Author's Note
Foremost, my respect and acknowledgement go out to Fairy Slayer, without whose vision and imagination this fic would never have taken wing.
Second, I apologize for the month long gap between updates. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to writing; I'm very methodical about every word I put down. The average reader will probably breeze through this chapter in forty minutes, but what you see here is the product of no less than fifty hours of my creative efforts. I only hope the quality will shine through in the final product, and that I will continue to earn your praise.
I wish I could promise the subsequent chapters will come faster. With grad school starting in a month, my time's going to be limited. I only hope I'll be able to slog through the next ten thousand words without too much of a delay.
I've included a few subtle tributes to some of my other favorite Rainbow Dash fanfics in this chapter. A cookie to anyone who picks them out. Cheers!
ALICORN
by Aldea Donder
7/14/2011
Summary: Life is full of changes, none of them quite as disturbing as having a horn pop out of your skull. Look out Equestria, there's a new alicorn on the block, and she's about 20% cooler than the rest!
Author's Note: This is a sequel to Mommy Nearest by Fairy Slayer. That story should be read first before delving into this one. I hope to expand this into a full series, so be on the lookout for more chapters in the future!
Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro, Inc.
New Beginning
The horn spiralled upward, four inches from base to tip. It wasn't a fat, stubby thing, like so many unicorn horns she'd seen; it was slender and graceful, cyan blue, and when she turned her head just right, it caught the light and glimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. It was a subtle effect, but it was...
"Really freaking cool," Rainbow enthused, twisting this way and that to try and glimpse it in the medicine cabinet mirror.
"It suits you," said Celestia, looking on from afar.
The emotional rollercoaster of the last hour had given way to small talk as mother and daughter tried to carefully construct their bridges. Rainbow was glad for the change. She was a lot better at idle banter than she was at all that mopey-sentimental stuff.
"Heck yeah, it suits me! This thing's great!" she exclaimed, still preening in front of the mirror.
"Your Aunt Luna will be impressed. When she came of age, her own horn wasn't quite as... awesome... as yours." Celestia stifled a giggle. "Goodness, she was so embarrassed."
"Oh yeah. Luna's my aunt. Huh."
Rainbow contemplated this for a moment. It hadn't occurred to her that she was Luna's niece, but she supposed if Celestia was her mother, it followed logically enough. How strange to think she was related to not one, but two goddesses. Life sure had taken a turn for the weird.
She shrugged and went back to admiring her horn.
"Yeah, this thing's great, alright. Just look how sleek and aerodynamic it is! I'll cut through the air like a hot knife with this baby leading the way! And man, is it ever sharp! I bet you don't have any trouble opening cans with one of these things, huh?"
When Celestia didn't answer, Rainbow knew she must have said something wrong. She peeled herself away from the mirror to find the goddess scowling at her.
"Freyja, an alicorn's horn isn't a... a can opener! And neither is it a substitute for the nose cone of some jet!" she admonished, voice filled with an unfamiliar sternness.
Rainbow felt more than a little put-off by Celestia's rebuke. "O... kay," she muttered.
Just like that, she could feel the ire welling up again like molten lead. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was suffering someone else's condescension. Common sense won out and she held her tongue, even though her mind was all fire and ice, and the frustration rippled off her in waves.
Perhaps Celestia reconsidered how she was coming across, or perhaps she noticed the abrupt change in Rainbow's body language. Whatever the case, her face softened considerably. Half a minute passed between them in silence, and all the while Celestia looked out the window, biting down on her lower lip, pondering something Rainbow couldn't begin to guess at.
Then, with some difficulty, she attempted to explain herself:
"When I was very young—about your age—my sister and I had a fight. I was so selfish then, and so foolish, and so very, very angry. I should have seen—but no. I didn't.
"In a moment of fury, I attacked her, charging at her with my horn. I made a terrible mistake, and I hurt myself. My horn was badly damaged. I pray the same will never happen to you. It's a pain nopony should ever have to bear. My father..."
