Loyalty

Her life just couldn’t get any better.

Rainbow Dash soared through the Ponyville skies, her eyes focused on Cloudsdale. As the pegasus city expanded in her vision, the mare checked off the numerous things that made her current life debatably one of the best in Equestria. She was best lead pony in the Wonderbolt Academy and previously broke an academy record for flying speed. She was a member of the Elements of Harmony and the other five members were her best friends. She had a stable job, pun not intended, that was easy to do and paid enough to keep her within comfortable means. Last but not least, she had a loving father who supported her every step of the way.

Once she reached Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash stopped flying and relaxed her wings, allowing her hooves to meet the soft texture of the clouds that formed the city.

“Good thing Dad’s house isn’t that far away,” Rainbow muttered as she turned a corner and walked down the sidewalk. As a red blur moved past her peripheral vision, she paused and backed up to focus on a red building. The building had the words “Quills and Sofas” emblazoned in the center of it.

“Isn’t that where Little Celestia’s Pizzeria used to be?” Rainbow muttered.

A chipper stallion outside the new building apparently heard her and he smirked as he zoomed up to Rainbow. “Why, yes, this is where it used to be! But the owner of that place shut down a while ago. Owner said something about retirement.” The stallion took a step back from Rainbow, that plastered smirk still on his face. “I’m sure an athlete such as yourself knows the importance of a good sofa. Would you like to buy one? I’m having a sale! Everything must go!”

Rainbow shook her head. “No thanks.”

The salespony remained vigilant as he stepped in front of Rainbow and brandished a feather in his hoof. “What about a quill? Everypony needs a quill!”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. She unfurled her wings, giving the salespony an eyeful of cyan-colored feathers. “I can make my own quills, why would I buy one from you?” she asked, annoyance lining every word.

The stallion looked left and right before he laughed nervously. “Uhh... we have different color quills! Black and white and rainbow colors! I bet you can’t get that from your wings!”

Rainbow sighed and shook her head again. “No thanks.” She continued down the sidewalk, passing familiar buildings that sparked happy childhood memories. She thought back to when she was a little filly and was learning how to use her wings for the first time, walking to flight school, and coming to Little Celestia’s for a nice slice of pep-hay-roni pizza. The memories warmed Rainbow from head to hoof. She smiled as she spaced out, allowing her hooves to take her where she needed to be while she thought about the hot delight that she loved to wolf down as a filly.

When Rainbow reached the threshold to her father’s house, she snapped back to reality. She bit her lip as she looked down at the clear welcome mat below her hooves. She felt a new feeling which she hadn't experienced since the last time she visited him: dread.

It had been months since she had seen her father. The last time she visited him was after Cadence’s wedding and since then, life had moved by so fast. The Crystal Empire, The Wonderbolt Academy, Twilight’s transformation and coronation. It had really been almost a year since all of that. What was her father going to say? Would he blame her for not visiting in a while? Would he blame himself?

The door slowly opened and a light blue stallion moved out from behind the door and into Rainbow’s vision. Rainbow smiled, making sure to show some teeth in order to accentuate the happiness he should be feeling due to the sight of his daughter.

“Hey, Dad!” Rainbow moved forward and hugged the stallion.

Blue Streak smiled and released his daughter after a few moments. He moved to the side so that Rainbow could enter.

“Hey, Rainbow. How are you doing today?” he asked, lacking the emptiness that Rainbow feared. If anything, he sounded energized and ready for the day.

As Rainbow walked into the living room, Blue Streak moved to the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator. He tossed a water bottle in Rainbow Dash’s general direction, which required her to quickly shift to the side in order to catch it. Blue Streak winced at his poorly-aimed throw.

“Sorry.” Blue Streak frowned and walked over to the living room couch to sit down. “I never was any good at sports. That was always more your mother’s area of expertise.”

“It’s all good, Dad. I caught it.” Rainbow smiled to emphasize her understanding. While Blue Streak walked back to the couch, Rainbow took a few moments to survey the room.

Any other pony that entered the house would immediately think that athleticism was in the family blood. Across from the couch that sat against the west side of the house, an entire wall was dedicated to Firefly’s athletic accomplishments. The golden trophies and plaques shone in the minimal amount of sunlight that filtered through the cyan curtains behind Rainbow. Each trophy and plague had Firefly’s name emblazoned on them. Most were from flying accomplishments, although there was one particular trophy that was awarded to her from a karate championship. As Blue Streak liked to put it, Firefly kicked flank.

Rainbow looked back to her dad and smiled upon realizing that he was leaning back against the couch. Either he was going to passive-aggressively berate her for not visiting him in months, or getting himself comfortable for their conversation. She prayed to Celestia it was the latter.

Ever since Firefly died, Blue Streak’s self-esteem slowly dissipated. He had the unfortunate predicament of not having a whole lot of it to begin with, but Firefly always found ways to cheer him up. She always told him that it was his entire being that brightened up her day and made her want to come home after eight hours of clearing clouds. When that input was taken away, Blue Streak couldn’t hold back the self-degrading thoughts. Why couldn’t he help her? Why couldn’t he save her? Why did he have to be the useless stallion that he was?

These thoughts continued for years and Rainbow was completely aware of it. Whenever she was around, she tried her best to lift Blue Streak’s spirits. She tried everything that she could think of. She invited him to a Wonderbolt’s show and he feigned a smile as he cheered with her, partaking in the mood. But when Rainbow walked Blue back to his house and stayed the night on the couch, he returned to his depressed disposition in the morning. She invited him to one of Pinkie’s parties, but he declined with the reason that he had to work an evening shift at the Cloudsdale library; alone with his books.

Rainbow remembered talking to Pinkie Pie about her father, asking her if there was anything the mare could think of to help out Rainbow with her dad’s self-esteem. Pinkie wanted to go up to Cloudsdale and cheer him up, but Sugarcube Corner had the biggest influx of orders around that time and she could not get any time off, as much as she wanted to help. Rainbow understood and continued her efforts, only to be met with constant disappointment. Her father was lonely, plagued by a void that Rainbow Dash could not fill. Firefly was his everything, both his life and now his torment. Because of this, Rainbow grew increasingly more frustrated and depressed that she couldn’t help out her father, but she didn’t give up. She merely... ran out of ideas.

During Rainbow’s teenage years, the death of her mother weighed heavily on her heart, but it did not affect her as much as her father. While the loss was tragic, it only made Rainbow more tenacious. To cope with the pain of her loss, she devoted herself to be the best at everything; just like her mother. Rainbow ran more laps, flew more circles around the school, and beat any pony that challenged her to a race. She stayed strong, remained vigilant, and eventually, the fruits of her labor began to show. She became the Element of Loyalty, helped coach Ponyville when it was their turn for Tornado Duty, was the lead pony at the Wonderbolt Academy, and would soon join Spitfire and Soarin as one of the best elite fliers in Equestria. She remained loyal to her father and to her mother’s memory.

“How is my awesome daughter doing?” Blue Streak asked as he sipped his drink.

With his focus now on Rainbow, she shrugged as she placed the water bottle between her hind legs, allowing her wings to relax after the long journey to Blue’s home.

“Same old, same old, Dad,” she responded, “nothing really new to talk about.”

”I hope,” Rainbow Dash thought.

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Blue smirked as he walked over to the kitchen counter and raised a scroll. From the looks of it, the scroll was flattened to the point where the paper didn’t even try to roll back, probably from the innumerable amount of times that Blue Streak opened it.

“You got accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy, Rainbow! That’s not nothing!”

Rainbow’s cheeks started to turn red and she nodded as a foreleg moved behind her head.

“Oh, yeah.”

She wanted to lead into one of the reasons why she came to visit, but it seemed she was already going to talk about it.

Blue Streak walked back over to his daughter and placed the scroll on the end table in front of the couch before he ruffled Rainbow Dash’s mane.

“I knew that they were going to take you. Who else were they going to accept, me?” Blue Streak let out a small laugh as he moved back onto the couch, facing his daughter.

Rainbow laughed with her father, but her tension did not disappear. Something just felt... off. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but there was something different about him. Why was he so happy? It had been months since her last visit. Back then, it seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn’t rouse her father from his chronic depression. Now, he was all smiles. Perhaps it would just be best to continue with the conversation for the time being and not look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Yeah... I kind of wanted that to be a surprise for you,” she said as she downed half of the water bottle in one gulp. Blue Streak’s smile only widened.

“You can’t keep any secrets from me Rainbow. You have no idea how much bragging I’m going to do at work tomorrow.” Blue Streak's expression became a cocky smile. He rehearsed how he would speak to his fellow librarians.

“Oh, your daughter won a spelling bee? That’s nice. Mine, eh, she’s nothing special. She only helped save Equestria countless times, is a member of the Elements of Harmony, the only one who can do a Sonic Rainboom, and is going to be a freakin’ Wonderbolt!” He laughed and drained the rest of his water bottle before he tossed it into the kitchen, aiming for the recycling bin and missing by a few feet.

“Ponyfeathers,” he muttered as he got up from the couch and went to correct his 'shot'.

Rainbow laughed at her father’s antics as she looked back to the Wall of Accomplishment. As she focused more on the trophies, she noticed a square of empty space that was not previously there. She noticed a wooden frame next to the acceptance letter sitting on an end table near the wall. She felt her whole body warm from head to hoof as Blue Streak picked up the scroll, the frame, and walked over to the wall.

“Heh,” Blue Streak turned to Rainbow. “I’d say this deserves a spot on the Wall of Accomplishment, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied. As her father opened the frame and placed the scroll inside it, she outstretched her hoof.

“Wait.”

Blue Streak turned to Rainbow. “Hmm?”

“Can I... do it?”

Blue Streak nodded his head and held out the scroll. Rainbow walked over to him, gently took the scroll, and pinned it to the wall, cementing her accomplishment adjacent to all of her mother’s. Her eyes grew misty as Blue Streak let out a sigh.

"I wish your mother could've lived to see the day when her baby became a Wonderbolt."

Rainbow Dash nodded once more as the fountain in her eyes threatened to overflow. As the acceptance letter bridged the gap between Firefly’s Flight School first place trophy and karate first place ribbon, she could say without a doubt that her mother would be proud.

“Me too...”

It had been seven years since that day; the day when Rainbow’s life completely changed, and she began to establish herself as the Element that destiny had given her. It was the day Rainbow Dash went to school with a mother and came home without one.

Blue Streak followed his daughter’s gaze to the Wall and sighed once more. As much as he loved to boast about Rainbow's accomplishments, Blue Streak knew too well that no trophy was worth losing the ones you loved.

“You’re just like your mother, my little daredevil,” Blue Streak said, a small nostalgic smile on his face, “you always loved to challenge yourself. Why couldn’t you pick something a little more safe, like reading?” He ruffled Rainbow’s mane once more.

Rainbow chuckled and lightly smacked her father’s hoof away. “Well sorry that I can’t be as bold a book reader as you. I wouldn’t want to strain my eye muscles.”

Blue Streak scoffed. “Now, I’ll have you know that being a librarian is one of the most physically-taxing jobs in Cloudsdale. Why, just last week, I got a papercut on my hoof and I only cried for fifteen minutes. Beat that.”

Rainbow laughed. “I gotta admit, reading is pretty cool. I mean, I had to have a busted wing in order to pick up a book, but it’s not bad.”

Blue Streak’s eyes lit up at the mention of his daughter reading. “What book did you read?”

“Uhh... Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone,” Rainbow replied as she looked back to the Wall of Accomplishment.

Blue Streak nodded with a smile, ignoring the fact that the Daring Do series has always been written at an elementary reading level.

“I’m just glad that you now know the joys of reading.” He moved a little closer to Rainbow and inspected her right wing, since it was closer to him. He frowned slightly. “You said that you hurt your wing. What happened?”

Rainbow allowed her father to grasp her wing since the injury had long since healed. “Nothing much. I was practicing some new tricks and crashed. It happens.”

“I know, but you have to be more careful.” Blue Streak let go of Rainbow’s wing. “You’re a smart mare. I’m sure you know how to fly, but if Firefly has taught me anything, it’s that you can get really hurt from a crash.”

“I’ll be fine Dad.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but kept her smirk on to show that she was joking. “Maybe I should just fly at 2.3 wing power. It would take me hours to get anywhere, but at least I’m safe, right?”

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing while Blue Streak hesitantly joined in. His ears flopped down onto his head due to the quick dismissal of his warning. However, right when Rainbow looked up to notice it, he quickly lightened up and laughed again.

“Heh, I can’t blame you. Being adventurous has been in the family blood,” Blue Streak said, “heck, a dare is the only reason why I asked out your mother in the first place, other than the fact that she was the sexiest mare at Flight Camp.”

Rainbow smirked. She remembered this story from a long time ago, but she never got tired of hearing it. After all, it was one of the few moments where her father ever took a risk instead of playing it safe.

“It was our senior year at Flight Camp. My buddies and I were just messing around, daring each other to do 200 wing-ups or something dumb like that. When it came time for my dare, they didn’t tell me to flop onto the floor or anything. They told me to ask out your mother, who was busy knocking out all the leftover clouds that were previously used for flight drills. I almost chickened out right there. She was so beautiful... so fast... and definitely out of my league. Yet, when I asked her out,” Blue Streak laughed and held his stomach with one hoof before he continued.

“I asked her out to the movies, you see. Right afterwards, she looks at the time and says, ‘I’m up for a movie right now’. She grabs me and zooms out of Flight Camp. I’m going faster than my wings could keep up and I almost spin and crash into a building because she is going so fast. We ended up at the theater a minute later and I’m about ready to throw up right there. Didn’t help that she wanted to see a scary movie. I probably set a record for the amount of times that I jumped in my seat.”

Rainbow smirked. “That’s Mom alright.”

Blue Streak sighed, allowing silence to pass over the room while he mulled over the past. Firefly loved his intellect, his chipper attitude, and his golden eyes that seemed to shimmer whenever they looked into the hues of his beloved.

When she got sick, Blue Streak took time off of work so that he could try to nurse her back to health. After the second day, he quickly got her into a hospital, despite the fact that they didn’t have health insurance. While the cost for a bed visit was not draconian, it quickly added up as his special somepony grew more and more sick.

On the seventh day, once Rainbow Dash went to school, Firefly went into shock and started to seize. Blue Streak immediately yelled out for help and after three doctors attended to Firefly, security came up behind Blue Streak and escorted him out of the room. He struggled, fought, bit, and tried to slip underneath the security to be with his beloved, but the two stallions had just gotten on the clock, so they could have kept him away for eight hours if they needed to.

“Time of death... 10:57 AM.”

Rainbow Dash and Blue Streak were stirred from their memories as a small letter materialized behind them on Blue Streak’s end table. Blue Streak dashed over to the table and picked up the scroll. His eyes darted nervously towards his daughter, as though he was checking to make sure she wasn’t watching him.

Blue Streak’s apprehensions soon dissipated, as it became clear that Rainbow Dash’s attention was focused elsewhere. She turned her head towards the hallway that lead to the other two rooms of the house. “Do you mind if I... go look at Mom’s room?” she asked.

Blue Streak looked up from the letter, a new smile of anticipation on his face. “Y-yeah. The door’s unlocked.”

Rainbow nodded, the emotional cue lost on her as she ascended one step into the hallway. She reached her mother’s room and placed her hoof on the knob. The metal’s texture sparked familiar memories as she opened the door and allowed it to glide slowly onto the wall to the left of it. Pink walls and a blue ceiling stared back at the mare as the smell of lavender met her nose.

She took a few steps inside the room and let out a deep exhale as the lavender cleared her thoughts of the pain inside her heart. Her muscles all seemed to relax at once from the aroma as she moved over to the bed in the middle of the room and laid down upon it. Even the sheets smelled like lavender.

It was her parent’s favorite smell. Rainbow remembered passing this room every day as a filly, hearing the soft clops of her mother’s hooves as she ran across her treadmill while Blue Streak relaxed on the bed with a book. A lavender incense always burned in the windowsill, which allowed the smell to collect in the room and relax the two of them, or spread to the outside and relax other ponies who were enduring their daily commute.

Rainbow sat up against the headboard of the bed and she looked towards the windowsill, where the lavender incense was burning out the last few inches. The daylight shone through the closed curtains, illuminating the dust particles in the air. Rainbow looked towards the left wall and noticed a bookshelf crammed with numerous magazines and books of all kinds. A thin layer of dust covered the top of the bookshelf, along with any empty spaces in the shelves. Rainbow turned to the treadmill and noticed the same pattern. The entire thing was covered in a thin layer of dust, reflecting the neglect of everything else in the room. The only two things that did not collect dust was the incense and the bed.

Rainbow frowned as she got off of the bed and exited, closing the door behind her. She walked towards the nearby guest room and opened the door. Peeking inside, Rainbow noticed her old foal-sized bed that she used to sleep in when she was a filly. Blue Streak had bought her another bed when Rainbow was old enough to move out, and apparently decided to sleep in her old bed when he decided against using his own. Her bed was small, with only enough room for one pony. Rainbow sighed, as if disappointed that this bed was still in Blue Streak’s room. He couldn’t even sleep in the same bed that he used to share with Firefly. Rainbow closed the door behind her, covering her face with her hoof. She couldn’t watch this anymore. She had to find a way to make her father happy. Her childhood dream was fulfilled; she was going to be a Wonderbolt if she played her cards right. But now it was time for her to fulfill another goal, one that she should have focused on back when she was a filly. She had to make her father happy again.

Rainbow sat up and walked out into the living room, allowing the relaxing aroma to spread throughout the house. Blue Streak’s head jerked towards his daughter and he placed the scroll on the kitchen table before he met her at the Wall of Accomplishment once more. He was smiling and there was a certain twinkle in his eyes that Rainbow Dash remembered. Her father seemed nervous despite his smile. His hind legs were shuffling back and forth against the cloudy floor.

“Rainbow, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Hmm? What is it, Dad?” Rainbow asked, excitement lining her words. If he was smiling this widely, it had to be something good.

“I’ve started dating again.”

Rainbow’s smile turned into a smirk as she inched closer to her dad. She nudged him a few times with her forelegs and raised her eyebrows.

“That’s the Dad that I know. Getting right back on that horse... so to speak." She chuckled.

“It may have taken him seven years... but he’s finally doing it.”

At first, Rainbow’s double entendre was lost on Blue Streak, until he started to blush very brightly, as if previous memories were reminding him. Rainbow’s eyes widened.

“No way! Already? You sly dog!” Rainbow laughed as she walked over to the refrigerator to get another water bottle. “I turn my back for a little bit, and you’re already hitting bases with her?”

"Heh... well... we just sort of, ‘clicked’. You know?” Blue Streak’s forehead started to warm up, and he ran a forehoof through his mane while Rainbow walked back to the couch.

“Oh, I know what you mean.” Rainbow’s smirk widened. “So, tell me about her.”

Blue Streak’s eyes widened. “Um... I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said with a nervous chuckle as he looked towards the open letter.

“Oh, come on, Dad!” Rainbow whined. She followed Blue Streak’s gaze to the letter and her frown turned into that trademark smirk again. “Maybe I just need to do a little research,” she added, but her target was immediately blocked as Blue Streak jumped from the couch and grabbed the letter.

Blue Streak held the letter behind his back and emitted another nervous laugh. “I uh... what do you want to know?”

“What’s she like? Does she kick flank?!” Rainbow Dash did a few karate moves in midair while Blue Streak’s nervousness seemed to melt away under Rainbow’s distraction.

“Well... you could say that.”

“Does she fly?”

“Yeah. Although... kind of like me. Not like you or Mom, that’s for sure. She’s different from Mom, in a lot of ways. She’s smart, funny, and... not that Firefly wasn’t smart or funny. I mean... I loved her a lot, and sometimes... I just... I mean... what I’m trying to say is—”

“Dad, relax.”

Rainbow walked over to Blue Streak and placed a hoof on his shoulder. As their eyes met, he sighed and allowed the letter to fall to the floor. Rainbow continued.

“Whoever it is that you decided to go out with, I want you to know that I support you. One hundred and twenty percent. Alright?”

Blue Streak sighed in relief and nodded. “Thank you, Rainbow. I’m glad that you feel that way, because... I’m dating someone that you know.”

Rainbow gasped in surprise. The wheels in her head began to turn as she tried to think of who it could be.

“Hmm? Who is it? Blossomforth? Raindrops?” Rainbow trotted over to her father and spread her wings with another smirk. “Didja meet another mare that I’m gonna have to beat in a race?”

The front door echoed the few knocks that was placed against it. Rainbow turned towards Blue Streak, who hesitated before he placed his forehoof onto the door.

“Please promise you won’t be mad?” he asked, his forehooves shaking upon the wood of the door.

Rainbow nodded.

“I haven’t seen Dad smile like that after Mom died. Whoever this is, she must be very special.”

Indeed she was, as the door opened to reveal Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow’s jaw would have hit the floor, if she had remembered how Pinkie did it.

Twilight Sparkle smiled in adoration as Blue Streak took her in his forelegs and the two shared a kiss that was far beyond romantic.

Rainbow watched as the silence of the room was only broken by the light squelching of her father’s and best friend’s lips for moments until the kiss stopped. Twilight noticed Rainbow out of the corner of her eye as Blue Streak released the hug and her eyes widened.

“Rainbow!?” Twilight exclaimed, surprised. “You’re here?”

Rainbow’s chest coiled up in a myriad of feelings that she couldn’t explain. How did she not know this? Her best friend was dating her father! How was she in the dark about this fact for months!? Rainbow’s hooves would have formed indents in the floor if it wasn’t made from clouds. She supposed that it was a good thing, because she could convey all of her anger on the floor without having to yell.

“I... uh... yeah,” Rainbow replied when she finally realized that the room was getting quieter and more uncomfortable each second due to her silence. “I just came to catch up with my dad about what I do in Ponyville now. I also wanted to know what he’s been doing, and I guess I’m looking right at her.”

Blue Streak winced at the caustic response, but it all seemed to be lost on Twilight. The alicorn smiled.

“Ooh, did you tell him about the Wonderbolt Academy?” she asked as she turned to Blue Streak.

Rainbow nodded as her forelegs grew sore from pushing against the floor. “Yeah.”

Her short answer was due to her mind still trying to smack her out of whatever reality this was. Apparently it was the right one, since Rainbow didn’t wake up.

“I’m so proud of you, Rainbow.” Blue Streak wrapped a foreleg around Twilight and brought her close. “And I’m so glad that you approve of Twilight. I was worried that you would be angry with me for dating one of your friends.” He turned a little red and straightened his back as he felt Twilight’s wings move under his own and tickle him.

Rainbow’s teeth gnashed together as she looked at Twilight, then Blue Streak. Firefly used to be the one at his side. Firefly used to be the one that tickled her father. She couldn’t take it anymore.

“Twilight! What are you doing with my dad!?”

Rainbow’s wings flared up as she took a step towards her friend.

“Aren’t there any repressed, nerdy unicorns in Canterlot you can hook up with!?”

“Hey,” Blue Streak muttered, slightly insulted. Before he could say anything else, Twilight let go of Blue Streak and closed the distance between herself and Rainbow.

“When Blue Streak and I first met, I didn’t know that he was your father, Rainbow,” Twilight replied, her words as defensive as the spells she knew.

Rainbow Dash growled and scoffed. “Right. You just assumed his blue coat and rainbow mane had nothing to do with my blue coat and rainbow mane?”

Twilight’s face turned red as she sucked in her lips. She avoided Rainbow’s gaze as her words started to lose some of its vigor.

“Maybe I should have asked if he had kids?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

“That would have been a good idea!” Rainbow adopted a tone of cold malice. “Hey, Blue Streak, before we sleep together, did any of my best friends spring from your fertile loins? Particularly one with a blue coat and rainbow mane!?”

Twilight frowned. “Now, Rainbow, you shouldn’t be talking to me like that.” She pointed over at Blue Streak. “Is this really what he needs right now? You acting out?”

“What the buck do you know!? You aren’t my mom!” Rainbow’s eye twitched. “You’re not my mom and you never will be! You’re also too young for him!” she yelled, accentuating her words with hard pokes to Twilight’s chest.

Twilight took a few steps back from Rainbow’s prods. “I’ve always been attracted to older stallions, Rainbow. Your father is smart, funny, and very romantic.” Twilight smiled and she placed a foreleg around her father, who avoided the gaze of both Twilight and Rainbow.

“Don’t you want us to be happy?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow merely looked back and forth between the couple. Blue Streak decided to chime in, although he was hesitant at best.

“You said you were fine with me dating somepony again,” Blue Streak said, “what happened to that?”

“That was before I realized it was a mare half your age!” Rainbow exclaimed, the anger blinding her from the fact that she was now yelling at her passive father. “Not to mention she’s one of my best friends and a freakin’ alicorn princess!”

“Are you saying that I'm out of her league?” Blue Streak muttered, although he made sure that Rainbow could hear him. “Just like I was out of Firefly's league?”

Rainbow paused.

“I... no... that’s not what I’m saying!”

Rainbow’s eyes started to water. Twilight smiled in consolation.

“Your dad and I have a lot in common Rainbow. We both love to read, and we both love you.” Twilight walked over to Rainbow and placed her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. Her hoof smelled like lavender...

“No!” Rainbow shouted, “this is all wrong!”

Rainbow ran over to the front door. She let out one final sob before she opened and slammed the door behind her. She flew off, not caring where she went, as long as it was away from her dad’s house.

Blue Streak ran over to the door once Rainbow slammed it shut. “Rainbow!” He sighed as he turned to Twilight and grabbed the door. “Come on Twilight, we have to talk to her.”

“Let her go. She needs time to be alone and brood.” Twilight walked over to Blue Streak and placed her hoof on his.

Blue Streak sighed and shook his head. “I’m not going to convince her about us.” He let out a small laugh. “She’s just like her mother.”

Blue Streak looked towards Firefly’s old room and let go of the door. “I’m going to get a blanket, just... give me a moment.”

Twilight nodded and levitated her saddlebag over to the couch while Blue Streak walked to the guest room. As he gazed around his messy bedroom, he chuckled. “Oh ponyfeathers, where did I put that thing?” Blue Streak said as he dropped to his haunches to check underneath the small bed. “No... nothing there.” He opened the drawer to his dresser and paused. His chest clenched up and he bent his head down as he pulled out a small black box. He opened it, allowing a pink sapphire ring to scintillate in the small amount of light that shined through the bedroom curtains.

Blue Streak’s eyes watered. “Firefly... please forgive me,” he whispered as he closed the box and pressed it to his chest.

“Blue Streak, are you okay in there?”

Blue Streak quickly wiped his eyes and placed the box back into his dresser. He closed the dresser before he grabbed the blanket off of his bed and threw it around himself. He trotted back to the living room. “I got the blanket! I was just trying to see if I could find another one. This one is big enough though, so we’ll be fine.”

Twilight smiled as Blue Streak sat on the couch and she snuggled up against him, her head underneath his chin. “I love you, Blue Streak,” Twilight said as one of her many books opened to the first page.

“I love you too, Twilight.”

Honesty

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Author's Note: For those of you that read this story before the chapter 1 edit (April 24th), I would recommend that you reread the first chapter since a significant amount of the story was changed around and edited a little bit. The overall plot remains the same, there was just some structure problems that needed to be addressed. If you already have, then awesome, continue!

~~~

One kick, and it was gone.

Rainbow grunted and panted as she soared through the air. The pain that radiated throughout her body begged her to stop, but with another defiant shift and buck of her powerful legs, another cloud dissipated over the hustle and bustle of Ponyville’s marketplace. Some ponies looked up at the sky as the sun’s light radiated down upon them, but continued with their business once they realized that it was merely another pegasi pony doing their job. Rainbow ascended above the clouds and looked down at the gray blanket, her eyes darting left and right to examine how much she had left to clear. The clouds reached over the horizon, but Rainbow seemed unfazed.

“It’ll take around a half hour, no sweat,” Rainbow muttered as she descended onto the clouds. The moment her hooves touched the vapor, she collapsed against the cloud and sighed in relief as her wings folded back against her sides. Her hoof pressed against the cloud and with a small scooping motion, she pulled out part of the cloud beneath her cheek and held it in the air. She stared at it for a moment while her breathing tried to regulate itself. She pressed the cloud against her forehead like a handkerchief, washing off the sweat before she smacked her other forehoof against the cloud puff. It disintegrated instantly and Rainbow used her now free hoof to wipe her sweaty mane out of her face.

Rainbow rose back to her hooves and pushed herself through the clouds until she was beneath them, hovering in the air. She looked left and right before she stuck her forehoof into the air.

“Not cold from there,” Rainbow muttered as she shifted her hoof to the right. Rainbow flew through the clouds once more, her hoof remaining close to her head as she pushed through. “East... the wind is coming from the east. Slight wind chill... so maybe if I were... to...”

Rainbow’s train of thought was lead askew as she looked down at the two small holes in the clouds that she made from flying through them. The outline of two ponies were standing next to each other, holding forehooves while their heads were touching. Rainbow blinked while familiar words echoed through her mind.

“We both love to read, and we both love you.”

Rainbow gritted her teeth and shook her head a little more violent than was necessary before she pounced on the clouds. She threw, tore apart, split, and disintegrated all of the vapor in front of her. The clouds diverged, opening up until a large ray of sun shone down upon the Ponyville market. Rainbow panted as she hovered in the air, stopping once the outlines were no longer visible. Another voice called out to her, catching her attention.

“Dash? Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow turned around to face the feminine voice. Sassaflash rose up through the right side of the clouds and flew over to Rainbow, stopping a few feet away from her. The light blue pony glanced at the split clouds before she flipped her weather patrol goggles over her eyes. Her usually unkempt, yellow mane was held in place by her goggles and Wonderbolt Academy outfit. Pinned to her outfit was a silver badge that shined in the recently allowed sunlight. Sassaflash adjusted the badge on her chest before she looked back to Rainbow Dash. Her eyes widened once Rainbow met her gaze and she looked away.

Rainbow turned back to the clouds once Sassaflash broke the stare. With a hard buck, she knocked away another part of the clouds. “What do you want, rookie?” she asked bitterly.

Sassaflash winced at Rainbow’s tone and raised a hoof in the air for a moment, before lowering it back to her side. “Um... I was just wondering if the Weather Factory sent you to clear these clouds?”

“No.” Rainbow continued to buck away the covering, moving further and further away from Sassaflash until the mare had to fly over to her in order to stay within earshot. Sassaflash’s voice started to grow softer as she continued.

“Well... the Weather Factory schedule said that these clouds were supposed to stay in place until 5 PM because they wanted to give Ponyville a little drizzle. Once the clouds drizzled, then they could be cleared. I mean... I was supposed to clear them... after all.”

Rainbow stopped mid-buck at Sassaflash’s words and turned towards her with a frown. Sassafash shivered and laughed nervously. “Um... b-but you are the best lead pony at Wonderbolt Academy. You... probably know what you are doing. I mean... did the Factory talk to you about the schedule?”

“No,” Rainbow Dash flatly replied, “I took today off because I had plans, but since those got called off, I figured I would knock out some clouds to get my mind off of things.” Rainbow pressed a hoof against her forehead and growled in frustration. “Of course I would clear the only cloud patch in Ponyville that was supposed to stay. Freaking stupid Weather Factory. What’s the point of drizzle anyway? Why not just have it rain, or be sunny! Drizzle doesn’t do anything!”

Sassaflash bit her lip. “Well... it doesn’t always have to be either sunny or rainy. A change is nice every now and then.”

Rainbow turned to Sassaflash, who jumped slightly and smiled in a nervous fashion. Rainbow sighed and waved away Sassaflash’s comment. “Yeah, whatever. Maybe I should just go back to bed. It’s my day off, I might as well just lay in bed and sleep until tomorrow.”

Sassaflash paused and looked at the gap in the clouds before looking back to Rainbow. “Um... if you don’t mind, can I fix these clouds? Spitfire said that I needed a little more practice with my cloud forming, and this would be the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Rainbow nodded, still refusing to meet Sassaflash’s gaze. “Yeah... whatever. Cloud forming really isn’t that hard. Even a greenie like yourself should be able to handle it.”

Sassaflash winced. “I... I see. Thank you for the vote of confidence, Rainbow Dash.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash said. “I get to work the clouds around the marketplace tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. See you later.”

~~~

A soft thud resonated through the shower stall, momentarily breaking up the flow of the water as it sprayed down on the mare. Rainbow Dash stared at the imprint her hoof made in the cloudy material before she retreated her hoof back to the floor. She sighed as the small dent in the cloudy stall slowly popped back into place. Rainbow looked up at the ceiling of the shower stall, where a cloud was currently drenching her in its water. Stacked on top of the cloud were two more clouds. She looked back to the floor.

“Great, I don’t have to worry about running out of water. I’m going to be in here for a while.”

Rainbow closed her eyes as the water flowed down her fur, dripping onto another cloud beneath her. She pressed her forehooves against her face and bent her head down before letting out another sigh. She laid down on the cloud, facing the water as it patted her fur, giving her a small massage while she tried to find something to say.

“I guess it’s back to working full-time,” Rainbow muttered. “I take the day off to go spend time with my dad, the one pony that has been alone for the past seven years, and he goes and already makes plans ahead of time... with my best friend.”

Rainbow growled and slammed her hoof against the cloud. The shower stopped, one final drop of water splashing onto Rainbow’s muzzle. She sighed and smacked the cloud again, continuing her shower.

“I can’t even freaking get out my anger in the shower!”

Rainbow pressed a forehoof over her face while her other reached for the bar of soap near the corner of the stall. Once she found it, she moved back to her hooves and lathered the soap across her hooves before moving them to her chest. She washed her coat in silence, narrowing her eyes at the shower walls that surrounded her. As she raised her chest to the cloud to wash off the dirt and sweat from her trip, she flicked her tail in annoyance.

”I’m so glad that you approve of Twilight. I was worried that you would be angry with me for dating one of your friends.”

“So you knew... and never told me.”

Rainbow’s teeth gnashed against each other as she moved the bar of soap to her wings.

“When Blue Streak and I first met, I didn’t know that he was your father, Rainbow.”

“Buck that. She knows. Dad and Twilight both knew what they were to each other.”

Rainbow’s hoof started to shake as she lathered her wings up, stretching them while she got every nook and cranny.

“Is this really what he needs right now? You acting out?”

The bar of soap slipped through Rainbow’s hooves as she moved to wash her flank. Instead of picking it up, she focused on the wall. She couldn’t help but yell.

“I’m not the one who’s butting into something that isn’t her business! I’m not the one who turns somepony’s dad against them! I’m not the one who’s trying to replace my mother!”

Rainbow’s eyes started to water. Her tears melded with the shower as she continued.

“High school sweethearts. They were...”

Dash sputtered and leaned her head against the shower stall.

“They loved each other... I loved her... more than anything... and she just... Twilight... just comes in and takes Dad’s heart. She took Mom away from my dad. Twenty years of marriage... gone... because of her.”

Rainbow grit her teeth.

“Do they think I’m an idiot?! She’s trying to pass the blame onto me! Is this some kind of cruel joke!?”

She turned towards the back corner of the shower, where a small vial full of pink liquid remained. A label with the words “Never stop smiling, Dashie!” was imprinted on the front of the vial. She rinsed off her wings and grabbed the vial. After opening the lid, she let a bit-sized amount onto her hoof and started to lather her mane. She sighed and pressed her head against the corner of the stall to prevent the water from rinsing her mane so soon.

“I need to relax. I’m not going to fix anything by just being angry. There has to be some ulterior motive for what Twilight is doing. What if this is a prank, or some kind of experiment? If she got this idea from a book, she would probably want to try it out. But... she didn’t tell me beforehand. She usually does when she wants to do an experiment.”

Rainbow stopped lathering her mane for a moment. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

“Did she, not want to tell me because of some reason? Is she angry with me, and isn’t showing it? I mean... I haven’t always been the best of friends to her.”

Rainbow leaned against the corner of the stall, allowing her cheek to drag along the material as she slowly fell to her haunches. “Was it because of the Running of the Leaves? I wasn’t exactly... nice to her during that time. Was it the time where I made fun of her for being an egghead?”

Rainbow’s head hit the bottom of the stall and she turned onto her back to stare up at the cloud. The soap slowly dripped from her mane onto her shoulders as she continued.

“Or maybe... maybe it isn’t because of what I did to her. Maybe it’s what she is doing to me.”

Rainbow covered her eyes with her hooves.

“Mare-Do-Well. I remember that day like it was yesterday. All of my friends... made me look like a jerk in front of everypony in town.”

Rainbow’s hooves fell back to the floor. She frowned upon the realization.

“They played with my reputation like it was nothing! What happened when we all asked Rarity for bad dresses and it ruined her reputation? Rarity became depressed and locked herself in her room. You would think the Princess of Friendship would learn about tampering with her friend’s emotions! What if I out-partied Pinkie and made her look like the worst caterer ever, or outsmarted Twilight at... something!? And now here she is... dating my dad to teach me another lesson... that I never asked for!”

