> A Trail of Rainbows
>  by The Night Aegis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1:  To lose a rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or any characters belonging to Hasbro or any other company whose characters may be mentioned herein. Some original characters mentioned here are my own creations. Others are the creations of friends and family used with their permission. I do this solely for entertainment purposes and in no way make any profit from it. 



A Trail of Rainbows
Arc 1: Something Lost, Is Something Found
Chapter 1: To Lose A Rainbow





Stratus Prism a light cerulean frost colored pegasus stallion with a prismatic mane and tall, lay starring up at the white puffy ceiling of his apartment. Tears marred the fur around his eyes and down his cheeks, leaving dark stain streaks through his coat. With a shuddering sob chocked sigh he finally sat up tossing his cloud blankets to the side as he got to his hooves. 'Why? Why did this happen?' he thought as he slowly got out of bed and began to trot towards the master bathroom. 

Inside he gentle nudges the small sink cloud which began to fill its bowl with clean cool water. Dipping a small cloud wash cloth into it, he quickly whipped it over his face and muzzle; gently brushing away the fresh tears that had begun to flow. His distraught mind continued to cling to the memories of only a few hours ago. As he pulled the cloud cloth away his face, now coming to gaze at his reflection in the bathroom mirror over the sink. His tired light golden eyes streaked red with his latest hour of crying looked back at him. 

Slowly his face starts to fall as he once more recalls the most devastating thing he had ever experienced in his life.

'My son...is dead.' he thought and once more the events hours before played again for his tortured mind and tears once more spilled forth.



December 7th 1845 Age of Dawn, 11:39PM Cloudsdale General Hospital seven hours ago...



Stratus Prism stood by as his wife whaled and cried out in pain again as the nurses and doctor tended to her as she went further into labor. He could now understand what his father had meant when they had last spoken after he had given his family and relatives the news he was going to become a father. "Son, take it from me nothing can prepare you for that moment when new lives come to be right in front of you." His father had told him and he could now see he was right. 

Honey Dawn screamed once more and then heaved a heavy sigh as a small squealing cry began to ring out through the room. "Congratulations its a little filly." The doctor declared triumphantly as he cradled a tiny, bloody form in his fore hooves before quickly handing it over to the nurses. A tiny body was quickly wrapped in a warm cloud blanket and was swiftly being cleaned up; all the while the little foals cries ringing out. 

"Okay one down, one to go." The doctor said and soon Prism had his awe struck eyes taken from his daughter as his wife began to pant then cry out as she pushed to deliver their second foal.

'I hope it's a colt.' Prism thought nervously. 

Dawn panted and screamed again as she pushed as the doctor and nurses coached her once more. She just wanted it to be done with, so she could see what she and Prism had made. She knew she had gotten her wish for a filly, now she was curious if Prism would have the little colt he had dreamed of teaching and raising. A smile wormed its way across her muzzle before she let out a pained scream and pushed hard as she felt the sensation of the little form leaving her. 

The doctor smiled behind his mask as the little form slipped out and landed neatly in his hooves. "There we go, well done Mrs.Dawn." He said before he looked down and took a quick glance at the new foal in his hooves. "Mr. Prism, it's a colt." He said chuckling softly as the new father nearby shoot into a energetic hover, circling in place with excitement. Suddenly the doctor blinked and looked down to the colt in his hooves as his ears now picked up on a noticeable problem; the little foal was not making a single sound. 

Quickly he handed the colt to a nurse who also noticed this. "Nurse Tender Hoof please begin the emergency massage, Nurse Brightwing please go grab the cleaning fluid and syringes!" the doctor barked out and quickly one of the nurses zoomed out of the room while Tender Hoof and the doctor quickly began to stroke, and massage the still foal who they now noticed was quiet because he wasn't breathing. 

"W-what's wrong?" Dawn asked, the question and the doctor's stern orders bringing Prism out of his joyful personal celebration. "Doctor?" Prism asked looking as the two ponies near a table were looking quite frantic and almost panicked in their actions. 

"Nurse New Mane please keep them calm. Where are those syringes!?," the doctor asked a sense of fear working its way into his words near the end. Bursting through the doors Nurse Brightwing flew over to Tender Hoof and the doctor. "Here they are Doctor Nimbus." The mare nurse said as she handed over several large plastic syringes, some bottles filled with some kind of clear fluid, and several plastic tubes. 

"Please what's wrong?" Dawn asked, a nurse at her side patter her hoof reassuringly. "Please keep calm Mrs.Dawn, I'm sure everything will be okay." The nurse said while Prism started to get a knot in his stomach, he was starting to think things were not going to be okay. 

"Anything!?" Doctor Nimbus asked the nurse next to him shook her head before they turned their attention back to their work. "Come on little guy, breath!" he said. 

Prism now knew what was going on, his eyes started to go wide as the true scope of what was happening struck him. 'My son, isn't breathing...please Celestia no, please no!,' He thought as he started to pace back and forth nervously, his eyes never leaving where the medical ponies worked on his newborn son.

It felt like hours passed, but in truth it had been only ten minutes, and during that time the medical ponies and Doctor Nimbus did everything in their power to help the little pony. Slowly they stopped their frantic efforts and stood their solemnly as the doctor pony finally heaved a heavy sigh and looked to the clock in the room. "Twelve midnight..." he said softly before he turned to the now frantic looking mother and equally fearful looking father. 

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say before he moved over and gently took the still softly crying baby filly and brought her to Dawn. As he handed her the filly he could not help the tears the escaped the corners of his eyes. "I'm so sorry." was all he could say as Dawn finally digested what he meant. "N-no....no...." her ability to speak drowned in the wailing sob that was wretched from her chest as she cradled the crying filly in her hooves. 

Prism looked on in stun disbelief, only until Nurse Tender Hoof brought over a small bundle in a cloud blanket. "I'm sorry Mr.Prism, we did all that we could." She said as he slowly took the bundle and pulled the cloud back, revealing for the first time his son. "Oh Celestia why!?" He cried out as he looked upon the still form, he could not stop himself as he collapsed back onto his haunches, cradling the little body and blanket as if they were the most fragile of glass sculptures. He buried his muzzle and face into the still cooling form, crying and sobbing as he felt like his heart had just been pierced with a white hot dagger and then had it twisted inside him.

His son was dead. 



December 8th 1845 A.D., 6:00AM Blue Typhoon Apartments



Stratus Prism slowly dragged himself from the bathroom and its soft floor and quietly made his way towards his bed. His son had died at birth, and there was nothing anypony could do about it. He was going to have to move on, he was going to have to get over this loss; For himself, his wife, and their daughter. Yet knowing that, Prism could not stop the ache he felt inside his chest, or the tears and wet sobs that now and then flowed forth. Suddenly he felt himself pulled in a different direction, and slowly he made his way to the second bedroom inside the apartment. 

The room had been redone into a baby room after he and Dawn had learned they would be parents, they had not know for sure what kinda foals they would have be it colts or fillies. So they chose to be neutral with the decor and wait until the babies had been born to decorate and dress the room up to reflect the new lives that would be dwelling within its soft puffy walls. 

Slowly he walked over to one of the cribs, and looked inside. In his mind he could see his son sleeping inside the safe soft walls of the crib the plush wonder-bolt doll most likely cuddled close to his body. Slowly Prism found himself reaching in and taking the wonder-bolt plush doll that was inside the crib, a crib that did NOT have his son sleeping inside it. He looked at the little doll, and slowly totted back to his room. 

The dolls and other toys in the baby room had been gifts from his and Dawn's families as well as their many friends. He wondered for a moment what he was going to say to them, how he was going to tell them how he had gained a beautiful daughter and at the same time lost a equally beautiful son, who didn't even get a chance to live.

Quietly Prism crawled into his bed and pulled the covers up over his body once more. He cradled the little pegasus doll close to his chest and gently nuzzled it; it was a poor substitute, but he needed something soft to bridge some of the wounds in his heart if he was going to get any sleep. Already the simple presents of the little plush doll was allowing his depressed mind to slow down and begin to slowly shut down for some rest. He leaned in on himself as he cuddled the little doll closer as he felt a sob and new tears start to work their way up. Thankfully exhaustion and the prospect of sleep was already winning the battle with his mind.

As sleep began to take him Stratus Prism sniffled softly as he nuzzled the little wonder-bolt, "Goodnight Rainbow Comet, my dear little colt." He whispered softly as at last he slipped fully into the realm of dreams.

High above Cloudsdale, as Prism started to fall into the realm of slumber a brilliant shooting star blazed its way across the dawning skies, its brilliant tail of light sparkling like a forge hot rainbow as the rays of the rising sun struck it like cool water upon a hot iron.



December 15th 1845 A.D., 7:00AM Cloudsdale Skyborn Honor Cemetery Tower



While Earth Ponies buried their dead, and the Unicorn did as well sometimes; but preferred being entombed in a mausoleum. The Pegasi of Equestria valued honor bound traditions for their dearly departed. Separated from Cloudsdale Major, was a large finely crafted tower that stood at least forty stories from its cloud base. At the top of the tower was a large balcony crafted and maintained to be as soft and smooth and silk, and as beautiful as finely sculptured marble. Here in this tower the Pegasi of Cloudsdale and in fact most of Equestria journeyed to lay their loved ones to rest. Here those who had passed away, would be cremated and their ashes scattered into the jet stream that flowed around the strong tower of clouds. 

Stratus Prism, his wife Honey Dawn, and most of their living relatives were gathered now at the base of the tower, to enact another pegasi tradition; the honorable carrying of the deceased to their burial pyre. Prism, his father Moon Dancer, his wife's father Mist Chaser, as well as his grandfather Sun Clipper; all marched dressed fully in their families best ceremonial armors as they carried the small coffin that bore an old flag of the Pegasi kingdoms. 

For while in the modern times all of Equestria was ruled equally and without favoritism, all of the ponies still had those who kept the ties to the past alive and well; so that future generations would not forgot and repeat their past mistakes.

"How have you been holding up Prism?" The stallion next to the rainbow maned pegasus asked softly as they marched together, bearing the weight of their burden with long poles that rested upon their armored backs.. 

Prism sighed but his reply was strong "I don't know if I will ever get over this Dad." 

The stallions around him all remained quiet, but the air seemed to become filled with an aura of sympathy and respect. The stallion next to Prism, his father Moon Dancer was a pegasus with a brilliant maya blue coat, an indigo mane with electric indigo highlights, with the cutie mark of a Pegasus outline flying over a crescent moon. "I'll be honest with you Prism, I'd be worried if you ever really did. To lose ones son, no matter when or where is something that you should always remember."

The older stallion behind Prism's father nodded "He is right lad, same for any daughter or son of the skies. Never forget this pain colt, to forget is to insult the honor of the departed." the old fiery stallion said before heaving a sad sigh. "This little foal left so soon, his honor was never tainted, never lost, but sadly it was never sharpened or strengthen either." 

"Granddad...Dad...did any of you ever lose a foal?," Prism asked as they entered the tower.

Prism's grandfather Sun Clipper sighed "Yes Prism, our family and relatives have as a family know this pain before, and before you ask; no it does not get easier with time it hurts as bad as it did the first time."

Prism frowned slightly, but clenched his jaw and forced himself to focus on carrying his son's remains to his pyre that had been prepared on the twentieth floor of the tower.

As the marching persecution of focused stallions and mourning mares made their way up one of the flights of stairs, Dawn's father Mist Chaser heaved a small snort. "What's the matter Mist?" Sun Clipper asked looking over to the other pony who was looking around nervously. 

"I suddenly got a bad feeling about today...I'm not sure why-" "I can tell you why," Prism growled as he came to a stop. 

Standing in front of the precession were two stallions and a mare; all dressed in wonderbolt uniforms. "Well, what have we here? A bunch of traitors and lost stars? Did you all forget how to get home at night?" The mare sneered, her flowing saffron colored mane standing like a pyre on her head. 

Before Prism could utter a retort, his father snapped at the other ponies reply first. "Watch your tongue you arrogant filly, this is the tower for all of our dead to make their final journey." Moon Dancer finished with an aggravated snort, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the three ponies in front of them. 

The three wonderbolts chuckled cruelly to each other. "Yeah, we know. Last I checked though it said nothing about those related to falling stars being counted among our people." A stallion with a flowing old gold colored mane said with a smirk. 

Out of nowhere one of the royal guard pegasus pony from the front doors swooped in and glared at the wonderbolts. "That is enough disrespect from you three. You're lucky I don't report your banter to your captain. Now get the buck out of here if you going to be so disrespectful to the departed!" The guard snarled startling the precession and the wonderbolts. 

Without a second glance the three wonderbolts jetted for the exit under the watchful gaze of the other royal guards stationed her as honor guards. Slowly the stallion guard turned to regard the other ponies of Prism's precession. "Please continue with your passage, I shall escort you to ensure no further interruptions or acts of disrespect for the deceased happen again." The stallion gave them all a firm 'pegasus' salute with his hoof held aloft forward and his body held firm before he snapped his hoof down performed an about face and proceed to march along with the ponies.

As they marched Prism noted the guard glance his way and also peeking glances at the coffin. Soon as they neared their room where his son's pyre waited, the guard finally spoke up. "I'm sorry for what they said, I like to think most of our kind have moved on past those times, just as BOTH princesses would want us to." 

Prism felt his father and grandfather falter for a second but they quickly got back in step. Prism turned his eyes to the stallion in question. "Both...are you?" the guard nodded with a small sad smile. 

"The name is Noir Aegis, and my family is much like yours I'm guessing." Moon Dancer sighed but smiled warmly at the guard. 

"Perhaps, we don't bare our heritage as boldly as I'd like but yes, our family line is tied to her." Prism said as he felt the tension around him relaxed.

Noir nodded sagely before he looked squarely at the coffin. "Your son sir?" He asked, and Prism, even as fresh tears started to break at the corner of his eyes, nodded at the guard. 

"I'm sorry for your loss, did you and your wife name him?" Prism nodded again in reply, as they approached the door, where two robbed pegasi awaited. 

"Yes...his name is Rainbow for his mane, and Comet after his great grandfather."

The guard gave a warm and strong smile. "Good name, I'm sure you and your wife would have raised him well." The other ponies gave smiles of thanks for the words of confidence as the guard took a spot near the wall.

One of the robbed pegasi flew up and came to land near the large pyre of wood logs stacked and shaped like a flat bench bed. "I am Willow Lark, priest of the morning cloth. Will the stallion of this herd please state the purpose of this pyre?" He asked quietly and gently.

Stratus Prism nodded and bowed his head before he began to speak. "I am Stratus Prism, son of Moon Dancer and Mirage Feather, stallion to Honey Dawn, and-and Father of Rainbow Dash and...Rainbow Comet. We are hear to lay my son Rainbow Comet to rest, he died shortly after birth." 

The robbed priest nodded and bowed his head respectfully. "The sun and stars grieve for your loss dear stallion. Please lay your son upon the bed of wood and straw, wrap him in his blanket of cotton and wool. May each of you bed this child his last loving farewells before he is allowed to journey to his place in the heavens."

Slowly the four stallions lowered the small coffin to the smooth cloud floor, and removed the lid, revealing a little dark navy blue colt with a prismatic mane who looked as if he was simply sleeping, his eyes closed and his body wrapped in a bright blue blanket. 

The silence of the room was soon broken by several of the mares including Honey Dawn as they started to lose themselves to the heartache of the lose of one so young. Prism felt the air around him vanish, as his father, grandfather, and father-in-law looked at the small, quiet, and peaceful form of the little foal. Slowly Prism reached down and gently lifted the little bundle in his mouth and carried it carefully over to the bench bed. Upon laying the little bundle down he and the other honor stallions quietly stood next to the bed with the ridged attention of veteran soldiers, though none of them had ever served; it was still a tradition to hold oneself with honor, out of respect for ones fallen kin.

Slowly the other ponies of the family approached one last time to either deliver a gentle kiss to the foal's forehead, or to ruffle the prismatic mane gentle or simply to say some words bidding the little colt farewell. Despite the efforts of the stallions, not one eye was dry as the last of the family gave the little bundle their last goodbyes. At last it was Prism's turn, being the colt's father, he was expected to give a closing speech of respect for the life that had not yet lived.