She smiled, and a familial warmth crept into her voice. "There aren't many ponies alive who still remember my father—your grandfather. He was a great stallion. A noble stallion. He lifted the entire world out of darkness. And I loved him as much as anypony can love their papa.
"He told me... that my horn was precious. That it symbolized our bloodline, our heritage, and all the sacrifices made by our family since the dawn of Equestria. And one day, he said, my horn would light the entire world.
"'You must always respect your horn. Anything less would be an insult to the memory of those who've gone before.' Those were the words he said, and I've never forgotten them."
Rainbow shuffled on her hooves. "Well, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Don't apologize. Enjoy it. Your horn is as much a part of you as your wings now. But never abuse it, my Freyja, and never disrespect it."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A gentle knock at the door stole their attention. Rainbow promptly stopped admiring herself in the mirror and leaned up against the wall, trying her best to look cool. Celestia's horn glowed, and she magicked the door open.
There stood Fluttershy with a wooden bowl and washcloth clutched between her teeth.
Rainbow's face lit up. "Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy stepped inside and placed the bowl and washcloth on the floor. "Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia," she said with a bow.
"Gee, Fluttershy, are you ever a sight for sore eyes!"
"Rainbow, I'm so happy to see you're up and doing well. You scared us all so much. After you fell, and... well, you know. We were all so very worried about you."
Rainbow scratched the back of her head, feeling awkward. "Heh. Yeah. Guess I put you guys through hay, huh? I owe you an apology for that."
"Oh, no, you mustn't apologize. We're all just happy you're alright."
"So what brings you over to this neck of the woods?"
"Fluttershy tended to you while you were unconscious," Celestia interjected. "For the last three days, she's barely left your bedside."
"Oh, well, it wasn't anything too special," said Fluttershy, staring down at the floor. "Everypony wanted to be here, but they're all so busy with their own obligations. I don't have a library or a farm or a dress shop to run, so I thought I could help out here."
"You spent the last three days taking care of me?"
"Like I said, it wasn't anything special. I just tried to make things a little more comfortable for you, and I also brought over a few herbal remedies to help alleviate pain and soreness. I... I hope you don't mind."
As Fluttershy spoke, Rainbow could remember a few fragments from the time when she'd been asleep: a gentle hoof wetting her face with a rag, dribbling sweet water on her tongue, cooling her down when everything was hot. And a voice—Fluttershy's voice—speaking softly to her of all the events that were going on in Ponyville, even though she couldn't answer, and to all the world she must have appeared comatose.
Before Fluttershy could react, Rainbow hugged her, eliciting a squeak from the yellow pegasus.
"That's one of the coolest things anypony has ever done for me. Thank you so much."
"Oh... you're welcome," Fluttershy said after Rainbow let go. The kind words bolstered her self-confidence, and for the first time, she looked back with a genuine smile. "I like your horn, by the way. It's very beautiful."
"Yeah, we were just talking about—wait a minute, did you say I've been out for three days?"
"Oh, yes, every bit of it. Four, if you count the day of the... accident."
"What about the weather? Who's been keeping the skies clear while I've been under?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the mayor enlisted the aid of the town's resident mailpony to fill your duties on the weather patrol," said Celestia.
Rainbow was horrorstruck. "I... should... really... go," she spoke slowly, trying to keep a lid on the feeling of impending doom rising up inside her. "Cabin fever. Haven't seen the sun in three days. You know how it is. See ya later, Fluttershy!"
She made for the door, but Celestia stopped her short.
"Be safe," she said softly. "I love you."
She nuzzled her. Hugged her affectionately. Tried not to react when her daughter's body went stiff in her arms.
"Sure thing," Rainbow said.
Then she was gone.
