Hey guys! Merry Christmas! So this Christmas one- shot is inspired by what happened to me this week. I hope you guys like it! This story takes place in the Starshine universe when Starry is in Middle school years. But sadly this story doesn't star Starry, it stars Rainbow Dash.

The song Starry sings is a short parody of "All about that bass"

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Rainbow's P.O.V

In all the times I had be terrified, this was the worst time because I had to ask this one question that I never had to ask before.

Where. Was. Starshine?

I had gone to pick her up at Elements of Harmony Middle School, but when all the kids came out, she wasn't one of them. Starry was always the first one out when school ended, you could see her flying above the rest of the kids. I could pick out my daughter easily because she stood out with her thick black glasses and short flowing blue mane…

"Everyponys' getting long manes Mom!" Starry had said. "I want to grow mine out or else I'll never fit in!"

"Starry, you're mane is beautiful" I pointed out.

"You've never been teased about how short your mane is Mom, you wouldn't understand" Starry said, ending the conversation.

Anyway, I looked all over for Starshine, but I couldn't find her. Come to think of it, I couldn't see Duskstorm either. It started to snow. It was Hearth's Warming Eve, Starry's favorite holiday. However the snow made it difficult to see. But I looked again. Where was Twilight?

I instantly dashed upwards to the clear blue and looked around for Twilight's Tree Castle. I spotted it instantly on the hill, and flew towards it.

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Starshine's P.O.V

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked Dusk at the top of the really tall cloud mountain she had made. It WAS FREEZING UP HERE.

"Starry, think about it!" the blue unicorn exclaimed. "The second pegasus EVER to do a sonic rainboom!"

Duskstorm was twelve years old like me. She was violet-dark blue with a pale, purple, and wild mane she wore in a ponytail... no pun intended. Dusk had dark purple eyes and her cutiemark was a purple cloud with a lightning bolt. The lightning bolt had pegasai wings on both sides.

"Still…" I mumbled, looking down from the great height. "Why can't we just play video games instead of this?"

"Video games are a waste of time!" Dusk insisted. "I mean, they're fun in all but my Mom says that they poison your brain. Sometimes she can be a real hardhead, but she's still my Mom. Anyway, we can play video games later, after the rainboom. Plus, you can't disappoint those ponies…" Dusk tilted her head towards the edge of the mountain.

"What do you mean by… oh…" My sentence cut off as I looked over the edge… my eyes widened in horror.

It looked like the whole school was in the town square of Ponyville, plus a few other residents minding their own business, to see what was going on. They were all looking up at the Cloud Mountain waiting expectantly for my sonic rainboom.

I screamed slightly before crouching low against the cloud.

"Dusk? Did you tell the WHOLE school?" I asked.

"More like ALL of Ponyville! Come on Starry, you got this!" Dusk encouraged.

I suddenly felt my confidence rise in. I slowly walked towards the edge and looked down.

The ponies stopped talking and looked up at me.

I sighed, and leaped off the mountain of clouds. If my Mom could do it, so could I.

My eyes started to water and my hoofs burned. Oh Celestia, it burned! My hoofs had fire on them... I screamed as I tried to wave my hoofs to get the fire out. But it made it worst! I flipped forwards, and kept flipping… so fast!

"AHHHH! SOMEPONY HELP ME!" I screamed.

I was falling to my death, but suddenly I landed on a blue flash. I had shut my eyes… then, I heard a BOOM! I opened my eyes… I was safe!

Feeling safer, I looked down. It was my Mom! She had saved me! She, the rainbow maned Pegasus, took to the skies and I hung on. And that wasn't all: my Mom had saved me with a sonic rainboom! Whenever I mentioned the sonic rainboom to Mom, she would say doing those kinds of things were stupid and would get yourself killed. But to see a REAL sonic rainboom in person was cool! NO… AWESOME! A rainbow was somehow attached to my mother's tail, and she led it upwards as I turned around and saw the rainbow boom!

Everypony cheered as Rainbow Dash landed on the ground!

As I got off her back I said "Thanks Mom! If you hadn't come, I would've…"

I trailed off as I saw my Mom's unpleasant angry face. I hated when she did that… I laughed nervously.

Dusk carefully ran down a staircase of clouds towards me. "Starry? Are you ok?"

"I… I think so" I answered.

"WE ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!" My Mom screamed when she looked at my hooves, burnt to a crisp.

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I fidgeted as Nurse Redheart touched my hooves.

Like Rainbow I also had sensitive hoofs… they hurt so bad. The Nurse was white with a light pink mane in a bun under her nurse hat. Her tail was also in a bun and she had blue dark eyes.

"Ow" I whispered.

"It hurts?" Nurse Redheart asked.

"Yeah" I replied.

"Like mother, like daughter" The nurse smiled at Rainbow. Rainbow looked away. My Mom was NOT happy, so the nurse diverted her eyes.