"We are gathered here this day, to bid farewell to my son, who left us before we had a chance to know him. Regardless we love him, we will always love him, and as his family we will never forget his name. My son Rainbow Comet, was a pegasus colt born with the prismatic rainbow mane of my family line, his coat was of such a dark blue he looked as if the night itself moved and came down to live among us. His eyes...were the color of clean clear blue water. I am positive, that he would have lived a full life, and been a honorable stallion of our family." Slowly the stallion castes his eyes over to gaze at the still bundled, feeling fresh tears leak and run down his cheeks. 

"Oh how I wish that you had not left us so early, how I beg that this is a nightmare, that I might awaken to find you safe and sound in your crib ready for the first of your many days." The stallion snorted and straighten himself out his face hardening. "However, I am sad to say this is not a dream, and that I must move on. For my wife, and our daughter I must and will move on." The stallion closed his eyes and for a moment held a breath before he continued.

"Rainbow Comet, my first son, thank you for teaching me this pain...and giving me the resolve to never forget. For tempering me to cherish every life...and every day." The stallion turned and bowed his head to the little foal and muttered softly to himself. "Someday we will meet again my son. Until then please wait for us." 

With a nod as he rose his head up high the robed ponies of the priest hood stepped forward and prepared to set the pyre ablaze. However, one of them gestured for the others to pause before he moved forward and quickly did something to the foal before walking over to Prism. "As his father, it is not often allowed but I felt you being of such a strong heart would like something to remember him by." The robbed stallion muttered as he presented to Prism a rolled bared of the little colt's mane. "I-I...t-thank you so much." Prism chocked out as he accepted the keep sake and watched as with a nod the other priest set fire to the pyre.

In that instant the flames engulfed the little bundle and the bench bed in bright brilliant flames. With another gesture and nod from one of the priest, the others began to gently fan the flames with their wings, and began to blow the embers and ashes out a now open balcony door into the winds of the jet stream that blew around the tower. As what was the mortal shell for a life known as Rainbow Comet was turned to dust the priest uttered a simple pray for the little colt's soul.

"As we are all born of Gaia's will, warmed by Celestia's sun, and protected by Luna's moon, we humbly ask our Princesses both here and beyond to grant this little foal safety and eternal peace in their loving embrace amongst the stars. May the little Rainbow Comet, never again know fear, know of doubt, may his days amongst the heavens be full of joy, laughter, and happiness. Oh great spirits of the heavens grant this little Pegasus passage now, and may we all enjoy you loving embrace in our own time. Goodbye Rainbow Comet, travel swift as the falcon, as high as the highest mountain top, as far as the great soaring eagles, and never fear of the land below. For you begin the journey we must all make one day."

As the prayer ended, the last ember of flame drifted away, the magical flames used by the pegasi leaving nothing behind; everything reduced to ember and ash. Launched by the wing beats of the priest into the jet stream while the family of the departed stood by be and watched as their loved one was returned to the embrace of the heavens. For truly the pegasi know for being ponies of the wind, weather, and skies; is it not fitting that the sea of stars is where they journeyed to when their time on the mortal world came to pass. 



May 10th 1854 A.D. 7:00AM Blue Typhoon Apartments



Stratus Prism smiled fondly as he watched his little filly fly around excitedly. "Calm down Dash, your gonna burn up all your energy before you even get to Summer Flight Camp!" The stallion joked as the light cerulean blue pegasus filly zipped around. 

"But dad! I can hardly stand waiting, the chariot is taking like forever!" the little mare complained, earning another chuckle from her father. 

"Calm down dear, you'll be there before you know it." Honey Dawn said as she gently lofted down next to her husband. 

"Mom! You got off early?" The little mare asked as she rushed to hug her mother. 

"Yes dear, you know I'd be here to see you off to camp." The bright mare ruffled the rainbow mane of the little filly before she turned and nuzzled into her stallion. 

"How was work hun?" He asked quietly as he absently watched Dash make a 'gag' face and started to fly around in circles again.

"Well enough, did you know Morning Dew is sending her daughter to summer flight camp as well?" The mare smirked a little to her self as she watched her daughter stop fluttering about like an angry bee and zipped over to her. 

"Did you say Fluttershy is going to camp too!?" The little filly pipped up as she landed in front of her mother.

Dawn smiled and nodded "Yes dear, she is supposed to be going today as well." 

As if on que of her statement, the Summer Flight Camp bus chariot arrived being pulled by four pegasus stallions. "This is the residents of Stratus Prism and Honey Dawn?" One of the ponies asked. 

"Yes it is, this is my daughter Rainbow Dash." Prism said with a smile as he nudged Dash forward as he reached over and lifted up her packed saddle pack and gently placed it on her back. "Alright then, hope aboard little filly we can move on and get some of the other campers and make haste for the camp." The stallion said as he gestured back to the chariot platform.

"Um hello Rainbow." A meek little voice said as a mound of soft pink mane parted only slightly allowing a shy mare to speak. "Hey Flutters!" Rainbow smiled as she zipped over to her friend, despite the added weight of her pack.

"Have a good time Dashie!" Prism said with a smile as the stallions started to move. 

The little filly turned and waved back excitedly. "I will dad! I'll be sure to do some awesome moves for Comet to see!" 

Honey Dawn and Stratus Prism both stiffened but smiled warmly as they watched the bus chariot pull away with their daughter waving to them as it drew further away into the skies.

"I must say, she handles her brother a lot better than we have." Dawn said as she dabbed at her damp eyes gently.

Her husband smiled and looked up to the skies. "I know, perhaps her outlook is the one we both should have. I'm sure Comet has been watching us since we said our goodbyes." Prism smiled as he nuzzled his wife lovingly.

"I still wish...oh how I wish." Dawn muttered as she buried her face into her husband's fresh rain smelling mane. 

"I know dear...I know." was all Prism could say as he draped his wing over Dawn before casting his eyes up at the sky as he noticed a sudden flash. 

"A shooting star?" He commented as his wife turned her teary eyes up to join even more ponies as a celestial body descended from the sky leaving a brilliant blazing trail of light in its wake as it flew across the morning skies.



> Chapter 2: Wings, Power, Lift, Flight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Trail of Rainbows
Arc 1: Something Lost, Is Something Found
Chapter 2: Wings, Power, Lift, Flight





May 10th 1854 A.D. 8:00AM Altostratus Summer Flight Camp


Rainbow Dash zipped into her normal low hoover above the floor as the Bus Chariot came to a stop, she stretched out her hooves and gave a long sigh of satisfaction at being able to stretch. "Okay kids we are here, everypony off!" The lead bus driver called back to the foals on the chariots. 

Dash turned to her friend as Fluttershy slowly tip-hoofed off the chariot and kept close to where the rainbow maned filly hovered above the cloud. "Ready for some epic flying Fluttershy?" Dash asked as she struck a pose in front of her friend. It at least earned a smile from the shy mare who nodded "W-well I think so." She said meekly before looking around at the camp again now that they were up close to it. 

The camp was only a mile or two from Cloudsdale Major where the city of Cloudsdale resided atop a massive bank and formation of clouds. The Altostratus Summer Flight Camp despite its name was not made on Altostratus clouds but like most Pegasi settlements it was built into a batch of Clumulus and Stratocumulus clouds. The camp had many obstacle courses that could be seen from the cloud comprising of cloud rings and various other areas with cloud made obstacles. 

Fluttershy and Rainbow could also now see clearly the camp's main runway with several 'prep' hangers next to it. "Wow." was all Rainbow could mutter as she took in the sight with Fluttershy and some of the other foals. 

They could see there were campers here already as some young foal pegasi were seen flying if awkwardly with a older pony flying with them seeming to coach them as they flew. 

"Okay everypony gather around!" Came a soft stallion voice, causing Rainbow and Fluttershy to look towards the source of the voice. Standing nearby wearing a cap with the camp's logo on it, a silver whistle dangling around his neck, was a vanilla cream stallion with a long wind blown chocolate brown colored mane. His cutie mark was that of abstraction of a eagle made of wisps of clouds over a black mountain. 

"Hello everypony and welcome to the Altostratus Summer Flight Camp! My name is Wild Spirit, I'm one of the camp instructors and I hope to be a friend to all of you during your stay here. Now if you'd all follow me, the camp head instructor would like to greet you all and say a few words about how things are done here at the Alto SFC." The stallion smiled warmly to the foals as he turned and started to trot towards a large dome topped building a short distance from the hangers near the runway.

As soon as they got to the building Fluttershy let out a meek squeal as she noted just how MANY ponies there were here. At least a hundred foals, most like her kept their hooves on the ground with a sprinkling of those like Dash who hovered just above the cloud. Dash smiled noting she was among the few with a heads up on the flying thing, she turned to notice with some surprise her friend's frighten state.

"Hey, Flutters no reason to get all weak in the knees here." The rainbow maned filly said with a confident friendly smile.

"Come on, buck up, you got the awesome Rainbow Dash on your side! Everything will be great here you'll see!" Dash said with a wide grin, which while not having the massive affect she hoped for; it did in fact ease Fluttershy's fears and got her to hide a little less behind her mane.

Soon the two friends along with a lot of other foals were lead inside the large building which they soon heard was the main auditorium for the camp. Inside there were plenty of cloud benches and seats for the foals to sit and rest comfortably off their hooves, while for those who had some semblance of flying down were allowed to sit on the few dozen floating clouds inside the large space. 

Rainbow chose to stick close to her friend and sat all be it with a bit of fidgeting next to Fluttershy who appreciated her friend's gesture of support.

Soon the magical lamps along the walls dimmed and a stern mountain of a pegasus stallion flew down onto the stage. His coat was a light fog blue in color, with a mane that was as white as snow, even as young as they were any foal there could tell this stallion was a cut above anything else. His face was hard and emotionless, his eyes which were a light electric violet in color, which surveyed the mass of little ponies in front of him. With a soft cough he cleared his throat and began to speak with a gruff voice that would seem out of place in some old war drama shown at the theaters.

"Greetings everypony, and welcome to a new year at the Altostratus Summer Flight Camp or Alto SFC for short. We are one among many camps your families could chose from, and we the staff of this camp are honored your families chose us to provide you with a proper flight education." The stallion at last showed emotion, as his face softened and a small smile grew on his lips. 

"My name is Iron Eagle, and I am the head instructor for the Alto SFC, you may all call me Mr.Boss or simply Boss which ever you prefer. I want to get one thing straight, my word here is the LAW!" The stallion shouted earning a few gasp and squeals of surprise from the foals before the pony gave a small nod and the smile and friendly demeanor returned after his sudden shout.

"Now then, for those of you who don't know an SFC is a place where we, the instructors, teach you our students the basics in flight. Not just how to fly but also how to land safely. Not to much value in learning all about flying if you go and hurt yourself because you can't land right." The stallion said as he glanced over to a hidden part of the stage and gave a curt nod. A group of ten pegasi; five stallions and five mares, trotted out from the backstage and joined Iron Eagle on stage.

"These are the ten lead instructors of the camp, we have a good many more who work under them. If you have ANY problems or questions; ask them, we are here to help you. We can't help you if you don't talk to us. Also understand little ones we were like you once, so when we say 'we know what your going through' we mean it. So no matter what problems you may have, don't be afraid to ask for help." With that Iron Eagle took a step back as one of the five stallions walked up to the microphone; Dash and Fluttershy recognized that he was the stallion that greeted them earlier. 

"Greetings everypony, my name is Wild Spirit, from this point on we will be working together as a team to help you all learn how to fly, and before you leave I am sure you will all not just know how to fly, but that you will all be flying well!" He said happily before he pulled out a clipboard and flipped over a page on it. 

"Okay, now listen up. There is one thing I need to say before we go through the process of getting you all situated with your rooms, and who your camp flight leader is. Last year we had a freak storm blow in from the south in the Everfree Forest, we almost lost some campers to it. So starting this year, everypony will have a 'wingmate' this will be the pony you work with every day, and will stand next to in everything." 

The stallion flipped the page over to the next one on the clip board with a brush of his nose. "Okay...that looks to be it, now when we dismiss you, there will be a group of tables now set up outside, they are marked alphabetically so look for the table that has the first letter of your name on it. The pony at the table will give you the key to your room, your room number, and also give you the name of your wingmate." 

Rainbow Dash blinked as she felt something shuffle next to her and bury itself against her wing. Looking in surprise she found Fluttershy shaking like a wisp of cloud-stuff in the wind. "Flutters?" Dash asked with edge of concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just n-nervous, I don't know any of these ponies." Fluttershy said as she looked around now feeling extra nervous after hearing that she would be paired up with some random pony. 

"Aww it'll be alright Flutters." Dash said with her trade mark grin, her bright eyes shining with her honest belief that things would be alright for the nervous pegasus. Such a face could install any pony with a bit of hope and believe that things would be alright. 

Soon the row of seats that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy shared was dismissed, and they then joined the mass of foals heading outside to find out where things would take them. 



May 10th 1854 A.D. 11:30AM Filly Barracks Building B, Room 21



Rainbow Dash sighed contently as she finally collapsed onto the soft form of her cloud bed, across from her Fluttershy likewise collapsed onto her bed with a small 'eep' as it bounced with her arrival. "Wow, I don't think I've had to stand in a line like that outside of the ones for the Wonderbolts shows." Dash commented as she rolled onto her back, a gentle breeze flowing in from a 'cold air' cloud in the ceiling. 

"Well, I'm happy you and I are wingmates Rainbow, a lot of those other foals looked like they wouldn't want to fly with me." Flutters said from behind her pink mane.

Dash looked over to the shy pony with at first an annoyed look but it turned into a look of deep sympathy. Dash had know Flutters for almost her whole life; so she was used to her friend's low sense of self-esteem. 'Still,' Dash thought with a slowly forming smile 'It wouldn't hurt her to be a little more confident and out going would it?'

As Dash thought about this she sat up and rolled out of her bed and trotted over to the light yellow coated mare. Fluttershy looked up to her and smiled, Dash couldn't help but smile back at her friend, 'She seems to smile and be more open at least when I'm around...hmm, maybe she just needs time to make some more friends.' She thought.

"Hey Flutters why don't we go out to the ground level training course, I'm sure there are plenty of ponies there getting warmed up for their first lessons. I mean we don't have any classes until tomorrow." 

Fluttershy looked out the window of their room before she turned to face her friend and gave a weak smile and a small nod "Um okay, I if you want to." She said softly.

In an instant a grinning Rainbow Dash jetted from the two pony dorm like room with a fluttering shy pegasus filly in tow by the hoof.

Outside Dash and Fluttershy were greeted by the sight that still could make a pegasus' swell up with awe and instinctual pride. 

All around them were foals being lead through both physical training exercises as well as fun games all aimed at helping a young pegasus to learn how to fly. This ranged from the wing push-ups and such that were being watched over by some of the councilors, all the way to a game known to only pegasi called "Grief Ball" 

The game was sorta like a sky and cloud version of the Earth Ponies soccer game, except instead of a ball made of fibers, the flying ponies us a firm enchanted ball of a cirrius cloud, which made the ball act sorta like the balls used on the ground but it gave it one unique quality; the ball could float and fly as if it weighed next to nothing. For the foals that were playing the game it meant they had to work at not just getting the ball past the other team and their goalie, but also to keep the ball within the grasp of at least the ponies who could hover among their team. Among the older ponies the game was a very much loved past time, but for a young foal it served as inspiration and a driving force to work the wings to give them every advantage they could muster to keep an edge on the other time and maintain control of the free floating ball of cloud.

Across from the exercise area and where a vicious looking game of G-ball was taking place, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy trotted over to an area where several foals were busy trying out the ground level obstacle and exercise course. 

It was sorta like the arenas used by Unicorn and Earth Ponies for their grand exhibitions and rodeos respectively. However, instead of static obstacles or challenges, the pegasi on the course would be faced with living breathing cloud obstacles that moved and behaved with the wild manner of real clouds, that had just been bucked to life by expert weather ponies.

"Oh hello, can I help you two?" A soft stallion voice asked, Dash and Fluttershy turned to find Spirit there smiling warmly at them. "Oh hello Mr.Spirit, me and my friend were wondering if we could try out the ground level course." The stallion gave the two fillies a once over before he smiled and nodded. 

"Sure, your names please?" he asked holding up his clip board taking his quill in his teeth. 

