on, are you going to let your anger get the better of you and destroy the love of your parents and friends?" shouted Applejack.
At her words, Rainbow Dash froze, Applejack staring straight into her eyes, tears beginning to fall to such an extent that she could no longer see anything fogged up by the tears. Applejack took her in his arms, she had to get rid of all this anger and emotion before considering what to do next, a difficult and painful but necessary step. It was something Applejack had experienced with her own parents.
An hour later, Rainbow Dash had finished crying but remained silent while sniffling, Applejack telling her that no matter how long it took, she'd be by her side. Rainbow gradually came to her senses.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Applejack.
"Right now, I'd rather avoid my parents and figure it out for myself, I don't think Wind Rider would be willing to talk to me, so I think we need to find the fourth pegasus Light Darkcloud" replied Rainbow Dash.
"Okay partner, I'm with you" said Applejack, helping Rainbow Dash to her feet.
It had been a trying day, but Rainbow Dash was more determined than ever to shed light on this forgotten past.
The next day, Rainbow Dash and Applejack met at Twilight's castle, and asked Twilight for help in tracing Light Darkcloud, a pegasus from Cloudsdale. As Princess, Twilight had certain advantages: she had managed to retrieve most of Cloudsdale's administrative documents so she could carry out the necessary research.
After several hours of searching, Twilight took advantage of Applejack's absence, who had gone to get a drink, to have a chat with Rainbow Dash.
"What are you going to do next?" said Twilight.
"I'm not sure, at the moment I'm not ready to forgive, I just want to find out the truth" replied Rainbow Dash.
"Even if it means getting away from your family?" said Twilight.
"What do you mean?" replied Rainbow Dash.
"Because you're not ready to forgive your parents, which I can understand, but if they've never told you about your uncle and Light Darkcloud, maybe it's because they don't want to know. Are you prepared to be rejected by those you seek?" replied Twilight in a serious tone.
"We'll see, Twilight" replied Rainbow Dash.
"You're already forgiving your parents, aren't you?" said Twilight.
"Huh, not at all" replied Rainbow Dash annoyed.
"You've discovered that they lied to you for the first time, you've lost the trust you had in them and if today you're looking for answers it's to excuse them, unconsciously you're looking for arguments to excuse them" says Twilight.
"I..." Rainbow Dash said nothing more, just turned her head and resumed her search.
"Your friends are here too, don't forget that" Twilight mumbled, turning back to a pile of documents.
A heavy atmosphere settled in for a while before a noise broke the silence: Applejack had just returned with several tankards and a barrel of cider. She soon noticed that the mood was not quite right. True to form, Applejack took matters into her own hands.
"Let's take a break, there's no point putting pressure on ourselves" said Applejack.
After a moment's pause when Rainbow Dash looked as if she'd come down from the barrel alone, Twilight and Applejack had just taken a mug and knew that Rainbow Dash loved cider, so had left her the rest of the barrel as an involuntary sign of compassion towards her.
After a short while of searching, where Rainbow Dash seemed to have made little headway, she leafed through the documents with a blank stare, doing so more out of boredom than real conviction. Applejack was doing her best to search, but then, all those administrative documents were more Twilight's passion than hers and she was quickly lost, but she was doing her best to find out, she couldn't give up now. Twilight's research was in another world for all practical purposes.
Suddenly, a booming voice broke the melody of rustling sheets of paper.
"I've got it!" shouted Twilight, proud of herself.