Okay, the cabin fever thing was an excuse, but Rainbow did long to feel the wind on her face again. The sky was her calling, and speed, her passion. She was surprised she hadn't gone stir-crazy from being cooped up this long. Besides, her wings were aching for a good stretch.
Rainbow took off like a rocket, soaring up to meet the clouds.
She spent the better part of an hour zooming around from here to there, climbing and diving, performing corkscrews and barrel rolls and other feats of aerial daredevil-ism. All the while, she relished the way the air broke around her horn. This thing was wicked.
The sun beat down on the pavement of Main Street Ponyville, creating a rising column of hot air. Rainbow caught the thermal and rode it a mile upward. After it dissipated, she beat her wings and climbed ten thousand feet more, until the air grew cold and her head scraped the bottoms of the altocumuli.
She smiled, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her mane.
"It really is a perfect day for flying," she said to no one in particular. "I can't believe Derpy—"
Her eyes shot open realization. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! They put Derpy in charge of the weather! ...Wait a minute. Derpy isn't capable of engineering weather conditions anywhere near this perfect."
She raised a hoof to her brow and scanned the countryside.
"Yeah, something's definitely wrong here. There isn't enough fire. Or flooding. Or avalanches."
A small sigh escaped her lips. She flopped down on a nearby cloud.
"Well, she's only been running the show for three days. Maybe I'm overreacting. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
In the sky above Sweet Apple Acres, a maelstrom of sinister black clouds belched thunder and lightning. Rarity milled about the apple orchard, obliviously transforming tree branches into cute little pony leaf sculptures.
Then a dark shape on the horizon caught her eye—a twister! And it was heading her way!
"Oh no! A twister! And it's heading my way!" said Rarity.
Rarity tried the storm cellar, but it was locked, so she galloped into the barn. A powerful gust sent the door flying back as she made to secure it, bonking her on the head. Dozens of little pegasi fluttered before her eyes.
Suddenly, the whole building seemed to shake and rattle. The twister lifted the barn off the ground and sent it spiralling upward into the sky!
"Oh, dear! Help! Help! ...What are you supposed to pack when you're being carried off by a tornado?" she wondered. "Are you supposed to pack warm?"
Just then, there was a horrible screeching laughter from outside the window! Rarity went over to investigate. There, hovering next to the barn, was... Pinkie Pie on her flying machine!
"Hello, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie cackled.
But it wasn't the normal Pinkie Pie. This was, in fact, an EVIL Pinkie Pie, grotesquely disfigured and dressed like a witch!
"Pinkie Pie? Are you alright?"
"Okie-dokie-loki!" said Pinkie Pie. "Say, Rarity, would you care for some... CUPCAKES?"
Pinkie Pie reached into the basket of her flying machine and pulled out a whole armful of cupcakes! She started pelting Rarity with them through the window! Rarity just stood there and screamed, and screamed—
Rainbow blinked. "Okay. It probably wouldn't be that bad."
Just the same, she resolved to get there as fast as possible. No more horsing around.
She tucked in her wings and extended her forelegs, enjoying the sudden rush of speed as she plummeted back down to the earth. The wind crashed against her face, pulling her lips back into a crazed grin. Rainbow felt the familiar presence of the mach cone, but the ground was fast racing up to meet her—five thousand feet, three thousand, one!
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
At the very last moment, at breakneck speeds, with one final burst of adrenaline and velocity, she pushed herself even faster! Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier, and the sky above Ponyville exploded with the spectral brilliance of a sonic rainboom!
She opened her wings and blasted back into the sky.
'Heh.' Rainbow smirked, even as she panted for breath. 'Still got it.'
Meanwhile, everypony in Ponyville stopped what they were doing to stare in slack-jawed awe. The sonic rainboom was still an old mare's tale here. Stories of its grandeur had trickled out of Cloudsdale, but they were only that—stories. This, though—this was a more spectacular aerial display than most of the humble earth ponies who made their homes here had ever seen.