Rainbow sighed and moved back to her hooves once more, allowing the water to wash off her mane. She turned to lather her tail before she rinsed that off as well.

“Dad’s probably in on the joke too. If he thinks that it would teach me a lesson, he would agree to do it without a doubt. But... Twilight wouldn’t do that to me... would she? We’re friends... we all learned from the Mare-Do-Well incident, even though I was the one that sent the friendship letter. We all promised that we would be open and honest with each other. I trust her. We all trust her. A year later... we trusted her with our destinies... and she didn’t let us down.”

Rainbow paused. “She wouldn’t do this to me. We’re best friends... and we could tell each other anything, except for something that might completely change my life...”

Rainbow sighed. “I just... don’t know.”

With a soft knock against the wall, the water stopped, bringing the last of the soap suds into the cloud beneath her. She looked towards the exit and walked through it. The cloudy interior of her bathroom met her hooves as Rainbow descended the few steps to the floor and grabbed two nearby towels from a rack. She fastened her mane up in one towel while she dried herself off with the other and fastened that one to her waist.

Rainbow walked out of her bathroom and into her bedroom, where a comfortable cloudy bed awaited her. She rubbed the towel in her mane before she ripped it off and threw it into a corner of her room. She laid back against the bed, allowing her hind legs to dangle near the floor as she looked up at the ceiling. She sighed and stared for minutes. Her stomach rumbled, breaking her concentration. Rainbow looked down at her stomach and then pushed herself back onto her hooves.

“I’ll just get an apple or something,” she muttered as she walked out of her bedroom.

The hallway and living room were a mere blur as Rainbow walked into her kitchen and opened up her refrigerator. The cold air chilled Rainbow’s face as she looked high and low, but didn’t find any food that she could eat. Rainbow’s grip on the cold, cloudy material intensified.

“Are you freaking kidding me? I really have no food!?”

Rainbow slammed the refrigerator door, making it wobble from the force. She pressed her forehooves onto her face and smacked her head against the fridge with a soft thud.

“Buck today... I’m so not in the mood for this...”

Rainbow’s stomach growled again and she removed her face from the fridge, if only to walk over to the front door. She opened it, allowing the sunlight to shine upon her newly cleansed form. Rainbow grimaced at the sun and placed a hoof above her eyes to shield them.

“I guess I have to go out again. I’ll just go to some restaurant... then come home. If anyone asks... I’m fine,” Rainbow thought as she walked outside and spread her wings. She closed her front door and took off, heading towards Ponyville.

~~~

“Ah, hello Madame. If I may ask, how many in your party this evening?”

“One.”

The waiter paused, menu underneath his forehoof as he stared at the eloquent wooden door behind Rainbow Dash.

“Um... just one?” the waiter asked as he turned his gaze back to the mare.

“Yeah, just one.”

“Very well, Madame. Right this way.”

The elegant waiter sidestepped away from his podium and walked down the aisle, passing other ponies who were certainly dressed for the occasion. Numerous ponies stared at Rainbow as she walked to a small booth in the corner of the restaurant. She sat herself and was given a menu by the waiter. A nearby open window provided Rainbow with a refreshing breeze and view of the nearby Quills and Sofas. She turned back to the waiter, who smiled and placed a notepad on top of the table.

“Would you like a few minutes to decide on what you want to eat?”

Rainbow nodded her head while she absentmindedly scanned the menu.

“Do you know what fills you up the most?” she asked.

The waiter paused to place a hoof underneath his chin before he placed the hoof into his other forehoof. “I believe the vegetable and fruit platter is the biggest entree that we have. It even has Crystal Berries in it, which gives it that extra,” the waiter kissed his hoof to his mouth. “Kick.”

Rainbow smiled and nodded her head. “I’ll have that, with a glass of cider.”

“Ah, yes of course.” The waiter took Rainbow’s menu and smiled. “Thank you, Madame. I’ll be right back with your cider.”

“Thank you,” Rainbow replied as she leaned back against the booth. She groaned slightly as her back popped back into place and her smile widened at the relaxation. She laid her head against the back of the booth and closed her eyes with a yawn.

“I shoulda taken a nap.”

“Psst.”

”Or maybe I’m just tired because I’m hungry. I don’t know. I’ll see when I eat.”

“Psst.”

Rainbow opened one eye and looked towards the whisper. Scootaloo was holding onto the window, her face contorted even with a smile. Her signature helmet adorned her head as her wings flapped constantly to keep her attached to the window.

“Hey... Rainbow... Dash,” Scootaloo choked out as she managed to pull herself up and over the window. She fell into the booth and laid on the cushion while Rainbow heard a small thud from outside. Rainbow leaned her head out the window and saw Scootaloo’s scooter laying on the grass. She made the connection and laughed as she patted Scootaloo’s shoulder.

“Hey, kid, if you are going to stalk me, you can’t get caught.”

Scootaloo’s cheeks brightened and she sat up against the booth. She took her helmet off and placed it nearby her while she looked at the menu that the waiter left on the table.

“I wasn’t stalking,” Scootaloo muttered.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Aww come on, you don’t have to hide your feelings from me.” Rainbow paused once she realized what she said, and she coughed into her hoof before she continued. “I... what I mean is... I’ve stalked the Wonderbolts enough to know when I’m being stalked. No offense, but you aren’t doing a really good job at it.”

Scootaloo turned to look into Rainbow’s eyes. “I’m just... I wasn’t stalking, I swear. I saw you when you were flying into Ponyville. You looked kind of down, so I followed you because I wanted to talk to you. When you walked into here, I had to stay out because they don’t allow scooters. I also don’t carry my bitbag with me, so I couldn’t get a table.”

Scootaloo pressed her forehooves against each other and broke her gaze with Rainbow, instead focusing on the wall on the other side of the restaurant. “I just wanted to talk.”

Rainbow smiled and smacked Scootaloo’s back. “No problem, Scootaloo. We can have lunch together now!”

Scootaloo’s smile rivaled that of a foal’s on Hearth’s Warming Eve. “Really?”

Rainbow smiled. “Yep. Pick up the menu and let me know what you want. I’ll tell the waiter when he comes back.”

Scootaloo did as she was told, but her eyes widened when she scanned the appetizers. “But, how can you afford all of this?” she asked. “Does clearing clouds make you that rich?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I guess. I don’t really go out that much. I usually just buy a bunch of apples from Applejack and live off of those, give or take the few other vegetables that I buy for a good and balanced diet.” She smirked. “The diet of a champion consists of apples. Why do you think Applejack is so strong?”

Rainbow chuckled while Scootaloo placed the menu on the table and turned the page. She bit her lip and placed her hoof over a particular entree while her other hoof covered her eyes. Rainbow looked at the entree. “Ten bits, that’s it? Don’t worry, Scootaloo, I got it.”

Scootaloo smiled and hugged Rainbow Dash. “Thank you thank you thank you! I never get to go out to places. That Crystal Berry pie looks like it is going to be good.”

Rainbow smirked and nodded. “Crystal Berries are the best.”

Rainbow’s waiter returned with a mug of cider, the restaurant’s emblem emblazoned on the mug. She took a good swig of the cider and placed the mug on the table while the waiter stared at Scootaloo. “Madame, you did say you only had a table of one, am I correct?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, but I changed my mind. This squirt came in and wanted something to eat, so I’m paying for her as well.”

The waiter pulled out his notepad and placed it on the table. “Very well, what would you like, little filly?”

Scootaloo grimaced and looked back at the menu. “Um... I’ll have the Crystal Berry pie, please.”

“Yes of course, your entree will be ready in just a little bit. Anything to drink while you wait?”

Scootaloo turned to Rainbow. “Can I have cider?”

Rainbow nodded.

“Cider please,” Scootaloo said with a smile as she turned back to the waiter.

He nodded and smiled as well. “Very well, I’ll be right back with your cider. Enjoy your meal, little filly.”

Scootaloo nodded and once the waiter was out of earshot, she crossed her forelegs and grumbled. “I am not a little filly.”

Rainbow turned from the mug of cider to Scootaloo. “Something wrong, Scootaloo?” she asked.

Scootaloo looked away. “I just... I’m not a little filly. He thinks I am just because I don’t have my cutie mark. I’m a young mare.” She turned to face Rainbow. “You don’t think I’m a filly, do you?”

Rainbow chuckled. “I know you aren’t a mare, that’s for sure.”

Scootaloo frowned.

Rainbow placed her forehooves in front of her. “Wait, let me finish. What I mean to say is,” Rainbow paused. “Um... I don’t think you are a filly. You’ll find your cutie mark soon, Scootaloo. Don’t worry about it so much.”

“But if I don’t find my cutie mark, then how am I going to know what I am good at?” Scootaloo whined.

Rainbow shrugged. “You just wait until it hits you. Believe me, you’ll know when you find your special talent.” She took another swig of the cider and wiped her mouth with a burp. “Heh.. they got a good chef back there. Anyway... I told you the story of how I got my special talent. I was a flier. I loved flying, and all I did was fly. Guess what my special talent turned out to be?”

“Flying?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yep. Just don’t worry about it, squirt. It’ll come to you when you least expect it. Just enjoy being a filly.”

Scootaloo frowned again. Rainbow realized her mistake and smiled.

“I mean... young mare. Enjoy being a young mare. Once you gotta get a job and all that, bleh.”

Both of them giggled as the waiter approached their table once more with a mug of cider in one hoof and a large plate of assorted fruits and vegetables in another. He placed the plate near Rainbow and the mug next to Scootaloo with a smile. “There you go, Madame and filly. I’m going to get your pie right now, I’ll be right back.”

Scootaloo nodded as the waiter trotted away once more. Rainbow started to dig in, completely ignoring the use of silverware as she bit out of a banana. “So Scoots, why you worrying so much about this cutie mark thing?”

Scootaloo took a drink of her cider and swirled the contents around her mug as she stared down into it. “I just... my parents have been wondering why I haven’t found my special talent yet. They haven’t been bugging me... it just... comes up every now and then. Same with my cousins, and aunts and uncles. They are all wondering and I just... don’t know why I don’t have it yet.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Buck ‘em.”

Scootaloo gasped and turned towards Rainbow, placing the mug on the table. “B...but they’re my family!”

“So?” Rainbow took another bite. “Your family doesn’t always know what’s in your best interests.”

Rainbow paused after she said that and turned towards Scootaloo. She resumed eating while the filly continued.

“I mean... they never leave me alone about it. Whenever my aunts and uncles visit, they ask. Whenever my cousins visit, they ask. My parents ask if I’ve figured out what I’m good at yet, and it doesn’t help when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon keep calling me and every other pony without a cutie mark a blank flank! It hurts...”

Rainbow nodded. “Sometimes, you just have to ignore all of it. Talking back to them isn’t going to do anything.” Her unused hoof pressed against the booth’s cushion. “They never listen. Everypony thinks that they are right just because it’s something that they said. Just because they are older than you, or smarter than you, they think they are right. It’s stupid.”

Scootaloo bit her lip while Rainbow continued.

“You try to talk to them, to tell your side of the story. But no one ever listens. They just think that you are wrong and that you should try out what they suggest. Buck that. I know I’m right. Those two are wrong.”

Scootaloo blinked. “Who?”

Rainbow paused once she realized what she said and she sighed. “Nevermind. Don’t worry about it, Scoots.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Something is the matter, Rainbow. I want to know what it is.”

“It’s something that you aren’t going to understand for a while, Scootaloo,” Rainbow said. “I just need to keep it to myself.”

“Why won’t I understand it? It is because I’m a filly?” Scootaloo stood up on the booth to level her height with Rainbow’s. “After all of this talk about how no one will listen to your side of the story? I want to listen.”

Rainbow stared into Scootaloo’s eyes while she stuffed a piece of melon into her mouth.

“I’ve seen a defiant glare like that before. Heh. She’s not going to drop it.”

Rainbow sighed and pushed away her plate. “Fine.”

Scootaloo smiled and sat back down on the booth. The waiter quickly dropped off the Crystal Berry pie and left as quickly as he came. Rainbow wiped her mouth with a napkin before she spoke.

“I went to visit my dad this morning. I took the day off from the Cloudsdale Weather Patrol and everything. I was going to take him out to breakfast after we caught up and talked a little bit, but I didn’t know that he already had plans that day. He told me that he’s dating someone new, and that it’s someone I know.”

Rainbow’s hoof gripped the booth cushion while she refrained from clenching her teeth.

“He opens the door, and Twilight is there. Within seconds, they’re kissing.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “They kissed? In front of you?”

Rainbow nodded, her eyes narrowing. “Twilight was kissing the same lips that my mother used to. My mother... Firefly... was the best thing that ever happened to him. The best thing that ever happened to me... and now Twilight... is dating him. That’s not supposed to happen.”

“Did your mother break up with your dad?” Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow gulped and looked down. “She... passed away when I was a filly.”

Scootaloo bit her lip and looked towards her mug of cider, but couldn’t bring herself to drink from it. “I... I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine... I’m... I’m over it.”

“I wish I could say that I know what you’re going through... but I can’t.”

Rainbow waved away Scootaloo’s apology. “It’s fine. I’m just... so angry at Twilight and my dad. They kept it a secret from me. They didn’t tell me anything. I had to find out myself, after I learned that the two of them were... in a relationship together, and had been dating for over a month now.”

“Do... you think you should go talk to them?” Scootaloo hesitantly asked.

Rainbow shook her head. “Already tried it. They shifted the blame to me and I had to leave. I can’t be held responsible for what I do or say if I go back there again.”

Scootaloo placed a hoof underneath her chin. “Maybe... talk to Twilight?”

“She’s not going to listen to me. She’s the one who defended my dad from me. Plus, she’ll probably just find some way to twist my words against me like she did last time.” Rainbow growled. “Freaking egghead. She treats me like I’m some kind of idiot... like dating my father is okay just because it makes him happy.”

Scootaloo was about to say something when Rainbow quickly grabbed another piece of fruit and jammed it into her mouth. Scootaloo jumped from the sudden motion. Rainbow continued, cutting the filly off.

“She’s treating me like she’s my mother. I’m not going to have that. But... I can’t talk to her about it, or my dad. I’m just... bucked either way.”

Scootaloo moved closer to Rainbow and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s hips. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. It sounds like your situation is very chaotic...”

Rainbow stomach felt like a bucket of cold ice was dropped into it.

“What did you just say?”

“I... I said it sounds like what you’re going through is very... chaotic?”

Rainbow looked out the window. In the distance, shining in the afternoon sun, was Canterlot. Her eyes widened. “It... it does sound chaotic... does it?”

Scootaloo shifted herself in her seat as she leaned against the table to eat her pie.

Rainbow frowned as she rummaged through her saddlebag and pulled out a bag of bits. She counted out thirty bits and dispersed them along the table before she turned to Scootaloo. “I have to go. There’s someone else that I need to talk to.”

Scootaloo nodded.

Rainbow moved out of the booth and back to her hooves. “Thanks for the talk, Scootaloo. You might have just given me the solution to my problems... or I guess...the problem.”

Scootaloo blinked as she swallowed a biteful of pie. “What did I do?”

Rainbow smirked. “Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy your pie. I’ll see you later,” she said as she walked down the aisle. Scootaloo nodded and waved at Rainbow as she closed the door to the restaurant behind her. Rainbow walked out into the street and growled as she stared at Canterlot.

“It’s at least a few hours away if I fly, and I don’t think I can spare money for a train ticket with the lunch that I just bought. Gotta save for rent.”

Rainbow laughed slightly and spread her wings. “I swear Discord, if you are behind this... the things I’m going to do to you,” she muttered as she soared into the sky, her hooves pointing directly at the erudite city.

Chaotic Honesty

View Online

Two intertwining spears stopped the mare on the way to her destination. Rainbow Dash stopped a foot away from the locking spears and frowned. Clad in armor from head to hoof and standing on opposite sides to the entrance of the Canterlot Castle were two Royal Guards. The two stallions eyed Rainbow while she stepped towards them, now merely inches away from the obstruction.

“Halt,” one guard said, his stature remaining stiff as a board.

“What business do you have at Canterlot Castle?” the other guard said, finishing the previous guard’s address.

Rainbow Dash sighed and wiped a line of sweat across her forehead as her wings folded into her sides. She raised a hoof and trailed it in the air as she exhaled. She repeated this a few times until her breathing had regulated to a normal pace.

“Just be patient, and talk to them. You’re an Element of Harmony, they aren’t going to stop you for long.”

Rainbow smiled lightly and straightened her posture to accentuate her stance. She coughed a few times to get the frog out of her throat before she spoke.

“I want to speak to Discord.”

Both guard’s eyes widened and the grip on their spears intensified. They exchanged worried glances as the locked spears started to shake.

“The Element of Loyalty wishes to speak to... Discord?” The guard on the left asked.

Rainbow nodded her head and blinked a few times as she placed a hoof over her mouth to cover a yawn. The right guard stepped forward, keeping his spear locked with the other guard’s weapon.

“Why do you wish to speak to Discord?" the guard asked, "Celestia may have given him a second chance, but that doesn't mean he's trustworthy. If you're smart, you'll steer clear of him.”

“I just want to speak with him. Calm down,” Rainbow replied as she placed a hoof in the center of the spears. “Now let me in.”

Both guards exchanged glances once more before they pulled the spears back to their sides. The guard on the right sighed. “Well, we can’t really deny an Element of Harmony. Very well. Follow me.”

“I’m not taking her to him. Buck that,” the guard on the left mumbled as he stood still and stared ahead. The right guard shrugged and jerked his head in the direction of the castle. Rainbow followed the guard up the castle steps, her head tilted down as she yawned again.

“I gotta make this visit quick. Flying to Canterlot... not the best idea when you forgot to eat the only thing that you ordered today... and flew from Cloudsdale to Ponyville... and just... ugh... I’m too tired to finish my thought.”

Rainbow brushed her sweaty mane out of her face as it once again fell in front of her eyes. Once her eyes were free, she noticed that she was falling behind the guard. She quickly caught up, her eyes widening as she almost stumbled over one of the castle steps. She kept her composure and caught up to the guard.

“I’m all freaking sweaty and tired... I should have taken a nap or something. I hope no one notices that I look like I’m going to collapse.”

Luckily, as Rainbow and the guard entered the Grand Hall of the castle, there were not that many ponies around to notice. Some trotted out of the Grand Hall, scrolls buried in their saddlebags while both guards and other ponies loitered around, smiles on their faces and mugs of cider in their hooves.

Two particular guards at the top of the stairs to Celestia’s room looked over at Rainbow as she followed her escort into the hallway. Rainbow looked over at the stallions and straightened herself before she quickly averted her gaze from them, focusing straight ahead on her escort. She stopped for a moment to rub her drooping eyelids before she caught up to him.

”I don't have time to talk to anypony else. I need my answer... so I can go to bed,” she thought.

The escort turned left and walked down a hallway while he tapped the bottom of his spear against the wall every few steps. His eyes widened as he stumbled over his own hooves and fell to the ground. He frowned, pushed himself back to his hooves, and tapped the spear to the wall in front of him. “Little jokester moves his room every day. Anyway... Discord’s room is through here. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You doing okay? You had a little tumble right there.”

The guard’s frown turned into a sheepish smile and he nodded his head, his face reddening. He coughed into his hoof and quickly regained his composure. “Just walk through there. Discord thought it was funny to enchant part of the wall to be the entrance to his home.”

“Got it.” Rainbow looked at the wall and moved closer to it as the guard walked past her, around the corner, and out of sight. She pressed a hoof against the stone and lost her balance as she fell forwards.

“Woah! Oof!”

Rainbow’s jaw hit wood and she quickly shut her eyes as the pain radiated through her head. She placed her hooves on her jaw and rubbed her chin for a moment. Once the pain started to ebb away due to her rubbing, she pulled her legs into the room and rolled onto her back while a familiar voice laughed from a few yards away.

“You would think that she would be careful about leaning against a wall that the Spirit of Disharmony enchanted. Oh well. We all learn the hard way.”

Rainbow opened her eyes and inhaled to try and ignore the seething pain in her chin. Her eyes widened once she looked at the floor and tilted her head up to stare from the walls to the ceiling. The entire room was painted like a rainbow. From the wooden floors and walls to the ceiling, it looked like Rainbow’s mane when she got out of a shower. The floor had its own pattern of colors such as different shades of red, yellow, and orange while the wall harbored green, light-blue, and any shade or tint in between. The ceiling carried the last colors of a rainbow: dark-blue and purple while the corners of the room melded with the green to create an ugly and abhorrent brown that would have Rarity faint from the mere sight of it.

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to close her eyes again once she finally focused on her surroundings. A small knot of pain throbbed in her temple and she raised a hoof to massage it away as she tried to focus on the room’s layout instead of the colors that were currently giving her a headache. In the back of the room, Rainbow could make out a bathtub and a refrigerator, both of which were turned upside down and stuck to the ceiling. There was one window on each wall except for the wall that carried the exit, each providing a view of Canterlot, Ponyville, and the horizon that lead to the Crystal Empire respectively. Drapes covered the edges of each windowsill, the silky fabric matching with the colors that surrounded it. The drapes looked like they were dipped in different buckets of paint and tossed aside, although the magical aura that flowed from them seemed to show otherwise.

Rainbow shuddered and turned to Discord, who was sitting in the middle of the room on top of a cloud that hovered over a crimson couch. An apple tree stuck up from the floor behind Discord. The fruit that hung from it looked surprisingly familiar. The apples were nothing but cores, stripped bare of any skin or flavor — or so it seemed.

Discord stretched and let out a groan of relaxation as he looked at Rainbow. He motioned towards the room with his talons. “Do you like my new dwelling? A little bare, I’m not going to lie, but I can always add furniture when visitors come over.”

Rainbow growled and pushed herself back to her hooves. “Alright. Admit it!” she yelled as she pointed a hoof at him in accusation.

Discord pointed his paw at himself and raised an eyebrow. “Admit it?” He asked as an apple core hovered over to his talons. He grabbed the apple and spit back up a piece onto the apple, leaving it half-eaten as he tossed it at Rainbow Dash. “I’ll admit that I’m not exactly the best decorator when it comes to Feng-Shuei. But apart from that, I have nothing to admit to you.”

Rainbow stepped to the side, letting the apple drop onto the floor and roll over to the wall. She turned back to Discord and shook her head. “Don’t play dumb with me! What did you do to Twilight?!”

Discord blinked. “Um... I’m assuming you’re asking what I’ve done to her lately? Because I’m pretty sure that you’ve been around the same time that I was around her; except for the time when I took your Element away and made you give up on your friends. You probably don’t remember any of that.”

Rainbow clenched her teeth. “Shut up, Discord. Stop playing games with me, I’m not in the mood.”

Discord snickered before the room suddenly shook with his laughter. “Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha! You’re telling me not to play games?!” Discord placed his paw over his stomach and pointed his talons at Rainbow Dash. He continued laughing and closed his eyes once he started to laugh too hard. “You may as well tell water to stop being wet!"

Rainbow’s right eye twitched and she trotted over to Discord’s couch. With one jab, she disintegrated the cloud underneath Discord, who immediately noticed. His back met the cushion, which prompted him to stop laughing. Discord straightened himself on his couch and stepped off of it, moving to his mismatched legs. He glared down at Rainbow, raised his talons, and snapped them.

Rainbow winced, but didn’t feel any pain. Instead, a cloud formed once again on Discord’s couch and he leaned back onto it, but remained sitting.

“I don’t appreciate my furniture being messed with,” Discord said flatly as he outstretched the lion paw and pushed Rainbow’s face. “Which is kind of weird once you think about it. The Spirit of Disharmony doesn’t appreciate his furniture being messed with. I guess that’s how all you ponies must have felt when your houses were upside down.”

Rainbow stumbled backwards and fell onto her rump. She sighed in relief and clutched her chest. Her heart was still beating.

“Whew... that was a close one. For a split second... I thought that he was going to take away my Element again... or worse.”

Rainbow shook her head and adopted the angry persona once more. She rose back to her hooves and brushed her shoulder off. “Now that we have each other’s attention, I want to talk to you about Twilight. I’ll ask the question again, what have you done to her?”

Discord leaned back against the couch and sighed. “I’m already losing patience with you. If I considered your question to be a joke the first time, why do you expect me to take you seriously the second time?” he asked.

“Because you might be hiding something from me, and if you are, then you are hiding a reason for me to get you sealed back in stone!” Rainbow yelled as she stamped her foot to emphasize her point. “I know how much you love jokes, and I’m here to tell you that what you did to Twilight and my dad is not a joke!”

Discord blinked again. His small frown of annoyance slowly turned into a smirk as he snapped his talons. Discord disappeared from the couch and reappeared above Rainbow Dash. He sat on her back and Rainbow let out a grunt of exertion at the sudden weight. Discord snapped his talons again and she felt the weight disperse.

“Interesting,” Discord mumbled as he stared down at Rainbow. “I did something to your father and Twilight Sparkle? Okay, I’ll bite. What did I do?”

Rainbow growled and bucked her legs behind her, forcing Discord to fall off of her and onto the floor.

“I’m not your chair,” Rainbow said.

Discord moved back to his feet and brushed himself off. “If you say so. I was just wondering if pegasi were more comfortable to lay on than earth ponies. Guess I was wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Rainbow yelled, “and what does that have to do with Twilight?!”

Discord smirked. “Nothing, really. But I’m pretty sure I don’t have to spell it out for you. I’ll give you a hint. I taught Pinkie how I party, all night long.”

Rainbow’s right eye twitched as she turned to face Discord. Her wings flared out and she pounced. Discord’s eyes widened and he quickly snapped his talons. He vanished right as Rainbow was about to collide into him and she stopped the moment she was about to hit the multi-colored wall. Rainbow pressed her forehooves against the wall and jumped off of it, landing in the middle of the room. Her wings folded back against her sides as she stared ahead, waiting for her target to materialize.

Discord appeared a few feet away, unfazed by her sudden attack. “Once again, pouncing the Spirit of Disharmony in his own world is not exactly the best of ideas. But considering you decided to come into my room and lecture me about something that I have no clue of...” Discord looked out the window and then back to Rainbow, “judging by the time, I guess your best thinking is in the AM.”

Rainbow growled and flared her wings again. “If you did anything to Pinkie... I’ll...”

“Do what? Cry to your Princess? Call Twilight Sparkle? Since she isn’t here with you, I’d assume that you can’t call her, and I’m sure you don’t want to bother Celestia with your paltry personal problems.”

Rainbow paused, her teeth grinding together as if they were gears at the Rainbow Factory. Discord continued.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Rainbow Dash, you are in my world. Princess Celestia has given me this room to be myself, since she knows as well as I do that letting someone be who they are is a part of friendship.”

Discord’s expression slowly changed to a complacent smile.

“Trying to hurt me in my world is as pointless as an earth pony fighting you in the air. You have the advantage. As do I.”

Discord snapped his paw fingers. A skinned and hollowed-out coconut with a straw appeared in his paw and as he sipped (what Rainbow assumed to be coconut milk), the skin slowly started to grow back on the coconut from the bottom to the top.

“And before you ask, no, I have not done anything to Pinkie. I just wanted to see your reaction. Comical, to say the least.” Discord sipped the coconut again and snapped his talons, once again appearing on the couch.

“You only acted this impulsive and threatened me when your friendships were in jeopardy. Judging by your predictable nature, I’m assuming that it wasn’t just the Pinkie comment that made you pounce at me?”

Discord snapped his talons one more time and Rainbow squealed as she was teleported onto a blood red chair that faced the ceiling. Discord appeared in a brown arm chair with a pipe between his lips and a suit adorning his form. A small notepad rested on his crossed legs while Discord wrote Rainbow’s name on the top of the pad.

“Let therapist Discord sort you through your problems. I recently had a visit from one. He was very patient and rational, not like you at all.”

Rainbow swung her legs over the edge of the chair and sat up. “Discord. I want the truth,” she muttered as she stared into the being’s asymmetrical eyes.

Discord didn’t blink, merely wrote a little more on the pad. “About what I did to your father and Twilight? What makes you think that I’m going to tell you?”

“Because if you did something to Twilight, or my dad, Princess Celestia would turn you back into stone for abusing your powers,” Rainbow said as she lightly smirked. “And I know you. There’s no way that you can stop using chaotic magic just like that.” Rainbow smacked a forehoof into her other to emphasize her point. “You’re a trickster, just like Pinkie and yours truly, but even I know when a joke goes too far. You dodged my question the first time by playing a trick on me to change the subject because you knew that sitting on me would annoy me. You dodged the question because you knew I was right.”

Rainbow covered her mouth and yawned loudly, her eyes watering due to the length of her yawn. Once she finished, Discord’s eyes narrowed and he slouched slightly in his chair. “Already tired? Did you use all your brain to come up with that?”

Rainbow growled and rose into the air. She poked Discord’s chest with her forehoof and stared into his eyes as her poking became an assault. “Admit it! Admit that you made Twilight and my Dad fall in love so that I can call Princess Celestia and have her take care of you!”

Discord grabbed Rainbow’s hoof as she continued the onslaught of pokes to his chest and he stood up from his armchair. He snapped his paw and Rainbow winced and closed her eyes once more. Once she realized that nothing happened to her, she opened one eye followed by the other. Discord walked over to the room exit and placed his paw upon it. His paw glowed with golden energy, intensifying until Rainbow could no longer keep her eyes open. As the glow disappeared, Rainbow opened her eyes again to see Discord pressing her hoof against the wood that used to be the exit. The hardwood remained in place despite the pressure and her eyes widened.

“He sealed off the escape...”

Discord dropped Rainbow to the floor and took a few steps back. Once Rainbow was let go, she immediately knocked against what used to be her exit with a forehoof and backed against it. She started to pant as Discord’s talons glowed once more, his contented smile turning into a smirk as the coconut he was previously drinking levitated into his talons.

“You caught me, Rainbow. You found out my plan. Now, tell me, what are you going to do about it?”

Rainbow glanced at all three windows in the room and quickly jumped off of the wall, heading towards the windows with her forehooves sticking straight out.

“I gotta get out of here! Discord never was reformed!”

“Ah ah ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Discord’s talons lit up with a golden color once more and the closest window that Rainbow dashed to was immediately blocked with a golden aura.

“I wouldn’t want you to break my room after I worked so hard to make it just right.”

Rainbow grit her teeth as she turned back to Discord.

“What do you want with Twilight and my dad!?” she yelled. “What did you do to them!?”

“Oh, nothing, really.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Just a little mind magic here and a letter there. You’d be surprised at how well you can conceal your identity when you write with actual fingers.”

Discord wiggled his paw before he started to pace back and forth, sipping from his coconut every few steps.

“Now, I bet you’re wondering why I decided to betray both Fluttershy’s and Celestia’s friendship?”

“I’m not wondering at all. I had a feeling it was you from the start. I knew you couldn’t be good forever,” Rainbow replied through her gnashed teeth.

Discord let out a low laugh. “Well, lucky guess I suppose, not that it matters. Since our adorkable little Twilight Sparkle is too busy with your dad to focus on her royal duties, that means that the final Element of Harmony cannot be used!”

Discord sipped the last of the coconut, replenishing the rest of the skin on the fruit before he tossed it behind him, where it landed perfectly inside of a white trash can, its tongue hanging out of its open mouth. “Then, since all the other alicorn Princesses cannot stop me, I will rule Equestria and turn Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world once more!”

Rainbow growled. “You’ll never get away with this! I’ll break the spell! I’ll find a way to stop you!”

Discord laughed again. “You will never have a chance, Rainbow Dash. You are in my way, and I believe it’s about time to take out the trash. The Rainbow Dash trash. Hmm... that has a nice ring to it.”

Discord snapped his fingers and Rainbow yelped as she was thrown from the window overlooking Canterlot and forced to levitate right in front of Discord, who had stopped pacing and was now staring out the window. His grin slowly widened as he placed his talons underneath Rainbow’s chin.

Rainbow placed her forehooves on Discord’s talons and pulled, panting and grunting to no avail.

“I’m too tired. I didn’t eat that much and I’m exhausted from flying. I can’t stop him... buck my luck.”

Rainbow let go of Discord’s talons and hung limp in his grasp, her piercing stare mimicking the Spirit of Disharmony’s. “I hate you.”

Discord snickered, then covered his mouth before his demeanor completely shattered. He dropped Rainbow to the floor and erupted into a fit of laughter.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! You shoulda seen the look on your face!” Discord said as he wiped a tear from his eye. He held out his eagle claw for a high five. “Aw, put it there Rainbow Dash! I gotta hand it to you, I was trying my hardest to remain in character. But that dopey, ‘I’m trying to be a bad mare’ glare was just too much!”

Rainbow’s glare slowly started to break down into a blank stare as the Spirit of Disharmony continued to laugh. Her wings folded back against her sides and she took a step back from the laughing creature. Her demeanor instantly filled up with rage. “Do you think this is a joke! I’m dealing with a crisis here, and the last thing that I want is you toying with me when all I’m trying to get is an answer! Can you stop being yourself for five minutes and just give me an answer so I can leave! I’m not joking!”

Discord stopped laughing upon Rainbow’s outburst. He blinked and with another snap, he was sitting back in his armchair. “And neither am I. Despite the clever train of logic that you provided for me, I’m going to have to disappoint you and say that I have nothing to do with your father’s and Twilight Sparkle’s love. I have been here this whole time, doing everything out of the ordinary.

“However, that is not to say that the two of us are in good enough standings that I would never toy with you. I just did, after all, and while that may be because toying with you is fun, I will not lie and say that I didn’t get a certain pleasure out of what I just did.”

Rainbow shook her head a few times and placed her forehooves over her head. A sharp pain split through the back of her head and started to radiate through her skull. She nodded her head, even though she was sure she didn’t get any of what Discord just said.

Discord continued. “You of all ponies, despite the fact that you carry the Element of Loyalty, have been the least loyal pony that I have met in my life. And I’m not going to count the fact that all it took was a little mind magic for me to turn you against your friends. I’m talking about the day when Fluttershy tried to reform me.”

Discord snapped his talons and another apple from the tree behind him levitated over to his claw. He snapped his other hand and a straw materialized in midair. The straw punctured the apple core and Discord took a sip. Once he pulled back, half of the apple was already replenished. He sighed in relief and tossed the apple behind him, where it landed into the trash can and exploded.

“That really hit the spot. Anyway... where was I? Oh yes... the lunch. Fluttershy was the only one that decided to trust and put faith in me that day. She believed that I could be brought over to your side, while the rest of you not only didn’t trust me, but didn’t trust her. She stayed by my side, that entire day, even though I was planning on using her to wreak havoc upon Ponyville once I had her out of the way. She offered her home to me, gave me many chances to show that I was reformed, and promised to not use her Element on me, even though she knew that in doing so, I would have won.

“But you know what, Rainbow? Life isn’t about winning. Life isn’t about bending everyone around you to their needs. Life isn’t about taking everything and enjoying what you could make of it. That is what my life used to be, and while I could easily give it all up and go back to being the old Discord, I would be imprisoned in stone once more by your Elements. Funny, isn’t it? I’m bound by what you ponies consider to be harmony, and I’m trying to make the best of it. I’m trying to reform an image that I have been rejecting since that day. I’m trying to make friends, and with somepony like you, it’s extremely hard.

“What have you done, Rainbow Dash? What were you doing the entire time that I was trying to reform myself? What did you do during that lunch?”

Rainbow growled. “Don’t even bring that up! You spilled hot gravy on me and tried to pass it off as an accident!”

“That’s because it was.” Discord paused. “Er... it was on purpose, but not because of me. The gravy boat spilled on you intentionally, I didn’t make it do that. I didn’t think that the gravy boat would do such a thing until you insulted it. But during that whole lunch, none of your friends trusted either Fluttershy or me. You in particular were quick to blame me and suggest that Twilight imprison me back in stone.”

“No one trusted you back then! We had no reason to trust you because you were taking advantage of Fluttershy the whole time she was trying to reform you!” Rainbow yelled. She could feel her throat start to grow dry, and she coughed a few times before she continued. “I don’t have to be loyal to you because I wasn’t your friend! I am loyal to my true friends!”

Discord raised an eyebrow and then walked past Rainbow over to the window that overlooked Canterlot. He leaned against the nearby wall and placed his talons upon the windowsill. “Ah, I see. You’re only loyal to your true friends. Tell me, what constitutes a true friend?”

Rainbow turned around to face Discord, her burning eyes staring into his own. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves as she replied. “Somepony who I can trust! Somepony who I can depend on, one who never lets me down. Somepony that respects me, and in turn, I respect them. Ponies that resemble honesty, kindness, generosity, loyalty, and laughter, and those who I can show these traits with. I want a friend that I can be honest and kind to, someone who can make me laugh and won’t stab me in the back.”

Rainbow’s eyes began to water as she tried to rub away the pain in them. “Someone that doesn’t turn my words against me... or makes me have to travel to Canterlot just so that I can get a bucking answer...”

Discord looked out the window. The sun was slowly starting to set on the horizon. Splashes of gold and purple blended in with the sky, no doubt the introduction to Luna’s beautiful night. Discord sighed and teleported back to his chair. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I have no desire to help you with whatever problem you happen to have. You didn’t want to help me then, and I’m not going to help you now.”

“You didn’t even try to reform yourself until Fluttershy showed you how it felt to not have a friend!” Rainbow yelled out as she moved her hooves to her head, her migraine intensifying. “Ow.”

“And now I’m going to show you how it feels. Get out of my room.”

Discord raised his talons and snapped them. The wood near the exit to the room slowly started to cave inward, as if a large force was pressing against it. Eventually, the wood splintered, revealing a glowing white portal that showed Canterlot Castle’s hallway.

Rainbow removed her forehooves from her head to look up into Discord’s eyes. They were staring down at her, blank and emotionless. Rainbow reached out a hoof.

“Discord, I’m sorry,” she muttered, “I was out of line.”

“You were out of line the moment you stormed into my room, yelling and accusing me of doing something that you had no proof of.” Discord replied, his tone as hard as steel. “We never were friends, Rainbow Dash, and now that I see what kind of pony you are to someone that treads over the imaginary line of what you consider to be wrong, I don’t want to be your friend. I’m going to ask one more time, please get out of my room.”

Rainbow craned her neck to look at the glowing portal behind her before she turned back to Discord. Her eyes couldn’t resist leaking any longer as she took a step towards Discord. “Please, Discord, let me make it up to you.”

Discord sighed. “Make it up to me? It’s a bit late for that. Twilight Sparkle sent me a letter the moment I agreed to use my powers for good, because she wanted to talk and make sure that I was alright. Fluttershy invited me over to her cottage from time to time. Rarity made enchanted drapes for my windows as a housewarming gift for my new room.” Discord said as he motioned towards his windows. “Applejack baked me a pie from the chaotic apples that grow from the tree in my room.” Discord pointed behind him. “And Pinkie Pie held a housewarming party for me once I got my room all decorated. What did you do? Nothing. You stand there, pressing me for answers after I told you that I had nothing to do with your problem. You can make it up to me by leaving.”

Tears leaked down Rainbow’s cheeks as she turned her back to Discord and slowly started to walk over to the exit. She sobbed and closed her eyes as she stepped through the ethereal passage. Once her hooves met the comfortable fabric of the Royal Hallway rug, Rainbow wasted no more time in heading for the Castle’s exit. She bent her head down and followed the hallway, ignoring the idle chatter and mumbling as she exited the castle and headed outside.

Rainbow stumbled down the castle steps, her eyelids drooping while her head pounded with her newfound migraine. She sobbed and after making it to the final step, she walked past the two guards that allowed her into the castle.

The guard on the left looked over at Rainbow as she passed them and sighed. “That’s what you get for wanting to talk to Discord. I told you.”

“Shut up!” Rainbow yelled as she spun around to face the guards. Both guards froze up, their hooves clenching their spears as Rainbow looked back and forth between them. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, only to have her vision glaze over again. She growled in frustration and stepped towards the guards. “Just shut up and do your bucking job!”

Rainbow turned her back to the guards and spread her wings. Within seconds, she was soaring through the sky, hooves pointed directly towards Ponyville while she closed her eyes and continued to sob. She eventually ascended above the clouds and remained there as she flew, her tears puncturing the clouds before they reached the earth.