"Rainbow Dash and this is my friend and wingmate Fluttershy!" Dash said happily while Fluttershy gave a weak wave 'hello' with a hoof and hid most of her face behind her mane, earning a small chuckle from the instructor. 

"I can see the shy part of you Fluttershy," he said with a grin after he wrote their names done, he motioned for them to follow him. "Are you nervous about being away from home or your parents? Or are you just a bit nervous about all the new faces?" Spirit asked as he lead them to a warm up area next to the track.

"Um well, its a little of everything." She said softly, causing the stallion to lean in to hear her. 

"Oh? I see, well you shouldn't worry to much. You obviously got a good friend in Rainbow Dash here," He said as he patted Dash's shoulder with a gentle hoof bump, "And the other instructors and myself are here to help you. So you can trust us okay?" He asked giving Fluttershy his best smile.

The little filly nodded weakly offering a soft "Um O-okay." The stallion nodded at hearing this and then turned to the task at hoof.

"Okay you two, let me start you off with something simple but it will become very important later on trust me." He said as he trotted over to a patch of cloud marked off by a ring of red silk streamers. 

"This is the warm up pad, there are many of these set up all over the camp. Their purpose is to give you the campers a safe place to safely practice your wing motions without accidentally bashing some foal or other pony in the face." His own wings fluttering a bit as he motioned for the two fillies to step into the marked off bit of cloud. 

"Now look at me and follow my actions to the best of your abilities okay." 

Dash nodded confidently as she planted her hooves firmly on the cloud and spread her wings out, Fluttershy did so but seeming as if she was almost afraid of her own body as she spread her own slightly larger wings. 

"Okay now, follow my motions," Spirit said as he flapped his wings in front of the two fillies, each stroke slowed down with a great deal of concentration for the two students to watch carefully. 

Dash smiled nodding, the motions of her wings showing she had been taught this bit before and sure enough her wing beats quickly came to mimic those of their instructor. Fluttershy on the other hoof struggled at first to match the motions but after a few minutes her wings flapped if awkwardly, just like Dash's and Spirit's. They continued on like this for what felt like hours but in truth was only thirty minutes.

Spirit smiled kindly at the two of them as he brought his demonstration to a stop, "Okay you two, I think I can see what needs to be done to help you." Spirit looked over and placing his whistle to his lips gave it a sharp double blow, drawing the attention of a mare instructor nearby. 

"Okay you two, this is Flame Pepper," The stallion said with a smile as a bright hot red mare flew over, her dark orange and gold mane fluttered in the gust she threw up as she landed.

"Pepper, this is Rainbow Dash and her wingmate Fluttershy." 

"Hello!"  The fire mare greeted happily with a warm smile. 

"Rainbow I can tell your family took the time to get you jump started on the basics," he smiled as she hovered up into the air proudly. "So when you are down here training I want you to work with Pepper her, she is one of our best advanced instructors." 

Pepper smiled proudly as she gave the little rainbow maned filly a wink. "You better believe I am, gotta keep my place in the wonderbolts somehow." She smiled in bemusement as Rainbow Dash's jaw hit the cloud.

"Y-your a Wonderbolt!?" Dash asked in an awed whisper, looking about ready to faint.

"Yep, thought I'm not the best, that honor goes to my husband the current captain Sonic Lancer." 

Dash then proceeded to pass out, her eyes rolling up into her skull as she went into hyper-fan mental shock.

"Oh dear..." Spirit sighed face-hoofing. 

With a sharp blow of his whistle he shouted at the top of his lungs "MEDIC! PONY DOWN!"



May 12th 1854 A.D. 2:00PM  Low-Level Obstacle Course Field 1



"Come on Dash you can do it!" Pepper cheered the little filly on, as the rainbow maned pony pushed herself harder to make a good time over the low floating obstacles. She ducked, bobbed, and weaved around the cloud made structures, each powerful wing stroke of her's pushing her on despite the ache from having done this exercises and course for almost a full hour after the half hour of warm ups earlier. Still despite her best efforts, she clipped several rings and was forced to smash through a cloud wall of a canyon obstacles at least once. 

Nearby Spirit coached Fluttershy into the basic warmups for her first flight, his constant soft spoken encouragement aiding the shy filly in coming a little more out of her shell as well as to put in a bit more effort into flying. Always telling her "Nopony is saying you can't fly only you are, instead you should be saying 'I can fly!'" He repeated again as she looked about ready to say the words 'I can't' again.

"Come on Fluttershy just another minute to go!" Spirit said kindly and confidently to her as she sweated and fluttered next to him, she was only a foot of the cloud but it was still a hover. 

Across from Fluttershy, Rainbow surged pass the checkpoint to a cheering cry from Pepper "60 seconds flat!" The fiery mare cheered as Dash landed if a little awkwardly near by. "Well done Dash!" Pepper beamed with pride as Dash smiled up at her weakly. "But I still ran into some of the obstacles!" Dash said before she plopped down onto her haunches as she allowed her exhaustion to finally take her down.

Pepper smiled kindly at her friend and student and shook her head. "Practice makes perfect, you still got the end this time, and in 60 seconds. If you keep working at it Dash I know you'll be able to do this course or any other in 10 seconds without hitting a single obstacle." Pepper patted Dash's shoulder gently with a wing.

"Don't beat yourself up over on mistake, learn from them, and work to not repeat them." She said with a sagely nod, earning a small smile from the little filly.

Soon a whistle blew and Dash and Pepper looked over to see Spirit clapping his hooves together as he congratulated Fluttershy. "You see, you can do it!" he said happily as Fluttershy bounced around excitedly. "I can! I can!" she repeated only to realize she was outside and among other ponies and she gave a soft 'eep!' and hid behind Spirit who only smiled and gave her a gentle pat on the head with a hoof.

"Why don't we get you two over to the cafeteria and grab some ice cream huh?" Pepper asked earning an immediate "YES!" from both fillies. 

In a relative short order of time, Pepper and Spirit had gotten the two fillies over to the cafeteria building and were sitting down as the two campers enjoyed some ice cream sandwiches.

"So Pepper, do you think I will be a good wonderbolt?" Dash asked excitedly earning a amused chuckle from her idol and friend. "Dash I can tell ya, you'd make not just a good Wonderbolt, but an amazing one." She said ruffling the little filly's mane. 

"Um, when do you think I'll be able to fly?" Flutters asked from behind her mane, to which Spirit smiled warmly at her "Soon Fluttershy, soon. I can tell you biggest obstacle is your own self-esteem." The stallion chuckled softly as he patter her on the back with a gentle tap of his wing "But I know that as long as you believe in yourself you'll be fine." 

The shy little pony looked to her instructor and smiled as she hid less of her face from him and the others at the table with her mane. Dash could only smile happily as she saw her friend being a lot more open, it was a big step for her, and to Dash it meant things at the camp would only be getting better. 

"Well we have other students and campers to help, you two stay out of trouble you hear." Pepper smiled as she floated up with a single stroke of her wings and then jetted out the open windows of the building. Spirit only shook his head in bemusement before he gave his shy student a hug, "Keep up the practice Fluttershy, we will see about getting you airborne tomorrow okay?" 

She nodded as she hugged her teacher back and with a wave to Dash, the stallion bolted off much the same as the wonderbolt mare before him. 

"Wow, sometimes I wondered how fast he could go." Dash muttered as she watched the small speck that was Wild Spirit going fainter in the distant skies. 

"Well if it isn't the crashing wonder Rainbow Crash and her glorious klutz friend Klutzershy!" a sneering mocking laugh following the hurtful words. 

Both fillies turned to find a hot pink colored filly with a dark red mane followed by a colt who looked like he had been dunked in snow and had a mane made of coal, that was slicked back like it was some kind of whipped topping on a cake. 

"I still can't believe the visiting instructor is a wonderbolt and that she is your instructor!" The colt said with a smug smirk "I mean you haven't once finished a course without crashing into something!" he added with a mocking laugh. 

"Well at least you can fly Rainbow Crash, Klutzershy I bet won't ever learn how to fly." The colt finished all but rolling with laughter at his own words.

The filly just looked at Rainbow and Fluttershy coldly. "Well I guess even stars have to take pity on their fallen cousins." She said darkly.

Rainbow instantly felt her blood start to boil at the comment. "What did you say?" She growled.

"The truth it seems, why else would a wonderbolt bother teaching the descendent of one of Nightmare Moon's fallen stars, she should have you thrown out." The filly said as her eyes narrowing at Dash. "After all your just a bunch of traitors aren't you." 

"Who's a bunch of traitors?" A gruff stallion voice asked, several foals did their best to hide their giggles and laughter as Iron Eagle had managed to enter the mess hall and walk up to the two bullying foals. 

The two culprits gave startled gasp as they turned to face the fury filled eyes of the camp head instructor. "BOSS!" they gasped out together.

"I asked you two a question." He snapped at them, both foals cowering beneath his gaze. 

The filly took a deep breath before she pointed an accusing hoof to Dash. "She is, her family are known to be related to traitors-" The stallion silenced the filly with a single glare.

"I am going to make this clear here and now, while I respect the honor and heritage of any family; I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH DISRESPECTFUL ACTIONS!" He snapped at the filly.

"Nightmare Moon is just a old story used to frighten little ponies, and to stir up emotion in the old." The stallion said as he looked away from the two shaking foals.

"To use a fantasy story to cause disharmony is, surely dishonorable." The stallion looked to Rainbow and Fluttershy before he looked back at the colt and foal.

"Do you wish I tell your family of such behavior?" He asked.

Both ponies shook their heads 'no', earning a approving nod from Iron. "Good, now I don't want to hear about you or any pony bullying another foal here for such...silly reasons." 

He took his whistle and gave it a harsh blow. "SUNBURST, ICE FLAK I WANT YOU BOTH ON THE TRACK AND DOING LAPS, NOW!" he roared and both little foals disappeared in a blur of fluttering hooves and wings as they raced to follow the order.

With a small sigh Iron turned to regard Rainbow and Fluttershy; the rainbow maned filly had a stern cross look to her face, but the insults had stung. Not just her but Fluttershy as well, the shy mare was in tears from the confrontation and the shouting. Iron may be a strong stallion, but his face softened as his heart ached as such a sad sight.

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, I've been keeping an eye on you two since your instructors Wild Spirit and Flame Pepper first filled out the files to be your trainers. I can tell you right now; you are not the worst foals I've seen come here, and I can see you both have a great deal of potential." Slowly the sculpture of a stallion walked over and gently brushed the mane away from Fluttershy's face and smiled kindly to her. 

"Try to not let what others say affect what you think and feel." He said sagely before he gave them both a curt nod farewell and proceeded to make sure that Flak and Sunburst were doing as they had been ordered.

Dash sighed and slowly moved over to her friend and gave her a hug. "It's okay Shy, it will be okay. Come on lets go get some sleep." All the shy pegasus could do was give a shaking nod 'yes' and follow beside her friend.



May 17th 1854 A.D. 3:00PM Altostratus Summer Flight Camp, Main Runway Field



Fluttershy sighed as she trotted near the hangers that were packed next to the main runway for the camp; she had tried so hard to fly, and yet her lesson with Wild Spirit that morning ended in painful failure. She recalled how she had managed to hover perfectly, much to Spirit's joy and his cheers of encouragement had done a lot to get her to that point, Rainbow Dash even stopped her own training with Flame Pepper to cheer her on. Then came the words of some of the local bullies that had rung in her ears ever since she had first heard them "Klutzershy I bet you won't ever learn how to fly." 

In that instant it had destroyed all her confidence, and she failed to regain it despite the best efforts of her instructor and friend. Still Spirit never yelled at her, never showed any signs of disappointment or disapproval of her; no he as always would just sigh, then smile at her and say "We just gotta keep practicing, nopony is perfect." he would say and his enthusiasm would lift her up as it had since he had started training her. 

"I will fly." She said at last stopping in mid trot. Looking around and then above her, she spotted other fillies and colts flying around some of the low floating obstacles rings  that were set up to give the young pegsai something to play around and practice with when their instructors weren't training them. 

Fluttershy steeled herself as she climbed up to the best launching point she could get to; the top of one of the camp's prep hangers. The words of her friend and instructor Spirit rang in her ears as she tried to remember all that he had taught her. 'I can do this!' she told herself. As she stood atop the hanger, around her some of the foals from her class flew by, easily making it through the cloud rings that were floating a short distance above the hangers and runway. 

With her wings held out and ready, she gave a few flaps and sure enough she felt herself grow weightless; if only for a few moments. With more determination she flapped her wings harder, and this time she felt herself lift off the hanger, than as she missed a wing stroke, she fell to land on it again. The taste of that flight being so close to her, she groaned as she pushed herself to flap her wings better, strong, faster! This time she lifted into the air, and up, and up, and then to her joy she made it to a ring and pushed herself through. In her head she cheered, she could see her friend Rainbow Dash congratulating her, and oh how proud her family would be she was flying! "Ops." Was all she could say as she felt her front legs catch on the lip of the cloud ring, and she toppled forward through the ring. 

She gave a meek "Eeep!" as she fell forward, and then "THUMP!" she landed on her rear on the sloping edges of the hanger she had used to launch herself. She gasped in fright as she slid along its roof like a giant slide and than felt her self flung upwards as she slid off the upward curved edges of the hanger; flying with momentum towards a bright orange camp flag banner. Her vision became a dark version of the orange flag's color as she became enshrouded by it. 

With a hefty 'Thump!' and a little squeak from her, the little mare felt her self land on the soft and shock-absorbent clouds that made up the camp's structure and foundation.

Suddenly to voices of roaring cruel laughter rang out nearby. Two colts hovered nearby laughing at the little mare's attempt to fly. "Nice going Klutzershy!" the colt with a dark brown coat and light cream colored mane said cruelly as he and his buddy flew over and landed near the pink-maned filly.

"They ought to ground you permanently!" He sneered while his buddy who had three basketballs for a cutie mark, a light brownish orange coat and brown colored mane nodded in agreement with his friends mean remark.

"My baby brother can fly better than you!" The two erupting into more mean spirited laughter. 

'Maybe their right, maybe I was wrong to think I could fly.' Fluttershy felt her old inner voice speak up, drowning out the confidence and warmth that her instructor Spirit and her friend Rainbow had filled her with the days before. This had to be the most humiliating moment of her life.

Suddenly with a roar of wind and the rush of flapping wings a shadow streaked above the laughing colts, drawing their confused eyes to look around for the source of the shadow and the sound.

Rainbow Dash growled quietly to herself as she had spotted the two colts laughing at her friend, in an instant she flew down and finished a perfect downward spiral to land swiftly next to her friend. 

"Leave her alone!" She said firmly glaring at the two colts.

"Ooooh what are ya gonna do Rainbow CRASH?" The colt she knew from yesterday as Hoops said with a smug smirk. The name stung still but she bit her tongue and refused to let it get to her. 

"Keep making fun of her and find out!" She said hoarsely, her emotions boiling inside her.

The two colts frowned, glaring at her as Hoops' buddy stepped up. "You think your such a hotshot, why don't you prove it!" She snapped.

Rainbow smirked confidently at the glaring faces. "Whaddya got in mind?" She asked curiously. 

"A race, on the Tempest Course!" The dark little colt declared. 

Rainbow felt her heart skip a beat; that course was meant primarily only for adult ponies who wanted a work out. She shot a short glance to her friend, who was shaking like a leaf with a sad look upon her face. 'No these bucking morons insulted my friend. I will not let them soil her honor, and I will NOT let them disrespect me or my family's honor anymore.' She thought as her eyes narrowed at the colt. 

"First one to the finish line of the Tempest Course wins, and will be the Top Hotshot of camp!" Hoops added with a smirk.

Dash returned it with a confident grin "You. Are. On!" 

It was not as simple as going to the course and having their race; the instructors would throw a fit if they knew what the three foals were going to do. The Tempest Course had no margin for an emergency landing for a young foal; the entire course was over open sky, with cloud rings and cloud canyons being the main obstacles of the course. It was also the only course at the camp that had rings that went close to the ground, but at the angle of approach would mean any pony that hit the ground would be hitting it at to high a speed to avoid being hurt or worse.

So it was decided that the race would be held on the one day of the week that the instructors allowed the foals to run about without to much supervision and also when the majority of them would be either sleeping in or still out enjoying their normal adult Friday night parties and raves. It would begin at 7:00AM Saturday morning.