"Well, it looks like Rainbow Dash is feeling better," said Twilight. She looked on knowingly as a lone rainbow arced off the colorful shock wave and disappeared over the forest.
"Yes," said Celestia, standing next to her. "It appears so."
They didn't say much to each other for the next five minutes. All alone on an overgrown trail outside town, they stood and watched as the glorious tendrils of the sonic rainboom stretched out across the sky, then gradually faded to blue.
Twilight was still craning her neck, and so she didn't notice when Celestia left her side. It took several seconds for her to realize she was standing there by herself, and that the princess had started down the path again without saying a word. She had to hurry to catch up.
"Er... Princess Celestia?"
"Hmm?"
"Is everything alright? If you don't mind me saying so, you seem a little... well... not yourself."
Celestia stopped and looked around, surveying the rolling meadows outside Ponyville with an unreadable expression. "This looks like a good spot," she finally said.
She set down the picnic basket she had been levitating, summoned forth a red and white checkered cloth, and spread it telekinetically across the grass.
"Yes. It's... lovely," said Twilight.
Well, so what if Celestia hadn't heard her? The travails of the last few days had taken their toll on everypony. She was probably just a little distracted.
"Did you and Rainbow Dash have a pleasant morning?"
...
Okay, make that a lot distracted.
"Princess Celestia?"
...
Or maybe—Twilight's face fell—Celestia was ignoring her on purpose.
Twilight busied herself unpacking lunch, laying everything neatly on the cloth. She tried to keep her back turned so the princess wouldn't see her sulk, but she needn't have bothered. Celestia was still staring off into the sky.
Time for Operation Double-Take.
"So, I was reading a magic book, and I found a great spell for keeping ants away from a picnic," Twilight said casually. "You speak the incantation over an anthill, and then all the ants grow until they're each ten feet tall and weigh about a thousand pounds. That way they're not interested in your lunch anymore, since they're all too busy hunting down and murdering innocent ponies."
"What?" Celestia gasped.
"Aha! I knew you were listening!"
After several seconds of wide-eyed bewilderment, Twilight's hyperbole finally caught up to her. Celestia made a half-hearted attempt at a smile.
"Oh, Twilight Sparkle, my dear student, please don't look at me like that. I'm afraid I haven't been paying attention as much as I should."
"Is everything okay, Princess?"
Just like that, the goddess seemed to wilt before Twilight's eyes. Her buoyant disposition did an about-face, and suddenly she looked very tired and withdrawn.
"I thought so, earlier this morning," she said.
Twilight wondered what that meant, but she didn't press the issue. She had known her mentor long enough to anticipate the answer was forthcoming. Sure enough, not half a minute later, Celestia sighed and mumbled, "I'm afraid, Twilight."
"You? You're afraid?"
"I... I don't have any experience with this kind of thing. Being a leader, yes—I've led Equestria for a thousand and one years. But being a parent..."
She swallowed hard. Laying her soul bare naked on the table was not something Celestia did often or easily.
"Being a parent... demands an an entirely different level of delicacy. I want to make things right. I want so badly to make things right. But I can't issue a royal decree and convince my daughter to accept me, or to forgive me... or to love me."
Twilight searched Celestia's eyes for a hint of what happened. "Princess..."
"I was a fool for thinking it could last," Celestia muttered. "Her initial behavior, which the five of you witnessed—that was all instinct. A natural reaction brought on by the genesis of the horn. Like a baby bird crying out for his mother when he's hungry, so does an alicorn cry out for her mother during Unity. All endorphins and magic. Nothing permanent. Nothing real.
"From the moment she awakened this morning, she held it against me. She asked why I had forsaken her, and I gave her the best answer I could. Then I stuck my hoof in my mouth and chastised her over something foolish."
"So... you two yelled at each other all morning long?" Twilight asked.
Celestia shook her head. "No. It was civil. We talked for some time. But by the end of it, I could tell she would rather be anywhere else than there with me."