~~~

Rainbow threw open her front door and stepped inside before she closed it behind her. She stared down at the floor and walked past her living room, down the hallway, and into her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed and wailed out while her forehooves beat down upon the blankets. The moonlight shone down upon her body through her open window as she wailed and screamed, tears melding into the cloud-like material of the bed.

“I didn’t mean to!” she wailed as she pulled a blanket over her face, muffling her screams. “I’m sorry!”

Her hooves continued the onslaught upon her bed sheets until the minimal amount of energy that kept her going finally ran out. Tank soared into the room, his helicopter decelerating to a mere buzz as he rubbed his head against Rainbow’s sweaty and smelly mane. Rainbow raised her head to look into his eyes and she hugged the tortoise to her chest. She slid under her sheets and tucked Tank and herself in. With a sigh and one final sob, she closed her eyes. “At least I have you.”

Tank rubbed his head against Rainbow’s neck before he retreated inside of his shell, falling asleep within minutes of his owner.

The Element of Honesty

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Rainbow Dash grunted out as she bucked behind her. Her target disseminated into mist and she smirked as she zipped towards another cloud and immediately dispersed it with another kick. Within minutes, the Ponyville Market glistened in the sunlight, no longer rendered dim and dreary by the morning clouds. Rainbow ascended up into the sky and smiled as she stared down at her handiwork.

“Aww yeah! Ten seconds flat, every time! I still got it!”

Rainbow flew to the left and observed the Market. Dozens of ponies were putting together their stands, revealing wares of food, drink, and luxury that brightened under the sun’s newfound freedom. Nearly every farmer was out in the marketplace today, and the sudden rumbling of Rainbow’s stomach reminded her of yesterday.

Rainbow placed a hoof over her stomach as she slowly descended back to the ground, landing right in the middle of the marketplace. Some ponies gave her a glance as they continued their work, one of whom being Applejack. The orange mare adjusted the Stetson on her head and smiled when the two met eyes. Rainbow trotted over to Applejack’s stand and smiled while she held out a hoof.

Applejack turned to finish setting up her sign and looked to Rainbow. Instantly getting the message, she bumped her hoof against Rainbow’s and smiled brighter upon seeing another pony pass her stand. However, the pony didn’t meet eye contact with her and simply trotted past her. Applejack turned her glance back to Rainbow.

“Howdy, Rainbow. How ya doin’ today?”

As if on cue, Rainbow’s stomach gurgled in response. She coughed into her hoof, her cheeks slowly starting to redden as she quickly thought of an answer. “I was just... finishing up my work for today. I had a rough day yesterday and I just wanna go back to bed.”

Applejack chuckled. “You sure do love them naps, don’tcha, Rainbow?”

Rainbow nodded and ran her other forehoof through her hair. “Heh... yeah.”

Rainbow’s ears perked up as she heard hoofsteps behind her. She turned around to stare at the new customer, a light gold mare who stopped the moment she was behind Rainbow. Raindrops smiled sheepishly and scuffed her hoof along the ground, her cyan hues barely able to meet Rainbow’s. The two mares stared at each other in silence until Rainbow sighed and stepped to the side.

Raindrop’s eyes widened. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were in line.”

Rainbow smiled lightly and chuckled. “That’s funny, most ponies think my actions are out of line.”

Raindrops blinked. “What?”

“Nevermind.”

Rainbow shook her head and motioned towards the stand. Raindrops smiled and took Rainbow’s place as both her and Applejack began to haggle.

Rainbow turned to look at the other stands and noticed that most of them had set up around the same time that Applejack did. Her stomach rumbled again and Rainbow sighed again as she turned back to Applejack’s stand. Applejack looked away from Raindrops for a moment when she realized that her friend was staring at her. “Gonna go look at the other stands?” she asked.

Rainbow nodded.

Applejack smiled again and tossed an apple at Rainbow. “There’s a little thank you for making the sky nice and clear for us. I heard your tummy was rumbling. Ya can’t go walking on an empty stomach!” she said.

Rainbow smiled as she caught the apple. She gently flapped her wings, bringing her a few inches off of the ground while she ate her new lunch. “Thanks, AJ. I owe you one.”

Applejack merely waved away her apology and turned back to Raindrops as Rainbow flew away.

Rainbow munched on the apple in silence as she hovered past numerous stands, many of which were raising their hooves and yelling out to try to get her attention, to no avail. The stands became merely a blur, forgotten once she passed them as she ate her snack and stared ahead.

Within a few minutes, Rainbow had flown out of the marketplace and onto the road that lead to Fluttershy’s cottage. The talking and clinking of bits slowly faded into running water and the faint croaking of frogs. Rainbow finished off the apple and pressed her now free hoof to her head. A faint pain echoed in the back of her mind and she sighed.

“Ugh... don’t come back. I’m really not in the mood for it.”

Rainbow stopped and glanced behind her at the hustle and bustle of the Marketplace. She shook her head and dropped to her hooves as she began to walk towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“I need some time to think alone. Yesterday was just... too much in one day.”

Rainbow chuckled and covered her face with a hoof.

“If I sucked more at my job, I wouldn’t have to think about yesterday. I guess when you can do it in ten seconds, it kind of sucks when you don’t have it as a distraction anymore.”

Rainbow lowered her hoof to the ground and continued her trek along the dirt path. She sighed once she saw Fluttershy’s cottage and looked down once she heard another croak. Below her, a river slowly melded its ambiance into the surroundings, providing a perfect background for the frogs to add in their vocals. Rainbow sat near the edge of the bridge and closed her eyes, her hind legs dangling a foot away from the water while the natural sounds permeated her thoughts. Her mind felt like cotton, as the foreboding pain in the back of her head slowly melted away like ice cream upon her tongue. Rainbow inhaled deeply and as she let it out, she stared into the water.

A frog sat upon a lily pad, its gaze unable to meet Rainbow’s since its throat continued to inhale and exhale from constant croaking.

Rainbow looked back to Fluttershy’s cottage and stood up. She brushed the dirt off of her rump so that she didn’t track any into her friend’s house and walked over to the doormat. Not a single light illuminated the inside of the house and the window shades were shut, prompting Rainbow to sigh as the realization hit her: Fluttershy probably wasn’t home.

Rainbow turned around and sat down on the doormat. She cradled her head in her hooves and leaned back against the door as she sighed again. She started to bump her head against the door, sending small knocking sounds through the empty house.

“Of course Fluttershy isn’t here when I need to talk to her,” Rainbow muttered.

Rainbow turned to the door and pounded on it before she pressed her ear to the wood, listening for a response. The house remained quiet. Rainbow’s ears flopped down to her head as she returned to the bridge and sat down. Between the loud knocking and her talking, the croaking had stopped. Rainbow turned back to the lilypad and saw that the frog had disappeared, leaving her alone with the running water.

Rainbow leaned back against the bridge and covered her eyes with her forehooves once more.

“If I just went to bed instead of going out to eat, I wouldn’t have pissed off Discord. Now there’s two problems that I have to fix. Good job, Rainbow.”

Rainbow craned her neck to search her surroundings for any pony that was around, one that she could see or talk to. However, as far as she knew, she was all alone. She sighed again.

“I guess everypony is probably getting their stuff done today. It's early,” Rainbow said. She looked ahead at the large bird house, its sturdy and lavish exterior prompting Rainbow to think that Fluttershy probably built it. Her eyes widened as one of the birds flew over to her and hovered a foot away from her nose. She chuckled and offered her hoof for the bird to sit down. However, the bird merely flew back to its house and disappeared inside. Rainbow sighed.

“I don’t blame you,” Rainbow muttered as she laid back on the bridge while her hind legs kicked back and forth. “If I’m as big a jerk as Discord says, I wouldn’t want to hang out with me either.”

Rainbow stared up at the sky and placed a hoof over her eyes to shield them from the sun before she closed them once more. She arched her back and let out a groan as she felt a few bones pop back into place. After another ten seconds of agonizing silence, accentuated by the river’s flow, Rainbow sat up again.

She groaned and looked down at the water as another frog jumped onto an adjacent lily pad from the first frog and croaked once more.

“This is how it’s going to be, huh?” she asked the frog. The frog merely croaked in response. “This is how I’m going to deal with this? Finding new ways to distract myself until I completely run out of distractions?”

Rainbow roughly ran a hoof through her mane, almost pulling out a few strands of hair in the process.

“Come on, Rainbow. You can’t ignore what happened yesterday. All of that... in one day. Dad... Twilight... Scootaloo... Discord, all in one day. Then I hugged Tank while I broke down and cried like a filly that just got grounded for a month.”

Rainbow covered her eyes with her hooves and let out a depressed groan.

“I haven’t cried like that since Mom... and...” Rainbow sighed, her train of thought trying to elude her. “Before that, when Twilight became a princess.”

Rainbow lowered her hooves to her hind legs and looked around as she quickly straightened her posture and opened her eyes completely just in case somepony was going to approach her. However, once she saw that nopony was around, Rainbow retreated back into a slouch with lowered eyelids as she looked to the river.

“Element of Loyalty. That’s what I am. I’m... the most loyal pony in Ponyville. I stuck with Twilight through thick and thin.”

“I don’t have to be loyal to you because I wasn’t your friend! I am loyal to my true friends!”

Rainbow winced, as if she just ripped off a bandage.

“That’s what the Element of Loyalty says to someone that is trying to be their friend.”

Rainbow laughed softly and rose to her hooves. She looked down at the river and then slammed her hoof on the bridge, ignoring the stinging pain that shot up her foreleg.

“He was just being himself, and I stomp into his room as if he did something wrong. Ugh...”

Rainbow turned to the sky and she spread her wings.

“I need to tell him that I’m sorry. Even if he won’t listen, I still need to say something.”

“What the buck do you know!? You aren’t my mom!”

Right when Rainbow was about to ascend into the sky, she stopped and her wings slowly folded back, her second guess making the decision for her.

“But do I... apologize for that?”

Rainbow let out a groan of irritation as she looked back the way that she came, the road that lead to bugging merchants and an approaching headache. She brushed the dirt off her back and rose back to her hooves. She began to walk down the path, the flow of the riverbed slowly fading away as the talking of ponies replaced it within minutes.

~~~

Applejack smiled as she emptied a bucket of apples into another mare’s saddlebag while the buyer threw a bag of coins onto her counter.

“Thank ya very much!” Applejack said as she placed the bucket nearby her stall. “Pleasure doin’ business with ya, ma'am.”

The other mare smiled and nodded as she walked away.

Rainbow trotted past the now weighed down mare and stopped in front of Applejack. The orange mare removed her Stetson to wipe off a bead of sweat and smiled as she added the bag of bits to the half-full chest that she brought with her.

“Hello again, Rainbow. Feelin’ any better?”

Rainbow nodded her head and smiled lightly in response, but it quickly faded as she looked left and right. “Applejack, can we talk?” Rainbow asked as she met her gaze with the farmpony.

Applejack blinked and chuckled. “Aren’t we talking right now?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No. I mean... yeah we are talking... but I wanted to talk to you about something else, alone.”

Applejack blinked again before she gave a glance towards the stall owners that were adjacent to her own. She frowned slightly. “Well uh... I can’t just leave my stall like this. I trust everypony, but I don’t feel comfortable leavin' it unattended.”

Rainbow brushed a hoof past her mane as she broke her gaze with Applejack. She stared at the ground as she tried to think of a response.

“Well... can I go get Big Mac or Apple Bloom to watch the cart for you?”

Applejack shook her head and upon pausing to pick up another apple and hand it to Rainbow, she raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you need to talk to me so badly? And why do we have to be alone? I wouldn’t pin you as somepony that would want to ask me for advice. I’m not complaining... but...”

Rainbow shook her head a little harder than was needed. “Nevermind. I shouldn’t have asked.” She turned her back to Applejack and spread her wings, her eyes fixed on the horizon, where her home was. “I’ll just go back home. I’m done with work anyway.”

“Wait, Rainbow.”

Rainbow jumped into the air but stopped upon hearing her friend’s voice. She turned back to Applejack, who was inspecting her stall. After moving around a few buckles and planks, she placed her sign on top of the counter. “I guess I can close up early. I already emptied out half of the apples for today.” Applejack turned to Rainbow with a small smile, as if a day’s worth of bits was nothing to her. “Just help me carry this back to Sweet Apple Acres. We can talk along the way.”

Rainbow smiled and nodded her head as she descended to the ground once again. She held her head high and let out a small groan of discomfort as a warm, metal ring lightly tapped against her back, a leash following it. Applejack locked the metal ring in place along Rainbow’s midsection and Applejack did the same with herself. She looked back at the stall and nodded once all of the cargo seemed situated enough to not fall or bounce around.

“Here we go,” Applejack said as she started to walk. Rainbow followed alongside her, not talking despite Applejack’s previous suggestion.

Applejack glanced towards Rainbow as she continued walking in silence. She tilted her Stetson back up over her head and stopped for a moment to wipe the beads of sweat that collected on her forehead before she continued with Rainbow.

“So.” Applejack paused, dragging out the word so that Rainbow would get the hint. “How have you been? I haven’t talked to you in a while, just seen you around the sky.”

“I’ve been fine,” Rainbow replied without looking at Applejack, her gaze focused in front of her.

“Anything interesting happen lately?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky menacingly, as if it contained all of her problems. Applejack stopped as well and right when she was about to speak, Rainbow sighed and shook her head before she continued to walk. The two mares were now able to see Sweet Apple Acres off in the distance and Applejack smiled upon the sight of her home.

“We’re almost there,” Applejack said, excitement lining her tone.

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied in an absentminded fashion.

~~~

Upon the farm, Big Macintosh pulled a plow across the dirt, tilling perfect spots for the seeds to be planted. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and looked up from his plow once he heard the shuffling of bits and apples that came from Applejack’s stall. He waved at Applejack, who waved back and let out a sigh of relief as the apple cart finally reached the barn. Applejack slid out of the metal ring around her abdomen and smiled as Rainbow did the same. She opened up the apple cellar and lifted one of the buckets of apples onto her back before she slowly descended down into the cellar. Rainbow picked up a bucket as well and followed. Within minutes, the apple stand was emptied of all its cargo and Applejack wiped her brow once more as she kicked the cellar door closed.

“Well, that’s the last of the apples,” Applejack said as she turned to Rainbow.

“Uh... yeah,” Rainbow replied as she glanced away, once again looking as spaced out as ever.

Applejack frowned and nudged Rainbow on the side, who blinked and turned her gaze back to the farmpony.

“Uh... huh?” she asked.

“Sugarcube, are you doing okay?” Applejack walked around to Rainbow’s other side and looked towards her house. “Maybe it’s the heat. Does it get hot up in the sky?”

Applejack nudged Rainbow again towards the house and she began to walk. Rainbow beat her wings, hovering an inch off the ground as she followed Applejack. She nodded, deciding not to verbally respond while Applejack waved at Big Mac and made a few unknown motions to him. Applejack smiled and turned back to Rainbow as the two arrived at her door. She opened the door and held it open for Rainbow, who followed inside.

Rainbow ignored the spotless kitchen and leaned against the counter while she placed her head in her forehooves. She let out a sigh in relief at finally being not only away from the Marketplace, but from anyone that could be listening in. Her few glances behind her and around the room accentuated this desire.

Applejack walked over to the pantry and pulled out a juice box before she tossed it at Rainbow, who caught it in one hoof despite not seeing it. She popped the straw into the box and took a small sip while Applejack grabbed her own.

One minute, two minutes, nothing but slurping and gulping broke the silence in the room. Applejack crushed her juice box and tossed it in the nearby trash can and finally grabbed her hat to place on the kitchen counter.

“Alright, Rainbow. What’s the matter?”

Rainbow lowered one hoof from her face and rubbed it against the kitchen counter as she formulated a response.

“I... I’m just having a bad day,” Rainbow responded.

Applejack nodded. “Alright. You’re havin' a bad day. We all get them every now and then. I’m just wonderin' why you’re not talkin', even though you just asked me fifteen minutes ago that you needed to talk.” Applejack shrugged. “Just wondering why I had to close down the apple stand early.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened as she let the other hoof fall to the kitchen counter. She stared into Applejack’s eyes as her wings flared up.

“Was it really that much of a burden?” she asked in a low tone. Before Applejack could answer, Rainbow Dash found her tongue again. “I knew I should have just went to freaking bed. One day and now I’m inconveniencing everyone around me.”

“Rainbow.”

“First my dad, now Discord, and now I’m moving onto my friends.”

“Rainbow.”

Rainbow slammed her hooves against the kitchen counter, ignoring the pain that radiated through her hooves as the wood recoiled. She turned towards the door and started to walk.

“I’m just gonna go eat again and go to bed. Sorry for wasting your time, Applejack.”

“Rainbow!”

Applejack sidestepped from the counter to the door as Rainbow moved towards it and she placed a hoof onto Rainbow’s shoulder, a comforting smile adorning her features. “It’s fine. Something is obviously botherin' you. I’m not doing anythin' else today. Let’s just sit down and talk.”

Rainbow looked at the door before her gaze shifted back to the eyes that threatened to shatter her composure. Rainbow cleared her throat and gave a glance to the living room behind her.

“No one else is here?”

Applejack followed Rainbow’s gaze and shrugged. “Probably not. I remember Apple Bloom saying somethin' about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so she’s out playin' with them. And Granny is usually nappin' around this time. As long as Big Mac doesn’t come in, we’re all alone.”

Rainbow walked back to the kitchen counter and placed her head onto her forehooves once more. “Good. I don’t really want to talk to anyone except you about it. I’ve already talked to someone else, and it just made me feel worse,” Rainbow muttered.

Applejack walked back to the counter and leaned against it, opposite Rainbow. “Who did ya talk to?”

Rainbow shook her head. “I’ll bring that up later. I just...” Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane again. “AJ, can I ask you a question?”

Applejack nodded with a smile.

After a sigh, Rainbow asked, “What does it mean to you, to be the Element of Honesty?”

Applejack’s eyes widened, but she smiled and took the question in stride.

“To me... bein' the Element of Honesty means that I am an honest pony, that bein' honest is a part of who I am.”

Rainbow let her hooves drop back to the counter. That answer wasn’t helping her. “I figured that much. How honest are you?”

Applejack shrugged. “Well... I don’t think it really works like that, Rainbow. I don’t think of honesty as a certain amount. I just... am. Ponies are either honest, or they aren’t.”

“Like Flim and Flam,” Rainbow interjected.

Applejack nodded and smiled lightly. “Right. I give the truth to others because I respect whoever asks me the question.”

“Well... what if you don’t?” Rainbow asked. “What if the pony that asked the question is somepony that you don’t like?”

Applejack pursed her lips, not liking where this was going. “Well... I'd still give them the truth because I want the same from them. Lying to everypony doesn’t solve anything, it just leads to more problems.”

Rainbow straightened up from the counter. “What if a bad guy wants you to tell the truth about the location of your friends, and you know that if you do, they will hurt your friends?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she stopped pursing her lips. “You been reading more of them Daring Do books, Rainbow?” she asked.

Rainbow shook her head. “Just answer the question!” she replied as she leaned over the counter, her muzzle merely inches from Applejack’s. Upon realizing her aggression, she reared back and looked down at the counter. “Sorry,” she muttered, her voice losing its tenacity.

Applejack kept her eyebrow raised, but waved off Rainbow’s apology. “Well... to answer your question... no. I wouldn’t tell him where my friends are.”

Rainbow nodded, her voice regaining some of its vigor, but still remaining hesitant. She fixed her eyes on Applejack’s as she continued. “So... you don’t feel like you have to be honest to everypony that you meet?”

Applejack frowned. “I’d rather not think of it like that... but I guess. I just prefer to be honest whether the other pony is the same or not. I like to give everypony the benefit of the doubt,” Applejack replied. “I’d rather not think that everyone I’m going to meet is not going to be honest with me. That’s not friendly and is quite frankly, rude.”

“Okay.” Rainbow placed a hoof underneath her chin, thinking for a moment while Applejack smiled, satisfied with her improvised answer. Rainbow lowered her hoof as she thought of another question.

“Well... what about white lies?” Rainbow asked. “What if you need to lie in order to spare someone’s feelings?” Rainbow paused. “Let’s say... there's something you really hate, but someone you care about likes it. Should you lie and say you're okay with something you hate, or is it better to tell the truth?"

Applejack sighed. “Rainbow, just because I’m the Element of Honesty, doesn’t meant that I’m going to be completely honest for the rest of my life.” She paused. “I would rather avoid having to tell white lies, but you know as well as I do that I would. Remember the surprise party that we threw for Pinkie?”

Rainbow smiled as the memory popped into her head. “Yeah... you looked like you were going to confess though. Good thing she didn’t get you to Pinkie promise.”

Applejack chuckled and smiled. “Yeah... then I’d have to admit it.” Applejack paused as she noticed that Rainbow was beaming in her direction. “Um... why do you ask?”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh.” She didn’t think she would get this far in the conversation, so her train of thought was nonexistent at best. She tried to pick it back up. “I just... I had a big reality check yesterday and I’ve been thinking about my Element ever since.”

Applejack chuckled. “Reality check? That’s a fancy way to put it. What happened?”

“Well... I went to go see Discord.”

Applejack frowned again as she straightened her posture. “I don’t like the sound of this already.”

“I know. Well... I went to go see Discord, and I didn’t exactly cheer him up with my visit.” Rainbow said as she brushed a hoof behind her head, her cheeks reddening due to a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. “I kind of... pissed him off.”

Applejack stared at Rainbow with a blank expression. “How did that happen?” Applejack asked. “Last time I checked, he seemed like he had his mood in check.”

“Yeah, he told me that you baked a pie for him from the apples in his house.”

Applejack nodded and chuckled at the memory. “Yeah... the filling was on the outside when it came out of the oven. Say what you want about Discord, he sure can entertain you if he has the chance.”

Rainbow glared at Applejack as she continued to chuckle, only stopping once she realized that Rainbow wasn’t going to join in. Applejack cleared her throat and got back on topic. “So... how did you piss him off?”

“I kind of... barged into his room and blamed him for a bunch of stuff that wasn’t his fault.”

Applejack paused. “Yeah... that’ll do it.”

Rainbow covered her face with a hoof as she sighed. “I don’t know why I did it. It just... all made sense to me at the time.”

“What made sense?”

Rainbow shook her head, her face still obscured from Applejack’s view. “It’s just bucking stupid now. I mean, Discord had no reason to do it, and I just broke into his house like he was some kind of criminal. Like... just because he had a record of chaos, he’s automatically guilty of whatever bad happens next.” Rainbow removed the hoof from her face and stared at the wall to the left of her, her eyelids drooped slightly. “He already probably gets enough of that from the guards and the Canterlot public. I just had to add to it.”

“Uhh, Rainbow?” Applejack waved a hoof into Rainbow’s face, who blinked out of her self-attack and stared ahead at Applejack.

“I... sorry. Got a little carried away, I guess.”

Applejack nodded. “Let’s put Discord aside for a second. What made sense?” she asked, leaning closer to the counter. “What were you blaming Discord for?”

Rainbow sighed. “I... blamed Discord for making my father and Twilight fall in love.”

Applejack blinked. “Wait... what?”

The scenario was too odd for Applejack to laugh. She merely blinked again while it was her turn to lose her train of thought.

Rainbow growled and placed her hooves over her eyes once more. “My dad and Twilight are dating... and I blamed it on Discord.”

“Wait... wait a minute.” Applejack tapped Rainbow’s shoulder to get her attention. “Your dad? Blue Streak? And Twilight?”

Rainbow merely nodded.

“That’s... um... I didn’t expect that.” Applejack stared down at the counter, her eyes as wide as they could be. A frown slowly took over her confused complexion. “How old is your dad?”

“Fourty-one,” Rainbow replied, not taking her eyes off of the counter as she clenched her head between her hooves. “And he used to be married.”

“Hmm.” Applejack walked back to the pantry and opened it. She returned to the counter with an apple in hoof. She took a bite and the room remained in silence as she swallowed. After a few moments, she spoke again. “So... that’s what you were all stressed about? I don’t blame you.”

Rainbow dropped her hooves back to the counter as she stared at Applejack. The farmpony refused to meet her gaze, preferring to stare at the wall.

“So... I’m not just overreacting?” Rainbow asked. “Do you admit that there’s something just... wrong about the two of them dating?”

Applejack nodded, but didn’t say anything. Rainbow gritted her teeth at the passive response.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she yelled. “Don’t you have anything else to say?”

“I do, but it’s not constructive,” Applejack replied. “What I think about it doesn’t matter, because it’s my opinion. Honestly, I don’t really take kindly to the idea of someone that is old enough to be my dad, dating my best friend. It just...” Applejack shuddered as she took another bite and chewed. “It wouldn’t be any different to me if Apple Bloom was dating someone who’s eighteen years older than her. There’s a lot of stallions in Equestria... or mares... if you are into that sort of thing. Dating someone who’s double your age or more is just... gross to me.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah! And they never told me about it either! I just came to visit my dad yesterday, and after almost an hour, there she was, kissing my dad as if it was nothing!”

Applejack winced, but took another bite of her apple with a sigh. “I don’t know, Rainbow. That doesn’t seem like something that Twilight would do.”

Rainbow growled and slammed her hooves on the counter. “Are you saying that I’m lying?!”

Applejack steeled her composure and tossed the apple behind her, where it perfectly landed in the garbage bin.

“No... I’m just saying that when you’re angry, it’s easy to... never mind what I said, Rainbow. I really don’t want to talk about this if it’s making you this angry.”

“But, you’re on my side, right, Applejack?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack shook her head and slammed her forehoof on the counter in response, causing Rainbow to flinch.

“Stop trying to make this a thing, Rainbow. I have nothing to do with it. I just said that I don’t like the idea of Twilight dating your dad. That’s it. I’m on no one’s side,” Applejack replied, slightly irritated.

Rainbow’s wings flared up and right as she was going to respond, she leaned back from the counter and sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Rainbow muttered. She covered her eyes again. “I just never thought that this day would come. The day when my dad started to date again... after what happened to Mom.” Rainbow chuckled lightly. “Of course, it’s just my luck that he finds another mare that’s an egghead just like him... and just happens to be my best friend.”

Rainbow blinked back tears and sniffed. Applejack’s eyes widened upon the sudden mood shift and she moved around the counter to comfort her friend. She placed a hoof on Rainbow’s back and rubbed it in circles while she remained silent.

Rainbow sniffed again, tears sliding down her hooves as they soaked into her fur. Her labored breathing slowly started to calm down as the relaxed rubbing on her back eased her nerves.

“I just... I’m so upset because of this, and I’m not sure if I’m right or wrong. If I disagree with the two of them, especially my father and one of my best friends, am I breaking my Element? Do I have to be loyal to their choice?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack shrugged. “That’s not something for me to decide. I don’t know everything about Twilight, your father, or you, and it would be unfair of me to make a judgment. I said that I didn’t like it, that’s it. I didn’t say who’s right or wrong, but I know what I can tell you.” Applejack paused and placed a forehoof back onto Rainbow's shoulder. “You don’t have to be loyal to Twilight’s choice just because it’s your element. You are allowed to disagree with it, that won’t make you any less loyal.”

Rainbow wiped her eyes and smiled. “Do you think that Twilight will agree with that?”

“I think that you should talk to Twilight, alone. Go visit her at her house and tell her how you feel,” Applejack replied.

“I already—”

“Without yelling,” Applejack added as she walked back to her side of the counter.

Rainbow sighed and lowered her forehooves with a nod.

“You’re right. I need to talk to her,” Rainbow muttered.

Applejack smiled in consolation. “Yep. Don’t get angry, don’t be confrontational, just talk to her. That’s it. I think that if you do, you’ll save everyone a lot of heartache.” She reached across the counter and grabbed Rainbow’s hoof, holding it softly as she continued. “I can’t honestly say that I know how you feel, but I understand the pain. That’s why you need to talk to Twilight, now.”

Rainbow nodded and wiped her eyes with one more sniff before she walked over to Applejack’s door. She opened it and gave one last glance to Applejack, who smiled and tossed an apple at her from the nearby opened pantry.

“Take one for the road,” Applejack said with a chuckle.

Rainbow caught the apple and nodded as she closed the door behind her. She rose up into the air with the apple clenched in her mouth and soared towards the Golden Oaks Library, the wind fluttering past her fur while dread began spreading through her chest.

Diversions

View Online

Knock knock knock.

Rainbow Dash’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest as she stood atop the welcome mat to the Golden Oaks Library. She passed a glance to the adjacent windows and upon realizing that the blinds were shut, shuffled in her spot as her wings relaxed against her back. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and bit her lip as she turned her gaze back to the door, which gave no response.

Ten seconds passed and Rainbow beat on the door again, making sure that her forehoof was at least stinging in pain so that her message could echo through the inside. After another ten seconds, there was no answer. Rainbow’s breath caught in her throat and she stamped her forehooves onto the welcome mat, her red face contorting with an eye twitch and grinding teeth.

“Are you bucking kidding me?” Rainbow asked the door as she turned to look behind her at the numerous ponies that passed her on the road, groceries in hoof or lists to fulfill. Rainbow raised a hoof and took in a few deep breaths, allowing the color in her face to dissipate as her heart returned to a normal pace. She instead sighed and began to walk away from the library.

“The one time that I’m ready to talk to Twilight... she isn’t here. Not even Spike is home to tell me where she is,” Rainbow muttered.

Rainbow trudged up the road and stopped as a familiar building passed by her vision. She focused upon the cupcake sign and licked her lips as she stopped near the steps to the confectionery store. She quickly plastered a smile on her face and opened the door, which prompted an immediate reaction.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow stepped to the side as Pinkie Pie jumped over the counter and zipped through the air, landing exactly where Rainbow was standing before she moved. Pinkie held a circular tray of cupcakes in one forehoof while the other grasped a bag of bits that was recently given to her. Despite her two forehooves being busy, she did not fall forward and merely remained on her two back hooves. A large grin took up Pinkie’s face, and it only grew wider once she noticed that Rainbow was smiling.

“How are you today?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow shrugged as she ascended the final step to Sugarcube Corner and walked inside. Pinkie closed the door after her.

“Doin’ okay, Pinks. I just got off work and was flying around the neighborhood. I figured I should visit ya before I went back to bed.”

Pinkie nodded. “I’m so glad that you decided to come! I’ve actually been making a new kind of treat that I know you will like!”

Pinkie bounced over to the counter until she was behind it and jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen. “Come on, Dashie! I want you to try it!”

Rainbow sighed in relief and smiled as she followed Pinkie into the kitchen.

“Why do I ever worry about anything?” Rainbow asked as she looked around the dirty kitchen, unaware that Pinkie had heard her.

Pinkie’s spatula fell into her mixing bowl as she imploringly stared at her friend. Rainbow didn’t notice that the room was quiet until she blinked and shook her head a little bit.

“I... um... what?” Rainbow asked as she met Pinkie’s gaze, blinking a few times in response.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “What are you worrying about, Dashie?” she asked.

Rainbow laughed nervously and shook her head. “Oh, nothing, Pinkie. I meant... why do I worry about eating too many sweets,” she replied, as she tried to inconspicuously wipe a bead of sweat from her brow.

Either Pinkie noticed, or didn’t care as her demeanor immediately softened to a smile and closed eyes. “Okie dokie lokie!” she replied as she picked up the mixing bowl and bounced over to a counter nearby the oven. The batter jumped up into the air before landing back into the bowl, completely defying the laws of physics as Pinkie poured the batter into a cake tin.

Rainbow quickly tried to break the silence. “So... you said something about a new treat?”

Pinkie gasped and disappeared from the counter in a puff of pink smoke. She reappeared next to Rainbow with a spherical cake in her hoof. The cake was colored the colors of the rainbow, starting with the center and working its way outward. Rainbow blinked and instantly recognized what it was meant to be, but Pinkie said it first.

“The Sonic Rainboom!” Pinkie cried, smiling as she placed the cake into Rainbow’s now outstretched hoof. “I made this today when I saw you clearing the clouds because I remembered that one time when you made a Sonic Rainboom during Cadance’s wedding! And then I started to think about you, and I wondered how you were doing, so I decided to make a cake as a celebration for you getting into the Wonderbolt Academy!”

Rainbow laughed as she surveyed the treat and then focused back on Pinkie. “I’ve been in the academy for a few months now, Pinkie. Isn’t it a little late for celebrations?”

Pinkie scoffed. “Nah... it’s never too late for celebrations! I mean, come on, Dashie! You’re talking to the world’s number one party pony!”

Pinkie jumped up into the air and ran over to the batter that she previously poured. After a few dials were turned and the oven was opened, another tin of batter was placed inside of the oven and Pinkie closed the door soon after. She zipped back to Rainbow and smiled brightly.

Rainbow laughed at Pinkie’s shenanigans and shook her head. “I could never get tired of you, Pinkie,” she said as she looked back to the cake. She sniffed it and closed her eyes in relaxation. It felt as if the scent was massaging her nose while at the same time, begging for her to taste the scent upon her tongue. After all, some senses could not get special treatment over others. “It smells so good,” Rainbow muttered again.

Pinkie’s smile remained as she hopped up and down. “Taste it, Dashie! I made it special for you!”

Rainbow opened her mouth and raised the cake to her muzzle, but immediately stopped. She turned to Pinkie as she stopped bouncing. “Wait a minute... you made it special for me? This isn’t a joke, is it?” she asked.

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “Nope! Silly, if I was making this as a joke, then why would I have another twelve in the oven right now?”

Rainbow smirked. “You could have put hot sauce in this one. Do you swear that you didn’t do anything to this?” she asked.

Pinkie tilted her head to the side, but crossed her hoof over her heart. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Rainbow nodded and raised the cake to her muzzle once more. One bite, and it felt like she was in heaven. Flavors assaulted her senses. Cherry, blueberry, lemon, and grape rolled around on her tongue, and that was just from the side that she bit off of. Rainbow leaned against the kitchen table and rolled her tongue around in her mouth, closing her eyes as she let out a guttural moan.