The Nurse started touching my wings: they were burnt too.

My eyes were wide with pain.

"Ok, I'll stop with that" The Nurse said and she stopped touching them. Then she touched my hind hoofs, which were also burned.

"Uh huh" Nurse Redheart said, and turned to Rainbow.

"WELL?" My mom asked angrily.

"She'll be fine, all she needs is rest and a bandage on the parts that hurt most. Try to put ice under the bandage" Nurse Redheart replied.

"But isn't there something else you can do?" Rainbow asked.

"No, Starry will only heal in time" Nurse Redheart said.

"Fine. Starry, we're leaving" Rainbow said sternly.

Without another word, my mom and I were gone.

"Sometimes I worry about that pony" Nurse Redheart mumbled, watching Rainbow storm off with her daughter.

"Happy Hearth's warming!" The Nurse called to Rainbow.

The rainbow maned Pegasus didn't answer, or even look back…

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Rainbow's P.O.V

"Starshine, you're grounded" I said as I carried Starshine. My hoofs were under her elbows and we flew towards the cloud home.

"Mom, I can explain Dusk"

"I don't care about Dusk! Dusk isn't what I'm worried about. Stop blaming things on somepony else instead of yourself!" I screamed.

"Celestia Mom, there's no need to yell"

"I'M NOT YELLING!"

"YES YOU ARE!"

"The point is, you tried to do a sonic rainboom at a very young age... and you are not allowed at Duskstorm's. You know better Starry!" I said.

"Oh, contraire" Starry said with a devilish smile. "We weren't at Dusk's house"

I groaned in anger. "I am sick of your games Starshine!"

Starry always did this! Pranks and annoying side comments. Even though she was so shy in kindergarten, she soon grew out of it. But ponies still teased her mane and blank flank. Starry would get deeply effected whenever somepony teased her. She would try to fight back, but the other ponies would laugh and walk away. Starry was kind of acting like Dis….

My thoughts trailed off.

"Well, some games can be fun!" Starry said. "Why aren't you fun?"

"I don't have time for fun" I said. "You are in big trouble, young filly!"

"I'm sorry"

" Sorry doesn't take back the health insurance money I had just spent because of you. Sorry doesn't make Soarin' magically appear from his Saddle Arriba business trip. Sorry doesn't fix your wings. Yeah, like sorry is going to help"

We got to the cloud house.

"You can't write any more songs for a week!" I said.

"A WEEK!"

"That means none"

Just when I said that, Starry covered her hoofs over her ears and flew (sort of, but enough to get around) into the house screaming:

"LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!"

I followed her to continue my sentence. "No playing the guitar, no piano, no…"

I followed her up the stairs to her room.

Starry turned around mad. "IT WASN'T MY IDEA!"

"I DON'T CARE!" I screamed. "YOU DID IT! THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS! NOW GO TO YOU'RE ROOM!"

"IN CASE YOU HAVN'T NOTICED, I'M IN MY ROOM! AND I AM GOING TO PLAY MY GUITAR! OH WAIT, I HAVE INSPIRATION FOR A SONG ALREADY!" Starshine yelled, grabbing her dark blue guitar and playing it.

"Because I have a mean mean mean mom, mean mean mom, she's no fun. I have a mean mean mean mom, mean mean mom, she's no fun!" she sang.

"YOU AREN'T PLAYING THAT GUITAR!" I yelled while she sang.

"WATCH ME!" Starshine was just about to start playing it again when I grabbed it angrily with my mouth and threw it across the room. It broke as it bounced off the wall and landed on the floor.

I instantly regretted it. "Starry, I…"

Starshine looked at med. She had a look I hadn't seen in a long time: heartbreak. Backing away she said, "You're a monster!" and she turned and flew out of the room.

Knowing Starshine, she would leave the house and find the highest cloud to lay down on and cry.

I suddenly felt something inside me… I didn't like it… a painful feeling… that caused me to cry. Everypony used to say that Rainbow Dash was the type of mare who would never cry. But now the dam broke and I burst out crying. What has happened to me? I used to be awesome… I used to be a daredevil. Heck, I used to be a wonderbolt! Until he came along and changed everything. He stalked my dreams… he ruined me. He took away my happiness, and took away my courage.

Now all this leading to this, with my daughter and I fighting. I longed to tell her the truth about her curse, but she wasn't ready. I kept crying. I didn't know how to be a parent! I loved Starry truly, and her safety comes before mine. I'm always so protective and paranoid about her.

I shook these thoughts off and stopped crying. These were hard times for my family, but whatever happens from here, I will never let anything or anyone hurt Starshine.

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Starry had come home. She had red eyes and a messy mane. That's what happens when she cries so much. She didn't say a word to me as she walked in.

"Starry, I love you" I tried.

She didn't respond as she flew up the stairs to her room. I heard her door slam.

Why did Hearth's Warming have to be like this? No Soarin, Starshine mad, and me miserable.