Twilight chewed on the end of a carrot, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Princess Celestia, if I may be so bold, I find it hard to believe that all of her emotions that day were just some kind of... instinctual reaction. Rainbow Dash needs time to make peace with this on her own terms. She's probably a little scared right now, and whenever she's scared, she hides her true feelings underneath her pride."
"Do you think I made the right decision when I gave her away when she was foaled?"
The question caught Twilight off-guard. "I—I don't know. I never experienced any prejudice in Canterlot... but then again, I'm a unicorn, and I didn't really know any pegasi there."
Celestia still looked troubled. Twilight's mind raced for something else to say.
"But whether or not it was the right decision, it was a decision you made out of love, right? That's what counts the most. And anyway, it's not like you don't have any experience with family. If you're half as good a mother to Rainbow Dash as you've been a sister to Luna, I'm sure she'll come around."
If only Twilight had been looking—if only she hadn't chosen the end of that sentence to take a big, heaping bite out of her daffodil sandwich—she would have seen Celestia's face eclipsed by utter hopelessness; her whole world darkened, as if by the shadow of the moon.
"CONSARN IT, APPLE BLOOM! If ah have to tell ya one more time, Winona is a working dog! She ain't there so you and yer friends can file away at her nails all day long!"
"But Sis, how else am ah supposed ta get mah pet pedicure cutie mark?"
"Ah reckon it ain't none of mah concern how ya get yer gal-darned cutie mark, so long as it don't compromise mah ability to plant these here apple trees! It won't be long afore summer's upon us, and if this new crop don't take to root by then, we're gonna be in a whole world of hurt by the time harvest season rolls around."
"But Sis, Winona really enjoyed it!"
On cue, the cute little border collie whimpered and gave Applejack a pleading look.
"Aw, horsefeathers, Winona! You know better than to shirk yer duties like that! Now, see here, Apple Bloom, ah can 'preciate the fact that yer tryin' ta get yer cutie mark, but yer just gonna have to find some other pet ta practice on. How 'bout givin' Opal one o' yer treatments?"
Apple Bloom looked appalled. "But Opalescence scratches back!"
"Then mosey on down to Fluttershy's and see if ya can't borrow Angel Bunny for awhile."
"Angel Bunny's even scarier than Opalescence!"
"Well, that's just too doggone bad! You'd best start makin' a list of all the other pets in Ponyville so as ta ask them and their owners instead, 'cause unless pigs take to flyin' or a winged unicorn sets herself down here in the next three seconds, you AIN'T GETTIN' WINONA!"
Two seconds later, Rainbow Dash alighted on a nearby tree branch. "Trouble in paradise?"
"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" Apple Bloom and Winona danced together and shouted in unison, although in Winona's case, it came out a lot sounding a lot more like "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrf!"
"GAL-DARN IT, RAINBOW DASH! AIN'T YOU GOT ONE LICK OF TIMING?" Applejack threw down her hat and stomped on it out of frustration.
"Huh? I have lots of timing! Do you know how much timing it takes to thread the needle on an inside loop and an outside loop by pulling off a perfect Immelmann turn while doing seventeen barrel rolls? A lot, that's how much!" She paused to peer over the treetops in the direction of the Apple family farmhouse. "Oh good. The barn's still there."
"And why in the sam hay wouldn't it be?"
"Oh. Heh. No reason," Rainbow laughed nervously.
"Rainbow Dash, you get your flank down here this instant so I can inspect you properly!"
"Yes ma'am!" Rainbow swooped down to the ground and landed next to the vexed cowpony.
Applejack did just that, squinting at Rainbow Dash and circling her three times, examining her critically from every conceivable angle. Rainbow stood there awkwardly, feeling more than a bit self-conscious. She felt even more awkward when all of a sudden, Applejack rushed forward and threw her arms around her, sweeping her up in an unexpected hug.
"Um... Applejack?"