“Oh, Celestia... that’s...” Rainbow took another bite of the cake, nearly taking half of it as she munched and smiled. “So freaking good!”

Rainbow met eyes with Pinkie, whose smile grew wider from Rainbow’s recognition. “Pinkie, are you some kind of magician? How did you make this taste so... amazing!?” she asked.

Pinkie waved a hoof. “Ah ah ah, a magician never reveals her secrets.”

Rainbow popped the rest of the cake into her mouth. “It’s... it’s really good, Pinks,” she replied with her mouth full.

“I’m glad that you like it, Dashie,” Pinkie said as she brought the bowl of batter back to the kitchen. “I thought of you while I made it... and now that it turned out so well, I want to make even more!”

"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash said, "You're like some kind of famous master chef, or something!"

"Well, I'm not a famous chef yet, but I am a master baker," Pinkie Pie said, "I'm glad you like it, Dashie. I thought of you while master baking."

Rainbow’s smile widened as she reached over to hug Pinkie Pie, the joke completely going over her head. Her forearms wrapped around Pinkie’s chest, resting behind her back as she replied. “Thank you, Pinkie. I really needed that cake.”

Pinkie looked away and placed her forehooves on top of Rainbow’s shoulders, the same smile still on her face. “Anything to make my best friends smile!”

Rainbow felt a wave of feelings rush over her as she snuggled into the bubble gum scented coat of her friend. She could taste remnants of the cake on her tongue; it was an understatement to say that she wanted another. Rainbow rubbed her forehooves along Pinkie’s chest before she let go, realizing that the hug probably lasted longer than it should. Pinkie didn’t seem to notice as she filled up some cupcake tins with the same batter.

“Pinkie, that cake made my day so much better,” Rainbow replied as she paused to wonder why she needed to repeat herself.

Pinkie took the compliment in stride. “I’m glad! Hey! Would you like to make some more with me? The Cakes got a recent catering order and they are out right now, so I figured I would get it done for them while they are gone and deliver it! What do you say!”

Rainbow brushed her hoof against her shoulder, feigning disinterest. “Oh, I don’t know, Pinkie. I mean... I’m in the Wonderbolt Academy now. I’m not even sure if I can spend time doing stuff like this when I should be training,” she replied before she smirked.

Pinkie looked to Rainbow with a pout, but upon seeing her smirk, she lit back up into that cheery smile. Rainbow nodded as the image of Twilight’s locked house lingered in the back of her mind. It was a good thing that fur could hide goosebumps.

“Yeah, what the heck. I have nothing else that I want to do, anyway,” Rainbow replied.

"Great!" Pinkie Pie said. As if on cue, Pinkie zipped around the room, placing one more table nearby the first one while another wave of utensils followed shortly after. Rainbow felt a chef’s hat fall onto her head while Pinkie circled around her and tied an apron onto her.

"Now we can both be master bakers! Won't it be fun to master bake together?" Pinkie asked while she tied the apron.

“Woah!”

Rainbow circled around with Pinkie until she was stopped by Pinkie’s hoof and she stumbled around the kitchen until she made it back to her table, her forehooves gripping the side to avoid falling. She chuckled even though she felt the cake fighting against her stomach for a moment.

“Next time, just give me the clothes, alright? I don’t want you dressing me unless you’re buying me dinner first,” Rainbow replied.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said in response as she turned back to her bowl.

Rainbow realized what she just said and bit her lip, her face reddening while Pinkie focused on her bowl, not even noticing Rainbow’s broken composure. Rainbow turned to her bowl and picked up the bag of flour. She inspected it for a moment and opened the bag, only to cough as the flour expelled into her nose. She coughed a few more times and covered her muzzle before she closed the bag.

Meanwhile, Pinkie was already making more batter as she placed the whisk inside of her bowl and began to beat the batter until it was a nice and fluid texture. The smell that came from the bowl reminded Rainbow of the cake’s divinity and she sidestepped closer to Pinkie so that she could take a whiff. Pinkie turned to Rainbow and smiled.

“Didja want to just help with my side?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow nodded and laughed nervously as she scratched a hoof behind her head. “Yeah... I uh... have no idea how to bake. Once I became a teenager... it was mostly takeout and delivery food, heh,” Rainbow admitted.

Pinkie giggled and bounced once to the side, allowing Rainbow to face the bowl. Rainbow placed her hoof on the whisk and nearly jumped to the ceiling when Pinkie moved behind her and placed her forehoof on hers.

“Alright, Dashie! Making a cake is easy! Since we are doing the Sonic Rainboom cakes, we don’t have to worry about layers and all of that! Just the filling and icing!” Pinkie said as she slowly guided Rainbow’s hoof to the whisk since it retreated previously from her touch. Rainbow followed and gripped the whisk once more.

“Gently, Dashie,” Pinkie whispered, lowering her voice since her head was on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Hold the whisk gently, but still with control. You gotta make sure that the whisk knows who’s boss! Once it’s all ready, you have to spin it gently too.”

Rainbow nodded and relaxed her grip on the whisk. She sighed in relief as Pinkie guided her hoof in a circle. She was slowly whisking the batter now, allowing the smell to waft into her nose once more. Rainbow couldn’t help but take another selfish whiff. Pinkie smiled.

“It’s relaxing, isn’t it?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow nodded, allowing her hoof to go on autopilot as she whisked the batter. Pinkie released her hoof and Rainbow kept it going, eventually to the point where the batter was nearly perfect for baking. Pinkie pulled a cupcake tin close and stepped back. “Now, go ahead and pour the batter into the tins,” Pinkie said, her voice a little louder since she was farther away from Rainbow’s ear.

Rainbow poured the batter flawlessly and stepped back as well to admire her handiwork. “Aww yeah! Better cupcakes in ten...” Rainbow glanced at the kitchen clock and her ears drooped onto her head, “minutes flat. Did it really take that long?”

Pinkie nodded, but kept her smile. “You can’t rush perfection, Dashie!” she replied.

Immediately, Rainbow lightened back up. She smiled as she brought the batter-filled tin over to the adjacent empty oven and placed the tin inside. Rainbow then pushed it closed with her rump and smirked as Pinkie held out her hoof for a bump.

“Good job, Rainbow!” Pinkie replied. “Those cakes are going to be so awesome when we get to decorate them! We have another 50 to go, so let’s keep going!”

Rainbow nodded, but paused once she walked back to the bowl of batter. “Shouldn’t you be doing this, Pinkie? I mean...” Rainbow looked back at the bag of flour that previously almost choked her. “I’m not exactly quick when it comes to this.”

Pinkie shrugged as she walked back behind Rainbow. “You’ll get better at it. Let’s bake some more!” she replied, her wide smile eliminating any desire for Rainbow to step aside. She placed her hoof back on the whisk and felt the warmth of her friend’s hoof as the two of them whisked, dripped, panned, and placed the batter in the oven.

~~~

“Dashie?”

Rainbow looked from the batter bowl to Pinkie, who was in Rainbow’s old spot, making more batter for the cakes. She was frowning and had her eyes completely fixed on Rainbow. Rainbow smiled as she continued to whisk.

“Yeah, Pinkie?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Rainbow felt her heart sink into her chest.

“Oh no... here it comes... why else would Pinkie be so close to me during the whole time while we were baking? I don’t even know if I’m ready for that... how could I be so stupid and think that we weren’t already in this step of our friendship?!”

Rainbow turned to Pinkie and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. Go ahead, Pinkie.”

“Are you doing okay?”

Rainbow blinked a few times at the question, obviously taken aback.

“I... is that a trick question? Is she trying to pick my brain?”

Rainbow let her whisk fall back into the bowl and she placed a hoof underneath her chin. “Um... I told you that I was doin’ okay when I came in here,” she replied. “I’ve only gotten better since you gave me that awesome little cake.”

Pinkie sighed and placed her whisk into the nearby bowl. “Dashie, I don’t like it when my friends lie to me,” she murmured.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Pinkie, I’m not lying to you,” Rainbow said as she placed a hoof over her heart. “I told you that I’m okay.”

“You’re okay, but you aren’t awesome,” Pinkie replied. She stepped closer to Rainbow and placed a hoof onto her shoulder, her eyes staring into Rainbow’s vacillating violet eyes. “You haven’t told me that you were okay since you came back from your dad’s house. Your day is always awesome unless something bad happens.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to sigh. She was as good as caught. Rainbow proceeded back to the whisk and continued making the cakes while she spoke, wondering how Pinkie was able to not only guess that she was upset, but why as well.

“I just... had a rough couple of days lately. I’m fine, really I am,” Rainbow said.

“But you didn’t want to tell me. The days must have been really, really bad!” Pinkie replied, ditching her somber tone for a more energized response.

Rainbow noticed the tone, and wasn’t exactly sure why, but at the same time, didn’t care enough to question it. It was probably just Pinkie being Pinkie.

“Yeah... they kind of were, Pinkie,” Rainbow said as she poured more batter into a cake tin. Pinkie placed a forehoof onto Rainbow’s own hoof and stopped her before she smiled widely.

“Come on, you know you can tell me, Dashie!” Pinkie said. “Of all the ponies in Equestria, you know that I can help turn that frown upside down!”

Pinkie’s smile spread to Rainbow and she looked away from her friend, silently cursing Pinkie for being able to lighten her mood so easily. She wanted to be frustrated with Twilight, not happy with Pinkie. Although, if that was the case, then why did she come to Sugarcube Corner in the first place? She knew that this was going to happen, but now that she felt her friend’s gaze burning a hole into the back of her head, she wasn’t sure what she preferred. Rainbow sighed.

“No, Pinkie, I’m fine. It’s nothing that you have to worry about.”

Pinkie groaned in disapproval and bounced up into the air before she landed on her hooves on the table, facing Rainbow and her averted gaze. Her hooves were right between the flour bag, batter bowl, cupcake tins, and milk, as if she perfectly positioned herself. Pinkie kept that smile on as she looked down at Rainbow.

“Come on, Dashie! If it’s nothing that I have to worry about, then you can tell me!”

“No, Pinkie.”

“If it’s something that we have to worry about, then we can worry together!”

“I don’t want anyone to worry about it.”

“Okay! Then I won’t worry about it! Just tell me!”

“No.”

Rainbow turned her back to Pinkie and looked at the ground, her expression contorting along with her rapidly sinking mood.

“Just let me handle it, Pinkie. It’s something that I have to deal with, on my own,” Rainbow said.

Pinkie stepped off of the table and let out an “Aww” in disappointment before she smiled again and hugged Rainbow’s back, squeezing her as hard as she possibly could.

“If you say so, Dashie! Just let me know that if there’s anything that you ever want to talk about, then you can tell me!” Pinkie said, accentuating some words with particularly hard squeezes. Rainbow gasped as she felt her body slowly starting to crush under the love. “Pinkie... Pie,” Rainbow choked.

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oop!” She let Rainbow go. “Sorry, Dashie! Sometimes, I guess I forget that I can love everypony a little too hard!” she said with a giggle.

Rainbow gasped for air and held out a hoof as if motioning Pinkie to wait a moment. She panted and sucked in air as if she was never going to acquire it again. “Pinkie... you need... to stop doing that,” Rainbow said once her breathing was back to normal.

Pinkie smiled and nodded. “Okie dokie lokie!” She turned back to the batter bowl. “I’ll just finish off these Rainboom cakes, okay? You can help if you want, but you don’t have to,” Pinkie said as she began whisking away. Once a small bell rung throughout the store, Pinkie froze, jumped up in the air, and zipped out of the kitchen.

Rainbow looked outside the kitchen at Pinkie, who was now behind the Sugarcube Corner counter while another pony began asking for cakes. Rainbow sighed in relief and sat back against the wall as she rubbed a hoof through her mane.

“I never thought Pinkie would be so... draining,” Rainbow admitted in a hushed whisper as she looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes, enjoying the small amount of quiet in the room before Pinkie came back.

“Should I tell her about it? Maybe Pinkie knows where Twilight usually goes when she isn’t at her house. I could try and get the answer out of her without mentioning Twilight, but I’ve already got her attention. I don’t exactly look like the happiest pony either, and she isn’t going to have that. She sees right through me... somehow. She knows something is wrong.”

Rainbow covered her closed eyes with her forehooves, blocking out the bright kitchen light.

“I could always tell her about Twilight... but... I doubt she would be able to help me with anything. The last thing I need is for her to spring into a song and dance about how I need to share my dad with Twilight.”

Rainbow’s eyes opened and widened as she lowered her forehooves.

“What if Pinkie already knows about the two of them? She’s friends with nearly everyone in Ponyville, and she did take my father out to a party once. The two of them could be catching up. Or...”

Rainbow grit her teeth.

“Maybe Twilight told Pinkie about it. She probably told Pinkie so that the two of them could arrange some sort of anniversary party for my dad and her. Judging by the way they were kissing... either they have no shame... or they’ve been dating for a while. And I’m sure I don’t want to bucking find out which one it is.”

Rainbow rose back to her hooves, her wings blocking the doorway to the kitchen as they extended. After a moment however, she sank back to her haunches and shook her head with a sigh. She buried her head into her forelegs once more and continued thinking.

“Come on, Rainbow, Twilight has no reason to do that to me. She may be an egghead, but she isn’t heartless. Matter of fact, if she was, then I wouldn’t be having this problem right now.”

Rainbow sighed again.

“I should talk to Pinkie. Maybe she knows where Twilight could be. I need to talk to her more than anypony else, and I’m sure that Pinkie knows all the places that Twilight goes with that memory of hers.”

“Thank you, Minty Fresh! Come again!”

Rainbow looked up from her forelegs and peeked her head around the corner. Pinkie Pie had just finished selling some cupcakes to a random pony and was walking back into the kitchen while the customer left. Rainbow quickly raised herself to her hooves and walked back over to the kitchen table, her hooves grabbing a whisk as she continued to make cakes. Pinkie smiled once she saw Rainbow and walked back over to her side.

“Thank you for helping while I was gone, Dashie,” Pinkie said as she gave a glance towards Rainbow’s mixing bowl. Rainbow hoped that Pinkie didn’t notice the lack of cakes that were made while she was gone, and that seemed to be the case as a small bell rang behind Rainbow. She turned around to see Pinkie pulling the tins out of the oven and placing them on the nearby kitchen counter to cool off. When every tin was pulled out, Pinkie walked back to Rainbow and smiled.

“Those cakes are going to be super duper good!” Pinkie said as she bounced one time to accentuate her excitement. “I was thinking of bringing them along with me to the party that I’m catering. What do you think, Dashie?”

Rainbow smiled. “Whatever you think would be best, Pinkie,”

Rainbow sighed in relief and poured some batter into the nearest cake tin. “I think that a lot of ponies will love these cakes.

Pinkie nodded and giggled as she walked to a door in the corner of the room and opened it. She pulled out a large cart and inspected it to make sure that it was structurally safe before she turned to Rainbow. Rainbow wasn’t sure if Pinkie could be smiling any wider.

“Everything that I need for the party is all set!” Pinkie said as she bounced over to the kitchen table. “The only thing that I need is a smiling friend! Then I can go prepare the party!”

As if on cue, Rainbow quickly smiled and looked up into Pinkie’s eyes so that it could be seen. “I’m smiling, Pinkie. See?”

Pinkie shook her head as she walked over to Rainbow’s side and placed a forehoof on her shoulder. Her smile softened only slightly as she brushed her mane up against Rainbow’s cheek. Rainbow’s face started to brighten and she quickly finished pouring the batter into the tin.

“Here you go, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, a little quicker than she thought she would. “Put these in the oven!”

“Thanks, Dashie!” Pinkie replied as she bounced over to an unused shelf of the oven and placed the tin inside.

Rainbow looked towards the bag of flour on the right corner of the table and smiled as she grabbed it. However, once she looked back to the batter bowl, it was gone. In its place were three pink hooves, standing on top of the table. Rainbow looked up at Pinkie and frowned.

“Uh... Pinkie, can you give me my batter bowl back? I’m trying to help you,” Rainbow asked, slight irritation oozing into her tone.

Pinkie merely smiled and shook her head. “Uh uh! You can help me by telling me what’s wrong!”

Rainbow reached up for the batter bowl and growled as she rose into the air, her wings beating lightly until she was eye level with Pinkie. However, Pinkie’s legs merely grew in length as she rose up to the ceiling. Rainbow kept staring into Pinkie’s eyes, so she didn’t notice as she reached up for the batter bowl.

“I’m not telling you,” Rainbow merely said.

Pinkie whined and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “But Daaashie! How am I supposed to take you to the party if you’re going to be all sad and focused on something else?”

Rainbow blinked. “Um... wait. You want to take me to the party that you’re catering?”

Pinkie’s pout disappeared in an instant, replaced with that trademark smile of hers. “Mmhmm!” she said with a nod. “You looked really sad when you were walking down the street, so I thought that there was probably something on your mind. But I remembered that I shouldn’t press you too hard for the problem because that’s how I angered Cranky Doodle Donkey and almost lost him as a friend. So I waited for you to be a little happier by giving you one of the Rainboom cakes but after asking you again, you still didn’t want to talk about it. So I decided, ‘hey! Maybe I should invite Rainbow Dash to one of the parties that I am catering! She’ll have a lot of fun with that!’ And here we are!”

Pinkie dropped the batter bowl onto the table below and gripped her left ear. She started to crank it counter-clockwise while her legs slowly shrank until she was normal size. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she descended until she was back onto her forehooves. She decided not to question another law of physics breaking before her very eyes. Pinkie continued.

“So that’s why I wanted you to help with the cake baking! Because if I could get you to help, then that would give me more time to talk to you about your problem! And now that we are on the subject, what’s the problem, Dashie!?”

Pinkie hopped off of the table and zipped out of the room for a moment. When she came back in, she was holding a crimson armchair which she placed underneath Rainbow, sitting her down in it. Pinkie dashed out of the room again and came back with her own amber couch, which she placed nearby the kitchen table and sat down. Rainbow blinked while Pinkie stared at her.

“Can’t have a good story without some comfortable furniture!” Pinkie said.

Rainbow merely sighed and leaned back against the armchair. “Fine, Pinkie. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise that you will not tell anypony else. Do you promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my—”

“You don’t need to Pinkie promise, Pinkie,” Rainbow said. “Just regular promise.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I can’t promise anything unless it’s a Pinkie promise, Dashie.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine, whatever.” She waited for Pinkie to quickly do the appropriate hoof motions before she continued. “Now, you remember my dad, right?”

“Blue Streak! His birthday is in 36 days!” Pinkie replied as she pulled a calendar out of the couch cushions and turned the page to October. “Your birthday is in ten days! What do you want for a present?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow replied. “All I care about right now is telling you what happened. So... remember that time where you took my dad out to a party to try and cheer him up?”

Pinkie nodded. “Yep! He had a blast!”

“Well... he found out a new way to cheer himself up.”

“How!?”

“He’s dating Twilight.”

Pinkie paused for a moment, her forehoof raised since she was about to say something. However, she closed her mouth and let her forehoof drop back to her lap.

“Huh... your dad is dating Twilight? I don’t think she would appreciate having fruit thrown at her,” Pinkie replied.

Rainbow groaned and pressed her forehooves to her head.

“I knew you were going to say that,” Rainbow muttered.

Pinkie frowned. “That joke killed at the comedy club. Continue!”

“Well... I went to my dad’s house yesterday morning. I wanted to take him out to breakfast or lunch because I haven’t seen him in a while. The last time I checked up on him, nothing made him happy, and I tried nearly everything!”

Pinkie nodded as she placed the calendar back into the couch cushions.

“I remember him. I’m sorry that I couldn’t help any more with him, Rainbow,” Pinkie said.

Rainbow waved away Pinkie’s apology. “It’s fine, Pinkie. It doesn’t really matter now, since Twilight took up the position of making him happy.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Do you mean... Twilight and Blue Streak are going out?”

Rainbow nodded. Pinkie immediately bounced out of her chair and ran over to the kitchen sink, where she pulled out another clean bowl from the dishwasher. She zipped back to the table and placed it nearby the rainbow cake batter bowl. She smiled as she started to crack some eggs for the batter.

“That sounds awesome, Dashie! We should throw a party to celebrate!”

Rainbow’s teeth gritted and she stood up from her chair. “No, Pinkie, we are not going to throw a party for those two,” she said, defiance lining every word.

Pinkie stopped cracking the egg she was holding and looked over to Rainbow, her head tilting slightly in confusion.

“Why not? Aren’t the two of them happy?”

Rainbow paused. “Um... yeah. At least, as far as I know.”

“Then shouldn’t we throw a party for them in order to make them more happy?”

“They shouldn’t be happy!” Rainbow yelled, her wings flaring out as she stamped a forehoof onto the floor. Her pupils turned into pinpricks once she realized what she said.

Pinkie placed a hoof underneath her chin while Rainbow fell to her haunches and bent her head down.

“Hey, Dashie? How old is your dad?” Pinkie asked.

“Forty-one.”

“Wow... and Twilight is barely even twenty-one! Your dad really robbed the cradle with this one, didn’t he, Dashie?”

Rainbow gritted her teeth, but didn’t respond.

“I wonder how the two of them met... I mean... I doubt that they met at a supermarket or something and immediately went out to dinner. Reminds me of the time when I went out with Soarin and we ate at that fancy restaurant! The food was good, although, I don’t know why Soarin asked if I wanted to go to a motel with him. We could have just went to my house if we wanted to go to sleep! Silly stallion. Why are stallions so silly, Rainbow?”

Rainbow’s right eye twitched, but she still didn’t say anything.

“Maybe it’s an experiment! Ooh ooh! Like the time when she was trying to study my Pinkie Sense! Maybe she’s discovering the sense of spread out wings when stallions turn all red! I remember I was eating some ice cream, and Soarin’s wings were all spread out and tense. I don’t even know why! I always eat ice cream in a cone!”

“PINKIE PIE!”

Pinkie stopped and turned her attention to Rainbow, whose face reddened and eyes leaked as she removed her hooves.

“Can you please... stop being yourself for a few minutes and talk to me like a normal pony? My father... is dating one of my best friends. After my mother did everything that she could in order to make him happy... there he sits... probably at some fancy restaurant with Twilight, ordering the same thing that he got when he took my mom out to dinner. She is not going to replace my mom! I have only one mom, and her name is Firefly!

“Does this mean anything to you, Pinkie? What if my dad dumps Twilight, and our friendship is hurt forever because of him? What if she dumps him, and I can never have the two of them at the same celebration because of their breakup? What if...” Rainbow sniffed and wiped her nose. “What if Twilight lives on... like Celestia and Luna, and has to endure her lover passing on before us? What if... it’s all an experiment, like you said, and she’s getting me and my dad all worked up, only for nothing since their relationship will never go anywhere!”

Rainbow buried her head into the armchair’s cushion while her right forehoof beat on it as if it was a punching bag. She raised her head and looked into Pinkie’s eyes as she continued.

“I don’t know anything! I wanted to talk to Twilight today about it. We had a fight the day that I found out, and I wanted to apologize to her today, but she wasn’t home. I don’t know where she is, or where she could be. That’s why I came to you. I wanted to try and ask you if you knew where Twilight usually hangs out, apart from her library, but then you gave me that cake, and I saw that smile on your face. I didn’t want to make you sad after you tried your hardest to lift me up, so I didn’t tell you. But you kept pushing and pushing, even though I said that I could handle this myself. But I can’t. I can’t handle this myself, Pinkie.”

Rainbow sobbed and bit her lip.

“I tried to handle it myself. I talked to Applejack, and she told me that I needed to talk to Twilight. I know that I have to talk to Twilight. I want to talk to Twilight, but I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m going to say, or if I’m going to blow up again.” Rainbow paused and lowered her voice. “Like I just... did... to you.”

Pinkie blinked a few times before she dropped the cracked egg into the bowl, abandoning it as she walked over to Rainbow and hugged her. Rainbow closed her eyes and let the tears leak down her cheeks while Pinkie brushed them away with a forehoof.

“I’m sorry, Dashie,” Pinkie said. “I’ve... never dealt with a big problem such as this before. I thought that a simple party could lighten you up... but I guess... parties don’t solve everything.”

Pinkie stood up and helped Rainbow back to her hooves before she looked over at the rainbow cake batter.

“If you want to know what I think, I think you should talk to your dad first. The last thing that you would ever want is to... have a bad past with your dad.” Pinkie smiled consolingly as she let go of Rainbow and picked up the couch behind her. She pushed it back into her pocket while Rainbow gave a glance towards the cakes.

“I’ll talk to him tonight. He’s probably out somewhere with Twilight, so he’ll be home when the two of them are done with their date. I guess... we can go to that party and I’ll leave early to go talk to him.”

Pinkie nodded and frowned slightly, her ears flattening against her head. “I wish I could go up there and talk with you, but I can’t walk on clouds. I’m sorry, Dashie.”

Rainbow laughed and walked over to Pinkie. She placed a hoof onto her shoulder and hugged her once more. “That’s one of the few things that you can’t do. Come on, Pinkie, cheer up. We still got some cakes to bake!”

Confrontations

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“‘Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a prosperous kingdom upon the mountains of Equestria. Within it, two different souls, a stallion and a mare, were destined to be together. Princess Pure Heart was the daughter of the reigning king, who ruled the nation with a gentle hoof, but unfortunately lacked patience with his ponies. It was as if Pure Heart was born to be Queen, since every citizen never left the castle unhappy if they stumbled upon her. The Princess’ beauty and heart charmed the nation’s ponies, up until it was time for her to be married. The King wanted an heir quickly for the throne, but Princess Pure Heart did not want one, and refused any suitor that was brought forth to her. Rich bourgeoisie and sons from other nations were unfortunately turned down, but Pure Heart offered anything else except the Princess’ hoof in marriage. After all, she was still generous and loving.’

“‘This is where our story begins.’”

Twilight Sparkle inhaled lightly as her horn glowed a light lavender. The page of the book in front of her slowly folded to the side, revealing the next part of the book’s adventure. However, before she started, she leaned back against the stallion that held her in his lap and provided body warmth that was unmatched by any other hug that she was given. She giggled as Blue Streak chuckled and held her close.

Blue Streak’s wings surrounded Twilight, folding below her shoulders and wrapping around her sides to prevent the light draft of the afternoon air from chilling her. He gave a glance to the book, but focused on Twilight as he held his forelegs against her lap, keeping her against him. He closed his eyes and took a small whiff of Twilight’s hair, warming her scalp with his muzzle and breath. The lavender flooded through his senses and he smiled before he leaned back against the stone bench, propping his hind legs up on the nearby table.

The sun completed the perfect sight of the couple as it illuminated the both of them upon the bench. On the ground next to the table was an empty picnic basket, its contents long since used up and eaten. The blue tablecloth with Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark provided any passersby with the answer as to whose basket it was. In the distance was a statue of Starswirl the Bearded, followed by numerous other statues, enemy or ally. Butterflies fluttered through the air while bugs and critters populated the grass below, preoccupied with their simple lives. The Canterlot Gardens was completely silent and in turn, the perfect condition to read a book.

Twilight sighed in relaxation and bit her lip, feeling her face turn crimson as she felt Blue Streak’s heartbeat pounding against her back. It was racing. Just being with him... like this... was quickening his heartbeat. All that blood... pumping... growing. She snapped herself out of her thoughts and continued reading.

“‘A month after the suitors began to show up, the Princess had met somepony else that lightened up her heart and brought a blush to her cheeks. Noble Shield, one of the guards for the castle, a stallion who had just reached of age, had no idea that the Princess had her eyes on him. His body armor glimmered in the moonlight every night as he stood outside her bedroom, polearm at the ready for any possible attacker. Standing on the opposite side of the door with his back against the wall and a slight slouch was a slightly older stallion, who laughed at his fellow guard’s posture. Noble Shield looked uptight, as if a pole was jammed through the center of his body to keep his back perfectly still.’

“‘Settle down, Rookie,’” Blue Streak said, picking up where Twilight left off. “‘There hasn’t been an attack on the King or Princess in over a century. This job is easy bits, just relax and tense up when the King or Princess come down this hallway. Other than that, you’re good.’”

“‘I can’t relax,’” Blue Streak continued, picking up the dialogue of Noble Shield. “‘Inside of that room houses the Princess. She’s probably sleeping away her troubles, completely unaware that my eye has been on her since I was recruited here. She’s beautiful... generous... oh... what I wouldn’t give to spend just one day with her.’”

“‘The accompanying guard merely chuckled and took his helmet off of his head.’”

“‘Don’t count on it, Noble. A guard has never had a chance with a Princess. Mares like that are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and will only accept a stallion if gold runs through his veins.’”

Blue Streak paused and frowned. “This isn’t going to be one of those stories where it’s only two hundred pages because the two characters keep beating around the bush, right?” he asked.

Twilight shook her head and frowned slightly, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced with a light smile. “We don’t have to read this book if you don’t want to, Blue Streak. I brought some other books that we can read, if you are into those.”

Blue Streak quickly shook his head and smiled as well. “No, it’s okay, Twilight.” He kissed Twilight’s neck and ran his hooves up her forelegs until they reached her hooves. He lightly grabbed the book and straightened his neck. “I’ll hold the book for you. Let’s continue.”

Twilight bit her lip, trying to hide the color that permeated her cheeks as her forelegs moved back to her lap. Once she realized that she couldn’t stop her blushing, she inhaled and continued to read.

~~~

“‘Princess... I know that I am merely a guard... a replaceable body within this nation... but I have to tell you this.’” Blue Streak paused and smirked. “Here we go. This is where the plot is going to escalate.”

Twilight smiled lightly, “Maybe,” she replied as she looked up at the sky. After 120 pages and four hours of reading, the sky began to radiate golden arcs of light as the sun started to sink from above. Twilight felt Blue Streak start to shake a small amount and she turned her head to look at him, stopping him from reading the next sentence. “Are you okay, Blue?” she asked.

Blue Streak exhaled and smiled as he nodded. “Yeah, just a little nippy out here. Didn’t think that it would get cold so fast,” he replied.

Twilight stood up from the bench and placed a bookmark inside of the book before she closed it with her magic. “We could just come back to this later. Do you want to go out to dinner? I would have us go to my house, but Spike is spending the night with Rarity and I haven’t really... cleaned the library in a while,” Twilight admitted, a blush of embarrassment coming to her cheeks once more.

Blue Streak bit his lip, but masked his feelings with a smile as he stood up as well. He shrugged. “I’m fine with whatever you want to do, Twilight. I’m just glad that I get to spend time with you,” he said.

Twilight’s blush turned into a frown as she levitated her saddlebag onto her back. She packed the book into her bag while she spoke. “So... do you want to go to dinner?” Twilight asked, hesitance lining her voice.

Blue Streak nodded and smiled as he spread his wings. “Y-yeah. Let’s go to dinner. We can talk more about Rainbow’s... birthday when we sit down,” he replied.

Blue Streak motioned to take off into the sky, but when Twilight didn’t follow, he remained grounded. He turned to Twilight and raised an eyebrow before his smile became more sheepish, widening but at the same time, losing the tenacity that Twilight expected in his expression. Her heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze.

“Blue, are you okay?” she asked again.

Blue Streak nodded his head and ran a forehoof through his mane, chuckling slightly as he broke his gaze with her and looked to the ground. “Just thinking of a few days ago... when Rainbow found out about us.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to look at the ground. She scuffed at the ground with her forehoof and followed a caterpillar on the grass with her eyes, even though she knew that she wasn’t truly paying attention to it.

“Oh... you’re still thinking about that too?”

Blue Streak nodded.

A light breeze passed over the two ponies, accentuating the silence and pause that the two of them partook in. Twilight swore that she was going to split her lip open at this rate if she continued to bite the same spot. Blue Streak on the other hoof, pressed a forehoof to his head as he felt a headache form.

Twilight was the first to break the silence.

“Do you... have a problem with us?”

Blue Streak’s eyes widened and he broke the space between them in an instant, moving faster than Twilight ever remembered. He clenched his forelegs around Twilight’s neck, hugging her while his body shook the both of them. Twilight’s eyes widened before her forelegs slowly rose up to wrap around Blue Streak’s chest. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest, his wings slowly encasing around them both like a cocoon.

“No...” Blue Streak managed to say, barely choking out the words. “I... don’t want you to leave...”

”But... I never said that I would.” Twilight thought.

Twilight smiled lightly and rested her head on Blue Streak’s shoulder. She closed her eyes while Blue Streak squeezed the two of them together, uttering incomprehensible noises as he held his beloved.

“Shh...” Twilight felt droplets of moisture fall into her mane and she merely stood there while Blue Streak hugged out the rest of his anguish. After a few moments, he pulled away and quickly wiped his eyes, as if he was able to hide what Twilight already knew.

“I... sorry,” Blue Streak muttered. “I’m usually able to avoid... that.”

Twilight nodded. “I’m glad that you were able to get out your feelings, Blue,” she said. “Please... if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here.” She brushed a part of Blue Streak’s mane out of his eyes and smiled. “I... don’t know how you feel about this... about us. Every time we’ve been out... you always seem so happy. But if this is what is boiling down... just below the surface... I want to know.”

Blue Streak broke his gaze with her once more and spread his wings. Cloudsdale was only a few miles away, barely twenty minutes by flight. The day was slowly dissipating into night and it was growing too cold to read. He would love dinner at a restaurant. However, he had something else that he needed to get off his chest, preferably not in a public area. He gulped and inhaled softly.

“Twilight... do you want to spend the night at my house?” he asked.

Twilight’s eyes widened and blushed. “Um... I would... love to, Blue. But...”

“But?” Blue Streak immediately began to retract on his offer. “Never mind. I knew it was a dumb idea. It’s only been a few months and I’m asking you after I cried like a little foal. Just forget it.”

Without another word, Blue Streak turned away and unfurled his wings.

“Wait, Blue!” Twilight outstretched a hoof and stopped Blue Streak before he soared off into the sky. Once he looked back to her, she lightly smiled and rubbed his shoulder. “I just wanted to say that I need to get a few things from my house. Toothbrush, hairbrush, my night time clothes, and a scroll or two just in case we need to send a letter. Relax,” Twilight said with another shoulder rub to accentuate her words, “I’d love to spend the night.”

Blue Streak sighed in relief and softly nodded. “Okay, sorry. I’m just...” Blue Streak paused and raised his forehooves to try and form some sort of hoof sign that would explain his feelings, but he quickly gave up and sank back to his fours. “I’ll tell you later. I’m going to go home and get the house ready for you. Is that... okay?” he asked.

Twilight nodded as well while her light smile widened to relax her coltfriend. “Give me a half hour and I’ll be at your house. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright. But... one more thing, Blue.”

Blue Streak turned to meet Twilight’s eyes again. “Hmm?”

His question was rendered speechless as Twilight pressed her lips to his, tilting her head to the side while her forehooves wrapped around his neck. Blue Streak’s eyes widened before they slowly fluttered shut, his heart relaxing along with his mind. Once Twilight broke the kiss, Blue Streak opened his eyes and stared adoringly into her own hues, smiling wider than the persona that he used minutes ago.

“Relax,” Twilight said as she spread her wings and soared into the air. Within a few minutes, she disappeared over the horizon.

Blue Streak sighed and rose up into the air as well.