> Chapter 3: Race to the rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Trail of Rainbows
Arc 1: Something Lost, Is Something Found
Chapter 3: Race To The Rainbow





The day to fight for Fluttershy's honor had arrived; and Rainbow Dash was ready. She had gone to bed early, at least after she had calmed Fluttershy down that is. 

She had even set her alarm clock and woken up at an unheard of hour for her 5:00Am, and promptly gotten herself cleaned and ready for the race. She spent over thirty minutes in a prep hanger making sure her feathers were not damaged, and to check for anything that could hinder her flight. She could NOT afford to lose this race.

Once she was cleared she hurried to the meeting place, and much to her surprise found a small contingent of foals were their waiting to see this daredevil race. Both Hoops and his buddy Dumb-bell were there. 'Fitting name' Dash though as she replayed her first hearing the name after the two colts had flown off the other day.

Dash smiled as she saw Fluttershy actually flying over and landing on a small cloud in front of the starting line. 'Heh I knew she could fly, just like Spirit said she just needs to stop worrying about the act and just do it.' Dash smiled happily as she landed at the starting line.

"You're going down!" Hoops declared as Dash planted her hooves firmly in the cloud surface at the start of the course. 

"In history maybe! See you boys at the finish line!" Dash retorted with a confident grin.

The two colts growled back but held their tongues; they felt their actions and victory in the race would be more then enough to silence the young upstart filly.

Fluttershy smiled weakly from her place in front of the three ponies, and raised the flag a hush falling on the foals watching, while Dash and the two colts spread their wings ready for take-off.

Fluttershy waved the checkered flag; and the three racers bolted into the air and blazed three blurred color trails past the shy mare. Who was caught in the backwash of surging air from the passing ponies and gasp as she was spun around like a top, right over the edge of the little cloud she had been standing on. She flapped her wings, and flailed her legs and hooves as she plummeted from the skies a loud cry of shock and fear being ripped from her lungs as gravity called her to a painful date with the ground below. 'I'm going to die.' She thought sadly as she screamed her way down.

Unaware of her friend's plight, Dash pushed herself into full afterburner; the wind rushed by her as she flew as fast as she had ever flown before. The drive, the desire to win making her heart pump faster and faster, her blood singing with the adrenaline rush of the race. 

The course had rings at several intervals, each at different angles of approach; which would force any flyer to calculate and consider their path well in advanced of actually going through it. 

The three ponies surged through the first ring, then they rolled into a coil of rings before diving down and then going into a loop. Dumb-Bell and Hoops poured on the power, trying to push past the fluttering rainbow tail of the filly that constantly threatened to pull away from them.  Next were several rings that were near several fixed weather machines, that shot violent bursts of wind, rain, and sleet at any flyer on the course; the goal was to navigate the rapidly changing conditions into the next part of the course. 

Dash found herself replaying much of what Pepper had taught her, 'Gotta feel the wind.' She reminded herself as she used the currents created by the stormy conditions to fly WITH the winds and not fight against them. Behind her Hoops and DB wrestled with the weather, all but bulldozing their way through and holding close to Dash's tail.

The three foals entered into one of several cloud canyons, as they went into a steep high angle turn, Dumb-bell hit a updraft of turbulence and careened into a wall of cloud, skipping off it and boring head-first into a nearby cloud pillar that held up a course marker flag. The little colt was left stuck inside the pillar with his head seeing swirling rainbow stars and a rather large knot on his head.

Ignoring the crash of the other colt Dash pushed on a head, catching a strong tailwind current which gave her a burst of speed as she zipped through one ring and then another leaving a zig-zagging prismatic blur in the sky. 

Just as she past a ring that was shortly before a cloud canyon, Hoops rammed into her sending her off course and forced to pull up and go into a loop to get back on course. "See you later Rainbow Crash!" The colt shouted as he dove into the canyon and then following the rings; nosed down into a steep dive.

Dash growled as she pulled out of the loop, the flapping dark brown tail of Hoops fluttering a good distance ahead of her in the lead. 'Oh no you don't.' Dash snarled to herself; she could not afford to lose this race.

Nosing down into her own dive, Dash poured on the power; her wings flapping as hard as they ever had before, she dumped everything into it. All her joy, excitement, and thirst for flying and the desire to win she started to feel herself start to gain more and more speed and momentum. 

Ahead of the little foal a wall of pressurized air began to form into a little bubble in front of her; she was starting to push into the super sonic range of speed.

The foal could hear as if a freight train was roaring right in her ears, the wind lashed at her face, eyes, ears, and body; threatening to peel her like a fruit. As her eyes narrowed in determination Dash pushed onwards. The shock wave ahead of her began to form itself into a sharp cone that started to wrap around her. 

Hoops could see the cloud ring below coming into view and prepared himself for a sharp nose up action when he passed it; he had to time it right otherwise it would be a painful meeting with the solid ground below. 

Suddenly out of no-where Hoops heard a sharp crack of thunder and a surging blast of air hit him like a stampeding earth pony. The little colt cried out as he was sent into a out of control spiral away from the high-speed pressure wave. Out of the corner of his confused and now spinning vision he saw a blur of blue and rainbow colors streak past him.

Rainbow Dash pushed on having successfully past the colt, she was in the lead and intended to stay there. Suddenly as the cloud ring approached; Dash felt a sudden pop and just as she pulled up, her body passing through the cloud ring, all sound ceased to exist for her. 

The foal blazed a trail of sparkling rainbow light into the skies as a prismatic sonic shock-ring blossomed out from the point a short distance above the ground where she had pushed past the mach-barrier. 

Dash as she raced upwards blowing through more rigs at breath-taking speeds she glanced back and saw she had in fact actually made a sonic-rainboom. 

Rainbow Dash felt her spirits soar to all new heights. 'I JUST BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER!' she thought excitedly as she flew through the last ring and past the finish line. The foals that had watched the race stamp on their hooves and scream cheers of joy, excitement, and surprise; all of them began to chant "RAINBOW DASH! RAINBOW DASH!" as the filly left a picture-perfect rainbow crescent arching over the camp. 

"BEST DAY EVER!" Dash shouted as she started to turn to come back in to the Camp's airspace.

Nearby the last of the rainboom shock-wave demolished one more bank of clouds that made up one of the "Tempest" Course cloud canyons. The wave bulldozed the cloud vapor back; until its prismatic energies struck a hidden little sphere of glowing magics. 

In a bright shower of sparks, and beams of lights the sphere shattered like it was glass, breaking the fading ring of spectrum light. 

There now sitting on a small speck of cloud, the only cloud in the area was a little colt, with a coat of dark navy blue, looking as if the dark night sky had left a little living drop of itself behind. With a small shack the little foal sent its mane and tail of bright rainbow colors fluttering in the wind, a heft prismatic forelock resting upon his forehead. with a wide open yawn, its eyes fluttered open only to go wide in shock and bewilderment. Soft ice-aqua blue eyes looked around in utter confusion at its surroundings. 

"W-where...am I?" The little pony asked to a world that looked to big, to open, to...bright. 

So the little colt did what any young foal does when it is unsure, when it is frighten and alone. He cried out as loud as his lungs would allow. "HELP!" 

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash sighed contently as she absorbed the admiration, congratulations, and applauds of her fellow campers as they swooned over her amazing accomplishment. She had manged to catch her breath as she had come into land and was about to see what her friend Fluttershy thought about her sonic-rainboom when a firm voice rang out over the clouds. 

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA IS GOING ON OVER HERE!?" Iron Eagle demanded as he stood their glaring at the foals, with two other stallion instructors at his side. 

The little ponies shrank under the head instructors dominating glare which soon zeroed in on Dash who gulped as Iron made his way over to her. 

"Rainbow Dash, I take it you were the one who just put on that performance that shook the entire camp?" He asked, his voice stern but not as over-powering as it had when he had announced his presences. 

"Y-yeah! I totally just did a sonic-rainboom!" Dash said trying to put on a strong face for the stallion who seemed not to notice her nervousness behind the mask.

"I see. For that I wish to congratulate you." Iron said giving her a small smile before a frowned of disappointment replaced it. "However, my guess is that with so many foals here and with the starting banner for the Tempest Course wrecked over there. You were just racing through the Tempest Course?" 

Dash gave a small nod and a nervous smile. "Yes sir. I did." 

The stallion narrowed his eyes, and looked to Dash and the other ponies about ready to explode when he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A slow exhale later and he regarded the little filly with a raised brow and seeming neutral expression. "Is that so than I-hmm?" The stallion cut out for a moment, as his head swiveled too and fro his ears erected and alert. 

Dash felt her own ears perk up; she could have sworn she just heard some pony calling for help. 

"Dash stay here until I come back." Iron said with a small sigh before he turned to the yellow coated instructor on his left. "Jackie come with me, Dandy you stay with the foals here." The bright green stallion gave a curt nod as Iron and Jackie took flight.

Dash sighed and looked around, 'While he is gone I can at least see what Fluttershy thought about the race.' She thought with a small smile, which slowly started to fall as she failed to find the shy pink-maned pegasus amongst the crowd of foals. 

"Hey where's Fluttershy?" Dash asked one of the foals nearest to her.

The little amber orange filly shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure, I saw her wave the flag for the start of the race, but after that I don't know." 

The instructor Dandy walked up with a look of mild concern. "Is something wrong Dash?" He asked notting the look of growing worry on the little filly's face.

"Yeah I can't find Fluttershy, she's my best friend, and wingmate I would have figured she would have stayed to see me win the race for her honor." Dash sighed as she allowed her head to slump a look of sadness slowly forming upon her face.

"DASH!" A small chestnut brown colt flew up to her. "I was trying to get the others to help, Fluttershy fell off that cloud she was on and I haven't seen her since!" 

"WHAT!?" Dash and Dandy shrieked, look of horror and shock on their faces. Dash in an instant bolted for the cloud edge. 

"HEY WAIT!" Dandy shouted racing after her before glaring back at the foals. "ALL OF YOU STAY HERE!"

With that and annoyed grunt the stallion raced after the rapidly descending filly.



May 18th 1854 A.D. 7:08AM Canterlot Castle



Celestia stared out at the brilliant blue skies over the distant lands of Equestira from one her preferred perches; the balcony of one of the castles observation towers. Far in the distance a brilliant rainbow seemed to be creating itself out of a massive and beautiful sonic-rainboom that was blossoming out into the open skies. 'Well, somepony just made a quite visible achievement." She mused with a proud smile at what one of her little ponies had just done.

Suddenly as the blossoming ring of light expanded outwards, her senses became unusually heightened and tense. 'What is this feeling? Could it be?' Here eyes went wide as she remembered the past time she had felt this feeling; like someone was drawing a knife's edge along her spine, almost teasingly. It clenched her heart with an strong senses of dread, fear, and sadness. 'Why? Why now?' She wondered, as the ring dispersed further the feeling grew with it. "Sandrock!" she called out sharply, moments later a old but strong looking earth pony stallion rushed to her side. 

"Yes your Majesty?" He asked, his breathing hinting at the labor of his run.

"Gather the trackers, more of the sleepers have awakened." The princess said grimly, noting sadly the now suddenly hardened look on her friend's face. 

"Understood ma'am, we will find them." With a brisk salute the stallion was off. 

Turning to look back at the rainboom the majestic princess felt hear spirit sink a little the more she thought about what this feeling would mean. 'I have not felt this many..since..."

As her mind began to wonder back to ages past; her trip back into the reaches of time was interrupted by a sudden sound of crashing wood, masonry, and glass. Glancing up towards the tower just outside the castle, the one holding one of the main exam rooms for her School for Gifted Unicorn. There towering through a hole its mass head had just made was a innocent looking though fully grown purple scaled Earth Dragon. 'Hmmm...'

Celestia quickly made her way to the school. She would have to deal with this issue first, before turning her attention to the matter of past mistakes.




May 18th 1854 A.D. 12:00PM Altostratus Summer Flight Camp, Staff Offices.



Rainbow Dash continued to give small apologies to Fluttershy as the walked together down the white hallways ; it had taken a few hours to find her, but Dash and Dandy did and brought her back to the camp safely. Still Dash felt horrible, she had done the race to defend her friend's honor; only to almost kill her by accidentally pushing her off the cloud she was standing on. Fluttershy for her part seemed quite calm and fine about the ordeal, openly forgiving Dash and hugging her friend when they had first reunited on the ground. 

Once they had returned, they found that one of the councilors had been ordered to retrieve both Dash and Fluttershy when they returned. They were instructed to head for the camp's main office, the office of Iron Eagle.

So with some trepidation Dash found herself after having tried to apologize again; stood with Fluttershy staring at the imposing door to Iron Eagle's office. 

With a small gulp Dash gave the door a firm knocking.

Beside her Fluttershy shrank back as the door opened on its own. 

"Come in." Iron said with an unusually soft voice, drawing a confused look from the two fillies.

Slowly they entered to find their instructors and friends Wild Spirit, and Flame Pepper. Sitting in two chairs were Dumb-Bell and Hoops, both of whom looked as if they had just been caught steeling sweets and were caught by their mothers.

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy would you both please have a seat." Iron said gesturing to two other cloud seats near the two colts.

"Now tell me, why did you chose to race on the Tempest Course, when you know it is off-limits to foals." Iron asked sternly as he took a seat behind his desk, easing into the plush looking cloud chair.

"These two were bullying Fluttershy, calling her names, and-" "NO WE WEREN'T!" Hoops snapped back glaring at the filly.

Fluttershy tried to shrink into her mane to hide, while Dash, Hoops, and Bell glared daggers at each other.

"Enough." Iron said finally, a frown forming on his features before his gaze softened and he looked over to Fluttershy. 

"Fluttershy, would you tell me what happened please?" He asked gesturing a hoof to her to speak.

"M-me? Uh-um well, sir, these two well, they saw me trying to fly and I failed at it. I fell down the slop of one of the hangers and got caught by a camp banner. I crashed." The little yellow filly said softly. Most of the other ponies leaned in to be sure to hear her.

"They were laughing at me, called me Clutzershy, and that I shouldn't be allowed to fly." She said with a small whimper. 

Hoops, and Bell looked ready to butt in but a firm glare form the stallion kept them quite.

"Then, Dash she came down and stood up for me. The two colts challenged her to a race. The winner would be recognized as the hotshot of the camp." 

Iron nodded and then looked towards Dash before pulling open a folder.

"Rainbow Dash, born December 7th 1845, daughter of Stratus Prism and Honey Dawn. Part of the of the Aegis family, also known as the Knight's Rainbow for the achievements, and honorable service rendered by several members of your family line.." The stallion snorted as he closed the folder. 

"Your family as far as I'm concerned Dash, is a honorable one, no different than Fluttershy's or any other pony here." He glanced to the two colts.

"I know some of the foals have been giving you a hard time, as of this moment Dash I want this to be clear as possible. Your family is not a disgrace, and its honor is intact without question. Do not allow those with such short-sighted views weight you down." The stallion gave her a small smirk.

"After all, it looks like your family's great heritage just bore fruit once more. Only members with blood ties to your family have ever had the skill, determination, and spirit to make a Sonic Rainboom. There are other families that can boast of having made similar feats, but few of them are as spectacular as the one your family can make."

The stallion leaned back with a sigh. 

"However, your great accomplishments aside; both the sonic rainboom and your newly acquired cutie mark, you still broke camp rules." The stallion's face hardened as he looked sternly to the foals.

"If not for one small matter you would all be sent back home this instant." The stallion closed his eyes and took a shaking deep breath before he exhaled slowly and slowly opened his eyes to regard the foals with a curious look of concern.

"However, right now I am reserving that decision until this small matter is dealt with. Come with me." 

Without another word the small heard of pegasi followed the stallion as he lead them all out into the hallway and headed towards the exit platform. Taking wing he took off, leading the others to the camp's infirmary and landed without a word or sound. The little foals followed close behind, with Spirit carrying Fluttershy on his back, but also neither he or Pepper said a word despite the worried looks from the four foals. 

"What's going on?" Hoops finally asked, Iron looking to him with a small sigh. 

In a short period of time, the small flock had arrived at a door marked "Observation Room" and slowly they entered. 