"Y'all don't know how worried we were about you!" she said. Rainbow was taken aback by the unsettling realization that her strongest, most resilient friend was on the verge of tears. "Don't you ever put us through nothin' like that ever again, Rainbow Dash! You hear me?"
Once again, Rainbow felt that squirming feeling in the pit of her stomach. Knowing her friends had endured such fear and anxiety was a hard pill to swallow. Their undying concern touched her heart, but regardless, she never wanted anypony to feel this way about her ever again.
She sighed. "I'm sorry you had to go through this, Applejack—and everypony else, too. You're my oldest friend. You know I hate to make you worry."
"You promise me you ain't gonna go fallin' offa no more clouds, Rainbow Dash!"
"I promise I won't go falling off anymore clouds," Rainbow pledged, holding up her right hoof.
"And don't go growin' no more horns, neither!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I will try not to grow a second horn."
Applejack looked her over one last time, head to hoof. "Then we're square. Welcome back to the land of the livin', sugarcube."
Apple Bloom timidly approached, looking equally as overwrought and emotional as her sister. "Are you feelin' better now, Rainbow Dash?" she asked.
Rainbow crouched down on her knees so she could better address the young filly. "I sure am, kiddo, and a little birdie told me you might have something to do with that. I hear you helped bring me back to town last week after I took that fall. Is that true?"
Apple Bloom nodded vigorously. "Yeah, me'n Big Mac did. And then me'n Pinkie Pie went into the Everfree Forest ta fetch Zecora... not that it did any good in the end."
"Don't sell yourself so short. It takes a lot of guts to do what you did. You were very brave."
The little filly tilted her head quizzically. "I was?"
"You sure were. You can be my rescue worker any day of the week."
Apple Bloom turned this over in her heaed for a few seconds. Then her face lit up. "THAT'S IT! Cutie Mark Crusader rescue workers! Wait 'tll ah tell Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo! This is gonna be GREAT! Hey Applejack, you know where ah can get me some jaws of life?"
"Oh, for Pete's sake, would you and Winona just get out of here already? Shoo! But you'd best be back with that dog by suppertime or ah'm not gonna be happy!"
"Awright, awright, ah'ma goin'! See ya later, Sis! See ya later, Rainbow Dash! I'm glad to see yer back on yer hooves again!" With that, Apple Bloom and Winona bounded off through the trees, laughing and barking.
Rainbow turned to Applejack. "Where is Big Macintosh, anyway?"
"That sap should be along any minute with Rarity in tow. Ah sent him back to town to fetch her."
"Rarity? What are you dragging her all the way out here for?"
"Somethin' real stupid. We had a storm here the other night, and the wind done blew in one of the bedroom windows. Dang near spooked Granny Smith half to death. The rain got in and wrecked the curtains, so ah asked Rarity to come on over and take some measurements for the replacements. That's all."
"So... you had a storm here the other night, eh?" Rainbow probed suspiciously.
"Yeah, thanks to you, 'cause you was sleepin' on the job! Them thunderheads blew in overnight from the Everfree Forest. Thankfully, the mayor put Derpy Hooves on weather duty the very next day, an' she had the problem taken care of lickity-split."
Rainbow shook her head. 'Nope, still unbelievable.'
Sure enough, not five minutes later, Rarity and Big Macintosh crested the hill. Rarity flashed a dazzling smile, waved, and trotted over to where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were standing by the roadside.
"Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash, Applejack! Rainbow, I didn't expect to meet you out here. I'm so thrilled to see you up and about again. That was quite the light show you gave us earlier!"
"Heh, yeah. Good to see you too, Rarity. How is—"
"Big Macintosh, what in the HAY are you doin' over there?" Applejack suddenly yelled.
Bewildered, the alicorn and the unicorn turned around to see Big Macintosh almost prostrating himself on the ground.
"Bowing down to royalty," he said.