“I wish it was that easy, Twilight. Tonight... it’s all or nothing.”

~~~

The beautiful indicator of night shone down upon a sweaty, damp mane. The nearby front door unceremoniously slammed shut merely feet away as the stallion took a few more steps inside of the moonlight. As if the last step tugged on the choke chain, Blue Streak stopped at the dividing cloud between the dining room and kitchen. He stared at the cloud refrigerator, before he moved his gaze to the left of him. A completely full trash can was waiting to be taken out, its stench wafting into Blue’s nose, but was apparently not bad enough to be addressed.

Uneaten apple cores, frozen dinners, rotting salad, and several water bottles filled the trash can. Blue Streak dropped the picnic basket to his side as he looked towards the empty sink, the dusty counter, and untouched cupboards. A note stuck to the refrigerator, barely hanging by the weakened glue, read:

“I’m feeling better, so I decided to go to work today! I can’t wait for dinner tonight! <3

~Firefly <3 <3”

Blue Streak’s knees failed him and he fell to his haunches in front of the refrigerator. He cried out as he punched the floor beneath him, the clouds soaking up the blows and his tears. His chest spasmed, his back arched, and his head grew hot despite the cold exterior of the floor. His body glowed through the moonlight that shone through the kitchen window, unhindered by potted plants or blinds that would have otherwise shadowed Blue Streak’s shame.

Blue Streak seethed, sputtered, stuttered, did whatever he could in order to avoid disturbing his neighbors again as he sobbed and wiped his face on the floor. He pressed a forehoof to his chest and rubbed the burning pain in his heart. His ministrations were unable to accomplish anything, but as if they could, Blue Streak raised his head from the ground and sniffled a few more times. He rose back to his fours and shuddered, trying to eliminate the last physical signs of his anguish before he walked back to the picnic basket and picked it up. He grabbed the tablecloth inside and held it while the basket was emptied into the full trash can. The hallway and bedrooms became a blur as he threw the tablecloth into his bathroom, right into a wicker clothes hamper.

Blue Streak glanced at the basket and walked back to the kitchen. He placed it atop the dusty counter and dragged his now free hoof across the counter, smothering it within the counter’s filth. His hoof tightened before he rose to stare at the dust.

“Firefly.”

His body tensed as he turned to look at the note behind him before he quickly turned back to the cupboards. He set his head against the cupboards and closed his eyes.

“Dinner... I have to make dinner for... Twilight,” he muttered.

Blue Streak removed his head from the cupboard and opened it, only to find that there were no cooking utensils that he could use. A few bowls, a plate and a cup occupied the shelves. Blue Streak shifted to the side and opened the next cupboard. Inside was a small cooking pot and a glass. The next cupboard held nothing.

Blue Streak swore loudly and bashed his forehoof on the counter. He winced at the pain that flooded through his foreleg before he quickly opened all the cupboards and retrieved the contents. One by one, he brought the contents to the sink and began to wash them all. His hoof wrenched and arched inside of the glass as he washed all of the dust out of it. He panted and panicked as he scrubbed the insides, only to accidentally wrench too fast and shatter a large fragment out of the now washed cup.

Blue Streak threw the cup down onto the sink, shattering it into more pieces as he buried his face into his wet and soapy forehooves.

“The sink is empty... but I can’t find my cooking utensils... and now I have to make dinner for Twilight. What else is going to go wrong!” he yelled as he picked up the nearby plate and began to wash it. He moved his hooves slowly to avoid shattering anything else, but his nerves couldn’t prevent them from shaking. Once the plate was sparkly clean, Blue Streak focused on another dish and paused once he turned to glance at the stove.

“Please tell me...”

He walked over to the stove and softly shifted one of the dials to the side. In an instant, the stove turned on and he sighed in relief before it was turned back off. He placed his shaking forehooves on both sides of the oven.

“I haven’t cooked in years,” Blue Streak looked up at the ceiling before he laid his head on the stove. “I can’t do it, Firefly. I don’t have the right utensils... and I don’t even know if I have food to cook in my fridge.”

He looked out the window, at the cascade of moonlight that shone down upon his form and shook his head as he closed his eyes and turned back to the stove.

“The market isn’t open at this time of night. Please... Firefly... just for tonight... give me the strength to cook this meal. Like I used to... like I wanted to...”

Blue Streak sobbed and straightened his posture before he walked back to the sink and picked up another dish. The water continued to run as he started to think.

“I can do this. A few bumps in the road is not going to stop me from making this Twilight’s night, our night. I’ve wasted too much time. She’s going to be here in less than 15 minutes. I need to get a move on.”

Blue Streak quickly finished the dishes and the counter before he set the dishes on the newly cleaned counter. He wrenched open the refrigerator door and stared inside, biting his lip as he read off what was inside.

“Apples... vegetable juice... hay cubes... green beans... corn.”

Blue Streak grabbed all the ingredients and placed them on the counter nearby the stove while his hind leg kicked the refrigerator door closed.

“A stew it is.”

He pulled the pot onto the stove and turned a dial upon it. One of the four cloudy circles began to crackle with electricity as it danced along the saucer, heating up the clouds within minutes until it evaporated into vapor and circled around the pot, heating it up. Blue Streak wrenched open the vegetable juice cap and poured it into the pot while he rummaged around the bottom cupboards for any other supplies that he could use. After finding some silverware, he quickly shaved the corn off of the cob and split the hay cubes into smaller chunks. He cut the apples and finally added a healthy serving of the ingredients to the pot, where they began to boil and coalesce into a delicious mix.

Knock knock knock.

Blue Streak jumped where he stood as he watched the ingredients slowly start to boil. He swore under his breath and began to pant. He tried to calm himself by raising his hoof and lowering it to the ground. After a few tries, he managed to calm his nerves and breath normally for the time being.

“It’s fine... it’s fine. Dinner’s going to be ready, just...” Blue Streak stepped away from the kitchen and glanced over at the nearby bedroom before he ran to the door and slowly opened it. He smiled upon seeing Twilight at the door.

“Twilight, there you are. I was beginning to think that you weren’t coming,” Blue Streak said with a forced chuckle. Despite his laugh, there was a part of him that wondered what would happen if she didn’t show up. However, he quickly focused his thoughts on Twilight as he grabbed her saddlebag and placed it near the couch in the living room.

“You’ve never let me spend the night at your house before, Blue,” Twilight replied with a smile. She walked over to him and placed a forehoof on his shoulder as she kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad that you trust me enough to let me spend the night.”

Blue Streak broke the kiss and nodded lightly with a fake smile. He hugged Twilight and looked towards the kitchen.

“I uh... the dinner!”

Blue Streak ran over to the pot and lowered the temperature right as the juice was about to boil over. He sighed in relief and looked towards the dishes. He paced between the table and the counter as he brought the plate, silverware, and cup (hastily-filled with water) onto the table. Once the silverware was all prepared, he sighed in relief again while Twilight came around the corner and frowned.

“Sorry I took a little longer than I said. I wanted to shower and make sure that I looked okay,” Twilight said. Upon realizing Blue Streak’s messy mane, matted fur, slightly bloodshot eyes, and hunched posture, she paused. “I’m... assuming that you didn’t have time to shower?”

Blue Streak shook his head as he walked back to the kitchen. He grabbed a nearby fork and stirred the stew, his heartbeat slowing down once he realized that none of the ingredients were burning.

“I was... cleaning the house for you,” Blue Streak said as he bit back the self-loathing of his half lie.

“Be honest. You’re going to tell her anyway, you idiot. How is she going to trust you if you stretch the truth?”

Twilight’s smile widened. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that for me, Blue!” she said as she walked over to the kitchen and hugged Blue Streak’s side. She looked at the stew and her eyes widened. “Is that what you’re cooking for dinner?” she asked, even though she partially knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Blue Streak replied. “Matter of fact, I think it’s pretty much done.”

Blue Streak turned off the stove and Twilight moved to the side as he brought the pot over to the table. He partially tipped the contents onto the plate and smiled as it all came out in one, fluid sitting. He sighed in relief and motioned towards the plate.

“Dinner is served, Twilight,” Blue Streak said with a smile as Twilight walked over to give him another hug. “Uh, careful, the pot is hot. It’s all probably... still hot,” he added.

Twilight sat down at the table and took a spoonful of the stew. Levitating it with her magic, she sucked the stew into her mouth and sloshed it around on her tongue. There was a pause before she uttered a “mmm” in delight and swallowed.

“Blue Streak, this is very good!” Twilight said as he smiled and took another bite. She turned to Blue Streak and frowned slightly as she gave a glance to the kitchen.

“You’re going to eat some, right?” she asked.

Blue Streak nodded and widened his smile, gulping down his emotions.

“She paused. She’s faking.”

He walked back to the stove and prepared another pot of stew. He gulped down the radiating pain in his chest while Twilight slowly finished her plate. Twilight burped and blushed lightly due to her rudeness. Blue Streak instead chuckled and stirred the ingredients once more.

Twilight stood up from the table and walked over to the sink, where she levitated her plate gently inside. Her eyes widened when she saw the shattered glass.

“Blue, is something the matter?” she asked as she turned to him. “Did you break this glass?”

Blue Streak passed a glance to Twilight and nodded his head with that same refrained smile.

“I... yeah. I was just moving a little too quick and it broke. It happens,” Blue Streak explained. “So... you liked the dinner?”

Twilight nodded and smiled again. “Yes! You are quite the chef!” she replied. “I would love to spend the night more often if it comes with delicious meals like this!”

Blue Streak turned back to the ingredients, his facade slowly crumbling to a real smile as he felt a fluttering feeling flow through his stomach.

“Thank you. I haven’t cooked in a while. I kind of just had to... make something on the spot,” he muttered.

Twilight approached Blue Streak and placed a hoof onto his shoulder as she stared imploringly into his eyes.

“Blue, please tell me what’s wrong,” she said. “I know something’s wrong. You don’t have to hide your feelings from me.”

“Nothing... nothing’s wrong,” Blue Streak replied as he stirred the ingredients once more and shrugged off Twilight’s hoof. He turned to Twilight and plastered another smile on his face, but since he didn’t meet her gaze, she wasn’t being fooled any longer.

Twilight’s forehoof fell back to the ground and she paused. She gave a glance to the ground before she looked back to him. “Please, Blue, look at me?” she asked.

Blue Streak looked up from her hooves to her eyes. He wished that he didn’t. Her lavender hues and coat, combined with the familiar smell that radiated off of her, forced his voice to elude him. He choked and looked away.

“Is it Rainbow? Is that what’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

Blue Streak slowly shook his head as he gripped the countertop, looking down into the boiling stew ingredients.

“It’s nothing,” he merely replied. “And please don’t ask me again.”

Twilight huffed and walked over to the dining room table. She sat down on it, her hind legs dangling off while she crossed her forelegs.

“I’m not going to leave here until you tell me what’s wrong, Blue.”

“Then I guess you’re going to sit there until I go to bed, because I’m not telling you,” Blue Streak replied. He grabbed Twilight’s plate from the sink, rinsed it with water, and then poured his portion of the stew onto it. He walked back to the table and sat down to eat, ignoring the distraction. Twilight turned around and faced him in response, her frown slowly turning into a scowl of irritation.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Twilight asked as she focused magic on her horn. She teleported off of the table and right next to him. Once she closed the distance between herself and Blue Streak, she grabbed the plate and pushed it out of his reach. Blue Streak sighed and dropped his fork.

“Please give me my food back,” he muttered.

“No,” Twilight defiantly replied. “I’m not giving you your food back until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Blue Streak glared at Twilight as she stared back, her wing extending to shield the food from his view. He growled and pushed against her stiff wing.

“I didn’t bring you here to fight with you, Twilight,” Blue Streak said as he stood up from his chair.

“Why did you invite me here, then?” Twilight asked. “Do you just want to feed me and bring me to bed? Is that it?!”

Blue Streak’s eyes widened at the sudden outburst. He gulped and shook his head, his lower lip quivering. His voice lost tenacity as he whispered, “N... no... you don’t need to know.”

“No! No, I do need to know, Blue!” Twilight yelled. “I’ve done everything that you wanted in this relationship! I defended us against my best friend. I told you everything that you wanted to know about me, and I didn’t ask about anything that made you uncomfortable!”

Twilight seethed and flared her wings out. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to see Rainbow run off while I pretended that she was just going to get over it?! When we started going out, I thought you would be willing to open up to me. What’s the point of a book if you can’t open it up and read it!?”

Blue Streak’s eyes began to water. “Please, stop,” he begged. However, Twilight didn’t hear him.

“Do you know the trouble that I went through just so that our relationship could work? I had to lie to you about Rainbow, so that you wouldn’t talk to her when she was emotional and hurt. I know her... if you tried to comfort her while she was still angry, she would have blown everything out of proportion. So, I gave Rainbow a day to think about us, but after that day, I couldn’t find her to try and explain. She’s hurt, Blue, because of us. This isn’t something that just happens to anypony. I’m dating you. Rainbow Dash is my best friend, and I’m dating you.” Now Twilight’s eyes began to water. “I hurt Rainbow because of what we did, and now I’m hurt because I hurt her. Do you even care that...” Twilight sobbed, “I’m hurt? I told you everything... I opened up to you because I love and trust you... but you haven’t even told me when your birthday is.”

Twilight fell to her haunches as she began to cry. She placed her forehooves over her eyes and sobbed while Blue Streak sank down to his haunches to try and hug Twilight. She instead pushed him away and lowered her forehooves.

“I’m sorry, please don’t cry,” Blue Streak replied, his voice choked by his own sobbing. However, he couldn’t form any other words as he looked at Twilight’s bent head.

Twilight continued to cry as she covered her eyes once more. Blue Streak pulled her head into his chest and closed his eyes while Twilight sobbed and tried to calm herself. “I didn’t want to tell you because... it’s not your problem. It’s mine... and mine alone.”

Twilight shook her head as she lowered her forehooves. She gasped a few times from her crying and looked up into Blue Streak’s eyes. “If something is hurting you... Blue... I want to know what it is. That’s part of being in a relationship. If I can help you... I want to.”

Blue Streak sighed and looked away. “Do you remember what Rainbow said about you replacing her mom?”

Twilight softly nodded and sniffed.

“Well... her mom... and my wife... passed away seven years ago.”

Twilight’s expression molded to a more somber tone, as if she regretted what she said. “Oh... I see. If you wanted to keep something like this from me for so long, then you must still have feelings for her.” She looked down at the ground and traced her hoof along the carpet. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Blue.”

Blue Streak shook his head. “No... I do want to. I need to tell somepony... and it’s the least I can do after you’ve bent over backwards just to satisfy my... rampant paranoia.” Blue Streak cleared his throat as he laid back, pulling Twilight with him until she was resting atop him, head on his chest.

“My wife... Firefly... was the best thing that ever happened to me. Have you ever heard of her?”

Twilight placed a hoof underneath her chin. “The name sounds familiar...”

Blue Streak smiled lightly as he ran a hoof through Twilight’s mane. “She was quite the flier. She was featured in the Cloudsdale magazine from time to time.” Blue Streak cleared his throat again and paused. His stomach felt like a bucket of ice was being poured into it. “She... was Dashie’s favorite role model. Dashie always looked up to her... because she was so cool... and awesome. And I looked up to her because she was so... strong. I never saw her cry, and on the rare times that I did cry around her, all it would take is a hug and my sadness would melt away. She was smart, strong... it was like she was a better version of me. She completed me.

“I cooked for her, massaged her, and raised Rainbow with her. Rainbow loved her more than anything... and when Firefly passed... it was as if everything was taken away from me. I took care of Rainbow... but anything that reminded me of her... hurt. I break down crying... and still do... if I think of her too much. I tried to hide it from Rainbow, but she’s not stupid... she has her mother’s brain. She could tell that I was depressed. Even though I please told her not to, she tried her hardest to try and cheer me up. But... you can’t. Nopony can cheer me up.”

Blue Streak sighed as Twilight placed a forehoof over her heart, as if this sudden fact hurt her. “I love you, Twilight. You’re one of the best things that ever happened to me. But I’m not Rainbow. I can’t... move on like she can. When we’re out on a date... I feel happy again. I feel like I can just be in your hooves and be happy. But when I come home... I come back to a kitchen that I haven’t used since Firefly passed away... or our bedroom... that I haven’t touched either. You make me happy... Twilight... happier than I’ve been in years... but I’m just... too weak to move on. I love Firefly too much. That’s what I wanted to keep from you.”

Twilight bit her lip. “But... why keep us a secret, Blue? Why couldn’t you be honest with me when we first started dating and at least tell me that Rainbow was your daughter?”

Now it was Blue Streak’s turn to cover his eyes with his forehooves. “I... didn’t think we would last as long as we did. I thought that we would go out on a few dates, and you would get bored of me. I mean... just look at me. I’m a forty-one year old librarian with a dead wife on his mind at all times. Who the hell wants to go out with that?”

Twilight winced at Blue Streak’s words and frowned, but he continued with a sigh before she could say anything.

“The only other pony that I ever dated was Firefly. I loved her more than anything. I gave her my all, I treated her like a goddess. I thought I was doing it all right... but when she passed away... I was proven wrong. I couldn’t date the same way that I used to because I have Rainbow now. If Rainbow yelled at us and ran off when we’ve been dating for a few months, I shudder to think what her reaction would be if I told her that I was dating you at the start of our relationship.”

Twilight paused. “Wait... you knew that I was her best friend?” She growled. “Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Blue Streak lowered his forehooves, unable to hide his shame any longer. “I had a feeling you would react the same way that Rainbow did when we first talked to her. Our first date was wonderful. I was happy. I felt needed and desired, even though I never told you anything about myself. I didn’t have to, you loved me for what you saw, or what you could see in the future, even though you were completely blind. You told me about yourself, and I learned that you are a smart, beautiful, and amazing mare. You told me about your adventures, and it was only due to a stroke of luck that you didn’t connect Rainbow to me. If you did, I would have caved, but since you didn’t ask,” Blue Streak paused and sighed. “I didn’t want to risk what we could be. I didn’t say anything for selfish reasons, no matter what way you look at it.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Blue, but you kept something from me and Rainbow that could have made all of this,” she motioned back and forth between them, “a whole lot easier.” Twilight stopped for a moment and raised her hoof slowly up to chin length with an inhale before she brought it back down with an exhale. Her tone became more cold and icy once her hoof returned to the carpet. “Rainbow thinks that I betrayed her by dating you behind her back. She’s mad at us, and that is all because you wanted to keep things from me.”

“Hey... I’m not going to be taking all of the blame here.” Blue Streak said as he sat up and raised a hoof to point at his hair. “How could you miss this? Who else in Equestria has a rainbow mane? I was waiting for you to say something about it, but what am I supposed to do if you don’t?”

Twilight frowned and raised a hoof once more. “I’m not getting into this with you, Blue, and that’s not the point. You could have told me, at any time, that Rainbow was your daughter. You knew that I was her best friend. I didn’t know anything until you decided to tell me, and if I knew sooner, we could have avoided Rainbow’s outburst. Firefly is important to both to you, but in different ways. Because of the way we handled Rainbow, we are going to look like the bad ponies because she thinks that we’re heartlessly replacing her mother, even though you’re trying your hardest to move on and I’m dating you because I love being around you and spending time with you. With all of these misunderstandings, it’s no wonder Rainbow got angry.”

Blue Streak sighed as well and nodded. “I know. If I was in her or your horseshoes, I’d be mad at me too. It’s all my fault...”

Twilight ran a forehoof through her mane and slid it down one eye before it dropped back to the ground. “It’s not completely your fault, Blue,” Twilight said. “We all make mistakes. It’s just... really frustrating to know that all of this... Rainbow’s fighting, this conversation... could have been avoided if you were a little more honest than me.” She sighed. “But I know we can’t change the past. We’re in the here and now, and it’s time to move on.”

Twilight bit her lip as she tried to soak in all the information. After a few painful and silent moments, she exhaled once more and nodded again. “I understand,” she said, eliminating the irritation from her tone as she sat up and smiled. “Thank you, Blue, for telling me the truth. I’m sorry about your wife... about everything.” Her smile turned into a small frown. “I’m a little angry that you had to basically keep me in the dark and manipulate my trust, and I will continue to be angry about that for a while... but at least I know that there is a reason behind it.” Twilight paused and softened her tone, choosing her words carefully. “I wish... I could say that I understand what you are going through... but I don’t. I only understand the fear of hiding something from someone that you love, and what could happen if you let it out.”

Blue Streak tried to fish for some words that could bring him out of his rut. He wanted some sort of confirmation on Twilight’s understanding, but words failed him as Twilight stood up and helped him back to his hooves.

“I forgive you for keeping everything from me. I can only imagine how much your wife means to you. And... I love you, Blue, but we need to be honest with each other. A relationship can’t be built on lies. One of my friends told me that. And... I know I can never replace your wife, but if I can make you happy, even if just for a split second... then I’ll do whatever I can.”

Blue Streak smiled and kissed Twilight on the lips, holding it for moments as his forelegs rested on her shoulders. Once he pulled back, he lightly pressed his forehead against hers. Twilight’s cheeks reddened as Blue Streak found his tongue.

“I... want to make you happy too, Twilight.” Blue Streak sighed. “I don’t want to be the bad guy. I didn’t mean to cause all of this trouble. I was just... scared. I want us to be happy together, and I don’t want you to be the one that is doing everything for this relationship. I’ll work on that.”

“Promise?” Twilight asked.

“Promise,” Blue Streak replied with a smile. “I’m forty-one, and it’s damn time I started acting like it. I’m not going to be scared anymore. I’m going to confront any problems we have and I’m not going to let anything else try to drive a wedge between us.”

Blue Streak began to lightly pull Twilight in the direction of the hallway.

“I love you, Twilight, and I want to show you,” he muttered.

Twilight’s eyes widened and her blush intensified as she covered her face with a forehoof. She merely nodded.

Blue Streak smiled and lead Twilight to the closest bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, ignoring the dusty bookshelf and lamp as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

“Rest right there... one sec’,” Blue Streak said as he walked over to the nearby windowsill and closed the blinds. He removed the three lavender candles from the windowsill and placed them on the bookshelf against the wall. He grabbed a box of matches from a drawer in the nearby end table and lit the matches. Blue gulped as he stared at the flickering flame, and then at the candles. There was no going back.

“I love you... Firefly... you were the best thing that ever happened to me... but you would want me to move on... would you?”

As the candle’s aroma began to waft throughout the room, Blue Streak walked back to Twilight, pressed his forehooves against her shoulders, and kissed her. His smile looked to be a little more sheepish than certain. “If you love me as much as I love you... then I’m ready to move on. Twilight... do you want to make love... again?”

Twilight nodded again, her face mimicking a cherry in color. “I love you too, Blue Streak. Please... make love to me,” Twilight asked while her leaky lavender hues stared up into Blue Streak’s golden eyes.

However, as the couple moved in for another kiss, it was drawn to a halt as Rainbow opened the bedroom door and stood on the threshold. A cold draft stirred through the room as Rainbow froze up, all three ponies lost for words.

Rupture

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The silence was maddening, teasing, presumptuous. But yet it dragged on, all three ponies fearing the consequences of breaking it.

Blue Streak looked back to Twilight, whose expression harbored bulged eyes in fear and an embarrassed blush. He pulled the blankets over Twilight and himself as he turned around to face Rainbow. Dust dispersed through the air from the quick movement of the sheets and Rainbow coughed a few times after inhaling a little too much. Her teeth clenched as her wings flared out, clipping against the doorframe. Magenta eyes switched between the two ponies in the bed before she looked behind the couple at the violet candles. The flame flickered and danced, burning out the indication of what they were doing. Sure, their movements could have easily been brushed off as making out and nothing more, but those lavender candles were enough to clue her in.

Rainbow bowed her head to stare at the ground, her mane obstructing the look of rage on her face as her legs tensed and pressed into the cloudy floor. Her heart raced in her chest, filling up her face with color that compared to Twilight’s blush, but contrasted due to the reason.

Blue Streak let go of Twilight and the both of them sat up on the bed. She bit her lip and tried to press her wings down against her back, but was only met with the rushing sound of her wings sticking straight out after being confined. Blue Streak didn’t bother to restrain his wings, but kept the sheets over his lap and Twilight’s body. The indication of his intentions would drain away soon enough, but the last thing he wanted to see was his daughter’s view on such a sight. He stood up from the bed and held out a hoof passively to try and calm his daughter down.

“Rainbow.” Blue Streak gulped as he took a step towards Rainbow, stretching out the bedsheets as Twilight held it over her form. “Please... it’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?! Then what does it look like!?”

Rainbow stepped into the room and threw the bedroom door behind her, shaking the room with her forceful slam as she glared at her father. Dash's fury-filled fuschia eyes pierced into Blue’s, who didn't return her gaze but instead opted to look to the floor as he pushed the bed sheets against himself. Twilight remained quiet as well as she glanced down, unable to come up with a response.

“I’ll tell you what it looks like! It looks like my dad is about to have sex with my best friend, inside of the bed that my mother used to buck you in!”

Rainbow backed a hind hoof against the door as she stood up on her hind legs, her wings flapping a few times to help her up. Twilight flinched at Rainbow’s wings but Rainbow ignored her and kept her eyes on Blue Streak.

Blue’s hoof retreated back to his side. He gulped before he sat back down on the bed, looking towards the floor as he tried to respond. Seconds passed, extending into a minute as Rainbow crossed her forelegs and leaned against the nearby wall.

“Well? You got anything to say?” she asked, anger lining every word.

Blue Streak shook his head and placed his head in his forehooves. Rainbow moved back to all fours and threw the door open.

“Fine. I see I’m obviously interrupting something. Want me to come back when you two aren’t making a new sibling in my mother’s bed?” she asked as she turned her back to the couple, facing the living room.

Twilight bit her lip while Blue Streak whimpered and sank his head further into his forehooves. She stood up and gulped as she released the bed sheets from her grasp, letting them fall like a curtain onto the floor. Her horn briefly glowed lavender as she stared past Rainbow, towards the front door. With a small swivel of the knob, the door was locked. Twilight frowned as her horn dimmed and stepped towards Rainbow.

“I want you to stay, Rainbow. We need to talk,” Twilight said, another step accentuating her words.

Rainbow turned her head in time to see Twilight approach her and place a hoof on her back. Rainbow quickly turned to face Twilight, taking a step back for good measure.

“Don’t touch me with that hoof. I don’t know what you’ve been doing with it,” Rainbow snarled.

Twilight’s frown turned into a full on glare.

“Are you going to be this immature when all I’m trying to do is talk to you about this?” Twilight asked as she moved her hoof back to the floor.

“You’re calling me immature?!” Rainbow yelled, her right eye twitching as she jammed her head in Twilight’s face, to the point where Twilight could smell the cupcakes in her breath. “You’re dating my dad, even though nearly every stallion in Equestria wants to date you now, Ms. Princess! Did you pick him just because you wanted to piss me off?! Because it’s bucking working if you did!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she turned towards Blue Streak, who was still sitting on the bed. Blue Streak’s eyes were hidden from view, but Twilight saw a teardrop fall onto the floor, unable to be masked by his forehooves. Her eyes widened before they narrowed again as she turned back to Rainbow.

“What in Equestria is your problem, Rainbow?!” Twilight yelled, her composure long since gone. “This is the second time that you've yelled at us! Blue Streak is over there, crying, because you can’t hold your temper!”

Rainbow derisively laughed a few times before she paced back and forth a few steps in the hallway. She slammed her hoof into the wall and kept her gaze on Twilight.

“Don’t you even try to pin this on me, Twilight! Do you remember Mare-Do-Well? You made me feel like an idiot throughout that whole day, and now you want to flip around the rules just because I’m the one making you feel bad? Buck that!”

Rainbow raised her hoof from the wall and pointed at Twilight.

“Have you ever stopped and thought that maybe you're the one that was making Dad feel bad throughout this whole mess?!”

Twilight tried to respond, but was immediately cut off by Rainbow.

“No! No you haven’t! You were so quick to put the blame on me, saying that I was the one making your relationship hard! You’re the one who’s making it hard on Dad, so you don’t get to blame me for anything!”

Twilight stood her ground and frowned as she stepped towards Rainbow, their muzzles inches apart as Twilight spoke.

“The way that I see it, the one who barged into Blue’s room and began to yell at us, for the second time now, is the one who is making it hard on everyone else,” Twilight muttered.

“Yeah, you would think that, Twilight.” Rainbow glared. “I’d half expect that a smart alicorn like you, the Princess of Friendship, would be able to understand when she is hurting someone by simply being there.”

Twilight’s wings flared as she took a step back, eyes widening slightly in surprise. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that my Dad is hurt because of you!” Rainbow yelled, not caring about the few beads of spit that splattered against Twilight’s cheek.

Twilight wiped the spit and took a deep breath, but her pupils became pinpricks when familiar words hit her.

“She tried her hardest to try and cheer me up. But... you can’t. Nopony can cheer me up.”

Twilight bit her lip and took a step back, removing herself from Rainbow’s huffing breath. Her wings finally managed to relax against her back as she lowered her head, her mane blocking the view from her eyes.

“Blue, is this true?” Twilight asked, voice quivering with bottled-up emotion.

“I...”

Blue Streak couldn’t answer. He merely sobbed, his voice failing to continue as Twilight walked back to his bed and sat down, the lack of an answer enough for her. She kept her gaze on the floor while Rainbow stepped back into the bedroom.

“I told you about my mom, Twilight! I told you about it a while ago! You cried because you haven’t seen your brother in a while ever since he moved to the Canterlot Royal Guard. And yet somehow you never thought that my mother passing away would affect my dad at all?”

“He... told me about your mom... I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight muttered, tears leaking onto her thighs as she sobbed. Blue Streak looked away and inched away from Twilight to the other side of the bed as Rainbow continued.

“No, no you’re not sorry!” Rainbow yelled as she pointed at the bed. “The mere fact that you are on this bed with my dad, defending yourself, especially after I just said that this was my Mom’s bed, proves that you aren’t sorry!”

Rainbow gritted her teeth and pointed behind her towards the hallway. “My dad used to sleep in the bed down the hall because he respected my mom and didn’t want to ruin her memory! Now he’s apparently brought you into her bed so that the both of you could turn Mom’s memory into nothing more than your love stains!” Rainbow yelled. “And you are trying to defend that! This is Mom’s room! That is Mom’s bed! And no one else is allowed on it, especially not my backstabbing best friend!”

Twilight buried her head into her forehooves and cried, her whole body shaking as she pulled her hind legs to her chest, effectively rolling up into a little ball. Blue wiped his eyes and rested his forehooves on his lap before he looked over at Twilight. He tried to take one of her forehooves into his own as he spoke, but Twilight wrenched her hoof out of his grasp.

“Twilight, it was supposed to mean something. I wanted to—”

“What do you mean it was supposed to mean something?!” Rainbow interjected as she pointed at the lavender candles behind the couple. “You lit Mom’s candles and you decided to use her bed! I know what that means, but go ahead and tell me that I’m wrong, like last time.”

Blue Streak kept his gaze away from Rainbow and on the floor as he replied. He leaned into Twilight as his forehoof slid around her back and onto her opposite shoulder. Twilight pretended not to notice.

“It... nothing. It didn’t mean anything,” Blue Streak muttered as he locked eyes with Rainbow. “Not like you’ll listen to me anyway.”

Rainbow’s right eye twitched again. “And what the buck is that supposed to mean!?”

“It means that ever since I started dating Twilight, you have been acting like a filly who hasn’t gotten her way!” Blue Streak yelled, his cracking voice not helping bring his point across. “You threw a temper tantrum and left when I was trying to finally be honest with you, and now you come barging into my house and start yelling at me when you catch me doing something that you knew I was going to do!”

Twilight lowered herself off of the bed and onto her haunches. She caught Rainbow’s gaze for a moment and slowly crawled until she was against the wall facing the bed, partially hidden by the large bookcase near it. She looked at the floor and covered her face with a forehoof while Rainbow looked back to Blue Streak and growled.

“Don’t you even try to pull the honesty card, Dad!” Rainbow yelled. “If you were honest with me, you would have told me about her the moment you started to date! Buck that, you would have told me when you even began to think about dating her! You know who she is! She knows who I am! You kept me in the dark about everything and told me when it was comfortable for you, despite how I might have felt!”

Blue Streak frowned and stepped off of the bed. He looked to Twilight, who still remained behind the bookcase, shaking while small droplets of tears dripped to the floor. He turned back to Rainbow.

“Since when the hell was it your business over who I date!? You haven’t visited me in almost a year, wrote maybe a few letters, kept me in the dark about the Wonderbolts, or anything else that you’ve done in Ponyville! Now that you visit me the one time in a while and I try to be honest with you when the time is right, I’m the bad guy? Forget that!”

Blue Streak walked over to the lavender candles behind the bed and blew them out, rendering the bedroom completely dark except for the lights in the kitchen and hallway that Blue had forgot to turn off. He turned to Rainbow and slid across the bed, landing back on his hooves as he glared at her.

“There, the candles are out. Twilight and I are probably not going to do anything else tonight since you killed the mood. Is there anything else that I can do for you, oh infallible one?” Blue derisively asked.

Twilight wiped her eyes. “Please... stop fighting,” she muttered, to no avail.

“Don’t mock me like I’m some child! You’re the one who’s still running on your teenage hormones! Maybe if you spent some time with your right hoof instead of trying to buck my best friend, the blood would actually be in your brain rather than your head!”

“Please... stop...”

Blue’s expression contorted in fury as he closed the distance between himself and Rainbow. His wings flared up as he glared at her.

“You shut your mouth right now, Rainbow. I’m not going to be talked to like that by my own daughter,” Blue Streak muttered, his tone emanating cold fury.

“You can’t make me!” Rainbow yelled as she straightened her posture and flared her wings. “Of course you would want to shut me up when I started to prove you right! What’s wrong, are you afraid of admitting it?! Why don’t you just be honest with me for once in your life!?”

Blue inhaled and gritted his teeth before releasing them to speak. “You know what? Fine. I’m done fighting with you. I was going to make love to your friend on Firefly’s bed. There, are you happy?”

“Of course I'm not happy! I'm pissed! That’s Mom’s bed! What’s the point of keeping it in that room for years if you are just going to bring the next mare that you date into it?!”

“This is the first time that I’ve brought Twilight into this room,” Blue Streak replied, his tone slowly replacing fury with neutrality. “She hasn’t gone past the living room since we started dating. You’re implying that this room has to be exactly the way that it is just because it used to be Firefly’s. Also, why would I want to have sex with Twilight in the exact same bed that has been making me cry over the past seven years, instead of taking her to the bed that’s two doors down? There’s a reason, do you know what it is?”

Rainbow’s forehooves pressed against the cloudy floor, her voice growing hoarse due to her constant yelling.

“I don’t give a buck about the reason! You were right about to do it! In Mom’s bed!”

“After two months of dating, and telling Twilight about Firefly,” Blue Streak flatly replied as his eyes narrowed.

“She has no business knowing about that! That’s between you and me!”

Twilight whimpered behind the bookcase while Blue Streak huffed and pointed at her.

“She is my marefriend. If she wants to know, and I want to tell her, then she is going to know,” Blue Streak defiantly replied.

“Rainbow,” Twilight muttered as she moved out from behind the bookcase and walked in front of the bed. She placed a hoof on Blue Streak’s shoulder and hid behind him. “I know you are very upset right now... but please at least try to look at this in Blue’s or my position.”

Rainbow stamped a hoof. “No! That’s a private matter! You have no right to know what has caused us pain for seven years! You don’t know what it’s like to lose your mother when you’re just a filly! You were born in Canterlot with the perfect family, two loving parents and a brother! I was born to two loving parents that had their lives completely changed! You don’t know, Twilight! You simply don’t know! And unless your mom drops dead tomorrow, you never will know!”

Twilight’s eyes widened and filled with tears as she broke her gaze and sobbed. She placed her forehooves over her eyes and began to silently cry as her wings spread along her chest. Her whole body shook as she cried, deciding to fall back on the bed since she felt like collapsing right on the floor. Blue Streak gritted his teeth, shaking in anger before he grabbed Rainbow’s forehoof and pulled her into the bedroom.

“Hey!” Rainbow struggled against Blue as she was pushed in front of Twilight.

“Don’t you dare talk about somepony’s mother that way! You better apologize to Twilight right now!” Blue Streak yelled as he released Rainbow’s leg and slammed the bedroom door behind him.

Rainbow growled and faced Blue as she pushed his chest, but failed to move him out of the way. She stared straight into his eyes and pointed her hoof an inch away from his face.

“I’m not apologizing!”

“Apologize now, Rainbow,” Blue Streak replied as he stared at the forehoof, but didn’t blink.

“No!”

“You’re completely out of line. Apologize to Twilight and get the hell out of my house!” Blue Streak said as his own wings flared in anger.

“WHY AM I THE ONE WHO’S OUT OF LINE!?” Rainbow yelled as her eyes began to fill up with tears. She stepped to the side and faced the bedroom wall before her forehoof slammed into it, creating a dent. She turned back to Blue Streak and pointed at him in an incriminating fashion.

“You’re dating my best friend, already had sex with her, and I’m the one that’s out of line?!” Rainbow seethed and pressed her forehooves to her head as tears began to slide down her cheeks. “Screw you, Dad! Screw you! You aren’t right! I don’t care what you say! You could have picked any mare in Equestria, but you settled on my best friend! And don’t even try to tell me that you didn’t know she was my best friend! She’s been in the paper, she’s one of the few Alicorn Princesses in Equestria, and I’ve told you about her before!”

Rainbow pointed at Twilight and stared at Blue Streak. “Go ahead, Dad, lie to me like you did before! What’s next, are you gonna marry her next and keep me from that too?”

“Oh, figures that you would try and blow things out of proportion!” Blue Streak yelled as he rolled his eyes. Rainbow lowered her hoof to the floor, her teeth gritted together as Blue continued. “How about we stick to the facts? Like the fact that you didn’t even bother to tell me about the Wonderbolts? You never said it in your letters, and when you did decide to visit me once in a freaking blue moon, you never told me! You know how I found out about you being captain of Tornado Duty? The freaking Cloudsdale paper!”

Twilight gasped and shook as she cried, mumbling incoherent words that were ignored due to Blue’s shouting.

“Do you know how much it hurts to find something out about your own daughter from a letter rather than her own mouth? Even when you got kicked out of Flight Camp, at least I got to come to the school and talk with the principal while she told me about all the rules that you broke!”

Blue Streak swallowed and looked at the ground, his face starting to redden from anger. He exhaled and glared at Rainbow as he wiped some sweat from his brow. “You got to achieve your dream. You have been telling me ever since you were a little filly that you wanted to be a Wonderbolt. I spent every bit that I had towards your Flight Camp uniform, tuition, summer programs, and all the little places that you wanted to go with your friends. Then, you get kicked out because you couldn’t control your temper!” Blue Streak adopted a sarcastic tone. “Does this seem like a pattern to you? Only difference between then and now is that your temper is hurting everyone around you and you’re too stubborn to admit it!”

“You’re the one who’s pissing me off!” Rainbow fired back, vitriol in every word. She pointed behind her at the emblazoned wall that showed off the family’s accomplishments. “After everything that Mom has done for both of us, you’re replacing her! The only one that was able to make you happy! The one that was your high school sweetheart! The one who gave you me! Is this how you are going to repay her?! Am I gonna come back in a month and find all of her pictures gone and replaced with Twilight?!”

Rainbow pointed at the dusty bookcase. “Is this going to be the future of my mother’s memory?! You already tried to stain Mom’s bed with Twilight! Next, are you going to hide Mom away in bookcases and boxes just because you don’t want to think about her? Are you going to replace her with a mare that’s half your age just because you want to feel young and carefree again?!”

“I—”

“You know what? I was starting to get over the fact that you’re dating Twilight. I thought about it, and even admitted to myself that maybe I was being a little stubborn. But you know what I also thought? I thought that you at least had enough respect and decency for Mom to not have sex with your next marefriend in her bed! How bucking wrong was I?!”

“It was supposed to mean something!” Blue choked in response, his voice completely shot as he pointed at the bed. Rainbow however interjected right as Blue inhaled to continue.

“What in Celestia’s name was it supposed to mean!? That the bed was strong enough to handle you two!?” Rainbow growled and pointed behind her at the living room. “Why didn’t you just buck on the couch!? At least that will be uncomfortable enough to remind you that something is wrong when you are bucking my best friend!”

“I...” Blue Streak cleared his throat and placed a hoof to his lips, closing his eyes as he struggled to keep his composure. “It was supposed to be meaningful. I wanted it to represent... me getting over Firefly.”

“And you had to do that by bucking in her bed?!” Rainbow seethed in rage and looked between Twilight and Blue. She walked around Blue and into the hallway where she pointed down towards Blue’s guest room. “There’s a room with a bed right in there that you could have used! There’s a couch in the living room that you could have used! The only meaning that comes out of bucking Twilight in Mom’s bed is completely lost when you could have done it anywhere else!”

Twilight raised a hoof to speak while she crossed her hind legs over each other and sobbed, waiting for her turn. However, since only Rainbow saw her hoof and ignored it, Blue Streak continued, his back to Twilight.

“You don’t choose what everything means to me, Rainbow!” Blue Streak’s forehooves began to shake as he looked back at Twilight. While he spoke, Twilight had lowered her hoof, so he turned back to Rainbow and continued since she didn’t have anything to add. “To me, that bed means a transformation, a way out! You’re acting like I completely threw Firefly’s memories out the window and stopped caring the moment I brought Twilight into bed. As if,” Blue’s eyes began to water and he paused. “Seven years of not having the love of my life is going to be instantly cured by taking Twilight to bed.”

“Why is bucking my friend the only choice to get rid of your depression!?” Rainbow yelled as she looked around, her hooves searching for something that she can grab. However, since the hallway was stripped clean, only cloudy nails protruding out of the walls, she turned back to Blue. “Do you get some sick thrill out of it? Why can’t you just find a hobby!? Get a friend!? Date anypony that isn’t Twilight!?”

“Because nothing and no one else made me happy!” Blue Streak pointed at Twilight and turned to the side, capturing both mares in his vision while he stared at Rainbow. “That mare, right there, has made me the happiest stallion in the world. And your acting and attitude has depressed me more than Firefly ever could, Rainbow.”

Rainbow gasped, her eyes widening as her eyes began to leak tears once more. Her wings retreated against her back while her chest began to throb a heating, poisonous pain.

“You said that you were completely happy for me, that you would be happy no matter who I chose to date. And the moment you found out who it was, you turned on me, yelled at us, and left.”

Both father and daughter were openly crying now, Dash holding in her sobs while Blue closed his eyes and fumbled with his composure.

“I went to your house, you weren’t there. Twilight went to your house, you weren’t there. I sent you a letter. I checked your work. I couldn’t find you and I eventually gave up, hoping that you would come talk to me when the time was right.”

Twilight bit her lip while Rainbow walked over to Blue and attempted to speak. However, Twilight cut her off. “Blue, I told you to leave Rainbow alone so that she could collect her thoughts,” Twilight said as she lifted herself onto her hooves. “Did you break that promise too?”

“Twilight, we’ll talk about it later, okay?” Blue replied as he turned to face Twilight, who frowned.

“No. We’re going to talk about it right now. Did you even pay attention to anything that I told you that day!?”

“Twilight, I’m not just going to ignore my daughter if we have obviously made her upset!”

“Well then why didn’t you tell me that you were going to visit her so that we could have spoken to her together?” Twilight asked, stomping a hoof in frustration.

Rainbow attempted to speak but her hoarse voice and frantic sobbing was preventing her from saying anything that was noticeable.

“Twilight, talking to her together was going to do nothing but piss her off. Look at what we’re in right now! You said it yourself that we should have talked to her alone, and that’s exactly what I was going to do.” Blue Streak straightened his back and wiped part of his mane out of his face. “This was before I promised that I wasn’t going to keep anything from you. And I’m sorry, but if there’s one thing I know about Rainbow, it’s that she won’t listen to anyone unless you talk to her straight up.” Blue Streak then turned to Rainbow. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Rainbow took a step back and bit her lip, trying to find anything to say to redeem herself. However, anything left that she needed to get off her chest was lost, leaving her speechless as Twilight closed the distance between herself and Blue.

“Did you listen to anything that I told you!? Or were you just thinking of taking me to bed for the second time during all the dates we had!?” Twilight yelled, her face growing red from anger as she prodded Blue’s chest. “Are you just a compulsive liar? Do you like keeping everything from everypony?!”

"I told you all that you needed to know. I thought that what you didn't know wouldn’t hurt you. Only problem is that... we all ended up knowing in the end.” Blue Streak sighed and waved both his forehooves. “The point is that this would have all been fine if somepony didn’t decide to burst into my house and completely mess up what I had planned.”

Blue Streak turned to Rainbow, who took a step back in defense and gritted her teeth with a scowl. His tone was just enough to help Rainbow find her tongue.

“Oh don’t you even try to pin this on me!” Rainbow tightened her posture and looked between Twilight and Blue Streak. “You’re not convincing me otherwise, Dad! You betrayed my trust by dating Twilight,” Rainbow pointed at Twilight, “and you betrayed my trust by dating my dad without telling me!”

Blue Streak rolled his eyes while Twilight bit her lip and stepped back from Blue.

“Are you even listening to anything that we’ve said? Is anything getting through to you?” Blue asked. “If you aren’t going to listen to either of us, Rainbow, then you might as well just go home. I’ve told you all that I wanted to tell you and you aren’t going to change my mind. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about any of this and I’m truly sorry that I hurt you, but for the love of Celestia, you can either talk to me about what’s upsetting you without repeating yourself, or leave and come back when you are willing to have a conversation like the mare that I know you are. I’m dating Twilight, and it’s going to stay that way.”

Rainbow’s eyes hazed over as she looked at the front door, and back to Blue. Her knees buckled, barely managing to keep her standing as her heart throbbed a pain, once thought to be dead throughout her chest. She placed a hoof over her eyes, her voice quivering to emit the only thing on her mind.

“B-but... Mom...”

“Firefly’s dead, Rainbow,” Blue Streak sputtered out, his cold stare breaking down into a sorrowful frown as he looked at the floor. “And I’m trying to move on. Twilight is a chance to move on. If you can’t accept that, then you shouldn’t visit me anymore.”

Rainbow felt her stomach lurch as Blue Streak walked over to Twilight and placed a hoof around her shoulders. However, Twilight shrugged Blue’s hoof off and walked out of the bedroom, double taking between Rainbow and Blue. She brushed past Rainbow and sniffed.

“I’m sorry, Blue, Rainbow,” Twilight muttered as she turned to the front door. Her horn glowed once more, this time unlocking the door. “But you two still have some things that you need to work out. I... I just can’t watch this anymore. Rainbow,” Twilight looked to Rainbow and gently grabbed her hoof. “I hope you'll forgive me.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but she merely hiccuped from her crying as Twilight walked over to the front door. Blue Streak’s eyes widened as he ran out of the bedroom, stopping once he reached the living room.

“Wait! Twilight!”

“Blue, please, just talk to your daughter,” Twilight sputtered, tears sliding down her cheeks as she turned to the front door. “We’ve done enough. Just... I’ll send you a letter tomorrow.”

Blue Streak ran to Twilight and grabbed her hoof, but she shook him off and opened the front door. Rainbow’s eyes spaced out on the floor, becoming a hazy blur as the door in front of her lightly creaked shut.