Inside the room were several seats all overlooking a large pane of dark tented glass, on the other side of which was a bright lit room with a examination table at the center. Around the table were small dollies with trays full of various silver examination equipment and tools. On the wall were some bright and peaceful paintings as well as several cabinets marked with what was contained within each.  A long work bench rested atop the cabinets that ran along the floor on the far side of the room; neatly placed upon it were dozens more strange medical equipment and things that were all very foreign to the foals who looked on curiously. 

Their curiosity wasn't so much for the room itself, but for what sat inside the room. Resting or rather shaking nervously on the examination table was a young pegasus colt; he looked no older than Dash or Hoops. His fur looked like it was standing on end, his tail snapped back and forth as he looked around nervously. His ears were constantly moving, obviously searching for noises and their origins. His eyes were wide and full of fear, confusion, and worry, while his fore hooves fidgeted with each other.

"Who's that?" Hoops asked as he looked over the pony before smirking to Dash "Is he your cousin or something Dash? He has a mane just like yours!" He said with a small giggle 

Rainbow seemed unaware of what was said as she stared at the little colt. Her wine colored eyes focused on the colt; slowly screening over every little detail. 'He looks like...' Dash bit her lip as she looked to the grown-ups with a worried look. 

"We were hoping you four might know who this colt is. We found him stranded on a small cloud a fair distance out near one of the cirrius cloud canyon turns." Iron said as he looked away from the colt to the foals inside the room with him. 

"I've never seen the guy before." Hoops said looking up. 

"Me neither." DB added as he stood up next to his friend. 

"Are you sure?" Pepper finally asked, her eyes glancing to Dash who shrank back under their gaze.

"Honest, we've never seen that pony before. I still think he is related to her though, he has a rainbow mane after all." Hoops said sharing a chuckle to DB before a snort from Iron silenced it. 

"Very well then, you two may go. I expect both of you to be in your rooms until tomorrow. Your instructors will hand out your punishment tomorrow after sun-up." The stallion said as he moved to stand before Rainbow Dash.

"But!-" "Or would you rather we send you home to your parents now?" Iron snapped, cutting the argument off. The two colts shook their heads and quickly made a hasty exit. 

"What about you two?" Spirit asked walking over to Fluttershy who took another look at the other foal. 

"I well um, I've not seen him before. He looks so scared." She said hiding a little behind her hooves and mane. 

"I...I think he looks like my brother." Dash finally said looking over to tall stallion next to her. "But, he...he can't be." Dash finally said looking away from the sight of the little colt. 

Iron nodded and move to say something when a gentle knocking came to the door. "Hello?" a soft mare's voice rang out as the door slowly opened. Poking her head in was Honey Dawn, who looked around the dim room before spotting Iron and the others. 

"Ah Mrs.Dawn, I trust you and your husband had no trouble at the front desk?" Iron asked, as he walked over to greet the two new arrivals. Dash blasted past the stallion before he could utter another word.

"MOM! DAD! I MADE A SONIC RAINBOOM!" She squealed at them excitedly. 

"Dash!" Stratus gasped as he rushed to his daughter nuzzling her gently. "I'm so proud of you!" He chimed happily.

Dash smiled and giggled as her father brushed her mane out of her face. Her mother quickly joined in and gave her little filly a loving kiss to the forehead, earning a show of embarrassment from the little foal as she made a gagging noise and tried weakly to push her loving mother away. "Mom! There are other ponies watching." Her mother only smiled more and hugged her closer.

A soft cough drew the happy ponies out of their world of proud celebration as Iron walked up to them.

"As important as her accomplishment is for you family, I'm afraid that is not the reason we summoned you two here." Both Prism and Dawn looked to each other in confusion before looking to the head camp stallion with worried looks. 

"Why did you call us here then?" Prism asked, a sudden feeling of tension filling the room. 

"Mom, Dad?" Dash said softly, drawing worried looks from her two parents. 

She pointed with a slow hoof to the glass and the two looked and for the first time laid eyes on the little foal inside the other room. Both looked as if they had just seen a ghost, which started to change to looks of deep pain and sorrow; as if the ghost had just twisted a knife in them.

"I-it can't be..." Dawn muttered softly covering her mouth as a small sob escaped past her clenched jaw as she looked on with suddenly tear streaked eyes. 

Prism felt like his jaw had just detached itself, and landed on the floor; he couldn't form any of the words his mind wanted to say. 

"I'd say based on your reactions; this foal's resemblance to your son is beyond remarkable." Iron commented softly turning to look at the colt with a worried look upon his face.

"Remarkable? This...this has to be the worst prank in the history of Equestria." Prism all but growled as he started to glare towards the colt. 

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked turning his hurt and infuriated gaze towards the head instructor.

"We don't know. This colt was found shortly after Rainbow Dash performed her Sonic-Rainboom, he was found alone on a single piece of cloud out in open sky. We talked to him at length before I had him brought to this room to be checked over. He has no memories of who he is, where is from, who his family is or anything that could help identify him." 

Iron turned to lock eyes with the now stunned Prism.

"You have my word, that nopony at this camp would have the gal to pull a trick as bad as this." Iron said before he broke his eyes away from the bright orbs of Prism.

"Well then, what-" 

Suddenly the door that lead into the exam room flew open and a small group of Royal Guards marched into the room with the little foal. "There it is, grab it!" One of the pegasi snapped, a white unicorn guard nodded and his horn shimmered brightly as he ensnared the little pony in a magical field. The colt started to scream and struggled. 

Iron and the others stood motionless for only a instant before the head instructor burst into the other room through the observation room's side door. 

The guards blinked in surprise as in a blur of motion the head stallion shoved his way through them and rammed his shoulder into the unicorn who's magic held the little pony in its grasp. With a startled yelp the colt fell to the soft white floor and quickly ran and hid under the table.

"What the buck do you think your doing?!" Iron snarled, glaring daggers at the guards. 

"We are doing our job, now stand aside! We are here on order by her Majesty!" One of the darker coated pegsai guards shouted back, stepping up to face the head pony.

"It looks to me like your trying to foal nap a little pony." Pepper snapped as she flew into the room though the open side door, soon followed by Spirit who both took up places on either side of Iron Eagle.

"Look here, what it looks like to you is irrelevant. We have our orders and you will step aside or we will arrest you for interference with a royal matter." A tan pegasi guard snapped at them. 

The tension in the room began to rise further, which suddenly heightened when Prism trotted into the room, and quietly walked over to the little foal. Ignoring all of the stares from the guards he came to look at the shaking little foal who cowered under the table looking up as if he were gazing up at a rampaging dragon. 

"Hey little guy, what's your name?" He asked softly, his eyes and expression giving no obvious hint to what he was thinking to the colt. 

"I-I don't know. I don't know where I am or where I'm from. I just know I was sleeping, then I heard a loud boom and then I was alone on a small cloud high in the sky with nowhere to go." 

Prism nodded before he closed his eyes took a deep breath, and following its slow exhale he smiled at the little pony before moving back to lock eyes with the royal guard ponies. 

"You said that this isn't our business, I beg to differ. Now either explain or prove to us that your in the right, or get the buck out of here." 

The guards regarded the stallion with cold eyes for a moment before a black coated unicorn gave a amused snort and looked to the white unicorn. "You can run the test here can't you Shimmering Aegis?" 

The other unicorn blinked in surprise but nodded curtly to the other pony "Yes sir Major, I can. But we were-" The other unicorn cut him sharply "Then run the test." 

With a wide eye expression of shock the unicorn nodded and slowly approached Iron and the others who barred his path to the little colt. 

"We can prove one way rather or not, that the thing hiding under that table isn't a foal and is in fact a threat to the kingdom." The black unicorn said as he walked up to the defiant pegasi. "If you'd let us run the test we can avoid any...unwanted problems." He said with a confident smile. 

The pegasi regarded him with unconvinced looks until a shrill scream rang out again, this one obviously one of pain and terror. Looking back the saw the colt clutching at his left wing, and a small drop of blood stained the cloud floor. Floating away was a single feather, with a fresh drop of blood on the root of it. The sight of this made Iron and the others glare infuriated daggers at the guards, even the pegasi guards look rather unhappy with the act of ripping a feather from a pegasus's wings.

"That enough Shimmering?" The dark guard asked.

The other unicorn nodded and sighed "Yes sir, still I don't think this is needed." The stallion turned and began casting a spell on the feather. His horn blossoming into a small sparkler of magic fire as the feather began to shimmer like it was a glass sculpture caught in the light of the sun itself. Suddenly a sphere of magic enveloped the little feather, filling the room with such light as to cause the ponies to clench their eyes for a moment. 

As the light faded the room fell silent, all except the sobbing cries of the little colt whom had pushed himself further away from the royal guards; now trembling in a far corner of the room. 

Floating for all to see the sphere of magic began to show two images, which slowly cleared to that of two ponies. The images slowly began to become clearer, and clearer until finally two perfect portraits of a stallion and a mare were there for all to see. 

"That's me and my wife." Prism said softly looking at the mirrored images of himself and Honey Dawn. With a small snort the dark coated unicorn looked to the other guards and motioned them to the door with a head motion before he turned to lock eyes with the disruptive pegasi. 

"I will say this, we came here by order of Princess Celestia herself, and we trust her insight." The stallion slowly approached Prism who stood his ground firmly.

"The princess is not perfect and can make mistakes; I hope you can forgive her and ourselves for our mistake in this matter." With that the unicorn gave a slow respectful bow and then turned sharply and left. 

As the door closed, Prism, Pepper, Spirit, and Iron turned to look over towards the colt only to find Dawn there gently licking at the place where the guard had plucked the feather from. 

Prism looked at the sighed with mixed felling before he glanced back to the spell that still showed who the colt's parents were. At least that is what the guard ponies said it did. 

'Does this mean...he is really our son?' Prism closed his eyes again, and recalled what he felt when he he had taken a whiff of the colt's scent, when he had, a small tiny part of his mind seemed to click with the origin of the scent. It was familiar and one he knew he could never forget. 

"Sooo who is he then?" Dash asked, her voice drawing her father out of his deep train of thought. 

Dash stood near her mother looking at the frighten teary eye colt who looked back at her in fear. 

Slowly Prism walked over and sat down next to his wife and the foal and gave a warm smile as he looked at them. With one final glance to the magical sphere he turned and looked to his daughter, and son.

"Well..." Prism felt himself unsure of how to say what he felt, what he knew in his heart to be the truth.

"Dash, this is Rainbow Comet." Dawn said softly. The colt looked up to the mare with a look of confusion, which Dawn answered with a gentle kiss to his forehead. 

"I-I'm Rainbow Comet?" The colt asked, as he felt the gentle touch of Dawn's lips upon his forehead. 

"And this Comet, is your sister Rainbow Dash." Prism said softly, smiling brightly at the colt who looked between him and Dawn before looking to Dash; now with a look not so much of fear but curiosity.

"Rainbow Dash?" He asked the filly looking unsure of what to say or think.

"Yes?" 

"Did you make the boom that woke me up?" 

"Yes, I did. I made a sonic-rainboom!" She said her pride quickly over coming her unease about this colt who she had not seen until today becoming the brother she had only ever known from a single baby picture back home.

"A sonic-rainboom? That sounds cool." The colt said with a small smile; which obliterated the tension and nervousness that had been griping the little filly since she had first laid eyes on the rainbow-maned colt. 

"It was pretty cool huh? Yeah I'm gonna be wonderbolt someday!" 

The colt smiled  "That sounds awesome, could I be one too?" he asked

Dash grinned at the colt and reached in an drew him into a tight hug "Heh, stick with me Bro and you and I'll be wonderbolts in no time!" She said confidently. 

Nearby as Iron Eagle, Wild Spirit, Flame Pepper, and Fluttershy watched the family embracing the colt into their lives; the magical sphere slowly started to shimmer before it burst like a giant water balloon. A burning feather fell towards the floor, becoming nothing but ashes before it could touch the cloud.



May 18th 1854 A.D. 12:45PM Altostratus Summer Flight Camp




The dark coated unicorn Obsidian Lance, a Sgt Major in the Royal Guards trotted down the steps leading away from the flight camp infirmary, a look of utter annoyance upon his face. 

"Sir, what will we tell her majesty? She ordered us to capture the sleeper." One of the pegasi guards asked only to shrink back under the fury filled glare he got from the unicorn. 

"We will tell her the truth, that we came here to get the creature. That we were interrupted by several camp instructors as well as a member of the Aegis family. We will also inform her that the test that should have proven that the sleeper was in fact a fake pony failed." The stallion snorted at the end glaring at the clouds ahead of him.

"Sir, the test didn't fail it-" The other unicorn wasn't able to finish before he went silent as the horn on the major glowed brightly and he felt the pressure of magic on his throat; it was a warning, plain and simple to be quite.

"The test had to have failed. There is no possible way a sleeper could have parents, or family." The stallion snapped before he stormed further a head of the group.

'There is no way, a sleeper, a creature from another dimension and would could ever have blood ties in this world.' The stallion though darkly as he headed for the chariot that the pegasi guards would use to take him and the other unicorn Star Shield back to Canterlot.




> Chapter 4: To find a rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Trail of Rainbows
Arc 1: Something Lost, Is Something Found
Chapter 4: To find a rainbow





May 18th 1854 A.D. 4:45PM Canterlot Castle, Celestia's Personal Chambers





The sun goddess, for all her power was not a supreme being, nor was she gifted with omniscience. She slowly turned her tired eyes away from the scroll, a report from the group of royal guards that stood in front of her desk.

"So as you can see your Majesty, we did all that was in our power to do. If we had pushed the issue, it could have spiraled into a large problem than we felt would be undesirable for you." Obsidian Lance said respectfully, when the regal alicorn looked at him with a tired and sad expression upon her royal features.

"I know Lance, I know. For your foresight you have my thanks." She said with a small warm smile, that the unicorn and guards seem to bath in its gentle kind radiance. 

"You said in the report that the test clearly showed the images of the stallion in the room, as well as a mare that you saw go and start tending to the foal yes?" She asked looking to the white unicorn who stood behind Obsidian Lance.

"Yes your Majesty, I performed the spell True Heritage and it showed us the image of a rainbow maned stallion who was in fact in the room at the time, as well as a mare who came in shortly afterwards and started to tend to the colt. Both of them according to the spell were the colts parents."

The unicorn with a nervous gulp broke eye contact with the princess and looked down towards the open scrolls on her desk. 

"His mane was a dead give away ma'am, he is of the Aegis Family, the Knight's Rainbow, a family of Fallen Stars." 

The princess's features hardened at the uttering of the 'fallen stars' and quickly looked down to the scrolls and papers in front of her. 

Her guards had gathered a great deal of information before they had presented a report to her; identifying all the ponies that had intervened in the mission, their immediate families, their personal history, and more importantly family heritage. Out of those presented in the files the family of Stratus Prism was the one that caught her attention the most; especially the fact that the stallion had lost a colt shortly after his wife had given birth. The medical report described a colt that matched the description of the colt her guards had found. The implications were worrying.

"For now I will think about what we should do next. Until then I want you all to return to your normal duties. For now the matter is closed." She said firmly.

The guards snapped to full attention and shouted passionately. "YES YOUR MAJESTY!" With a salute they snapped in an about-face and marched out of the chamber, leaving the royal alicorn alone with her thoughts.

Slowly she leaned back in the large plush seat, a hollowed sad sigh escaping past her clenched lips and jaw. Her eyes held tightly shut as she reached into her vast reservoir of memories, looking back to the past partly to recall any detail that could help her in the current situation, and partly to remember past friends and an old heartache.

"Luna...Lightning Aegis...Shinning Saber..."

Suddenly a gentle rapping came to her chamber door.

"Yes? Come in," she said looking too the door, half expecting one of the guards from before to have found more to say on the matter. Instead her heart leaped with joy as she found herself looking at a small lavender coated unicorn filly, her mane straight and a deeper shade of violet, with a single stripe of dark pink and another strip of a lighter shade of violet than the rest of her mane. Her little eyes also deep pools of a violet hue looked at her with awe, curiosity, and she dare say a little twig of fear.

"Um, excuse me Princess Celestia, I'm ready for my lessons." The little filly said shyly, her voice twinged with her nervousness.

With a warm smile Celestia felt all the negative emotions and doubt that had been weighing down on her mind lift and get blown away at the sight of the little foal and she quickly trotted over to her new student.

"Welcome Twilight Sparkle," she greeted the shy unicorn warmly "I do apologize Twilight, I was held up with some royal matters." She ran a comforting hoof over the little filly's mane.