I trudged to the living room and laid down on the cloud couch.

The Hearth's Warming tree was to my right side. I decorated all of it while Starshine was at school. That made her mad at me, but it looked nice. It was a fake, pale blue pine tree that was half as tall as the roof. It was covered with rainbow ornaments, like zap apples. A rainbow star was on top, and a few presents were beneath. One of them caught my eye.

It was a small one, about the size of the bottom of my hoof. It was the fancy wrapping paper that drew me in: the paper was the same shade of blue as my coat, and on top was a rainbow…

Get it… rain bow?

Even one of my puns couldn't lift my spirits. Then I noticed something about the special present. In bold mouth it said…

To: Mom

From: Starry ;)

I let the winking smiley face calm me as I fell asleep on the couch.

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My dreams haunted me again: they were always filled with nonsense and things I couldn't understand.

Sometimes though, I did understand. Like the time in the maze where I abandoned my friends to "Save" Cloudsdale…

I heard different things talking at the same time.

"In that box are your wings, you can take them and leave the game or stay wandering through the maze, you're choice"

"I'm guessing you are miss Rainbow Dash, famed for her loyalty"

"I'm here to deliver a message"

"There is no cheating in the game, no flying and no magic"

This time I heard the voices, but couldn't see the beings who were talking. I was a coward, no doubt. Nopony could see the old Rainbow Dash inside me, and I didn't know if I liked it or not.

"No… NO! NO!" You could tell I was scared. Man, I AM a coward!

A few images flashed in my head: one of them was a memory of Starry's transformation. Another was when she first learned how to fly. One was of Starshine, except she was older and was covered in blue light and she was crying out in pain as a horn grew on her head and tears streaked her face. Another was of Starry crying and looking weak and vulnerable on the ground.

I heard a crowd of voices.

"Starshine! Starshine! Starshine! Starshine!"

"GO AWAY LEAVE HER ALONE!" I screamed as more images popped in my head, but they were things in a frenzy and crazy.

"HELP!"

I laid down and cried.

A white light suddenly filled the roof of my dream and a pale blue aura filled it and everything disappeared except a pony was in front of me.

"Starry?" I asked.

She acted like she didn't hear me. She had a lifeless expression. Was she mad at me?

I stood up and trotted towards her. She wasn't wearing her glasses and she looked like she was half dead and half alive: it kind of scared me. I nudged her.

"Starshine?" I asked again.

No answer.

"Starshine?" I shook her, then I noticed her hoofs were glowing the same blue aura as the one that covered the dream.

"Chill, she's fine" a familiar voice said.

I turned around.

"Lightning Dust?"

I mean, she looked like Lightning Dust, except for the chains attached to a heavy anvil on her. Lightning also looked like a ghost. She looked almost… silver. But still, she kind of looked like the green Pegasus. The one with the yellow pixie cut mane and yellow winged cutiemark.

"The one and only. Starry's not hurt Rainbow" Lightning said.

"How do I know you didn't hurt her?" I challenged.

"Dash, please listen to me. I can explain"

"And why are you in my dream? I don't even like you… since the last time"

"Even if you won't let me explain, I'll still break down what happened after the academy" Lightning Dust insisted.

I sighed. "Spill"

"After the academy, when Spitfire kicked me out, I felt depressed and scared. It tore me apart. I lost my friends, I lost my pride, and I lost my bravery. Just like you, I have a daughter… or had a daughter. She has a broken wing, and she was counting on me becoming a wonderbolt…" As Lightning talked, her eyes were filling with tears. She gulped before continuing. "She… said she wanted me to fly in the sky because it would make her feel like she was flying…"

"I… I'm sorry Lightning… I had no idea" I said.

"It's ok. How I was separated from her, well, I didn't think I could trust anymore… so I ran away. When I realized I wanted to go home, I was too late. My husband had already married somepony else, and I died of a broken heart…" Lightning explained.

"I…"

"It's not your fault, I learned my lesson about trust. Now it's time for you to learn"

"But how can I help her if I know Starshine is like this?" I asked, looking at Starshine's frozen body.

"She is always like this when she's asleep: she doesn't know she does this every night. She travels through dreams and changes them. Right now there are horrible thoughts in her head. The only way to save her is for you to learn your lesson as I did mine. You have until the clock strikes twelve tonight" Lightning Dust said.

"What happens at twelve?" I questioned.

"Starry will wake up on Hearth's Warming morning feeling alone… abandoned. She'll believe that you don't love her."

I couldn't let that happen, no matter what. "What do I need to do?" I asked.

"You will be visited by three spirits, the first one will arrive in ten minutes. Listen to them, or else you'll end up like me, with the chains of life dragging you down" Lightning said.

Suddenly, Lightning disappeared through a hole of light in the ceiling of my dream… the hole was covered in blue aura… the same blue aura on Starshine's hoofs…

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Until the next chapter!