~~~

The room remained in a familiar silence as Blue Streak pressed his back to the door. He fell to his haunches, gaze focused on Rainbow Dash, who paused before she blinked back tears and met his eyes. She stood back on her fours and opened her mouth to speak, but her words were immediately cut off by Blue.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Rainbow. I’m done.”

Rainbow felt her dinner boil over. She winced and pressed a forehoof to her stomach as her last meal of cupcakes and soda threatened to come up and onto the floor. Her eyes burnt as they glazed over with tears and she took a step towards him, her head raising to glare at Blue.

“Figures that you wouldn’t want to talk to me now that Twilight isn’t here to back you up!” Rainbow yelled as she gritted her teeth.

“Rainbow, shut up!” Blue Streak yelled back as he opened the front door, cooling up the living room with the night’s freezing draft. “Get out of my house.”

Rainbow walked over to Blue and glared at him, her wings flexing and stretching to prepare for the journey back home. She looked back to the Wall of Accomplishment before she emitted a small “tch”.

“After she proves you right and you admit to lying, you kick your own daughter out of your house. All because you want to keep your marefriend, who you also lied to. I bet Mom’s rolling over in her grave.”

It all happened so fast. First his hooves were on her, then she was on the doormat while Blue stood on the threshold, pointing menacingly at her while his glare melted any confidence that remained within her.

“Don’t... you... dare… come back.”

The last sound that Rainbow heard before her mind succumbed the blur of numbness was the door slamming in front of her, thrown forward by Blue’s forehooves. All of her senses seemed to shift to autopilot as Rainbow soared back home, eyes refusing to supply any more tears.

Burn-out

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Vapor, condensation, placement, arrangement. Rinse, lather, repeat. It was a shame that the art of weather manipulation had been diluted to a mundane job, but Rainbow would do anything to take her mind off of last night.

Rainbow Dash stared ahead at her hooves, currently on autopilot as she continued her task to block out the sky above west Ponyville. After the rain that was supplied to the marketplace and eastern side of Ponyville yesterday, the other side of town now needed the same so as to keep things balanced.

As the final cloud was pushed into place, Rainbow sighed listlessly, barely noticing her actions as she slowly lowered herself onto the clouds. She relaxed her wings once her hooves met the comforting vapor. Magenta hues scanned the blank space around her, neck craning to clarify that nopony was around. She turned around to face towards Cloudsdale, where the Cloud Factory would no doubt be waiting for another job to give their best (and laziest) employee.

Rainbow bit her lip as she punched a hole in the clouds beneath her and set to flying again, hovering below the overcast sky so that she could see the emptiness that was 9 AM. To the north, Rainbow observed Sweet Apple Acres and the small red speck that was eliminating smaller red and green specks from trees. Applejack must have already taken the cart out to the marketplace.

Rainbow sighed before she bolted towards Cloudsdale, her head slightly tilted to the side as her mind rattled with the arguments of last night. A hoof cradled her stomach as she flew, using what was left of her composure to avoid emptying the contents of her stomach onto some random pony below her.

~~~

“Done already?”

A portly stallion in a suit that was obviously two sizes too small reached underneath his office desk and pulled out a small bag, grumbling jokingly at having to part with his money so soon. Rainbow Dash nodded without a word, eyes focusing on every decoration and useless knick knack inside of the office until she felt a bag land near her forehooves. Fifty bits, no more, no less.

“I can always count on my most loyal employee. Heh, you know, your assignment was only a half hour. Wanna take another one? I bet you wanna get a few more shifts in so that you can get yourself something nice,” the manager said, smiling as he pulled a packet of paperwork out of a bin on the corner of the desk and began to sign it.

Rainbow shook her head. “I’m fine. I still have the next three days off ‘cause of my birthday, right?”

The manager frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, Friday through Sunday, like you asked.”

“That’s all I need then.”

Rainbow stood up and walked to the door, but was stopped upon hearing her boss speak up again, feeling his concerned eyes staring a hole into the back of her head.

“Rainbow, you’ve taken more days off this month than any other month since you worked here. Even your past birthdays, you worked with a smile on your face. I mean, I know you only work part time and we don’t really talk much, but if something is the matter, we can talk about it if you want.”

Rainbow turned around to face her boss and smiled. She clutched the bag to her burning chest, hooves slightly shaking the contents within.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just… turning 21 you know? The age where I get to make bad choices.” Rainbow chuckled. “Just taking enough days so that I can sleep away the hangover, once I get it.”

The boss laughed and slapped his hind leg, leaning back into his chair as his expression softened.

“Alrighty! Not like this job is hard anyway. I could probably do it while hung over!” he yelled, a little louder than was needed.

Rainbow smiled sheepishly as she grabbed the doorknob. “Heh, yeah. Talk to you later, boss.”

~~~

Perhaps it would have been better if Rainbow placed the clouds over the east side of Ponyville. That way, the weather would have been able to complement her mood. Rainbow wiped the sweat off her forehead as she continued to walk. She brushed past numerous ponies, some of which had bags filled to the brim with vegetables while others paid her no mind since they were completely focused on their shopping lists.

Blurry, candy-colored hazes passed through Rainbow’s peripheral vision as she focused on walking straight. Her mouth was firmly closed around the bag of bits previously given to her since she wasn’t in the mood for questions from random townsponies. Her slightly bent head and stiff posture was also a clue as to who Rainbow wanted to talk to: no one.

Rainbow bent her head up when she saw a gray outline on her right and she turned to analyze the building. She turned her head to drop the bag of bits onto her back upon seeing the golden bit coin in the middle of the sign above the door, coupled with the words “Ponyville National Bank”.

“There we go,” Rainbow muttered as she stared at the wooden door, hooves slowly catching up to her thinking. She ascended the steps and grabbed the door, but her mind was wiped blank and replaced with pain upon feeling something hard slam against her flank.

“Woah!”

“Oof!” Rainbow fell over, the bag of bits spilling its contents all over the steps and surrounding dirt path. She rubbed her head and flank, the stinging pain combining with her upset stomach. She growled and turned around to meet eyes with whoever dared to run into her, but the purple hues that stared back glistened with guilt in the sunlight.

“I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash!”

Scootaloo hurried over to Rainbow, thankfully devoid of any injuries. She ran towards the outermost bit from the bag and picked it up. She picked up another bit, followed by another until all of the bits nearby her were settled in a pile in her forehooves.

Rainbow blinked a few times and scooped up any bits that were nearby her, followed by holding out the bag so that Scootaloo could dump her pile. “You doin’ okay, Scoots?” Rainbow asked imploringly as she gulped down her emotions.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she quickly wiped her muzzle and eyes with a hoof as she looked away. “I uh… yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” Scootaloo replied, tone shaking and quivering as if Rainbow would yell at her at any moment. She accentuated her words with a nervous laugh, which didn’t help her poor acting.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she stared down at Scootaloo, waiting for her to meet her gaze. Scootaloo refused to however, and instead focused on gathering all of the spilt bits. Rainbow cleared her throat, but Scootaloo once again refused to face her.

“I don’t know,” Rainbow hesitantly began as she and stood up. “Usually you’re good enough with your scooter to not run into other ponies, especially not me.” Rainbow chuckled and placed a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “You should—”

Scootaloo jumped in her fur and took a step back. She turned to face Rainbow, and then sighed in relief when she remembered that Rainbow was the one who touched her. After a moment of silence between the both of them, she looked away.

Rainbow’s wings flared, but she quickly relaxed them with a roll of her shoulders. “You’re crying.”

“Wha?” Scootaloo wiped her eyes. “Uh… yeah… I just… landed hard and it hurt a little bit,” she said. “Here, take your bits back. I’m sorry for running into you.”

Rainbow held the bag open below Scootaloo’s hoof and she emptied the bits into the bag, dirt and all. Once Rainbow zipped up the bag, she sat down on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. “Don’t lie to me, Scootaloo. I’ve had a whole week of that.” Rainbow paused upon hearing the coldness in her tone and she quickly ameliorated it with a softer tone. “What’s wrong, Scoots?”

Scootaloo bit her lip and looked back towards her scooter. She stepped towards it, but stopped upon hearing Rainbow spread her wings.

“I’ll just chase you if you decide to run,” Rainbow said with a sigh as she stood up. Her words were so dismissive that she wondered if she would even follow up on them, but the thought was pushed into the back of her mind.

Scootaloo looked away and curled up into a ball. She whimpered and shook her head. “It’s… nothing, Rainbow Dash. I don’t want you to get involved.”

“Who says I’m going to get involved?” Rainbow replied, masking her hurt feelings inside of a slightly more annoyed persona. “I just want to know what’s wrong.”

After a minute with no reply, Rainbow’s ears flattening against her head as she threw her bit bag onto her back. She called back over her shoulder, tone disinterested and distant as she sighed. “Fine, I understand. I would’ve thought that after I trusted you with what happened with my dad, you would be able to trust me. But I guess not.”

Scootaloo bit her lip and jumped to her hooves, turning back to face Dash. “Okay, fine! I’ll tell you!”

She walked over to her scooter and pulled it alongside her since she couldn’t exactly ride on the steps. “But I want to talk to you alone. I don’t want anyone else hearing in on what’s… wrong,” she added as she buckled her helmet into place.

Dash nodded and smiled as she sank to her haunches and turned her head to glance at Scootaloo. “Hop on.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened as Rainbow spread her wings. “R-really?”

Rainbow nodded again. “Yeah! Let’s go to my house! I’ll deposit my money later when my favorite little filly isn’t having a crisis.”

Scootaloo smiled as she hopped on Rainbow’s back and wrapped her forelegs around her neck, hind legs digging into Rainbow’s side for grip. Rainbow winced, but ignored the slight sting of pain as she grabbed Scootaloo’s scooter with her hind legs. Despite the extra weight and Scootaloo holding Rainbow’s bag of bits, Rainbow had no problem ascending. Her wings beat lazily through the air, taking her time while Rainbow grabbed Scootaloo’s hind legs to make sure that she didn’t fall off. Rainbow’s position was awkward, but she didn’t mind.

Scootaloo paused as she tried to gather the right words. Even though minutes began to pass, Rainbow said nothing as Scootaloo sniffed, her legs trembling around Rainbow’s waist from her myriad of repressed emotions.

“Rainbow… I don’t even know where to start.”

Rainbow stopped and smiled as she patted Scootaloo’s hind legs.

“Don’t then,” Rainbow mumbled as her pats turned into soft rubs. “Don’t even think about what happened. Just close your eyes and relax. We’ll talk when we get home.”

Scootaloo sighed in relief as she leaned her head against Rainbow. As if on cue, her legs stopped trembling and her heart slowed to a dull thump as she closed her eyes. Rainbow’s stomach relaxed, no longer threatening to turn her breakfast into a missile. The throbbing in the back of Rainbow’s mind slowly oozed away under the cooling afternoon breeze as Scootaloo fell asleep on her shoulder.

~~~

Rainbow smiled as she rubbed a hoof onto Scootaloo’s forehead, lightly waking her up. Scootaloo’s eyes opened and she quickly surveyed her environment, but upon feeling the comfort of Rainbow’s recliner underneath her hooves, she relaxed once more and laid back against it.

“You fell asleep.” Rainbow sat down on the table behind her and stared into Scootaloo’s eyes with a soft expression. “Are you hungry? Do you want anything to drink?”

Scootaloo shook her head and broke her gaze with Rainbow. “No thanks, Rainbow Dash,” she mumbled.

Rainbow nodded and she widened her smile as she leaned back on her forehooves. “Just let me know when you want to talk, Scoots. If you want to just relax here, I’m fine with that.”

Scootaloo smiled. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Remember, Scoots, just call me Rainbow,” Dash replied as she straightened her back and met Scootaloo’s gaze.

Scootaloo nodded and sighed as she ran a hoof behind her head, searching for the right words. “Do you remember when I told you about my parents?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, the parents who wanted you to get your cutie mark really quickly, instead of waiting for it like a normal pony?”

“Yeah. I… they… Rainbow… can I ask you something?”

Scootaloo looked away again, but Rainbow nodded. “Yeah.”

“You promise you won’t be angry?” Scootaloo asked, voice quivering.

“Yeah, I promise. Now out with it Scoots.”

“Have you ever liked a mare before?”

Rainbow paused and raised an eyebrow. Right as she was about to reply, Scootaloo’s eyes widened upon seeing her expression and she shot her hooves up defensively. “Nevermind! Forget I asked! I don’t want to upset you!”

“I’m not upset,” Rainbow replied with a flat tone as she smiled again. “Just surprised at your question. Why do you ask, Scoots?”

“Answer my question first,” Scootaloo defiantly replied.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but chuckled and smiled. “Yeah, I’ve liked a mare. And yeah, as more than a friend, to save you another question.”

“How did you feel when you first found out that you liked them?”

Rainbow paused and broke her gaze as she crossed one hind leg over the other. “I… hmm… it’s kind of hard to explain.”

“You didn’t feel it around anypony from the Wonderbolt Academy?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, the ponies there aren’t really my type.” She placed a hoof underneath her chin and began to ponder. “Hmm… I guess… it… feels like a sense to me. Like… whenever you’re around them, you can feel that everything is going to be alright. Even if the world was going to explode or Ponyville was attacked, they would give you the strength to mare up and take on whatever’s in the way.” Rainbow straightened her posture again and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry if I can’t explain it any better.”

“It’s fine,” Scootaloo leaned forward. “So, you think it’s okay for a mare to like a mare, more than a friend?”

“Sure, why not?” Rainbow asked. She paused and then her eyes widened. “Oh… you’re kidding me. You like somepony?”

Once again, Scootaloo was on the defense. She shook her head, face reddening. “N-no! I was just asking because I was curious!” Scootaloo laughed nervously and looked to the kitchen. “Can I get a glass of water? It’s… hot in here… all of a sudden.”

Rainbow smirked and stood up. She walked to kitchen, keeping her eyes on Scootaloo as she filled a glass. Once she came back, she set the glass on the table in front of Scootaloo and sat back down in her spot. “Come on, who is it?” she asked again, getting back on topic.

“Who?”

Rainbow smacked her hoof to her head and laughed. “You’re terrible at playing dumb. Just tell me who it is.”

Scootaloo sighed and pulled her hind legs into her chest. She looked up at Rainbow, but couldn’t keep her gaze as she stared at the floor, mumbling words that Rainbow couldn’t hear.

“Huh?”

Scootaloo mumbled them a little louder, but Rainbow still couldn’t hear. She pressed a hoof behind her ear and leaned in. “Speak up, Scoots!” Rainbow yelled, a little impatience melding into her tone.

“Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo yelled as she leaned forward, almost falling off of the recliner due to her sudden outburst.

Rainbow blinked as she watched Scootaloo pick up the glass, hiding her maroon face as she drained the water in one gulp.

“Huh,” Rainbow muttered. “Well, this is news to me. Are you sure that you… like like her?”

Scootaloo nodded her head with a big enough ferocity to turn her mane into a small mess on her head. “Yeah! Sweetie Belle got a new coltfriend, and she’s been hanging out with him more than us lately. She brings him into the clubhouse sometimes, but from what she tells me, they like to be alone. So, ‘Bloom and I have been spending a lot of alone time together.”

Scootaloo’s face was completely red now as she continued. “One thing lead to another, and I confessed to her one day. We’ve been talking about how we are going to get our cutie marks, or what we should do as a career when we go to college. Every time I talk to her, I feel the exact way that you said. I don’t even care about the bullies at my school or what my parents think. All I care about is Apple Bloom.”

Rainbow paused and defensively raised a hoof. “But… you’re only a filly. Are you sure that it isn’t just… filly love?”

Scootaloo’s demeanor seemed to shatter right there. Her hind legs slid back under her rump and she leaned back against the recliner, expression contorting and twisting into something that resembled a frown, but seemed to be hiding so much more.

“That’s what my parents said,” Scootaloo mumbled. “I mean, maybe it is if everypony thinks that.”

“No!”

Rainbow blinked and looked down. She was up on her hooves, mouth slightly open from her yell. She raised a hoof to point at Scootaloo, but she ended up biting her lip instead, unable to come up with anything to add.

Scootaloo buried her back against the recliner, alert with bulging eyes at Rainbow’s sudden outburst. She whimpered and glanced towards the door.

“I can leave, Rainbow, if that’s what you want,” Scootaloo said as she turned her back to Rainbow. She buried her face into the recliner as her voice began to crack. “I don’t want to be in this house either if I’m just making you uncomfortable.”

Rainbow’s hooves pressed against the floor as she stared at Scootaloo’s back, her small wings beating like a fly to help her off of the recliner. Rainbow instead jumped over the table and stood between Scootaloo and the door.

“What do you mean, ‘either’?” Rainbow asked.

Scootaloo stepped back and looked up into Rainbow’s eyes. A small ray of sunlight glistened off of the bright fluids in Scootaloo’s hues, threatening to stain her cheeks and mix in with the dirt from her previous fall.

“I… ran away from home,” Scootaloo mumbled as she turned to stare at the wall.

Rainbow sighed and nodded her head. Her gaze turned to the empty glass on the table as she ran a hoof through her mane.

“I had a feeling that was it,” Rainbow replied as she picked up the glass and walked back to the kitchen. She filled up the glass from the sink while keeping an eye on Scootaloo, who sat back in the recliner in the fetile position. Rainbow walked back to the living room and sat back on the table. She gave the glass to Scootaloo, a warm smile on her face as she stared back into her eyes. “Go ahead and tell me everything, Scoots. That is, if you want to.”

Scootaloo’s gaze broke almost instantly as she looked down at her lap. “I… we were having lunch, my parents and I. My dad asked me about what I did yesterday, and… I couldn’t tell him.”

Rainbow propped her forehooves on the edge of the table and crossed her hind legs, nodding. Her smile turned into a small smirk. “Did you do something with Apple Bloom?”

Scootaloo’s face brightened once more and she nodded without a word. Rainbow whistled a suggestive tune.

“It was just a kiss,” Scootaloo replied as she took a sip of the water. “It didn’t even last a second.”

“Oh.” Rainbow’s suggestive tone left her voice and she shrugged. “Still farther than when I was your age.”

“I guess.”

“Keep goin’, Scoots.”

Scootaloo nodded and took another sip. She gulped, but Rainbow had a feeling that it wasn’t because of the water as she continued. “I... lied to my dad and said that I went to your house. They didn’t believe me, but I made up another lie and said that you wanted to help teach me how to fly, since I was having so much trouble.”

Rainbow frowned and crossed her forelegs. “You brought me into your lie? Why would you do that after I told you everything that I was dealing with? The last thing that I need is your parents coming to my door if they don’t like me.”

“But they do like you! I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, I couldn’t think of anything else!” Scootaloo yelled. She raised the glass to her mouth once more and managed to wipe an eye with the side of her hoof while she brought the glass back down. Rainbow however, wasn’t fooled. She sighed and uncrossed her legs.

“I guess if they like me, then it’s no harm. Go ahead and cry if you need to, Scoots,” Rainbow muttered. “I don’t want you to feel like you need to hide things from me.”

Scootaloo sniffed and wiped her other eye, smiling as she held out the empty glass. “Thanks.” She paused so that she could gather her composure again. After a sniff, Scootaloo continued. “Anyway, we kept eating and everything was fine, until my mother asked me how I was able to get up to your house if I couldn’t fly.”

“How do they remember my house?” Rainbow asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Seems like an odd thing to remember.”

Scootaloo shrugged and sighed. “I remember Dad reading something about your house in the paper when you got accepted to the Wonderbolt Academy,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t think of another lie and they caught me. They yelled at me and told me that I was grounded for lying.”

Rainbow winced and seethed in understanding for Scootaloo. “Ugh, I remember the first time my dad grounded me,” she muttered as she placed a hoof over her heart, pressing into her chest harder than she needed to.

Scootaloo nodded. “They asked me if I was lying about anything else, and I couldn’t keep it from them any longer. I told them what I told you, that I like Apple Bloom. But when I tried to explain why, they told me that I couldn’t see her again.”

“What!? Why!?”

Rainbow stood up in shock and glared at Scootaloo, but upon seeing her retreat back against the chair, Rainbow sat back down and tried to relax. “Sorry. Why?”

“They gave me a bunch of reasons. They said that I was just a filly and I didn’t know what love is. They said that their daughter is not going to be hanging around a bunch of stupid hicks. That I shouldn’t waste my time trying to fall in love when I should be getting my cutie mark and focusing on school. I mean… I haven’t been doing that well… but it’s not because of Apple Bloom. It’s not her fault.”

Rainbow’s wings flared briefly, but she relaxed them against her back and instead converted her anger to disappointment. She sighed.

“And since they’re your parents, they think that they’re right and it probably won’t be easy to change their minds.”

Scootaloo looked away. “They said that I was a useless daughter, that I’ve done nothing for the family and have just been selfish by not caring enough about my cutie mark.” Her eyes began to water. “It hurts… I’ve been trying to get my cutie mark for the past two years. I try so hard. I’m doing nearly everything that I can think of to try and find it, because my parents told me to. But it doesn’t matter what I do, my cutie mark never shows up. They don’t accept how hard I’m trying, and now they won’t accept how I feel for Apple Bloom. It’s not filly love!”

Scootaloo’s body shivered in anger as she covered her eyes and began to sob. “Why don’t they trust me? Is it just because I’m a filly? Or is it because I’m not who they want me to be? Can’t I just be their daughter? Why do I have to be everything that they want?”

Rainbow stood up and bridged the gap between herself and the recliner. She sat on it and pulled Scootaloo onto her lap, spreading her wings to wrap around the filly as she felt the warm tears moisten her fur. Scootaloo’s composure finally broke into a crying fit. She gripped Rainbow’s chest while Rainbow slid a hoof slid up Scootaloo’s back, rubbing in gentle circles while the filly continued to cry. Rainbow sighed again.

“I… understand what you are going through, Scootaloo.” Rainbow winced slightly at her use of cliched words as she raised a wing under Scootaloo’s chin and tilted her head up. As their eyes met, she smiled. “Hey, look at me. I understand.”

Scootaloo looked away, but Rainbow pressed a hoof to her chin and realigned their gaze. “Hey, Scoots. I trust you, I really do, but I really think that you need to go back to your parents and apologize.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “What!?” She wriggled herself out of Rainbow’s grasp and jumped onto the floor. “What do you mean I have to?! They yelled at me, grounded me, made fun of Apple Bloom behind her back, and you want me to apologize?!”

Rainbow sighed and nodded her head. “Can you please hear what I have to say?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and turned her back to Rainbow, stepping towards the door. “Fine.”

“They’re your family, Scoots. You’re going to be living with them for at least another five years, maybe less if you get your cutie mark. I understand, your parents aren’t exactly being nice, and I frankly don’t like how they are treating you either. But, they’re your parents. I’m sure that underneath all of their stupid reasons, they love you and they mean well.”

Scootaloo turned to Rainbow, who stepped off of the recliner and onto the floor.

“Why can’t I just be like you? I can find an easy job and work! I’ll buy my own house or live with Apple Bloom! I don’t have to live with my parents if I know what I’m doing!”

Rainbow shook her head. “No offense, Scootaloo, but that’s not going to work. You probably won’t be able to make enough money to support yourself. Just please, trust me. I know I said that your family might not have your best interests in mind, but ponies can change. They can change if you talk to them enough, or if you can find a way to change how they think. Just keep in mind that some ponies would do anything to speak to the family that they no longer have or can’t talk to. The last thing that you want to do is give up on family.”

Rainbow stepped over the table and walked over to the bag of bits that she previously left in her saddlebag. She picked up her bag and tossed Scootaloo’s helmet at her. “Now come on, let’s take you back home and you can apologize. Maybe if you do, they won’t ground you for as long.”

Scootaloo held her helmet close to her chest, eyes searching around the room as if there was a third alternative hiding amongst her. “But… but…”

“No buts. Come on, Scoots.” Rainbow fastened her saddlebag against her back. “Just trust me. We’ll go out and get some ice cream or something, and then I’ll take you home. You like ice cream, right?”

Scootaloo sighed, but walked over to her scooter and picked it up. “Fine.”

~~~

“Oh, I was so worried!”

Scootaloo froze up as a pair of forehooves wrapped around her neck, pulling her close and forcing her to hold her ice cream away from the embrace to avoid dripping it onto the floor.

“Hey, Mom,” Scootaloo mumbled flatly as the hug was broken. She licked her ice cream and wrapped her other forehoof around her scooter, mumbling angrily to herself as she tried to balance both the scooter and her ice cream while still trying to walk inside. Rainbow chuckled and grabbed onto the scooter, freeing up a hoof. Scootaloo turned back to exchange glances with Rainbow, who nodded her head and motioned for Scootaloo to go inside.

“Nice to see that you got her back safe and sound.”

Scootaloo’s pupils contracted to pin pricks as she turned to face the open door and the tan stallion who stood in the living room. He was smiling, an expression of warmth conveyed across his face as he sank to his haunches and held out his forehooves. Both the mom’s and stallion’s brown irises focused on Scootaloo, staring intently as he spoke.

“Come here and give your dad a hug.”

“You’re not my dad.”

A chill flowed through the room as Scootaloo paused and remained frozen on the threshold. Her grip on her ice cream tightened while her wings pressed against her back, as if reminding her that she needed to respond. She took a step inside the house and bit her lip before she bridged the gap between herself and the husband.

Their hug conveyed enough for Rainbow. Scootaloo’s one forehoof that wrapped around the stallion while the other held her ice cream behind her back. The stallion’s shaking hind hooves that was a temporary distraction for his anger, or a side effect of the stallion’s lack of lower leg strength. His head was pointed down and as such, his mane blocked his expression, angry or otherwise. Rainbow could have sworn that she heard mumbling before the mother’s words grabbed her attention.

“Thank you for bringing Scootaloo home! We were worried sick!”

Rainbow blinked and shifted her gaze to the mother. She smiled and waved away the mother’s appreciation.

“Anytime! I found her on her scooter around the Ponyville Marketplace! There wasn’t a single friend around her so I took her out for ice cream to cheer her up,” Rainbow replied as she shrugged her shoulders and reached behind her to unclip her saddlebag.

The husband let go of Scootaloo and rose back to his fours. Scootaloo made a move towards the hallway, but he cleared his throat and pointed towards the opposite hallway from Scootaloo’s attempted escape route. Her ears flattened against her head as she turned around and walked into the other hallway, out of sight.

“Well at least she had enough respect to listen to us, if she wasn’t filly-fooling around for the few hours that she was gone.”

The mother smiled sheepishly and turned her back to Rainbow to give the husband an unknown look, which spurred him into action. He walked back into the kitchen behind him while the mother wrapped her wing around Rainbow’s back.

“We’re sorry if Scootaloo was a burden to you at all. You know, she’s reaching that age. Teenagers. We’ve all been through it before,” the mother said with a small chuckle.

Rainbow choked. The diverse scent of perfumes and lotions that assaulted her nose made her reach down for her saddlebag out of necessity, even if she didn’t need anything from it.

“It’s no problem,” Rainbow managed to say, using the rest of her air to sound as normal as possible.

The mother smiled and let go of Rainbow and walked back to the threshold. After a quick glance to the kitchen (where the husband was slicing vegetables), she turned back to Rainbow and pointed behind her.

“Would you like to come inside for lunch? I mean, I know that it’s a little late, and I’m sure that a famous Wonderbolt such as yourself is probably busy, but I’d love if you came inside and talked to our daughter. I’m sure that she just needs a little Wonderbolt inspiration to get her on the right track.”

”So, they don’t completely know me.”

Rainbow glanced over the mother’s shoulder at the living room table, where a plethora of magazines were stacked upon it, organized by date. Her gaze turned back to the mother and she smiled and nodded her head. “Sure, I’ll stick around for a little bit.”

Rainbow picked up her saddlebag and tossed it near the coat rack as she stepped past the mother and walked inside. The mother closed the door behind her and gestured towards the living room, her smile widening to the point where Rainbow wanted to grimace in disgust.

“Her daughter was just brought home, and she barely even spoke to her. Not to mention that smile… I’ve seen better smiles in the clouds.”

“Go ahead and make yourself at home. We just have to heat up lunch again and we can eat. Bathroom is the hallway that Scootaloo went to if you want to wash up.”

Rainbow nodded as she walked to one of the couches and sat down. “Thank you very much. I’ll wash when Scootaloo is done,” Rainbow said as she stared down at the pile of magazines.