"Well my new faithful student, are you ready to learn?" She asked and chuckled softly as the shyness and nervousness in the little foal melted away and the little pony bounced about excitedly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She chanted happily, earning a very amused and happy smile from the royal alicorn.

'The matter with the sleepers can wait for now, it isn't like they will grow up over night.' Celestia thought to herself as she lead her new protegee towards a wide wall of books to begin the process of feeding a hungry young mind.





May 18th 1854 A.D. 7:30PM Cloudsdale, Blue Typhoon Apartments





Stratus Prism and Honey Dawn smiled as the little colt quietly slept in his newly finished bed, the sight alone kept the stallion and mare on the brink of tears. Prism saw the little colt yawn and roll in his sleep, the soft cloud blanket fluttering as his wings stirred under its soft surface. 'I wonder if he is already dreaming of flying.' Prism wondered as he slowly trotted over the quiet cloud floor to tuck the colt in again. Dawn moving to join him.

"Prism, what will we tell the folks?" Dawn finally asked in a hushed whisper, careful not to awaken the sleeping pony.

"Simple, we will tell them the truth. No sense in hiding the facts, what matters is this colt is our son by blood." Prism replied softly his eyes resting on the sleeping form.

"I know dear, it is just...what if those guard ponies come back for him?" Dawn asked, worry written clearly on her face.

"We will do what ever is needed, to keep our family safe." Prism replied looking to his mare and leaning into gently kiss her tenderly.

The two shared a loving kiss, before they turned to look once more at the colt.

"Who will teach him how to fly?" Dawn asked, breaking the silence once more.

"We could send him to a-" Prism started to say only to be silenced by his wife's the pained look that crossed his wife's features, her eyes looking to him with such pain.

"No, no...I couldn't bare sending him away." Dawn said softly, a deep twig of pain hinted at in her voice.

"Then, well, we could teach him." The light blue stallion said as he rubbed his mare's forehoof with his own with a gentle reassuring touch.

"We could, couldn't we..." Dawn mused softly, she then turned to her stallion and wrapped him tightly in her wings and forehooves. "We got our boy back...we got him back." Dawn whimpered softly, tears flowing anew down her cheeks as she clung to her husband.

Prism smiled and felt his own eyes grow damp, as he gently embraced Dawn in return, kissing her check gently, he stroked her forehooves gently with his own. 'Yes, even if part of us know he isn't our original, what does that matter? This colt needs a family, and our hearts still sting from our loss.' Prism thought looking to the still sleeping foal.

"Our son, we'll teach him to fly. Starting tomorrow." He said softly, Dawn nodding in agreement.

Regardless of the trials to come, they would face them together.






May 19th 1854 A.D. 7:00AM  Canterlot Castle, Royal Intelligence Department, "Artemis Cascade" division





Princess Celestia marched through the halls of the Intelligence Department, her face hardened and full of determination. She had finished her morning lessons with the young unicorn Twilight Sparkle, and during that time her mind had worked over not just the teaching of her young and faithful student, but also over the matter of the sleepers.

Without asking, several of the royal guards that worked within the silent halls of the R.I.D. quietly moved to march as her escort. Rather she needed it or not, she would not push aside the much valued company of her friends among her guards. 

She quickly entered a large room, pushing aside the two massive doors with her magic and trotted briskly to a large ornate seat, taking her place upon its lush cushion she turned her attention to several other ponies within the room. 

Celestia noted the other ponies quietly as she opened a folder in front of her and briefly skimmed over it's contents, her focus on the ponies at the table.

There was Obsidian Lance, a sergeant major in the royal guard and the leader of one of four teams of 'Trackers'; groups of royal guard who had been trained to locate Sleepers. Next to him sat the team leaders for the other three teams. The earth stallion Dauntless Will, the pegsaus stallion Mistdancer, and finally the unicorn mare Sun Pearl.

Across from the tracker team leaders was the head of the R.I.D, a mountain of a stallion named Defiant Shield. On his left sat the head professor of the Artemis Cascade division, a old unicorn stallion Professor Sidosean and his assistant a quite mare named Shimmering Midnight. On the right of Defiant was the current Captain of the Royal Guard Sturmfaust and his second in command Second lieutenant Shining Armor. 

Last at the other end of the table sat several nobles; all of them wearing heavy clothing and mask to hide their identities from the other ponies, only Princess Celestia knew who they truly were.

"I'm glad you could all make it on such short notice, I apologize to you for the unexpected request." Celestia said softly, several of the ponies shook their heads with Shield smiling over to her.

"Princess, in all my years working here, I know if you had a reason to call for a meeting on such short notice, then it obviously is important. You have no reason to apologize to us." He said kindly, the soft gentle voice seeming at odds with his outward appearance. 

The princess nodded and pushed onwards, "I called this meeting for three reasons; one, a great many Sleepers have awoken over the last twenty-four hours. Two, the test True Heritage, which from the past we know should reveal a sleeper to us, recently seems to have either failed or something has happened that we have missed. Professor Sidosean I believe you already have a working theory on this matter?" She asked looking to the older pony.

The professor nodded with a sagely smile on his face, "Yes your highness, I do have a few ideas on the matter, but please continue what is your third reason?" The elderly stallion asked looking to her with the same curious eyes as Twilight had given her when they had been studying together. 

'Hungry minds never stop looking for new things.' Celestia mused with a smile, recalling how eager Twilight Sparkle was to learn new things, she continued where she left off. "The final reasons is, I want to come to a decision on what to do about this situation as a whole."

With that said she turned her attention to Shield with a small nod. The stallion quietly opened a folder in front of him and began to read over the report.

"Ma'am, our scout trackers are still out in the field, and have searched high and low all over the country. We believe we have in fact located no less than a dozen Sleepers, a mix of pegasi, unicorn, and earth pony foals. None of the located foals have any memory before they awoke. However, as was the case with the young pegasi colt found first, code named Rainbow 1, all of the foals found so far have had the True Heritage test run and so far all have tested positive for having not only family, but family alive and often close by." Shield looked to her with a small hint of worry on his features.

"Also, these families have almost without exception, taken in the foals and have become quite protective of them." The room filled with quiet hushed heated discussion between the ponies at the table at this news, as Celestia nodded and looked over to the leaders of the tracker teams.

"How protective?" she asked, the four guard ponies each shared a look of apprehension between them before Obsidian Lance spoke up first.

"Very, not just them but others as well. As stated in my team's report earlier, we were confronted by three camp instructors, in addition to them there was also a stallion with a rainbow mane who looked more than willing to put up a fight against us."

Next to the dark coated unicorn, Dauntless a stallion with a rich warm cream colored coat and a dark fiery scarlet mane spoke up.

"Our team also had a confrontation though, not as direct as Lance's team. We followed the magic aura towards the location where we believed we'd find a sleeper, and found two foals, both unicorn, one a filly the other a colt. The filly had her cutie mark. We moved in to capture them both to figure out which was the Sleeper and well, they ran." The stallion looked almost embarrassed about the statement as he continued.

"Their panic, caused them to have magic surges and we were pushed back by some of their wayward blasts of magic. By the time we had picked ourselves back up they were well out of sight. we followed their hoofprints and the magic aura trail which by now was degrading rapidly, to a house inside Ponyville."

Dauntless looked down to the floor as he let out a small sigh.

"It was home to Magnum Buckshot of the Ponyville Buccaneers hoofball team. When we arrived and attempted to capture the foals; he simple stated that both were his children and that if we wanted in his home we would need more evidence. So we offered to run the test, with our team's unicorn being allowed to draw some small blood samples. The test on the filly showed she belonged to both the mare and the stallion Mr.Buckshot. However, when we ran the test on the colt; it showed the same result."

Dauntless looked up to the princess. "I'm sorry ma'am but with that kind of result, we couldn't push to apprehend the foals."

The princess nodded before raising a hoof to the other leaders. "I think that will be enough, I'm going to guess you all had similar issues no matter where you went, right?" 

The other two ponies Mistdancer, and Sun Pearl both nodded.

"I see, Professor Sidosean, can you please tell me your ideas about why the test has failed recently."

The elderly stallion chuckled softly as he got to his hooves, his bones cracking softly as he does so. He groans softly as he stretches a bit before he uses his magic to draw out a smoking pipe and lights it up and takes a gentle puff on it.

"Well your majesty," The old pony said as he trotted over to a blackboard on the left side of the room, "I think to answer the test's results we will need answers to some other things, so that everypony ends up on the same page."

Quietly he quickly drew a picture of a little foal, within two circles. 

"Sleepers, the name you gave them after the fact most of these beings all appear to be sleeping when first found." The stallion then took a small puff on his pipe.

"They are contained with in a strange double layered sphere of powerful protective magics," The stallion smiled as he noted the confused look from some of the guards at the table.

"This 'egg' if you will, has a outer layer of magic similar to some of the shield spells unicorns use, however it is many times more powerful. The inner layer from what you were able to tell us from your first encounter with these beings is made up of powerful chaos magic. How this can be we are unsure of even now." 

The stallion turned to Celestia as he puffed on his pipe. "Based on what you told us happened when you tried to open one of these eggs when they were first discovered, the magic on the outer layer you were able to pierce and remove, however when you attempted to remove the second layer of protection it resulted in a massive backlash of magic." 

As the ponies looked to their princess, Celestia gave a curt nod to the question, "Yes, the blast was enough to stun myself and knocked many of the guards that were with me unconscious."

Professor Sidosean nodded with a small smile. "Thus we can tell easily that the egg is meant primarily for protection; as your guards and yourself were able to handle the few eggs you found before you attempted to open one of them."

Again the princess nodded.

"The resulting backlash not only stunned you and knocked your friends unconscious but also caused the eggs you had found as well as many, many thousands of others to erupt from the ground and float into the sky, at which point they scattered off into the distance."

The professor sighed as he looked down at his pipe in thought.

"Based on the cases of some that were found before they awoken, we can assume the eggs when they scattered went into hiding by some unknown guidance. With records of the few eggs being found in places such as the highest mountain in Equestria, as well as in the bay of Manehatten."

Professor Sidosean clenched his jaw, biting his pip as he frowned, looking over to the ponies at the table.

"Over the last thousand years, Sleepers as we now call them have emerged, most of the ones we know of have been very dangerous ponies. Doctor Triad and his supremest unicorn followers. Professor Boriarty and his criminal enterprise, just to name a few." 

The stallion then turned and drew two earth ponies, two unicorn, and two pegasi on the blackboard, one mare and one stallion of each.

"In the past we assumed that most sleepers simply awaken on their own and then move into society, developing as they lived among us."

"That they would in time begin to incite conflict among the populace and start in short wars. We know this to be the case with some, like with the capture of the sleeper Doctor Triad."

"It was during the investigation of Doctor Triad we learned that sleepers had no blood relations, so the spell True Heritage; created by Unicorn nobility to prove the legitimacy of a bloodline, could be used to unveil a sleeper."

The stallion tapped his pipe on the picture of the foal.

"However, based on the new results, using a test that has thus far NEVER, I repeat, NEVER failed before now. It is my belief that we have horribly misjudged the situation."

Princess Celestia looked at him curiously raising a brow. "What do you mean Professor?"

"I think it is very possible, that despite the chaotic nature of the inner shell of magic, despite the dozen or so sleepers we have found who have all proven to be rotten evil ponies to the core, that we have only been looking at a small faction of the full picture."

The stallion looked to the drawings he had made.

"Up close anything can look strange, alien, even frightening....but once you take a step back and look at the big picture as a whole you can see things...a lot better." The stallion smiled to himself as he looked back to the ponies in the room.

"I believe now, that the sleepers, ignoring for now what ever power brought them here, are here to live a life. I think that somehow the magics that protect them also can take the traits from ponies nearby and mesh them with the little life contained within, thus in short literally giving birth to a new pony or some other creature." 

The stallion looked to the princess for a moment. "You did say that you saw a baby dragon and gryphon when you first discovered the eggs at the end of the Evening War correct?"

The royal princess nodded looking slightly lost in thought now.

"I think in the case of the colt from the summer flight camp, took all of his traits from the filly that made the sonic-rainboom. Thus when the True Heritage test was run it showed this Stratus Prism and his mare as the colt's parents by blood."

Sidosean smiled to himself as he gaze grew distant as he allowed himself to fall into deep thought for a moment, before he shook his head gently and pointed to the chalk board.

"Rainbow 1, according to the report and information our colleges were able to gather on such short notice, matches perfectly with how old the son of this Stratus Prism would have been had he lived. His coat matches, his mane matches, and even his eyes according to the report from Obsidian Lance compared to the medical record shows a match with the colt found at the camp." 

The stallion turned to the princess who had been watching him carefully. 

"Simply put ma'am, to live a life they would need a family; to raise them, nurture them, and show them the way of being a good pony." 

Celestia looked to the other ponies at the table, all of them looked as if they were chewing over the recent barrage of information from the professor. Slowly she looked over to her old friend with a wary smile.

"So Professor, do you think they aren't a threat then? That the few sleepers we know of are just accidents or something?" 

The old stallion sighed shaking his head while also looking slightly amused at something.

"As I said ignoring the 'why' and 'how' they got here I think they are here to live a life. The bad ponies we know to have been sleepers I do think could have been accidents or cases of them waking up to early or without any pony to show them the right path."

The princess nodded looking down to the folder in front of her before she sighed and a look a stone hard determination returned to her face.

"I have come to a decision then."

The room fell deathly quiet.

"I Princess Celestia, Royal Monarch of the Kingdom of Equestria, here by give this royal decry. As of this moment, the whole focus of the Artemis Cascade division of the R.I.D. will be to keep a close watch on the recently awaken sleepers. Until further notice or until they prove to be a threat." The princess looked to the professor with worried but hopeful eyes.

"I hope your right my old friend."

The professor nodded and smiled back to her. "Princess Celestia, part of learning is learning from ones mistakes. We have seen the results of going after newly awaken sleepers I think it is time now to see what happens when we allow life, to take its course."





May 19th 1854 A.D. 2:25PM Cloudsdale "Nimbus Cloud Park" 





Rainbow Comet panted heavily as he beat his wings furiously, the air mixing around like it was in a savage blinder. He squinted his eyes in tired frustration, as the clouds below him whipped about like the topping of some sweet icing topped cake. His hooves danged above the whipped clouds, no more than a few feet of the cloud layer.

Finally he could do no more and with a exhausted, frustrated groan he slowed his wing strokes and fell to the absorbent soft bank of cloud beneath him. There he lay panting and sweating after his energetic and frantic attempt to fly.

Nearby his father and mother had been watching, both shared a loving though sad expression between themselves before they moved closer to the little foal. Comet's father Prism leaned in to nudge at his son tenderly with a small smile. 

"You did good for your first real try." Prism said proudly while his wife and Comet's mother Dawn leaned in close to her son and began to gently tend to the tired little wings of the colt; gently and lovingly preening the blue feathers as the colt caught his breath.

"I-I'm never gonna fly before Sis gets home." The young colt said dejectedly as he stomped a forehoof on the soft cloud.

"Son, your sister will not be home for a few more days." Prism said as he smiled down at the tired pony.

"You have plenty of time to learn to fly." The older stallion said softly his features and expression soft and kind as the colt looked up to him with his ice aqua blue eyes.

"But what if I don't? We won't be wonderbolts together." Comet said sadly, looking down, his eyes full of worry and doubt.

Comet suddenly let out a soft gentle sigh, as his body instantly relaxed, his head drooping to lay on the cloud beneath him. His father couldn't help but chuckle softly as he looked to Dawn who had a small grin on her lips as she continued to preen the colt's wings.

"M-mom that feels nice." Comet mumbled softly, his mother smiling as she pulled back, her work finished. 

"I know dear, our wings, not just us, but all pegasi wings are sensitive, they need to be to judge and read the currents of the wind." Dawn said matter-of-factually. 

"Now, do you think your up to try again?" Dawn asked with a small smile as she nudged at her son's check gently.

"I guess, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. You and Dad make it look easy." The little colt said with a hint of a huff at the end of his comment. 

The two parents shared a soft smile between each other before the each spread their wings, their son following suit.

"How bout we take it slow this time hmm?" Prism asked, his son nodding as he focused on his father's wings again.