"What in the—Look here, Big Macintosh, Rainbow Dash ain't royalty! Well—she IS, ah s'pose, in a way—but that don't change the fact that you ain't gotta bow down to her! Now stand yer big, dumb, clodhoppin' self up!"
Big Macintosh did as he was told. "Good afternoon, Princess Rainbow Dash. You gave us all quite a scare. I'm happy to see you pulled through your affliction alright."
Rainbow was speechless, looking more unsettled than she had at any other point that day— well, except maybe when they told her they put Derpy in charge of the weather. "Uh... Yeah..." she said after a protracted silence. "Good to see you too, Big Mac. You, uh, don't have to bow down to me. Or call me princess."
"Sure thing, Miss Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow, I'm so happy they were able to fix your mane! I thought about fashioning you a hat after the nurse cut off your forelock, but I just didn't know if it would suit your tastes. You must be so relieved to have it back."
"They—They cut off my forelock?" Rainbow gasped, turning a shade whiter. She instinctively ran a hoof through her mane to make sure it was all there.
"And I must say, your horn is simply exquisite! It's enough to make any unicorn jealous!"
"Yeah, ah hadn't mentioned it up until now, but that sure is a humdinger of a railroad spike ya've got comin' out o' yer forehead! Ah can see why it musta hurt so much!"
"A railroad spike?" Rarity regarded Applejack with a look of contempt. "You would compare the majesty of a unicorn's horn to something as crude as—as a railroad spike?"
"Aw, stuff it, Miss Priss! I didn't mean nothin' by it!"
"A unicorn's horn is more than just a railroad spike, Applejack! It's a thing of grace and beauty, and beyond that, it's a gateway to our magic—the greatest gift that our kind possess! How dare you compare it to a rusty old railroad spike!"
"I think I've heard this somewhere before," Rainbow murmured, suddenly feeling very sorry for her cowpony friend, who was now practically frothing at the mouth.
"Rarity, ah'll be hogtied if'n you ain't the most pretentious pony ah ever did meet! First of all, ah never did say a word about that railroad spike bein' rusted, did ah? For all you know, I coulda intended it ta be made of gold! Second of all, ah didn't mean any offense by mah analogy, so go soak your head!"
"Well, I never! Perhaps you should find somepony else to measure your curtains!"
"Ah didn't need your fancy mathematics anyhow!"
Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh looked back and forth as the two ponies went at it. It was not unlike watching a tennis match. Played by two snarling, screeching, bad-tempered, mutually contemptuous honey badgers.
"Well. Time for me to hit the sky," Rainbow announced.
Applejack and Rarity squabbled on, too consumed by their argument to pay any attention.
Well, so much for the better. There was no way she wanted to come between them when they were feuding like this. With a roll of her eyes, she spread her wings and made to take off—then, as an afterthought, looked to Big Macintosh.
"Say, Big Mac. Before I go..."
"Yes, Miss Rainbow Dash?"
"Y'know, I've known you practically forever—well, for as long as I've known Applejack, anyway. We've never really been close or anything, but... I just wanted to let you know how amazing you are. Not many ponies could have carried me all the way back to town on their backs. Not with me kicking and screaming the whole way, anyway.
"It would have been majorly uncool if I fell in that field and nopony ever found me. I don't even know if I'd have made it through the night. So... thank you."
She gently nuzzled him. Not a nuzzle of love or passion, but a nuzzle which spoke of her thanks, her gratitude, and the infinite wellspring of her respect. The rose-colored stallion actually blushed, if such a thing were even possible, and Rarity and Applejack ceased their bickering to stare in utter shock.
"I owe you one," she winked. Then she flew away.
Big Macintosh grinned from ear to ear. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyup."
Rainbow Dash was exhausted. A long day inspecting every building in Ponyville for possible hurricane damage will do that to you.