“Alrighty then! Lunch is coming up!”

The mother walked into the kitchen to check up on the progress while Rainbow surveyed the living room, eyes scanning up and down as she realized an interesting detail: there weren’t any. The walls were stripped bare of any decoration. Not a single picture adorned the walls or the few end tables against the walls. As Rainbow turned around to stare at the dining room table (which was mere yards away from the kitchen counter), she noticed that the wooden edges of the table were chipped. The chairs looked to be a few uses away from collapsing, except for the one unused chair in the corner of the dining room.

Matter of fact, now that Rainbow thought about it, her back felt itchy from the upholstery of the couch. Rainbow sighed as she stood up and walked into the hallway, flashing a fake smile to the parent(s) before she made it to the bathroom. The door was locked and the light was still on, which prompted Rainbow to knock.

“W-who is it?” the hesitant voice asked.

“It’s Rainbow,” Rainbow replied as she pressed an ear to the door. “Are you doing okay in there, Scoots? You’ve been in there for a while.”

“I-I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, heh.”

The lock clicked before Scootaloo opened the door. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she stared down at Scootaloo, her question answered. Her mane and tail had been brushed and combed down while her frame was covered with a frilly, purple dress. Her gaze remained on the floor as she tried to sidestep past Rainbow, but she held out a hoof, blocking Scootaloo from slipping out of the room.

Rainbow lowered herself to one knee as she kept her hoof against the doorframe. She leaned her head onto Scootaloo’s shoulder and lowered her voice as much as she could while she remained alert for any incoming hoofsteps.

“Why are you dressing yourself up?”

“I have to, if I want them to back off,” Scootaloo whispered back, her eyes still on the floor. “I have to be respectful to guests and dress like a filly would.”

Rainbow grimaced and raised her head to look down the hallway. Deep in the kitchen, she could hear the rambling and mumbling of a wife on a tangent while a stepfather listened, on autopilot most likely. She growled and turned back to Scootaloo.

“Take that stuff off,” Rainbow replied as she motioned towards the shirt. “I’ll wash up when you’re done and we will go out to the table together.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she shook her head in a manner that rivaled Pinkie’s energy.

“Rainbow, I can’t! I’m already in trouble with them! I’m not going to anger them any more!” She hissed.

Rainbow sighed. “Come on, Scootaloo. Don’t you want to talk to them about this? Don’t you want to prove them wrong? I got your back, you just have to take that stuff off.”

Scootaloo growled. “And what happens after we blow up on my parents? You leave and go home while I have to sleep on the couch with all my toys taken away?! Just so that you can take the anger you have at your family out on mine?”

Rainbow gasped and bit her lip as she stood back on her fours. Her hoof dug into the door frame of the bathroom before she walked past Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned around to give Rainbow a guilty stare, before she broke her gaze and walked down the hallway and out of sight. Rainbow closed the door and covered her eyes as she fell to her haunches without a word.

~~~

“So, Rainbow, tell us how you found Scootaloo again?”

Rainbow’s stare on the blank wall broke as she shifted her focus to the mother in front of her, with her perfect posture and a probably fake smile adorning her features while she held a spoonful of soup with a hoof. Rainbow passed one quick glance to Scootaloo, who stared down at her soup without a word, the steam collecting on her forehead since her mane no longer covered it. Rainbow smiled lightly and turned back to the mother.

“Well… I was at the bank when I ran into her. She told me that she ran away from home.”

The father scoffed from across the dinner table while Scootaloo picked up her spoon and began to pick at the soup, drawing up broth with a small scoop before letting it cascade back into the bowl.

“Well… yes… but it wasn’t her fault that she ran away. We just had a little disagreement, but we can talk about it later when we aren’t eating. Rainbow, do you mind telling Scootaloo about how you got your cutie mark?” the mother asked.

“I told her that story before,” Rainbow said as she swallowed a spoonful of soup.

The mother blinked. “Oh.”

A few minutes passed by with only the clinking of silverware into bowls. Rainbow smiled as she turned to Scootaloo.

“Hey, Scootaloo, why are you wearing a dress?” she asked. “I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she stared into Rainbow’s eyes, expression aghast before she heard her mother cry out. She turned to stare into a glare.

“Scootaloo! Is this true?” the mother asked in exasperation as she frowned. “I spend a lot of bits in order to buy you pretty dresses, and you don’t even wear them outside of this house?”

“I don’t want to wear these dresses, Mom,” Scootaloo replied as she stared down at her lunch and if she kept this up, her dinner.

“And why not? Do you just hate anything that I buy you? Do you like wasting my money?”

Scootaloo bit her lip and gripped her spoon. She lifted it out of her bowl, only to stare at it, hoof shaking as she responded.

“I just… don’t want to tear them while I’m outside playing," she lied as she looked away.

“Oh. Well… I’d still appreciate if you said something. I just wasted thirty bits because of you.”

The room grew silent once more. Rainbow gulped down her irritation and focused back on her food. Her neck tensed as the bitter soup drained down her throat, but her name caught her attention. “Hmm?” Rainbow looked up to meet the mother’s gaze.

“Have you told Scootaloo the story about how you became a Wonderbolt?” she asked.

“I’m not a Wonderbolt yet,” Rainbow replied as she took another spoonful of soup. After another moment of silence, the mother blinked.

“Well… you’re on the road to become one, right? I read in the paper that you are in the Wonderbolt Academy.”

“Yeah, that means that I’m not a Wonderbolt yet.”

“I… see.” The mother exchanged glances with the husband before she smiled once again. “Well, can you tell her the story of how you got into the academy?”

Rainbow shrugged. “It’s not that interesting, but I guess.”

The mother leaned back against her chair, smile still on her face while Scootaloo stared at Rainbow, eyes pleading to be gentle.

Rainbow leaned back against her chair and looked to Scootaloo with a smile. “Well, I always wanted to be a Wonderbolt. You know that, Scoots.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah! I’ve seen you do tricks in the air all the time!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been practicing my stuff for a while now. I sent them a letter every year, and they said that I couldn’t join until I was at least 19, because of liability issues. Even though they’ve seen me do a Sonic Rainboom twice now, they told me themselves that they couldn’t let me in because of my age. But when my 19th birthday came around, there was that letter in my mailbox. The first few days of the Academy were tough, but soon enough, I became the lead pony. I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt anytime now. I can taste it.”

“So… would you say that once you got your cutie mark, you knew what you were going to do?” the mother asked.

Rainbow shrugged again. “I guess, if you want to phrase it that way.”

“I do,” the mother looked to Scootaloo, who avoided her gaze. “See, Scootaloo? I told you. Once you get your cutie mark, you’ll be all set.”

“I’ve been trying, Mom. We already talked about this,” Scootaloo mumbled as she wiped her muzzle with her napkin. “I don’t have my cutie mark yet, and I’m probably not going to get it for a while.”

“Well, you’re obviously not trying hard enough,” the mother replied in a flat tone. “If you really wanted it, you’d have it already.”

“I… didn’t really get my cutie mark because I wanted it,” Rainbow replied as she raised a hoof and turned to stare at the mother. “It just kind of… happened at the right time.”

“But you wanted it, didn’t you?” the mother asked.

Rainbow’s wings flared against her chair, but she ignored it as she nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Every filly wants their cutie mark.”

“Then I rest my case,” the mother replied with a smile. “It’s good for a filly when she gets her cutie mark.”

“But it’s not needed.” Rainbow frowned, but buried her expression within her eating once more. After a bite, she added. “Plus, her friends are helping her find her cutie mark, so I’m sure she’ll find it in no time.”

The mother laughed nervously.

“Well… I’m sure that Scootaloo will find her cutie mark soon. Her future depends on it.”

“Maybe your future.”

“What was that, Scootaloo?”

“Oh… uh… nothing, Mom!”

The husband looked up from his soup and stared at Scootaloo before he spoke up, his voice resembling the loud bark of a Diamond Dog.

“Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo instantly sat up in her chair and picked up her fork. “I… uh… yes… Fix?”

The stallion narrowed his eyes, but continued. “Did you talk to Apple Bloom at all while you ran away?”

Scootaloo passed a glance to Rainbow, who looked down at her soup once their eyes met. Scootaloo looked back down at her soup, not responding while Fix’s lack of patience began to show.

“I expect an answer, Scootaloo,” the stallion barked.

Scootaloo turned back to Fix and growled. “What does it matter to you?”

The mother laughed nervously and turned to Rainbow, whose attention was fully on the stallion.

“It completely matters to me! We grounded you from talking to that filly!” Fix replied as he pointed his spoon at Scootaloo and looked at Rainbow. “This is why she ran away the first time. She got all bent out of shape because we didn’t want her wasting time on her little filly friend.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she looked between Scootaloo and Fix. Scootaloo’s hoof barely managed to keep a tight grip on her spoon while her other forehoof threatened to turn over the bowl if she wasn’t careful. The stallion on the other hand lowered his spoon back to his bowl and leaned back in his chair, smirking as if he had won.

“Is this really the time to bring this up?” Rainbow turned to the mother, who frowned. “Are you just going to let them—”

“They need to get out their feelings,” the mother said with a simple smile as he looked down at her soup.

Rainbow’s expression contorted into one of disbelief as Scootaloo and Fix continued their verbal bashing.

“Why do you even care about what I do in my spare time! What if I’m trying to get my cutie mark, like you told me to?!”

“You’re not going to get your cutie mark by putting a filly’s flank in your face,” Fix replied coldly as he stared into Scootaloo’s purple hues, anger flashing within his own eyes.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. She looked to the mother, who acted as if she didn’t hear Fix, remaining impassive as she ate. Scootaloo looked at Rainbow, expression begging for some intervention before Fix decided to continue.

“Oh don’t think that the dyke is going to save you just because she brought you home. She’s just here for dinner and nothing else.”

Rainbow blinked. “Excuse me?”

Fix turned to Rainbow and glared. “Stay out of it. I’m reprimanding my daughter.”

“I’M NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!” Scootaloo screamed as she slammed her forehooves on the table. As if on a chaotic cue, the table creaked before the two legs near Scootaloo bent backwards. Every bowl on the table slid in her direction before they fell off and shattered onto the floor.

Perhaps it was a reflex. Scootaloo screamed in fear as Rainbow stood between Fix and Scootaloo, her chair thrown back from her sudden dash as she glared at Fix.

“Do anything, I dare you,” Rainbow growled as she flared her wings out.

Fix raised a forehoof, his right eye twitching as he pointed at Scootaloo, who was now in the corner of the dining room, shielding herself with her forehooves while the mother had stepped back from the table and planted her back against the wall.

“That little nuisance just broke a 50 bit table because she couldn’t control her temper.”

“You’re the one who can’t control your temper!? I didn’t even do anything to you and you called me a dyke? What, do you think that makes you sound cooler when you talk down to everypony?!” Rainbow turned to Scootaloo. “Scoots, has he hit you?”

“I haven’t laid a hoof on her. The filly is smart, she knows that nothing is going to happen to her if she just listens to me. And by the way, I’ll say whatever the hell I want in my house.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow pointed at the mother, glaring as she yelled. “Is this what you want your house to be?! Do you want Scootaloo to be scared whenever she comes home just because you won’t stand up for her!? What’s going to happen the moment you leave the house and she’s alone with him? No wonder she left!” Rainbow pointed at Fix with her other hoof, keeping her eyes on the mother. “You’re bucking weak for letting a bully like this into your daughter’s life!”

“She has no opinion,” Fix replied as he pointed at his wife before pointing back at Scootaloo, “and neither does she. I’m the bit earner of this household. The two of them would be out on the streets if it wasn’t for me, and all I ask in return is for my step-daughter and wife to listen to me. The last thing I need is a dyke like you coming in here and pretending that you know what you’re talking about.”

Rainbow blinked. She almost couldn’t believe her ears. Almost. She merely chuckled.

“Really, dude? Is ‘dyke’ all you got? Do you just resort to name calling when you’ve got nothing else to say?” Rainbow turned back to the mother. “Take my advice. I’d rather be on the street than living with this joke. There’s nothing more pathetic than somepony who resorts to threatening when their mind can’t think of anything else to say.”

“You think that you can just come in here and tell me how to discipline her? Like you would know how.”

Rainbow glared into Fix’s eyes with the intensity of a Sonic Rainboom. She reached a hoof behind her and motioned for Scootaloo to hide behind her, which the filly was all too eager to oblige. “If you touch her, I’ll make sure that you’re in the Ponyville jail faster than you can say my name, buddy,” Rainbow mumbled as she turned to look at the mother, expecting some sort of response.

The mother bit her lip, but the moment she exchanged a glance with Fix, she growled and took a step towards Rainbow. “Who the hell do you think you are, telling us how to punish Scootaloo?!” she yelled. “I invited you to lunch because I thought that you would be able to explain to Scootaloo that she needs to listen to her parents!”

Rainbow scoffed. “I’m not going to be your monkey. I would tell her that, if her parents weren’t a hot-headed idiot and a spineless mother.”

Fix flexed his muscles and bridged the gap between himself and Rainbow, their eyes merely inches apart. Rainbow merely smirked and flared her wings again.

“You don’t have the guts.”

Fix growled and stepped back from Rainbow as he pointed to the door.

“Get out. Get the hell out of our house before we call the guards on you.”

Rainbow turned to Scootaloo and held one of her forehooves in her own. Her eyes bored into Scootaloo’s leaky hues, a smile on her face as she gripped the hoof. “Scoots, if you ever need anything, you know where I live. If this idiot ever puts his hooves on you, go to the closest guard and get him in jail.”

Scootaloo nodded and sobbed as Rainbow let go of her hoof and walked across the living room to the coat rack, where she picked up her saddlebag and clipped it on. Fix smirked as Rainbow opened the front door.

“If I find Scootaloo at your house, I’ll have you arrested for foalnapping,” he said.

Rainbow shrugged as she turned to meet Fix’s smirk with her own.

“I know a few lawyers, try me.”

The house remained silent as Rainbow slammed the door behind her.

~~~

Never had such a myriad of emotions taken shelter within Rainbow at the same time. She soared through the air, the golden waves of Celestia’s sunset unfortunately unable to stir her from her thoughts. Her chest throbbed with the pain of uncertainty, of the enigma that she left behind at the front door to Scootaloo’s house. Scootaloo was alone in that house with that abusive monster, but at least she wasn’t completely defenseless now.

A shudder ran through Rainbow’s spine as she stared ahead, waiting for her house’s image to appear over the horizon. A pain shot through her stomach and she stopped to grip it, closing her eyes with a grimace. She descended into the forest below her house and emptied her stomach nearby a tree. Her cheeks leaked tears as she wiped any leftover bile from her mouth before she rose on shaking hooves and sat against it.

What if she hadn’t gone inside for dinner? What if she didn’t intervene? What was going to happen now that she intervened? Would Ponyville’s jail acquire another inmate? Would it be her or him?

Rainbow gripped her head and sobbed as she pulled her hind legs up to her chest. She surveyed the forest in front of her as it opened up to a lush grassland with her mailbox sitting beneath the shadow of her house. She closed her eyes once more.

“What am I doing?”

Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane as she closed her mouth to hold back her gasps.

“I’ve never… snapped like that… in my life. Twice in two days. Celestia only knows what Scootaloo’s parents are doing to her. That’s all because of me, because I wanted to open my big fat mouth and act like the smart one. I just… can’t believe that mare! What kind of parent doesn’t stand up for her child! She just sat there and bullied Scootaloo along with her husband, and would have probably been worse to her if I wasn’t there! My mom would have given the both of them an earful if they dared to do that in front of her!”

Rainbow straightened her hind legs and let her hooves fall to the ground, hazy vision clearing away as she looked up to the sky.

“What am I doing, Mom? What am I doing with my life? I alienated and hurt the ponies that I love the most. When it comes to you, anything that may change you, I can’t think. I just get angry. I get angry and I stop thinking the way that I should. My dad… isn’t replacing you. I know that, but just the mere possibility of that happening has scared me. When the pony who I looked up to the most and loved with all of my heart feels like she is being replaced… I just don’t know what to do. I love you, Mom. I love you so much. But… my love for you is tearing me apart.

“I should have admitted this sooner, but my wings flaring from those mere words are enough to tell me that there is something within me… something that I need to get out. My heart aches just from admitting this. My mind tells me that I am being unloyal to you, that I’m ruining your memory, just because I want everything to stay the same. I want to go back to my house in the sky and go back to my life the way that it was before Twilight got into the picture, but I’m sure that’s the same thing that I told myself when you left. I wanted to go back to the life I had when you were a part of it, and the only way that I could do that is to keep you in my heart, with me at all times.

“I can’t do this anymore, Mom. I’m hurting Dad. I’m hurting my best friend and the filly that looks up to me because I can’t let you go. You were the perfect mom, you were my mom… but that’s just it. You were there, and now that you aren’t, all I see is what life could be if you were still here. As a filly, I pledged undying loyalty to you and your memory. I did what I knew you would want. I’m going to become a Wonderbolt. I’m one of the best fliers in all of Equestria. But eventually, everypony has to grow up. Despite the fear that has taken shelter in my heart, the fear that only time can heal, I need to move on.

“You would never want my father and I to hate each other because of you. You wouldn’t want us to use your name as a weapon to throw at each other until the other cannot talk back. You wouldn’t want me to use you as a contrast to everyone else, as the model of perfection, because despite my childhood beliefs, we both know that you aren’t perfect. You were perfect for me, and as a filly, that’s all that mattered. But there is a price for blind loyalty.”

Rainbow sniffed and wiped her muzzle as she rose back to her hooves. She looked up at the clouds underneath her house and lightly smiled, her hooves shaking.

“I love you, Mom, but I can’t act like this anymore. My mind needs to catch up with my body, and I need to grow up. I wish that I could have realized this sooner, since I know you are probably looking down on me from Heaven and shaking your head when you see me fight with Dad again and again. I’m sorry, and I blame no one but myself for the troubles that I put everypony through. I’m going to apologize to Dad, to Twilight, to Scootaloo, and fix what my ego has ruptured. I hope that they forgive me. If they do, in time, I can forgive myself.”

Rainbow’s wings beat, hovering her up into the air as she wiped the final tears from her eyes.

“I love you, Mom and I always will. That is why, I have to say good bye.”

~~~

A blue speck hid behind the rainbow waterfall as Rainbow landed upon her porch. She froze in place as Blue Streak stood up from the welcome mat below him and looked away, golden hues fighting back more than the desire to water due to the chilly evening breeze.

Rainbow pressed a forehoof to her chest, right where the wind was knocked out of her. Not due to her father, but fear. She took a step towards Blue and opened her mouth to speak, but Blue spoke first.

“You were right, Rainbow, about everything.”

The few feet between Rainbow and Blue felt like a canyon as Blue bridged it to embrace Rainbow in his shaking forehooves. Rainbow bit back her emotions and raised her head to stare up at the sky, the soft and fragile hues of her father unable to be met with a gaze. Blue pulled back from the hug and after seeing that she was looking away, he sighed.

“It’s fine, Rainbow. You don’t have to give me a response. Just promise that you’ll listen.”

Blue pressed a hoof underneath Rainbow’s chin and tilted her head down, meeting their eyes as he lightly smiled.

“Please look at me, Rainbow.”

Rainbow broke her gaze, but established it again as she nodded without a word. Blue sighed in relief as he removed his hoof from Rainbow’s chin and placed it back on the ground. A chilly breeze brushed past the two ponies and Blue shivered while Rainbow ignored it. However, she noticed his shiver and looked towards her door.

“Let’s talk inside,” Rainbow said as she walked past Blue and unlocked her door with the keys inside of her saddlebag. After tossing her saddlebag into a corner of her room and motioning for Blue to sit down on the couch, Rainbow sat down on the table in front of it and waited. Blue sat down as well, tucking his legs underneath him as Rainbow walked back to the front door to close it. Once the both of them were settled in, Blue spoke again.

“Rainbow, do you remember the first time that we sat at the dinner table without F… Mom?”

Rainbow looked down at the floor and nodded her head, the red bangs of her mane obscuring her expression from Blue.

“You mean the last time? Yeah. Spaghetti and hay balls,” Rainbow muttered, reciting the dinner as if it was the memorized answer to a test.

“Do you remember the first thing that you asked me?”

Rainbow refused to respond, her gaze finding the floor to be severely interesting at this point in time. Blue continued.

“You asked me whether or not Mom was going to stay with us.”

Blue sniffed and wiped his muzzle with a hoof as he looked down.

“I told you that she would. That Firefly was going to be with us no matter what happened. That’s why I never took away the silverware from the table, even though you and I both know that it wouldn’t be used again. It’s why I washed the bed sheets while you were at school, because I was used to it. Firefly would usually be at work at that time, and it was the only time when I could get housework done. But,” Blue wiped his eyes with another hoof and sniffed again, “I knew that her side of the bed would never be the same. You crawled into it many a night with me and we snuggled together while we remembered her.

“But that’s all that Firefly became. She became a memory.” Blue Streak felt something catch in his throat and he paused to catch his composure before he continued. “My bed sheets were no longer the things that I pulled over myself to help me sleep. They became the sheets with a memory. That whole room became a memory. I couldn’t stay in there without looking to the magazines featuring her inside of the bookshelf, or her treadmill that would slip me up whenever I tried to jog at her pace. Even as I laid back on my own pillow, Firefly’s pillow, the one right next to mine, was always out of place. She wasn’t laying on it.

Blue Streak covered his face with his hooves while Rainbow looked up, enamored by his words as he continued.

“I couldn’t cook unless she was there, sitting in the chair right next to you and across from me, so that we could both stare at each other and smile as we talked about our day. You would ask her about pro flying tips and she promised to show you right after dinner, since you had a few minutes to play before it was time to take a bath and get ready for bed.”

Rainbow smiled and chuckled, her vision beginning to fog up. “And she always had a tip or two for me, never an old one.”

“I had to keep up a good impression for you, Dashie. I knew that even after you were kicked out of Flight Camp, you were going to pursue your dreams. I saw the way you stared at every Wonderbolts poster that we passed whenever we were out.” Blue sadly chuckled and sighed. “You always wanted to stay outside just ten more minutes so that you could practice that trick that would get you in. And I always let you, because I knew, in my heart, that you were going to get in. And you did.

“You used your memories as a springboard to pursue your dreams, while I used them to wallow in the unobtainable. I would never get Firefly back, even though I went to bed wishing for it and sighed in disappointment when I woke up. I was selfish, because I forgot that the biggest reminder of her was staring at me in the face when she came out of her room to ask for breakfast. Firefly left me you, and I hurt you. You’re right, Mom probably is rolling over in her grave.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened and she shook her head and leaned forward, placing her hooves on top of his shoulders. “No… Dad… it’s okay. I understand. Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.”

Blue sighed again and shook his head. “No… no it’s not okay, Dashie! I hurt you, I betrayed you… all because I wanted to be happy.”

Rainbow felt a pang of guilt spread across her insides as she pulled Blue Streak’s head onto her shoulder. Blue moistened her fur with his tears as he continued.

“I knew it… I knew about everything. I’m a selfish jerk who tore apart my daughter and used her mother against her. I never should have dated Twilight. I should have told you. I just… no… it doesn’t matter. It’s over.”

Rainbow’s stomach lurched as the color left her face. “Wh… what’s over?” she asked hesitantly, fearing the answer as she let Blue go.

Blue wiped his muzzle and smiled softly as he straightened his back, staring into Rainbow’s eyes once more.

“It’s over, Rainbow. I broke up with Twilight today.”

Rainbow’s mouth moved, but she couldn’t form any words.

“We sat down and talked for hours… and we both agreed that it was for the best. We did nothing but hurt you with a relationship based on lies. We agreed that you were right, and our relationship was wrong.”

“No!”

Rainbow stood up from the table and kicked it away, seething with anger as her wings flared against her back. She shook her head and pointed a hoof right in Blue’s face.

“You… you… idiot! Why would you let Twilight go!?”

Blue’s expression contorted into a mixture of confusion and anger as he leaned back against the couch to avoid the interloping hoof in his face.

“What do you mean, why?! Wasn’t that the whole point of the fight last night?!” Blue ran a hoof over his face in irritation as he jumped off of the couch, landing on his hooves as he began to pace back and forth. “Our relationship was tearing you apart? It stepped on Firefly’s memories? Do you remember any of that?!”

“Of course I remember it! I was angry!” Rainbow groaned in frustration. “I was being a jerk! Why would you seriously take my word for it!”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you guilt-tripped me into thinking it?!”

“Am I not allowed to be wrong!?”

“Of course you’re allowed to be wrong. But you aren’t, Rainbow. What part of ‘I betrayed your trust and the trust of Twilight’ do you not understand!?”

“That has nothing to do with it! You were happy!”

“But you weren’t!”

“That’s because I was being a jerk! I hurt the both of you with our fighting!”

“The truth hurts, Rainbow!” Blue Streak sputtered as he bit back tears, but couldn’t avoid keeping the crying from his tone. “Your father is a failure and an idiot for dating his daughter’s best friend and thinking that he could keep it from her without consequences! I’m an emotionless, stupid, shell of a pony that can only be happy by manipulating my daughter until she’s an emotional wreck! That’s who your father is, Rainbow! You’d be better off if I died rather than Firefly, because at least she would never betray her daughter like I did!”

Rainbow paused as her whole body began to shake. Her emotions boiled over and she fell to her haunches, placing her hooves over her eyes as she began to cry. “J… just go back to Twilight! I don’t want to fight anymore! I don’t want us to hurt! I just want to go back to when I could see you smile… when I didn’t have to worry about you.”

Blue Streak’s eyes widened and he froze in place. He reached out a hoof towards the crying Rainbow, bridging the gap between himself and her. He cradled her head against his chest and rubbed her mane as she choked out more words.

“I don’t hate you… I was being stupid… and a jerk. I’m sorry,” Rainbow mumbled.

“Shh,” Blue Streak mumbled as he ran his hoof through her mane. “Rainbow, I love you, and I appreciate that you want me to be happy. But if my attempts to be happy only make you miserable, then I wish I was never happy to begin with.” He sighed and stopped rubbing her mane, reaching down to give her a light kiss on the top of her head. “I’m used to being sad. I’ve had seven years of it. What’s another seven? Or a decade… or two. I’ll just rent some extra books from the library and visit you a little more often. We’ll go back to the way things were.”

“I want to go back… to when you were happy.”

Blue Streak’s pathetic smile widened as he let Rainbow go. “We both know that’s not going to happen. Being sad is a part of me, Rainbow. Your mom died in front of me while I stood behind the hospital glass and watched. Nopony ever gets over that.”

Rainbow looked towards the front door and then stared back into Blue’s eyes. “Dad… please take Twilight back. I was wrong, I’m begging you.”

Blue Streak shook his head. “You’ve been through a lot this week, Dashie. You’re tired. Come on, let’s get you up to bed. Don’t you have work in the morning?”

Rainbow stepped back from Blue as he reached out a hoof to guide her. She bit her lip and flared her wings once more as she stared into that fake smile. It was the smile of a stallion with options, but no desire to search for them. It was a seven year smile, one that Rainbow had enough of.

“Dad… I’m sick of that smile.” Rainbow spread her wings and flapped them a few times, hovering in the air as she pressed her forehead to Blue’s. “I’m sick of you being the victim of everything that happens to you. I’m sick of you giving up whenever life throws a curveball at you. I’m sick of your lack of self esteem, and this isn’t even because of Mom. You were always this way. Mom told me that you were a doormat, that she had you wrapped around her hoof during your entire marriage. She never used it against you, but she knew that she could.”

Blue shrugged, the smile on his face unwavering as he ran a hoof underneath her chin. “We’re completely different ponies, Rainbow. Some ponies are born to be winners, while others are born to be losers. There’s no point in fighting it. You save yourself a lot of disappointment if you just accept it.”

Rainbow smacked away his hoof and jabbed his chest. “You may have given up on yourself, but I’m not going to. The one time that you were standing next to Twilight, that was the first time when I’ve ever seen you without that dead smile on your face. Mom would want you to move on. Mom would want you to date other ponies and get out of this little spiral that you call your life. Don’t just give up on this one chance because I decided to get up on my high horse about nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” Blue Streak muttered.

“Shut up!” Rainbow yelled as she pulled back from Blue. “Now, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to go to Twilight’s house and talk to her. Tomorrow, the both of you are going to go out on a date, paid for by me. You’re going to have fun, and you’re going to get back together with her. Consider it as an early birthday present, for me.”

Blue merely shook his head and lightly smiled. “Oh… speaking of which, I still need to get you a present. Eh… I guess I’ll just go tomorrow,” Blue muttered, shamefully changing the subject as he placed a hoof underneath his chin in thought.

Rainbow’s right eye twitched, but she sighed and walked over to the front door. She opened it and turned to give one last glance to Blue before she faced forward.

“I’m not giving up, Dad. Mom wouldn’t, and neither would I.”

~~~

“What do you mean you won’t take him back!?”

Twilight frowned as she levitated her candlestick onto the nearby table near her bookshelves. She sat down and sighed as she met Rainbow’s gaze with her downcast hues.

“I don’t have a reason to. Blue Streak lied to me throughout our whole relationship. He brought me into the bad blood that the both of you had for each other, and almost ruined my friendship with you because of his carelessness.”

“He isn’t careless!” Rainbow fired back. After realizing that she was raising her voice, she dialed it down, sighing to calm herself. “He’s just… clueless. You’re the second mare that he has ever dated. He’s not exactly smart in that department.”

“Well neither am I,” Twilight replied. “But even I know enough about relationships to guess that when a stallion isn’t being honest with you, then you shouldn’t date him.”

Rainbow gritted her teeth as her face contorted to try and think of a response. After a few moments of silence, she sighed and looked down. “He told you about Firefly, didn’t he?”

Twilight nodded and looked away as she raised a hoof to wipe her eyes.

“He trusted you with that."

Silence wafted through the room as Rainbow paused, fumbling for the right words to say. "Twilight, if there was any way that Blue could earn your trust back, would you date him again?”

Twilight sighed again and crossed her forehooves. She nodded without a word as she stared at the wall.

Rainbow smirked. “Good enough for me. I just have one favor to ask of you.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll be at my party on Saturday, right?”

Twilight smiled and turned to face Rainbow again. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Great.” Rainbow walked over to Twilight and gave her a small hug. She smiled as she pulled back and walked over to the door. “Oh… one more thing. Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry… for everything.”

Twilight’s smile softened. “I… forgive you, Rainbow. You’re one of my best friends, I could never stay mad at you.”

Rainbow nodded and gulped. “That… means a lot to me, Twilight. Have a good night, and I’ll see you at the party.”

“I can’t wait to be there.”

Rainbow stepped out of Twilight’s house, closing the door behind her. As she looked up at Luna’s midnight sky, she sighed and began to trot onto the dirt road, eyes scanning the buildings for Sugarcube Corner.

“Pinkie… I hope you can work your magic. Dad gets one chance, and I could sure use one of your miracles right now…”

Reconciliation

View Online

The “closed” sign on the Sugarcube Corner door was not going to stop Rainbow from achieving her goal. Rainbow scanned the left and right sides of the building, taking in the lack of light and sound in the house. Everypony was probably sleeping. She rose into the air and flew around the house, stopping once she reached a window that was blocked by pink curtains with balloons emblazoned on the fabric. She pressed her head against the glass and tapped on it a few times with a hoof. Within the darkness, there was no response. The abrupt flare of a light onto Rainbow’s pupils caused her to seethe and shut her eyes as the window in front of her opened up. She became merely a multi-colored blur as she was pulled inside.

“Dashie! I missed you!” Pinkie cried out as she pulled Rainbow into a spine-adjusting hug.

Rainbow wheezed, eyes bulging out as she flapped her wings to try and loosen the pressure on Pinkie’s trademarked death hug.

“Can’t… breathe!” Rainbow choked out as she flailed around in Pinkie’s grasp.

Pinkie let go of Rainbow, smiling as she slid her forehooves higher until they were resting on Rainbow’s shoulders.

“Sorry, Dashie. I just missed you so much! I couldn’t help but hug you!” Pinkie exclaimed, either unaware or not caring of the fact that she wasn’t using her inside voice.

“Shh!”

Rainbow looked into Pinkie’s cerulean eyes, finding it harder to stare into them for long. She smiled and sighed in relief as she rolled onto her back, pulling Pinkie until she was sitting on her abdomen. “Pinkie, I need a favor from you,” Rainbow whispered as her wings collapsed against her back.

Pinkie frowned. “Aww… you didn’t just come to say hi, Dashie?” she asked. “I liked the little talk that we had.”

A small pang of guilt assaulted Rainbow’s chest, but she hid it behind a smile.

“No, Pinkie, I’m sorry. I’m just... kinda in a rush. I messed up, harder than I ever have in my life, and I need to make it right.”

Pinkie blinked before she stood up and walked over to her bed. She sat down on it while Rainbow sat up and looked away, expecting a question that she didn’t want to answer.

“Is it with your dad, Dashie?” Pinkie asked, frowning slightly as she stared imploringly down at Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded and ran a hoof through her mane. “Not just my Dad, Twilight too. I hurt them both, and I need to make it up to them. I want to use my birthday party to apologize, and I was wondering if you could help me with it.”

Pinkie’s frown immediately melted into a smile as she jumped up in the air and landed at her bedroom door in a puff of pink smoke.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie opened her door and jerked her head in the direction of the staircase. Interestingly enough, once the door was open, Pinkie lowered her voice. “Come on, everypony else is sleeping so we have to be quiet. But we can talk in the kitchen and you can help me with the cakes.”

Rainbow nodded as she rose to her hooves and followed Pinkie down the staircase and into the spotless kitchen. Pinkie began throwing utensils and ingredients onto the large kitchen table, each item landing perfectly on its bottom or side. Not a single thing landed out of place.

“Rainbow, if you want to apologize with your party, then we are going to have to pull out some extreme measures!”

Pinkie zipped over to the table, bringing a scroll with her to write down a checklist of things that she needed. “We’re gonna need a big blimp, shaped like Dashie with a big sign above her that says ‘I’m sorry’.”

Rainbow chuckled and patted Pinkie’s shoulder. She pulled a bowl next to her and began cracking eggs into the bowl, whisking them to start up the treat preparation. “Nah, I don’t want anything big. I just want a nice, simple birthday party. Maybe a few banners that say that I’m sorry, but apart from that, I don’t want anything too flashy.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Gee, Dashie. I would have thought that flashy is something that you would want at the top of the list.”

Rainbow sighed. “I’d rather not put ‘I was completely wrong and I’m sorry, take my Dad back’ in glittery letters and leave it at that. I want to tell them both that I’m sorry, in front of everyone, so that they know that I mean it.”

Pinkie bit her lip but upon seeing Rainbow look at her, she smiled and pulled a spare bowl near her, beginning to crack eggs as well. “Where do you want to hold the party, Dashie? At your house?” Pinkie quickly retracted the question. “No wait, everypony else couldn’t attend since your house is up in the sky. How about Twilight’s house?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened before she smiled sheepishly, the question sinking into her. “I… didn’t actually think about where I should hold the party. I guess it just slipped my mind.” Rainbow continued to whisk. “I can’t ask Twilight to hold it at her house.”

“Why not? It’ll be a great surprise!”

“I think the last thing that she wants is more surprises.”

“How about here?” Pinkie asked. “I’ll ask Mr. and Ms. Cake to close down for Saturday and we can hold the party in there! There’s enough room, I know it!”

“I can’t ask that of you, Pinkie. You told me that Saturday is one of the busiest days for Sugarcube Corner! That’s bits just walking out the door!”

Pinkie waved away Rainbow’s worry with a giggle. “I’d gladly give up Sugarcube Corner if it made you happy, Dashie.”

Pinkie bounced over to the refrigerator and after grabbing a glass from a nearby cupboard, she came back with a tray of lemonade. “Want some?”

Rainbow smiled and took a glass, emptying it in one gulp as she set it back down on the table. “Thank you, Pinkie. I really needed that.”

Rainbow pushed her bowl away from the table and laid her head down against it, closing her eyes for a moment as she sighed again.

“I’m so exhausted. I didn’t get much sleep last night and I had to go to work immediately after I ruined my relationship with my dad. I’m sorry, just give me a minute.”

Pinkie nodded and continued to whisk the eggs, sparing a glance towards the clock. Her eyes widened upon seeing that it was 2 AM, and she turned back to Rainbow and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Dashie, if you need to rest, you can go sleep in my bed,” she said as she rubbed her hoof in a small circle to accentuate her words. “This is going to take a while, and if you need your rest—”

Pinkie was going to say more, but Rainbow sat up, pulling her bowl back in front of her as she continued to whisk. “No, I’m fine. Let’s focus on the party. How long do you think it will take to get all these sweets ready? How many ponies are you planning on inviting?”

Pinkie placed a hoof underneath her chin. “Hmm… well, we gotta at least invite everypony that you know! How many is that?”

Rainbow blinked and closed her eyes for a moment, the question assaulting an already exhausted mind. “I don’t know… just invite the usual ponies. Not everypony in Ponyville. They can’t all fit in here.”