"Now follow our motions okay Comet?" Prism slowly began to flap his wings, making sure to exaggerate the exact motion, and angle of how the wing should be held while in motion.

Comet nodded looking back at his wings then to his parents again to see if he was doing it right.

"Focus on your father Comet, I'll tell you if your doing it wrong okay?" Dawn said softly.

The little colt nodded his eyes focused now entirely on his father's wings.

"Your holding your wings to high honey, here relax them just a bit." Dawn said suddenly. She as she moved over to her son and extended a wing to Comet's port side wing. She gently held his wing up with hers and used it to gently guide th colt's wing through the correct motion, and now with the slowly corrected amount of firmness.

"There you go, just like that. Keep watching your father. There that's it!" Dawn said happily as she watched the colt's wing motions becoming a mirror of the stallions own wing flaps.

"Okay son, now add a bit more power-Whoa!" Prism gasped as the colt poured on the power and promptly shot into the air so fast he watched as the colt lost his barrings.

Comet gave a startled cry of shock and surprise as he found himself now not only high up above the clouds but also in the process of flipping himself upside down and about to go into a nose dive towards the clouds..

The sudden meeting of pony and cloud was averted by a pair of strong gentle loving hooves. As Prism and Dawn both reacted quickly and caught the free-falling foal.

"You okay Comet?" Dawn asked a little worried that the colt might have scared himself with the sudden rise into the air.

"That was...AWESOME!" Comet declared enthusiastically, his little body struggling free of his parent's hooves, and as soon as his wings felt the air again they instantly went back to the motions he had been practicing just moments before.

The sight was one that would bring any pegasi parent to prideful tears. Prism and Dawn both shed them happily as they watched Comet 'trotting' on air. His hooves mimicking the normal trotting motion of a pony, while his wings flapped at his sides.

"Your doing it baby!" Dawn said happily flying in front of the colt encouraging him onwards.

Prism watched as Comet flew on his own after his mother, who lead him in a small circle above the bank of clouds they had chosen as the sigh for his first flight lesson.

'A quick study just like his sister.' Prism mused happily, only a small part of his mind nagged at him. 'Takes most foals at least a week to learn to fly.' 

Comet's smiling face and bright eyes suddenly filled the stallion's field of view, snapping him out of his train of thought. 

"Hey Dad, tag your it!" Comet declared as he jabbed the stallion with a hoof before flying away from the surprised stallion.

Prism chuckled, "Ha ha, come here you little snipe!"  he said with a mischievous grin, as he gave chase after his son. 

'Just like Dash, he will be flying rings around other foals before we know it.' Prism mused, a image of his son and daughter as wonderbolt flyers flashing through his mind's eye as he gently tapped the colt's rump with a hoof. "Your it!" He said with a grin as he pulled away from the colt's attempted to tag him in return.

"Come on son, you can catch your old dad right?" Prism teased, the colt narrowed his eyes and a look of determination crossed his face as he grinned at the retreating form of his father. 

"In a flash!" Comet declared, pushing himself to fly as fast as he could after the darting form of the older pony.

Above the fields of Equestria, two rainbow trails zipped across the open skies.
> Chapter 5: Welcome Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Trail of Rainbows
Arc 1: Something Lost, Is Something Found
Chapter 5: Welcome Home





May 22nd 1854 A.D. 8:00 A.M. Cloudsdale, Blue Typhoon Apartments.




As Celestia's sun began to clear the mountains to the far north of Cloudsdale, its warming rays of light bathing the great cloud city of Cloudsdale in a golden glow; Moon Dancer happily knocked on the door to his son's apartment. Behind the stallion stood his own father Sun Clipper and his son's father-in-law Mist Chaser. Waiting behind them were several mares and other pegasi of the Aegis Family. 

"Do you know why Stratus Prism called for a family reunion to take place the same day Rainbow Dash returns home from SFC?" Mist Chaser asked as he and the other three stallions waited for an answer.

"No, but any chance to see my grand-daughter is always a-" Moon Dancer said only to be interrupted by a sound inside the apartment.

"Coming!" a small colt's voice shouted from the other side of the door after only a moment after Dancer had knocked.

Dancer and many of the other ponies near the door looked down as the door opened and a young dark blue colt answered the door, the sudden gust of wind that blew past fluttering his rainbow colored mane in its gentle creases. 

"Oh hello, can we help you with something?" The little colt ask looking to Dancer and other ponies curiously. 

Dancer swore to himself he heard the jaws of the ponies around him hit the clouds, and fell through them towards the ground. His eyes were wide with shock and surprise at the sight of the little pony. His mind racing trying to understand what he thought he was seeing. 

"Um, are you okay?" He asked, sounding now a little nervous. 

"Honey, who's at the door?" Dawn's voice rang out softly as her figure soon appeared at the doorway.

As soon as Honey Dawn opened the door to see who Comet was talking to she felt her own eyes grow wide in shock. After a short moment however, she regained control of herself and sighed, offering up a small but she hoped welcoming smile. 

"Mom, do you know them?" the little foal asked looking to her with a confused look across his face.

"Yes I know them Comet, they're family." Dawn said softly. "Dad, won't you and the others come in? We have a lot to talk about." She said as she gestured for the ponies outside to come inside.

After several long moments, Moon Dancer was able to finally regain some semblance of control over himself as he finally broke his stare away from the colt to look at his daughter-in-law. 

She was still gesturing for him and the others to come in, and with a small sigh he lands and walks in, followed by the rest of the family.

Inside Dancer found his son trotting in from the hallway that lead to the bedrooms and bathroom and the look on his face told Dancer, his son had been expecting this. 

"You have a lot to explain son." Dancer said calmly, his eyes however glaring daggers at the other stallion who seemed to take the glare and suffer no ill from it.

"Dad, you have no idea." Stratus Prism said with a small sigh, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he turned to the colt who trotted around looking up at Moon Dancer and the others, with a bright wide eyes, filled with curiosity. 

"Rainbow Comet come here," Prism said firmly, drawing the colt's eyes and attention in an instant. Without hesitation Comet flared his wings and flew to his father side quickly.

"Your mother and I will be having some important discussions with the rest of the family, can you go play outside please?" Prism asked his face having soften as the colt had flown to his side. 

"Uh okay, sure." Looking confused, Comet flew to his room and grabbed his favorite toy and then quickly bolted out of the apartment with the ball in hoof.

Once the colt had left, and the door was closed behind him. Prism turned to face what was in his mind a execution squad of archers.

"Stratus Prism, explain who that colt is, and why he looks like your deceased son?" Moon Dancer asked, glaring at the light blue stallion.

"I will explain as best I can, but I have a feeling it will take more for you to fully grasp what has happened." Prism said softly as he sat back on his haunches and took a deep breath.

"This all started when we were called to the Altostratus Summer Flight Camp, apparently our daughter Rainbow Dash had just done something amazing." Prism said as he began to tell the family of what had transpired several days prier.




May 22nd 1854 A.D. 4:14 P.M. Altostratus Summer Flight Camp.




The sun continued along its journey across the skies of Equestria, bathing all of the kingdom's ponies in its warmth and light. Enjoying the warmth of the sun's rays, a young pegasus filly; with a mane and tail full of the colors of the rainbow, and a coat of soft light cerulean in color, flew as fast as she could through the cloud rings that floated now above the Altostratus Flight Camp.

It was the 25th Annual Summer Flight Camp meet-up, where some the best foals from one of the other SFC's came to visit and compete with the best flyers of the Altostratus Flight Camp. This year the visiting camp was the Aurora Mirage Flight Camp, easily the most lavished flight camp in the whole of Equestria. Rainbow Dash figured when she heard about the camp, that it was due to it being close to the city of Las Pegasus.

Rainbow Dash was a top favorite to win the 25th Annual SFC Meet-Up Trophy, she had placed first in the 'Climb to Altitude', and '0 to 60 to 0'challenges. 

Now Dash was flying as fast as she could with all the skill she could muster to hold the lead of the Young Flyer Cloud Kicker Race. Where the pegasi foals would be asked to race along a corridor of cloud rings, not missing a single one, and over coming the weather obstetrical placed at key points on the track.

Dash rolled to the the right and dove down entering into another stretch of the course, the wispy cloud rings flashing in a blur of white streaks. She felt the air pressure around her building, but she knew from her attempt yesterday to make a sonic rainboom, that she would get in trouble if she made or came close to making a sonic rainboom again so close to the camp.

She slowed down a little, and then pulled up just as she past through a ring, climbing up and barrel rolling to the left, passing through the next ring smoothly. Already she felt the cone of compressed sonic air leaving her and dissipating away. 

Dash grinned confidently as she looped up and over into the next ring before leveling out and pouring on the power again. She had survived the tornado tunnels at the start, and had navigated through the dreaded micro-burst easily. Now with all the weather obstacle behind her, and her competition lagging behind by several dozen yards, Rainbow Dash flew to her hearts content now that she wasn't having to focus on over coming some sudden weather phenomena. 

'Just like Pepper said, gotta feel the sky.' Dash steadied herself, as she angled her wings and slide down to the right as she drew close to the next ring before passing through it and then going into an upward spiral as she flew through a series of rings that circled around a solid cloud column. 

As she came out of the last ring of the column she spied the finish line of the course. With cheering foals packed into the small banks of cloud along the sides of the finish line. She could see her instructor and friend Flame Pepper, as well as her best friend Fluttershy and her instructor Wild Spirit. 

With her friends cheering and many of the foals up on their wings whooping and howling with excitement, Rainbow Dash poured on the steam for a solid blitz on the checkered flag.

With the winds whipping around her, leaving her face and skin stinging under its sharp lashes, Dash floored it and blazed past the finish line with a resounding whoosh of air. 

'Not a sonic rainboom, but still it feels good to go fast.' Dash thought to herself happily as she pulled up and pulled into a gentle lazy turn to her port side and came in towards the landing field near the finish line. 

As her hooves kissed the clouds Fluttershy was the first to her.

"Congratulations Dash, you not only won first place, you set a new camp record!" The little long legged filly said softly as she lofted down next to Dash.

Dash smiled warmly to her and hugged her close as Pepper and Spirit made their way to her.

"Thanks for the encouragement Flutters, it helps to have a great friend like you cheering me on." She said as she released her friend who had returned her hug in kind only more gently.

"Well done Rainbow Dash!" Wild Spirit said happily as he landed softly next to Fluttershy.

"New record time of fifteen minutes and forty five seconds!" Pepper said excitedly, as she bumped hooves with her. 

Seconds later the rest of the lead pack of foals arrived, crossing the finish line to a massive round of cheers and sounds of jubilation from the other older ponies; they knew finishing a race period was what counted. Winning while nice was only part of it, to finish the race period meant a pony didn't give in and allow their doubt to slow them down.

As the remaining foals arrived, crossing the finish line exhausted, and some with defeated looks to their muzzles; Rainbow Dash was basking in her accomplishment.

"RAINBOW DASH! RAINBOW DASH!" some of the foals cheered still for her, and she soaked it up as much as she had taken in her teacher's lessons.

The little filly turned to her friend and mentor with a warm smile. "So Flame, am I gonna be a wonderbolt or not?" She asked the older mare with a confident grin.

Flame Pepper sighed, rubbing a hoof on the back of her head before she chuckled softly. "I think you got it in ya to be a wonderbolt. You just keep this up, and when your old enough we will send you an invitation to our training academy."

Dash beamed at this then, a look of confusion crossed her face seconds later. "Wait, training academy?" She asked looking to the mare slightly shocked.

The older mare nodded, tossing her fiery mane back with a small smirk. 'Just like any fan, they assume its all fun and games to be a wonderbolt.' Pepper thought sadly, but then she remembered who she was talking with. 'She might have what it takes thought.'

"Yeah, you know we don't spend our days doing what we want. No, flying for the Wonderbolts means being the best, not just at flying but knowing how to fly in ways not just taught anywhere, how to perform the stunts and your placement in them down to the inch." Pepper said with a proud smile.

"If you want to be a Wonderbolt, you gotta practice, not just to get in, but constantly once you are in." She said.

Dash felt like she was about to pass out; she had figured if she had impressed Flame Pepper she would be in the Wonderbolts in no time.

"So Rainbow you still want to be a Wonderbolt?" Pepper asked, her voice carrying the air of a friendly tease. It was just enough to prick at that stubborn pride Dash had shown more than a few times while under the mare's wing.

"Yes!" She said stomping a hoof down to show her determination as he eyes narrowed. "I'm gonna keep going till I'm a Wonderbolt!" 

Pepper smiled fondly at the rainbow maned filly. "Then never think of it as if you will join us then Rainbow Dash, always think of it as when. With determination and resolve you will join us, and allow all of Equestria to see our sky."




May 22nd 1854 A.D. 4:20 P.M. Altostratus Summer Flight Camp, Cafeteria Building




Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she downed her glass of milk, next to her Fluttershy ate her dinner quietly, but with a happy smile on her face.

"Ahhhh that hit the spot." Dash declared as she relaxed on her seat.

"Hey Flutters, did you have anything planned for when we get home?" Dash asked nudging her friend gently with her glass.

"Me? Oh um, well I think my mom wanted me to enjoy the rest of my free time before we start Flight School. She said something about a surprise."

Dash nodded smiling to her friend, she had become more open over the course of their time at the flight camp. "That sounds cool." Dash said happily as she started to dig into her dinner salad.

Suddenly Fluttershy looked to Dash with a seemingly worried look. "Um Dash, could I um ask you something?" 

The rainbow maned filly looked to her friend curiously but nodded, adding "Sure" after swallowing a mouth full of greens.

"Uh well, um are you okay with your folks adopting some random foal that was found near camp?" Flutters asked softly.

Rainbow looked to her with a raised brow in surprise. "What?" she asked seeming unable to fathom what Flutters just asked her, or perhaps wanting to be sure she heard her right.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked, of course everything is fine." Fluttershy said looking away like she had just committed some horrible crime.

"No Flutters, what did you say?" Dash asked, placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

The shy pegasus looked to Dash with frighten eyes. "Please don't be angry." She said softly.

"Fluttershy, why would I be angry with you, your my best friend." Dash said reassuringly. "Now what did you say, I wasn't sure I heard you right."

With a small nod Fluttershy repeated herself. "I asked, um if you were okay with your new adopted brother."

Rainbow Dash rubbed a hoof under her chin, looking deep in thought before she smiled brightly at her friend. "Of course I'm okay, just one small fact Flutters, they didn't adopt him, he has always been my brother." Dash stated as a matter of fact.

"But, you told me your brother was dead." Flutters said before she let out a small 'eep' and covered her mouth with her hooves, mumbling swiftly "I'm sorry!" 

Dash blinked at her before she sighed but her friendly smile never leaving her. "Fluttershy, I know what I told you, my Dad told me when I was six." 

Rainbow Dash turned to look out a sky-light at the clear blue skies above them. "He told me, when pegasi die, they join our ancestors in the Astral Glades a place only the Princess can visit freely and return from." 

Dash sighed a little before looking to her friend. "Fluttershy, my dad told me my brother was up there and would always be watching us, seeing what we did and now and then that he might come down and play with us as the wind in the clouds and sky." .

"But Dash, if you know that why do you say that colt is your brother? The dead can't come back to life." Fluttershy said before looking again down at her hooves in shame.

Rainbow Dash smiled and suddenly pulled her friend into a hug. "Flutters, you don't get it. Our world has magic everywhere, what pony said for certain that the dead can't get a second chance?" 

The shy pegsaus blinked, both in shock and surprise; she had never considered that. 'What pony did say that they can't get a second chance?' She thought to herself before she returned the hug to Dash tightly.

"I'm sorry for asking you Dash, it is just I thought it was strange for you and your folks to warm up to some strange colt so quickly." Flutter smiled weakly to her friend as she pulled back from the hug. "Even if he did have a mane like yours."

Rainbow Dash grinned and flicked her mane back with a proud smile "Heh, the mane was just part of what told us who's family he belongs to. That spell those unicorn used showed he was my brother." Dash said confidently.

"Do you miss him?" Fluttershy asked gently.

Rainbow smile  still as she let out a sad sigh, as she nodded. "I do, I can only stand being here because it means I can learn from one of the real Wonderbolts. In truth I wish so much that I could have gone home with him."



May 24th 1854 A.D. 5:00 P.M. Cloudsdale.