“So… sixty-four ponies? That’s including you and me.”

Rainbow nodded and waved her hoof dismissively. “Yeah… that many.”

Pinkie Pie smiled as she began to count on her hooves. “Well in that case… one, two, three... it will take around five hours!”

“Five hours!?” Rainbow repeated before she lowered her voice and faced Pinkie. “Why is it going to take five hours? I thought you did these cupcakes in your sleep!”

Pinkie frowned as she dashed back to the table and began another batch. “I’m sorry, Dashie. I need to have enough cupcakes to last the whole day. I’m only so quick, so it’s going to take a while.”

Rainbow began to whisk with a gaining ferocity, her irritation melting away into a smile.

“It’s fine, Pinkie. Really, it is. You’re already doing so much for me, so I’ll just stay here and cook with you until we’re all ready for the party. I can always drink an energy drink or something if I’m getting tired.”

Pinkie’s smile lit up the whole room as she bounced up into the air with a silent, pink explosion. She landed next to Rainbow and hugged her, initiating another spine-shifting embrace. Rainbow’s eyes bulged out for seconds before she was released and Pinkie snuggled her head on her shoulders.

“Are we gonna masterbake, Rainbow?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but couldn’t prevent a chuckle. “Yes, Pinkie. We’re gonna masterbake.”

“Rainbow, you have no idea how much this means to me!” Pinkie walked to her bowl of batter and began to make figures inside of it with a hoof. “I’ve never masturbaked with someone else before! I usually just do it by myself, in the comfort of my kitchen when everyone’s away. You make the best recipes that way!”

Rainbow focused on her batter, despite how much she wanted to look at Pinkie and see what her hooves were up to as she tried to pantomime her explanations and shenanigans. Pinkie brushed up against her again with a chef’s hat as she placed it on Rainbow’s unkempt mane. Rainbow brushed an interloping bang out of her eyes as she smirked and filled up another cupcake tin.

“How about we make it a race? Last one to finish has to clean up the other’s mess,” Rainbow said as she adjusted the hat on her head.

Pinkie froze as she took a step back from Rainbow. The only movement that came out of her was the slow unveiling of her own chef’s hat as she placed it on her head and twisted it to the side, a small locking sound echoing throughout the room. Rainbow looked around to try and pinpoint the sound, but Pinkie merely smirked as well.

“You’re on. Don’t make too much of a mess!”

~~~

A heavenly scent reached Rainbow’s nostrils as she relaxed her wings and landed on the cloudy welcome mat of her home. She opened the front door and glanced towards the kitchen, where Blue Streak was currently flipping pancakes with adept dexterity. Rainbow slowly slid the front door closed, trying to be as quiet as possible so that she could slide up and into her room without having to talk. However, Blue looked over at the front door upon hearing it close and he put on his familiar light smile.

“Good morning, Rainbow. Did you just get home?” he asked.

Rainbow nodded and sighed as she walked over to her kitchen, looking around. Her counter was completely clean, free of the myriad of dirty dishes that Rainbow allowed to pile up when the structural integrity of her takeout bags was compromised. The entire counter shined in the sunlight and Rainbow placed a hoof over her head to block the blinding rays from triggering another headache.

Even though there were a significant amount of ingredients used to make pancakes, it looked like Blue Streak was never in the kitchen, minus the one bowl and pan that he was using to cook the flapjacks.

“I’m making pancakes, did you want any, Rainbow?” Blue asked.

Rainbow didn’t respond as she opened up her refrigerator and pulled out a small black bottle with a lightning bolt emblazoned on the side. She popped open the cap and drained the energy drink, before squeezing it in between her forehooves and throwing it into her nearby trashcan. She sniffed as her whole face began to flush with color. Her eyes shot open and she flared her wings as she leaned against the refrigerator. Blue turned around to face her, staring imploringly with a blink of his tired eyes.

“Twilight’s giving you one chance,” Rainbow muttered.

“Oh.”

Blue Streak flipped the pancake into a clean plate on the counter as he poured more batter into the pan and continued to cook. “That’s nice,” he replied as he turned back to the stove.

Rainbow gritted her teeth, but remained passive as she walked over to the counter alongside Blue and leaned against it.

“Are you going to take it, Dad?”

Blue shook his head, the smile still on his face as he picked up the plate and held it in front of Rainbow. “Here, Rainbow, eat. You look exhausted,” he said. “You don’t look like you’ve eaten in a while either. How long were you gone?”

Rainbow looked towards the kitchen window and then shrugged. “Around twelve hours. I went to talk to Twilight, and then get my party ready over at Pinkie’s house. Baking all those cupcakes was going to take a while, so I decided to stay there and help her out. What about you? What did you do while I was gone?”

“I just cleaned the house and then went to sleep. I was going to go out and get your birthday present when I woke up, but breakfast took longer than I thought. I had to go out and get groceries since you had nothing in the fridge.” Blue looked towards the plate and his smile turned into a small frown. “Eat, Rainbow.”

Rainbow stepped closer to Blue upon hearing his stomach growl. “Sounds like you need to eat more than I do, Dad.” She pushed the plate across the counter until it was next to the stove. Blue looked up to glance at the plate, before he sighed in defeat and grabbed a fork out of a drawer to cut off a small slice.

“Dad, do you remember the first birthday that we had without Mom?”

Blue Streak let his fork fall to the plate as he looked back to the stove. With a swivel of his other hoof, the stove turned off and the perfectly cooked pancake rested inside of the pan. His hoof shook as he released the knob and stared at the floor.

“Dashie, I don’t want to talk about that,” he mumbled.

“But, I do, Dad.”

Rainbow grabbed Blue’s forehoof and held it in her own, staring into her dad’s mane since his eyes were on the floor. “Please, Dad, just hear what I have to say.”

Blue Streak lightly nodded, but didn’t lift his head.

Rainbow released his hoof and smiled as she leaned against the counter. “Dad, what did you do for me during that birthday? How did we celebrate it?”

“We… I… booked a reservation for your favorite restaurant. You told me that Mom took you there once and you wanted to go again, to remember her.”

Rainbow nodded. “And what happened the moment we got there?”

Blue Streak sighed. “Some fancy celebrities bought the restaurant for the day and they had to give away our reservation.”

“And what did you do?”

“We… went back to my house. I bought you a cake and we had your birthday there, with a few of your friends.”

Rainbow smiled and hugged Blue. When she pulled back, she tilted his chin up.

“And it was the best birthday that I’ve ever had, Dad.”

Blue’s eyes widened before he looked away.

“I don’t know how… you really wanted to go to that restaurant, and I couldn’t get us in.”

“I couldn’t care less about the restaurant, Dad,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I chose that place because it was where you had your first dinner date with Mom. I thought it would cheer you up, but to you, that didn’t matter. You moved all of my presents and the cake back to my house. You flew to the houses of all the party guests and told them that it was going to be at my house, just so that the party wasn’t without them.”

Blue waved away Rainbow’s words. “Any father would do that for their daughter, Rainbow. You’re just exaggerating to make me feel better.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Maybe that’s the case, Dad, but you know what? I found out something about you because of that party.”

“And what is that?” Blue asked as he dumped the final pancake onto the nearby plate before he began to clean up.

“You’re loyal to the ones that you love. You did everything that you could in order to give me the best party ever, every year. You broke up with Twilight right after our second fight, because you were scared that it was going to affect our relationship.”

“It should have been the first time.”

“Dad, don’t focus on that, focus on what I’m saying.” Rainbow paused. “How did you manage to keep the house when we didn’t have Mom’s income anymore?”

“I… took double shifts at the library.”

“And why did you do that?”

“Because… I didn’t want to drag you down with me. You were so happy, so determined to get into the Wonderbolts. I wanted to give you everything that I could to make sure that it happened, even if it meant losing some hours of sleep just so that I could pick you up from school.”

Rainbow smiled and placed a hoof onto Blue’s shoulders. “It worked, Dad. I’m in the Academy, and I’m going to be a Wonderbolt really soon.” Her eyes began to mist up as she pulled him into another hug. “Dad, I love you. I know… I don’t get to say that a lot, because I don’t visit as much as I used to. But, I want to change that. I said that I wanted to go back to the way things were… but… I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to go back to the times where I stopped coming to your house because I couldn’t make you happy anymore.”

Rainbow released Blue, but kept her hooves on his shoulders as she stared into his eyes. “Dad, I was scared, for you. You were stuck in Mom’s house for years, and I thought you would never get out. Now, look at you. We both had a fight and here you are, giving breakfast to the one who talked you into giving up the one who made you happy.”

“You’re my daughter, Dashie, you’re the only one I need to be happy,” Blue replied as he smiled lightly.

Rainbow gritted her teeth. “Stop… lying… to me. And stop lying to yourself.” Dash pointed towards the stove and the plate with a bite of pancake missing. “Is this what you want? An empty house for the rest of your life? Dad, you and I both know that’s not what you want. If it was, you wouldn’t have tried to date Twilight.”

Rainbow walked out of the kitchen and into her bedroom, where a clean wicker basket of laundry sat upon her bed. She rummaged through it and pulled out her Wonderbolt Academy uniform. She walked back out into the kitchen and held it out for Blue Streak to see.

“You see this, Dad? This was given to me because of a chance. I still have it, because I took that chance. You took your chance with Twilight, and the only difference between you and me is that you gave up.”

Rainbow dropped her outfit onto the dining room table and sighed. “Dad, I know that you’re scared. I’m scared too, because I don’t know if Twilight is going to take you back. But this is a chance, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you give it up just because you’re too scared to move on.”

The two of them stood in silence as Rainbow looked between her outfit and her father, waiting for some kind of reaction. His light smile had melted away to an expression of pure thought, even with the nervous fidgeting of his hooves upon the cloudy floor and his shifty eyes.

“I’ll ask one more time,” Rainbow added. “Are you ready, to take that chance? Forget about the what ifs. Forget about what I want. What do you want, Dad?”

Blue Streak looked at the floor. “I want her back,” he mumbled.

“Hmm?” Rainbow placed a hoof behind her ear. “I can’t hear you.”

“I want Twilight back,” Blue mumbled again, slightly louder.

“One more time!” Rainbow cheered, smirking as she rose to her hind hooves while pumping a forehoof into the air.

“I want Twilight back!” Blue Streak yelled out as he mimicked Rainbow, pumping his forehooves into the air while he flew a foot off the ground. He laughed and tackled his daughter, pulling her into a spine-splitting hug before he let her go. “You’re right, Dashie. You’re absolutely right,” he said, “I love you, I’m so glad that we had you.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not everyday that an awesome mare like me is born,” she said with a wink. Once Blue let her go, she sank back to the floor and looked to the front door. She grabbed Blue’s forehoof and turned to face him.

“Dad, you trust me, right?”

Blue nodded. “Of course, Dashie. Why do you ask?”

“Well…” Rainbow bit her lip. “My birthday party is tomorrow. Twilight is coming, and you’ll have your chance to make it up to her then. But, before the party, I think there’s one more place that we should go.”

Blue Streak raised his eyebrows in confusion. “And where is that?”

“Somewhere that we haven’t gone in years. But first, we need a bouquet.”

~~~

“Where... are we... going?” Blue asked, his words shivering due to the cold breeze, chilling him down to the bone. He turned his head, but couldn’t see past the blindfold that was tied snug around his eyes.

Rainbow let out a small “oof” as the both of them descended and their hooves met hard ground. She exhaled a cloudy mist as she looked up at the stone arch in front of them, the words “Ponyville Cemetery” emblazoned across it. Rainbow’s gaze shifted to the sky, overcast clouds mimicking the environment's mood. A spasm of fear shot through her hooves. She brushed a hoof along the bouquet in her saddlebag before she turned towards her dad.

“We’re here.”

Rainbow raised a hoof to Blue’s blindfold and slid it behind his head to untie the knot. “Remember our promise, you won’t run away?”

Blue merely nodded and stared ahead. Once the blindfold fell onto the floor, his face drained of color as he choked. His hooves shuddered as he took a step back and attempted to take another before Rainbow grabbed and pulled him into a hug.

“Dad, you promised.”

Blue looked down at the floor and pressed a forehoof to his chest. “I’m not… running. I’m just… surprised.”

Rainbow broke the hug, allowing Blue to stare back at the arch. He gulped and stepped towards the entrance, its wooden gates wide open and inviting. Blue held his head high as he wrapped a wing around Rainbow’s back and began to walk inside. Rainbow followed, licking her lips nervously as she opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it.

Rainbow felt a shiver crawl down her spine as Blue and her walked down the dirt path, passing familiar granite gravestones with engraved writing that they didn’t dare look at. Not a single soul besides the two of them lingered in the graveyard. Rainbow stopped once they reached a fork in the dirt road, both paths trailing off into the distance with more indicators of death. She looked down the left path until she felt the heat of Blue’s wings leave her back.

Blue proceeded down the right path, head bent down as he glanced at the gravestones with every few steps. Each stone passed by his peripheral vision once they checked out as the incorrect occupant. Rainbow quickly caught up, walking back over to Blue’s side. Once she was perfectly in sync with his walking, Blue raised his wing over her back once more, as if she never left.

“Here lies Firefly…”

Blue stopped as the correct headstone met Blue’s vision, and he turned to face it. Rainbow turned to Blue as he stopped, seeing him sink to his haunches on the dirt road. He bent his head down and covered it with his forehooves while Rainbow sat down next to him and ran a forehoof down his back.

Blue remained silent for minutes, his head on the dirt while the howling wind and nearby tree filled in for the sound. Rainbow looked over at the gravestone and pressed her other hoof to her chest. Her heart began to chill with the wind.

“Firefly? I… know it’s been a while since I’ve talked to you.”

Blue sat up and looked over at the headstone, his forehooves shifting along the dirt as he lightly smiled.

“I… know that I should have came here earlier. It’s just… I got busier… and then… scared… and then...”

Blue cleared his throat and looked to Rainbow as she continued to run her hoof up and down his back, smiling in consolation. His smile widened as he turned back to the headstone.

“I… I’m back though, and I brought Rainbow.”

Rainbow turned to the headstone and smiled as she wrapped her wing around Blue’s back. She coughed to get the frog out of her throat as her eyes began to water. “Hi, Mom. I… miss you.”

Blue chuckled as he bit back his tears. “Your daughter is all grown up now. She’s made me proud, and I’m sure that if you were here,” Blue Streak paused, “you’d be proud too.”

Blue gulped and looked down at the road as he tried to search for the right words. Rainbow rubbed his back again and smiled as she pressed her chest to his shoulder.

“I’m right here, Dad. I’m not going anywhere.”

Blue stared into Rainbow’s eyes and nodded, smiling as he turned back to the headstone. “Dashie’s going to be a Wonderbolt soon. I know you would have loved to see that.”

“Yeah, they let me into the Academy after I showed them some of your awesome moves!” Rainbow added, smiling brightly as she marveled at the headstone. “All of our hard work paid off, Mom! I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!”

Rainbow forced a laugh as she leaned against Blue, who laughed as well, if only for a few seconds. Upon receiving no response, both of their faces fell while Blue sighed. Rainbow looked down at Blue’s forehooves and took his left into her own, smiling as she leaned against him. Blue gripped her hoof with a building ferocity as he sniffed and looked back to the road. He chuckled.

“I’m trying not to cry in front of you, Firefly. I know… that’s the last thing you saw of me before your eyes… closed.”

Rainbow’s hoof began to throb with pain as Blue gripped it harder.

“I haven’t talked to you in seven years… and there is so much that I want to tell you. But… at the same time… I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive what I have to say. I barely even forgive myself.”

Blue gulped and released his grip on Dash’s hoof with a sigh.

“Firefly, I left our room exactly the same as when you went to the hospital. I only washed the sheets when they started to get dusty every now and again. Our house… is exactly the same. I haven’t changed a thing, except for one letter that’s now framed on the wall. Firefly, I… haven’t changed a thing. I now know, that if I want to move on, I can’t have my house stay the same.”

Blue chuckled again as he shuffled his hind legs underneath him to get more comfortable.

“I know, me, moving on. Sounds hilarious, doesnt it? I practically tackled you to the floor when you were gone for a week for that one Wonderbolt show in Manehatten. I’m clingy, and I know it. But… I can’t be in despair anymore.”

Blue raised a hoof to brush a bang of his hair out of his face as he turned to stare back at the gravestone.

“Firefly, I was in a despair because of y… because of what happened. I couldn’t let you go. You were the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Blue turned to Rainbow and smiled as he wrapped a hoof around her back, underneath his wing.

“And you gave me one of the best things that ever happened to me, Firefly. I love you, I always will love you. But I need to tell you why I can’t despair any longer.

“I will always grieve because of you, Firefly. You were an amazing mother and wife. You had a more fulfilling life than I ever would. But, because I couldn’t get over you, I was starting to bring down everyone around me. My daughter stopped visiting me, and I ruined the only other relationship that I managed to make because I was scared of you. Dashie said that dating my marefriend would ruin your memory, and while we have reconciled that problem, the thought still lingers in my head. I tossed and turned in that uncomfortable guest bed, wondering if she was telling the truth. If Twilight coming to my house and laying on the same couch that you laid on, or on the same bed that you slept in, was ruining your memory. I’ve decided that it doesn’t, it merely strengthens it."

Blue smiled. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle is her name. She’s a wonderful pony. She’s a librarian, like me. We met when I visited her house because she sent a letter for a very specific book that was needed from the Cloudsdale library. We chatted and instantly connected. A month and a few library visits later, we were dating.” Another pause, followed by a sigh. “Yeah, we were dating. I messed up, Firefly, as I often do. But… I’ve forgiven myself for that. I have one more chance tomorrow to make it up to Twilight, and I’m going to take it.

“I want her back, Firefly, because I don’t want to despair any longer. I’ve had seven years of despair, and I’m sick of it. Nothing happens when you despair. You just sit idly by and wait for your shift to end. Then you pick up takeout food on the way home and eat it on the couch while you flip through the newspaper. I want to cook again. I want to go outside again. I want to sit down at a restaurant again, and take Twilight to one to eat and talk. I want to talk to her again about the mating rituals of butterflies, or read another book with her in the Canterlot Maze. I can do that if I set aside time to grieve, but not if I only despair.”

Blue Streak stood up and grabbed the bouquet of flowers from Rainbow’s saddlebag. He walked around Firefly’s plot with the flowers in his mouth until he reached the headstone. Releasing the flowers into his hoof, he lowered them alongside the gravestone and smiled with misty eyes. Rainbow bit her lip and merely bent her head down as Blue walked back to the road and embraced her. Blue shifted the two of them to the side as he looked back at the headstone. The lavender asters resting underneath Firefly’s name blew in the breeze as Blue released Rainbow.

“Rainbow, is there anything that you want to say to Mom?”

Rainbow turned to the headstone and yawned before she shook her head. “I’ve said all that I wanted to say to her. But I do want to say that I love you, Mom, and I’ll come visit more often.”

Blue chuckled and ruffled Rainbow’s mane. “For now, Firefly, that’s all I can say without bursting into tears. Wish me luck, because tomorrow, I’m going to need it.” Blue sank to his haunches and smiled as he turned his back to Rainbow. “Come on, Dashie. You’re exhausted and I bet that energy drink is wearing out. I doubt you’ll make the flight home.”

Rainbow wobbled a few steps towards the exit. “I’m fine, Dad. I don’t need…” Rainbow’s words were cut off as her hooves began to shake and buckle. Blue quickly dashed in front of her and caught her as she collapsed against his back. Blue smiled and grabbed her saddlebag, holding it in his teeth as he shifted Rainbow around to his forehooves. He kissed Rainbow on the forehead before he began to ascend into the sky.

“Sleep well, Dashie. You earned it, thank you.”

~~~

“This… is your singing telegram, right outside your house!
I tried to open your door, but it won’t move an ounce!
The party’s in an hour and I thought that you should know!
That everything is all set up and you just need to go!”

Rainbow’s eyes shot open at the familiar voice and she shifted around in her bed sheets, jerking every direction until she saw Pinkie’s grin taking up the entirety of her window. Rainbow jumped, but smiled as she placed a forehoof over her chest.

“Oh, it’s just you, Pinkie.” Rainbow smiled and laughed, one of her forehooves searching around her bed until she realized that she was in her house.

Pinkie giggled. “Yeperooni! Gee, Dashie, you were sleeping for a while! You really weren’t kidding when you said that you were tired!”

Rainbow slid out of bed and onto her hooves. “Yeah well… I went to do something after I left your house.” She walked over to Pinkie, who lowered her head to allow Rainbow to take the invitation that was in the basket atop her head. Rainbow slit open the envelope and paused upon pulling the invitation out.

“Do I even need this?” Rainbow laughed as she placed the invitation on her bedside table. “I already knew that I was going, and that it was at your house.”

Pinkie looked behind her at the pile of balloons that kept her up and she shrugged.

“I dunno, Dashie, you don’t look like you’re ready to come. I thought it would be nice to give you a heads up!”

Rainbow examined herself and began to realize what Pinkie meant. Her wings looked like they hadn’t been preened in a while, even though it was just because of the monolithic amount of flying that she had to endure throughout the week. Her mane carried the plague of bed head and while she thought about it, her shoulders and wings ached from her marathon of flying. Rainbow groaned in pain as she closed her eyes and ran a hoof through her mane. Her hoof lowered to rest on her forehead, where she felt a headache starting to ooze into the back of her head.

“Yeah, maybe I do need a few minutes.” Rainbow turned to Pinkie and lowered her hoof. “I’ll meet you at the party, I just gotta take a shower.”

Pinkie Pie nodded as she pulled a balloon out of the pile atop her and slowly began to descend. She released the balloon inside of Rainbow’s room and smiled widely as she sank down.

“I got more presents at Sugarcube Corner, so don’t forget to come to the party with a smile, Dashie! It’s your birthday!”

Rainbow smiled and waved at Pinkie as she slowly descended out of sight. Once she was gone, Rainbow sighed and walked over to her shower, dragging her hooves as she knocked one of the nearby clouds, allowing water to spray down upon her.

As the lukewarm water leaked down her fur and onto the cloud beneath her, Rainbow let out a sigh of relief as she ran her hooves down her sides, making sure that every part of her was wet and ready to be soaped. She looked over to the corner of her shower, recognizing the small bottle of shampoo that she worked into her body when she was nothing but a frame of angst and boiled blood.

Rainbow picked up the bottle and leaned back against the shower wall, allowing the water to wet her hind hooves.

“So, this is it. If this works out, there’s no going back.”

She bent her head down as she opened the bottle and poured some soap onto her forehooves. Her headache leaked away with the water as she closed her eyes and massaged her scalp, breathing in the lavender scent.

~~~

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAINBOW DASH!”

Rainbow would think, after all of the parties that she had attended, she would be ready for the surprise. But yet, her ears popped and her heart nearly stopped as she opened the door to Sugarcube Corner to find as many ponies as could be comfortably packed inside, all staring at her with smiles on their faces and party hats atop their heads.

Rainbow smiled as her five friends walked up to her and gave her a group hug. She laughed and closed her eyes, letting the ten forehooves wrap around her as the once silent room melded into a myriad of conversations and snack munching.

“I haven’t seen you in a few days, Rainbow!” Applejack said as the five released their hug. “I’m glad that I got to see you again at one of Pinkie’s parties. I haven’t been to one of these in a while.”

“I say, Pinkie Pie, you surely have outdone yourself this time. I love how you were a little more subtle with the decorations. It isn’t some huge… explosion of color and celebration! It’s a little more calculated. I like it,” Rarity added as she looked up at the walls, all of which were covered in giant letters that spelled out “Happy Birthday Rainbow Dash!”. Apart from the letters, however, the decorations remained upon the dining room tables, livening up the room with its colorful snacks. Rarity adjusted the purple party hat on her head and squealed slightly in adoration. “You even got the party hat in my color!”

Pinkie giggled. “Of course I did, oh! That reminds me!” Pinkie pulled out a large party hat, its rainbow colors glistening throughout the room as she held it high above her head. “I forgot to give you the birthday hat!”

Rainbow laughed as Pinkie placed the head atop her head while Fluttershy offered a glass of cider. “Thanks you guys!”

Rainbow took the cider and drained the glass in one gulp. She sighed in relief as she placed the glass on the closest table before walking back to the group.

“We didn’t surprise you too much, right?” Fluttershy asked as she silently sipped on her cider.

Rainbow smiled. “Nah, I’m okay. I didn’t expect such a surprise, actually,” she admitted with a small laugh. “I thought I was going to be early or something.”

Rainbow looked away from her friends to scan the party. “Is my dad here?”

Twilight frowned, but since nopony except Rainbow had their eyes on her, she was able to mask it easily with a fake smile. “Yeah, he’s over there, talking to the Cakes.” She pointed over to the back of the room, where Blue Streak was indeed talking to Carrot Cake, who had Pumpkin in his arms with a bottle.

Rainbow looked over to Blue Streak and her smile widened once she saw Blue laugh and take a drink of his cider. She turned back to her friends and sighed in relief.

“Thank you, all of you, for coming to my party. And Pinkie, thank you for decorating while I was gone. I wanted to help, but I had something I had to do, and I just lost track of time. I’m sorry.”

Pinkie shook her head and shoved a cupcake into Rainbow’s mouth. “Don’t worry about it, silly filly! This is your birthday party, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything!” She replied. “Just relax and enjoy yourself!”

“If only it was that easy,” Rainbow mumbled under her breath.

Twilight chuckled, but the mane six’s attention was captured by Apple Bloom, who ran over to Pinkie and stopped in front of her. Apple Bloom looked at Rainbow and smiled lightly before she met eyes with Pinkie.

“Pinkie Pie, can you play Pin The Tail On The Pony with us? I heard that you’re one of the best at that game and I want a challenge!”

Pinkie smirked as she pulled off her tail and held it atop her head. “You’re on, Apple Bloom!”

The remaining five laughed as Pinkie and Apple Bloom ran over to a corner of the room with the other fillies, each of them with blindfolds and tails in their hooves. Rainbow turned back to Twilight and bit her lip while Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy remained silent. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack cut her off.

“I’m gonna go fill up some more tables with cupcakes since Pinkie is busy. Talk to you four later?”

The remaining four merely nodded as Applejack walked towards the kitchen and disappeared amongst the crowd. Twilight turned to Rarity and Fluttershy and bit her lip.

“Girls… do you mind if I talk to Rainbow alone? Just for a few minutes?”

Rarity’s eyes widened, but she smiled and nodded. “Of course, Twilight. Come on, Fluttershy. We can talk about our plans for Pinkie’s birthday. It is coming up, after all.”

Fluttershy smiled and turned to Rarity. “Of course. I personally think that if we can manage a mixture of white and pink, the color combinations will work from the ground up,” she said as she walked with Rarity off and into the myriad of sound that was the party.

Rainbow turned back to Twilight, who placed a hoof on her lips and covered her own.

“Shh.” Twilight walked over to the front door and opened it. Rainbow followed until the both of them were outside, the front door and sound closing behind them. Twilight sighed and placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.

“Rainbow, I want to apologize for the night you came over. I know that I wasn’t exactly… in the best of moods,” Twilight said as she outstretched her hooves for a hug. “I’m sorry.”

The tension in Rainbow’s chest released upon hearing Twilight apologize. Rainbow pulled Twilight into the hug and held her close, holding back her tears.

“And… about your dad,” Twilight began, but Rainbow cut her off this time, breaking the hug and placing a hoof on her lips.

“Wait, Twilight. Please, let’s talk about this later.” Rainbow wiped her tears and smiled. “Let’s just enjoy the party for now.”

Twilight smiled as well and nodded with a sigh. Rainbow lowered her hoof and opened the front door behind her.

“There’s something that I need to tell you, Twilight, but… it has to wait. All I want to say is, please don’t make up your mind about Dad until after the party,” Rainbow added, almost begging in her tone.

Twilight’s eyes widened, if only for a second before she scuffed a hoof against the floor. “You don’t have to worry, Rainbow. I still haven’t decided. I just… don’t know if he’s changed, or if he’s pretending to be happy just to make you feel better.”

Rainbow nodded and sighed. “I’d like to think that he’s changed, Twilight, but I don’t know. What I do know is that I trust him, despite everything that we went through.” Rainbow took a deep breath as she brushed a hoof through her mane, unable to meet Twilight’s hues, “I hope that when the party is over, you’ll know your answer for sure. But,” Rainbow paused and looked back to the party, relentless noise assaulting her left ear. “No matter what your choice is, you’ll always be my best friend.”

Twilight placed a hoof over her heart and blinked back tears. She walked over to Rainbow to give her another big hug. Rainbow held her close before she released Twilight, and the both of them walked back into the organized chaos of the party.

~~~

Rainbow wasn’t sure how she managed to quiet the room. Perhaps it was because she was the birthday mare and that gave her clearance to arrange everypony in the room as she saw fit. Perhaps it was because the gigantic, four layer cake was levitating over to her own table before it settled down, gathering the attention of everypony in the room. After all, who didn’t love cake? From the crowd’s undivided attention, apparently no one.

Rainbow marveled at the cake before her. Each layer was a different color, and presumably a different flavor, if the aroma wafting to her nose was any hint. Strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, and lemon all assaulted her senses at once, along with the four cinnamon pylons above each layer that connected each flavor layer. Mrs. Cake smiled as she stood alongside the cake, holding a large knife. However, before she cut the cake, Mr. Cake came out with two numbered candles and Pinkie grabbed the candles and Spike so that she could perform the finishing touch. One pink dust cloud later and the number 21 rested atop the cake, both candles burning with Spike’s flame as Rainbow hovered up into the air, sore wings bringing her face level with the candles.

Pinkie smiled as she stood in front of the cake and looked at the crowd, motioning towards Rainbow. “Alright everypony, let’s sing it!”

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Rainbow Dash, happy birthday to you!”

Rainbow scanned the crowd, her eyes growing misty as her father and Twilight melded into a blur. She closed her eyes and blew out the candles. The entire room bursted into cheering and clapping as Mrs. Cake raised the knife and smiled widely, eying her creation.

“What flavor piece would you like, Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

“I’ll take the blueberry,” Rainbow replied with a smile as she sank back into her chair, leaning back against it while the entire crowd watched Mrs. Cake give out the first piece.

“Hey, when are you gonna give me some grandkids? I’m feeling old over here!” Blue Streak yelled out, which prompted a wave of laughter from the crowd.

Rainbow laughed lightly as well. She pushed herself out of her chair and walked around the table, leaning against it as she stared out into the crowd. The few murmurs and conversations that rippled through the crowd ceased once they realized that Rainbow wanted their attention.

Rainbow smiled weakly and ran a hoof through her hair.

“Hey, uh… I just wanted to say something before we all sank into this cake.” Rainbow gulped as she scanned the crowd one more time. Every eye was on her.

“I hope everypony is enjoying the party so far. If you are, please make sure to thank Pinkie Pie and the Cakes. I know that the party was kind of short notice, to everyone.”

Rainbow heard a small mutter around the crowd in agreement. She swallowed and continued.

“But I appreciate that you all came. There’s one pony that couldn’t attend, no matter how much I wish she could. That pony, is my mother.”

Another murmur spread throughout the crowd, but it was more polarized this time. Half of the crowd was completely surprised while another crowd nodded in silence. Rainbow clenched the table and looked back at the cake before she turned back to meet eyes with Blue Streak.

“My mother… died… seven years ago, when I was just a filly.”

Another murmur, but Rainbow continued talking as she spread her gaze amongst the crowd, which quieted the crowd once more.

“She was sick, and didn’t get better in the hospital.” Rainbow sighed again. “I… don’t know why I’m telling everypony this. All I know is that I have to, because there are two more ponies that I have to thank for where I am today. Sorry if I’m… interrupting your cake time.”

Rainbow smiled sheepishly, but the crowd remained serious. She brushed a hoof against her neck in thought, trying to search for the right words.

“My mom… was the best. I know some ponies always say that their dads could beat up someone else’s dad. That was the case with my mom. I’m sure you all know her. Firefly, the ex-Wonderbolt.”

Rainbow saw a lot of nods, but continued before her train of thought was broken.

“Everyone knows the first side of her. The side that she shows in the magazines, where she talks about her workout regimen or practice trials for the Wonderbolts. The side that she never showed, was the mother side. My mother… was me. One hundred percent. My dad told me a funny story about how my mom and I got into a little argument the moment I was able to speak.”

Rainbow laughed and lowered her hoof back to the floor.

“It takes two to argue, and Mom and I were always that two. I got my brain from my mom and my looks from my dad. Dad always joked about what would happen if I got the opposite. Heh. My family was perfect. My mom taught me how to fly, and brought home a major amount of the flour that my dad would bake into bread, if you catch my drift. I always saw my dad happily walking around the house, cleaning anything and everything while he helped me with my homework. The moment I was done, it was outside to practice flying with Mom. Looking back on my fillyhood, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Rainbow bit back her emotions as she looked down at the floor.

“And now… I’m never going to have that, again.” Rainbow sniffed, her ears ringing from the silence in the room. She pointed over at Blue Streak, whose face drained of color as every pony in the room turned to face him. She raised her head to stare at him. “This stallion, my dad, did everything that he could to make me happy. My mother, his wife, was gone. Despite that, he remained strong.

“He was there for me whenever I needed him, despite double shifts every now and then and whatever amount of sleep he managed to get. I on the other hoof… wasn’t. My dad… was sad. Obviously, I doubt anyone would act natural after what happened. He stopped cooking, cleaning my Mom’s room, and soon enough, he moved into the guest bedroom so that he didn’t have to sleep in the same bed that my mom used to. He was depressed, heartbroken, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

“I tried though. I certainly tried. I took him to parties and Wonderbolts shows to try and cheer him up, but I’ve never seen him truly happy. Soon enough, I gave up. I failed. But somepony showed up into his life recently that completely turned his life around. This special somepony has put smiles on my dad’s face that I haven’t seen since my mother. That pony, is Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as the focus shifted to her. She smiled and blushed as she grabbed her nearby glass and obscured her face within it. Rainbow played with her forehooves before she looked back down to the ground.

“To be honest, I should have seen something like this coming. If it wasn’t dating, I at least expected them to become friends sometime or another. The both of them love reading, they are both librarians, and I’ve never seen two ponies talk about butterfly mating rituals without falling asleep in their chair.”

Some members of the crowd laughed and Rainbow grinned as she continued.

“The two of you are a perfect match, it’s just a shame that I didn’t agree until now.” Rainbow sighed and straightened herself, no longer leaning on the table as she pointed at Twilight. “This mare… is another one of the best things that ever happened to me. Before I met her, I was a cocky and dismissive show-off. Anything that I believed to be wrong was simply wrong. Sure, I stood by my friends through the thick and thin, but I hardly had any friends to start with since I was so aggressive. When I thought that my friends did something wrong… it was hard for me to change my mind. But Twilight showed me that not everything is black and white. Sometimes, there’s a bit of gray area. A lot of gray area now that I think about it.

“Without you, I wouldn’t have five best friends that I would give my life for. I wouldn’t know what my true meaning in life is without you. Finally, at least until a few days ago, I wouldn’t have a father that was able to be happy again. If I ever had to choose somepony else to be my new mom, somepony else that I could trust with my dad’s happiness, I’d pick you, Twilight.”

A resounding “aww” echoed through the room as Rainbow walked over to Twilight and hugged her. Twilight closed her eyes as she began to cry, the small amount of blush that she had put on for the party smudging across her cheeks.

“I love you… Twilight,” Rainbow choked out.

“I love you too, Rainbow!” Twilight squeezed her forehooves against Rainbow’s shoulders as she bit back her emotions and sighed to try and calm herself.

The crowd clapped, some of them standing up as Rainbow and Twilight hugged for minutes. Rainbow was crying now as well, sobbing as she broke the hug and beamed.

Blue Streak walked over to the two and joined the hug, wrapping his forelegs around them before the three pulled back. He met Twilight’s eyes, but looked away, his own face cherry red.

“I… you don’t have to choose right now, Twilight. I know… Rainbow kind of put you on the spot, and I just want to give it some ti—”

Twilight’s lips pressed against Blue’s, taking his breath away for a second before she stepped back and smiled. Blue’s eyes closed for the split second that the kiss occurred, and as he opened them, he chuckled, the message clearly sent.

“Um, excuse me?” Mrs. Cake smiled as everypony turned to her, her knife gleaming in the sunlight. “Shall we give the first slice of cake to the new family then?” she asked.

“I propose a toast first,” a scratchy voice said, drawing the attention over to the orange filly. Scootaloo raised her glass and smiled. “To Dash’s new mom.”

Sixty-four glasses pointed towards the ceiling as the words resonated through the room. Scootaloo bit back any extra words as she drained her cup, sighing as she stared at the new family in the center of the room.

“Enjoy it, Rainbow. I’m glad that you have a new mom.”

Dash's New Mom

by ABagOVicodin

Loyalty

Honesty

Chaotic Honesty

The Element of Honesty

Diversions

Confrontations

Rupture

Burn-out

Reconciliation

Epilogue