High above the cloud city of Cloudsdale, several pegasi flew in a lose 'finger-four' formation. Slowly as they circled above the city, the continued to ascend upwards towards a higher altitude. 

"Comet, you feeling okay? Not dizzy or anything?" Prism asked, a hint of concern leaking into his voice.

"Not really, I'm getting a little cold though."  Comet said happily as he lazily kept his place trailing on his dad's starboard wing. 

On Prism's port side wing leading the formation was his father, Moon Dancer who for the entire flight had been very quiet; so much so that Prism was beginning to worry about it's implications for his son.

Suddenly Sun Clipper, Prism's grandfather on Moon Dancer's port side looked over to Prism and Comet. 

"Rainbow Comet, it is important that you know your limit." Sun Clipper said sternly before he glanced to Moon Dancer and an unspoken conversation seemed to pass between them.

"Rainbow Comet, Stratus Prism I want you both to stick to my trail like a pair timber wolves on a scent." Moon Dancer said suddenly and very sternly. With a powerful wing stroke he then immediately shot up like a rocket.

"What the-Dad!?" Prism let out a frustrated sigh to himself, before looking to his son who looked back to him in confusion.

"Come on Comet, let me know the moment you can't follow and we will stop okay." Prism said quickly as he began to follow as fast as he could after his father.

Comet lingered for a moment, seeming unsure what exactly to do before he looked to where his father was and began to follow as fast as his wings would carry him. Quickly the pair of rainbow maned ponies began to follow after Moon Dancer. Mist Chaser and Sun Clipper watched quietly as the dark coated colt quickly caught up to the two stallions.

As they climbed, Moon Dancer was deeply entrenched in a harsh battle with himself.

'My grandson died nine years ago. There is no way that colt could be him, the dead don't come back to life!' One part of himself snarled. It made part of him feel sick to his stomach to even consider that colt a part of their family.

'You heard Prism's story, and the family doctor and his unicorn friend both performed the same spell that Prism said he saw performed on the colt when they first met him.' The other side of himself countered. 

'IT MAKES NO SENSE!' 

'Should it? That colt has your families colors in his mane! Your son loves him! Are you really going to push that colt to the brink of death simple because you and your father weren't given a second chance like Prism? Should your son suffer the lost of his child again just because you lost your second son, his brother?'

Moon Dancer felt his heart skip a beat for a moment. 

'I am jealous aren't I?' He thought to himself, neither side argued the comment. 

Looking back down he saw his son was following him, but starting to trail was an exhausted looking colt. 

'If I keep pushing them any further...the boy could...oh Celestia what the buck am I trying to do!?' Moon Dancer nosed over and began to dive away, as he did so he looked back to see his son and Comet following suit. 

As the trio dove down faster and faster, Moon Dancer glancing back now and then, seeing the colt looking better as they descended to a lower and lower altitude. 

Soon they were down to a more normal altitude for pegasi at around four thousand feet. 

Looking back, Dancer could tell the colt was looking a lot better compared to how he looked trying to chase him and Prism.

"Comet, you did very good to keep up with your father and me." Dancer said kindly, and after a deep breath; to reach some sorta of conclusion internally, he looked over to the colt and smiled warmly at the young foal. "I'm proud of you."

Comet smiled happily and instantly did a snap roll earning an amused chuckle from his father.

Dancer looked up to the skies and after only a short moment figured it would soon be time for Rainbow Dash to be returning home from the SFC that Prism and his wife had chosen to send her to.

"Prism, I think you and Comet should get back to the mares. I think Dash will be coming in soon."

Before the stallion could utter a word the colt next to them cried out excitedly "Race you home dad!" 

In an instant Prism and Comet were in a race towards home leaving Dancer alone to his own thoughts until Sun Clipper and Mist Chaser joined him quietly.

"Why did you stop the climb Dancer?" Clipper asked as he came in along side his son.

"Because, I realized what we were doing was petty and based on jealousy." Dancer said sadly heaving a heavy sigh as he looked up into the clear blue skies above. "It is not how pegasi should treat their kin."

"The colt is not-" Clipper began only to be cut off by a defiant glare from Dancer

"It isn't for us to decide that, Prism is the one who has to decided and he already has." Dancer said sternly with a snort as he looked to his father with a frown.

"It could be a curse or spell of some kind that might have bewitched them." Clipper said before Mist Chaser gave a short cough; drawing the two stallions to look to him curiously.

"I am only apart of this because of my daughter. She obviously loves the colt as much as your son does Moon Dancer." Chaser said before he grew a small though warm smile at the corner of his lips.

"Did the colt follow you?" He asked.

"You saw for yourself that he did, if I had not dove down back to a lower altitude, I'm sure they would have kept following. Why do you ask such a silly question Chaser?" Dancer asked looking at the other stallion like he had just asked if Dancer was a mare.

"Simply because, shouldn't the issue be rather or not Comet will be a good colt, a foal of the family?" 

Both Sun Clipper and Moon Dancer felt their eyes grow large in surprise, for Mist Chaser was right. 

Pegasi society did practice unity and equality for all ponies; but some families chose to keep alive the older traditions. Fillies and mares had equality within such families but they were treated differently and were not expected to do the same things that colts and stallions within such families were expected to do.

Dancer heaved a small sigh of relief before he smiled at the other stallion. "Chaser you are quiet wise my friend."

The other pony only chuckled softly, running a hoof over his mane. "Heh, I try."

Sun Clipper clipped Mist Chaser's port wing gently with his own wing as a gesture of respect before he looked to the younger stallion with a raised brow. "So we treat him like part of the family then?" Sun Clipper asked looking to his son with a small frown still playing at the edge of his lips.

"I think we should." Moon Dancer said softly.



May 24th 1854 A.D. 5:15 P.M. Altostratus SFC Flightpath to Cloudsdale



Rainbow Dash was all but bouncing in the chariot made its way towards Cloudsdale in the distance. Next to her Fluttershy smiled happily towards the light blue filly who looked like someone had given her a large bowl of cola ice-cream. 

"You should relax Dash, we will be home pretty soon." Fluttershy said softly placing a reassuring hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"I know Flutters but, I can't help it. All I could think about is showing Comet all the cool tricks I learned and helping him to fly!" Dash said excitedly.

"I am really happy for you, I'm sure you will teach him a lot." Fluttershy said looking out at the approaching city of clouds and pegasi.

"Yeah...I hope he hasn't forgotten me. I mean he had no memories when we first met." Dash said, her energy having left her as a strong sense of doubt flooded her mind.

"Dash, you know your brother couldn't forget you. You saw how much you brightened him up after your parents told him he would come home with them and not see you for a while. Remember?" Flutters asked gently smiling kindly to her friend.

Dash smiled back and closed her eyes. She did remember.



~~~~~~~~~~~~



Rainbow Comet looked between his 'new' parents and his 'new' sister, as Rainbow Dash, red and glaring at their folks, looked on the verge of popping like a over ripe fruit. 

"What do you mean he can't stay!?" Dash snapped, both her parents sighed looking two each other with worried glances before they turned back to their daughter.

"Dashie, we talked with Iron Eagle, and the other instructors. They believe it would be best if we brought Comet home and plan to send him to an flight camp next year." 

Dash snorted and fumed as she hovered in mid-air.

"It's not fair, I just got my brother back, I want to show him how to fly!" Dash said.

"We know Dashie, we know." Prism said as he moved closer to Dash and nuzzled her cheek, the simple act seeming to deflate the irritated filly a little.

"But your brother...think about what he needs Dash," Prism said as he looked over to the colt who had not moved since Prism and Dawn had told them both the news that he would be going back to their home in Cloudsdale and would not stay with Dash at the camp.

Prism smiled at the colt before he looked back to his daughter, who he was very proud of not just for her sonic rainboom, but because she honestly wanted to be the 'big sister' for Rainbow Comet. 

"Dash, you know Comet needs to be taught a lot more than just cool flying stunts." Prism said softly, with a kind gentle smile. "He needs to learn about his family, our home, he needs to learn a lot of other things, including ones we've taught you, on top of needing to learn to fly." 

"But, he's my brother." Dash said suddenly looking on the verge of tears now.

"Dash?" the little colt's voice snapping the attention of the group of ponies.

"Your going to come home too right?" He asked looking towards her with a worried look in his eyes.

"Yes Comet, your sister will be coming home too, in a few weeks." Prism said gently.

"A few weeks that's like forever!" Comet said looking at the stallion in horror. 

Dawn smiled and walked over to the colt leaning down to kiss his forehead gently. "It isn't forever Comet, it just means Dash will be here for a little while, you'll see her again when she finishes flight camp." 

"But, I want to stay with her!" Comet said looking to her mother and father with pleading eyes.

"I know son." Prism said looking to the colt kindly. 

The little pony did not look like he was convinced, his eyes filled with worry.

Dash looked to him, then to her parents. "You'll let me help teach him to fly when I come home right?" Dash asked suddenly.

Prism blinked in surprise at the question before he smiled warmly and nodded firmly to her. "You have my word Dash. I promise." 

Rainbow Dash sighed and slowly landed and walked over to her brother who was already leaking tears at the dilemma. He looked to her as she walked up to him and then let out a small squeak of surprise as she suddenly brought him into a tight warm hug. Her face buried itself into his mane; and she could smell rain. 'Just like dad's' she thought.

"Bro, don't be afraid, I'm never gonna leave ya hanging. I'll be coming home soon." She said softly, smiling as the colt slowly hugged her back a soft sob escaping past his lips.

"When I do come home, I promise to show you all the awesome tricks I learned. We will be wonderbolts together!" Dash said confidently as she leaned back, bring her face up to look into the eyes of her brother.

"O-okay, if you say so Dash." Comet said softly, the little filly smiled and nodded as she slowly broke away from her brother.

"Come along son, it's time to leave." Dawn said gently leaning in to nudge the colt to follow her. 

As Comet slowly followed beside his mother and father, he glanced back to the light blue filly and shouted back to her. "Remember your promise Dash!" 

Dash smiled and hopped into a high hover off the clouds "You bet I will Comet! I'll even show you how to make a sonic rainboom!" She replied confidently.

That seemed to brighten him up greatly and he smiled waving back to her as his father lifted him up by the tail and placed him gently on his mother's back. 

The last Rainbow Dash saw of the little pony was him still waving back towards her as his disappeared from view on their mother's back with their father flying closer to her side.


~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dash smiled as she opened her eyes and looked at the approaching cluster of cloud apartments. "I promise Comet, I'll show you how to make a sonic rainboom." She said repeating her promise she had made the day she had last seen her brother. 

Soon her home came into view and slowly the chariot came in for a landing.

"Here we are Blue Typhoon Apartments." The driver said happily as he landed the chariot gently.

"Thanks Mister." Rainbow Dash smiled happily as she got off the chariot. 

"Not a problem. Next stop Ember Cloud Apartments." He said remembering the drop off for the shy filly Fluttershy.

"Bye Dash, I'll see you later!" Fluttershy said softly as the chariot lifted off and headed south to the next apartment.

Dash waved to her friend before she looked around and then bolted into the air and flew to the air-way balcony door. She lofted down on the balcony gently and knocked on the door. 

She heard nothing, and knocked again. 

Still nothing.

Curiously she checked the doorknob and with a soft click the door opened, and peaking inside Dash saw only darkness.

"Hello? Mom? Dad? Comet?" She called out, hearing nothing. 

"Where is everypony?" She asked aloud as she slipped inside the apartment. She knew she was home, so where was her family?

Suddenly the lights flipped on and out of nowhere ponies appeared and shouted as loud as they could. 

"WELCOME HOME RAINBOW DASH!" 

Dash let out an uncharacteristic yelp of shock as balloons, and streamers flew out with the ambushing pegasi.

The first among them was a little dark blue colt with a rainbow mane, who flew up to her holding up a big hoof-made sign saying 

Welcome home big sister Rainbow Dash! with her name in rainbow lightning bolts. 

"Welcome home sis!" Comet said happily. "Were you surprised?" He asked hopefully.

Dash smirked and tackled the hovering colt. "You bet I was surprised, you guys actually scared me!" she said she pined the colt to the floor and started to tickle him around his sides and ribs gently with her hooves, smiling evilly at the tiny pony's squeals for mercy between a fit of laughter.

"Welcome home Dashie!" Prism said as he and Dawn walked over carrying a slice of cake for their daughter. 

"Hey mom! Dad!" Dash said only to yelp as he brother, grabbed one of her hooves and rolled forcing them to switch places and he proceeded to return the favor and began tickling her sides with the tips of his wings..

The two parents watched with bemusement at the antics of their foals.

"Come on Comet, let Dash enjoy her welcome home party." Dawn said kindly, the colt instantly backing off his sister with a wide grin. 

Dash smiled happily to her brother than turned to her parents flying to them and giving each a hug before she whisked the cake away from them.

"Thanks everypony!" Dash said happily as she began to dig into the cake.

As Dash ate her slice of cake, Dawn began to hand out slices to everypony. First was Rainbow Comet who quickly joined Dash at the table, soon the other foals of the extended family were eating cake happily, while the older ponies chatted with each other. 

As soon as the cake was gone, the inevitable happened. The foals now full of fresh sugar and its natural energies were abuzz with activity. 

Honey Dawn and Prism quickly ushered the foals outside to play; partly to keep the inside of the apartment in one peace.

As soon as the foals were outside, the tension inside the apartment rose swiftly. Dawn turned to face her the other ponies, as Prism stood firmly at her side.

Slowly Moon Dancer trotted up to them; his face neutral and unreadable.

"Stratus Prism, you have recently taken in a colt into your house, and have done all that you can to show that he is more than just your son in name, seeming appearance, but also by blood and your love for him." Dancer sighed his face falling into a distorted frown of disappointment and resentment.

"You once asked if we, if I lost a child before. The answer is yes." Dancer locked his eyes with his son.

"You had a brother, who was born a year before you who died. He was killed when a flock of wind-serpents flew in from the badlands to the south, they ambushed us while we were all enjoying a picnic." 

Prism's eyes went wide in shock, his mouth hung open in stunned silence.

"I never told you because, I honestly felt at the time I could never raise another foal. I didn't want to risk feeling the lose and pain that I felt when your brother Dusk Vale was taken from us. Your mother however, wanted a foal. So we worked, and a year later we had you."

Moon Dancer turned to look towards Sun Clipper who nodded and walked up to stand next to the other stallion.

"Prism, in my day we lost several foals in the family, to everything from sudden freak storms out of Everfree, to Gryphons, to even....those damn Sky Rays that haunt the cliffs of Dalevoor." Sun Clipper snorted and stomped a hoof in pained frustration.

"I-I lost two sons two Gryphons, a daughter to a storm, and a daughter to those damn rays." Clipper clinched his jaw as his eyes started to run with tears.

"We know the pain of lose, and knew what you went though when Rainbow Comet died."

Dancer sighed wiping his own tears aside. "That is why, we could not accept that you, out of anypony would some how be granted a impossible miracle such as what seems to have happened." 

Clipper nodded as he moved to wipe his tears away with a hoof. "However, we saw something in that colt today, and a wise pony reminded us...that we are family."

Dancer nodded to this and looked to Mist Chaser who smiled shyly and kicked at the cloud floor gently with a hoof. 

"We saw that you love that colt out there, that he loved you, your wife, and now we see he loves Rainbow Dash as only a brother cold love a sister." Dancer said as he faced Prism again. "So, we feel no matter how this came to be, that colt as of this moment is Rainbow Comet, your son returned to us some how, to live his life."

Dancer walked over to Prism and gently embraced him in his wings in a gentle wing hug. "I am happy for you son, truly beyond any words that I can say." Prism bit at his lower lip as he shuttered slightly before he returned the hug gently as a soft whimpering sob slipped past his lips.

"Thank you."

Mist Chaser smiled and walked to his daughter and embraced her in a hug. "My dear daughter, raise your son and daughter well." Dawn unlike Prism, couldn't contain her joy and openly wept tears of great joy as she hugged her father.

Around them the other stallions and mares shared their words of acceptance, and most of all joy that the two ponies; Stratus Prism, and Honey Dawn, would be the ones to have such a impossible thing happen to them.

Outside and unaware of what was happening in the apartment, Rainbow Dash and her brother Rainbow Comet were busy playing a game of hoofball with their cousins as the sun started the last part of its journey across the sky.