She yearned for the sanctuary of her cloud home, for the softness and familiarity of her own bed. Too bad she had this errand to run. Even when she was done here, there was one last thing she wanted to do tonight; two more ponies she wanted to visit.
Knocking wasn't something Rainbow Dash normally did, and she wasn't about to change her ways. Nonchalantly, she threw open the library door and showed herself in, noting with some confusion how dark it was.
Jeeze, she couldn't see a thing in here. Didn't Twilight usually stay up at night reading? How in Equestria was she able to see in this—
"SURPRISE!"
The lights came on to reveal half of Ponyville crammed into the library.
There were Applejack and Rarity (poignantly not looking at each other), Fluttershy and Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, Vinyl Scratch manning the turn table, Lyra and Bon-Bon sounding off noisemakers, Carrot Top, Roseluck, Colgate by the cake, Cherry Coke behind the punch, and at least a dozen others.
Rainbow stood there, dumbfounded, as Pinkie Pie bounced circles around her.
"Wow, Rainbow Dash, it's so great to see you! I'd ask how you're feeling, but you must feeling righty-roony because that was a totally AMAZING sonic rainboom you did today!"
There was a chorus of "yeah!" and "hear hear!" from the crowd.
Rainbow finally found her voice. "Pinkie Pie..."
Pinkie twisted her neck at a freakishly odd angle, leaning in upside-down to inspect Rainbow's nascent horn. "Oooooh. Cool horn ya got there, Dash! Can I touch?"
Without waiting for Rainbow's permission, she started tapping on the horn.
"Touch! Touch! Touch!"
"Pinkie Pie!"
"Now Dashie, I know what you're going to say, but the good news is, you don't have to! There's no need to thank me for organizing this party for you! After all, I'm Ponyville's number one party pony, and you're the guest of honor!"
Rainbow could already feel the headache sinking its jackhammer tentacles into her brain.
There was one place she wanted to be right now, and it definitely wasn't here. Still, all of these ponies had shown up out of consideration for her. It wouldn't be very cool of her to bail on them. And even if Pinkie Pie was annoying as hay, her heart was in the right place.
She forced a smile. "Thanks for coming, everypony. It means a lot to me."
Pinkie Pie put her face right up against Rainbow's. "Are you happy, Dashie? Are you excited? Are you ready to PAR-TAY?"
"Oh, yes. I can't tell you how delirious this makes me."
"Well, don't worry about it! No party's too much for my sister! HIT THE MUSIC, HERNANDO!"
As a jazzy tune flooded the library and everypony got their boogie on, Rainbow could only stare, utterly stupefied. "S-Sister?" she stuttered.
Hours later, Rainbow finally managed to drag herself away.
The celebration had died down ages ago, the partygoers having dwindled until only Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity remained. Fluttershy had excused herself to go put Angel Bunny to bed, and Rainbow followed her lead shortly after. What became of Applejack and Rarity after she left, all alone with each other save for her apparent half-sibling, she could only imagine.
Wearily, she ambled past darkened homes and storefronts, grateful for the solitude of the night. Luna's moon was a waning crescent, just barely radiant enough to illuminate the winding road beneath her hooves. It didn't matter; she knew the way well enough.
Her legs carried her robotically down the highway out of Ponyville. The Avonglade River veered inward and ran parallel for a mile, allaying her frayed nerves with the susurrous murmur of water through the brook. It kept her company for a spell, then wandered off again to forge its own way toward Hoofington in the south.
Not long after, the old windmill came up on her right, its tattered blades creaking mournfully in the bracing breeze. This was her landmark. She knew the path diverged here, the main road continuing straight, a narrow dirt trail shooting off to the left and disappearing into the brush. She never would have noticed it in the murk if she hadn't already been aware of its existence.
She followed it through a narrow wood, which quickly gave way to rising foothills. In between two such hills, the path ended at a black wrought iron gate. It opened without making a noise.
In the vale on yonder side, hundreds of mares and stallions lay at rest. Rainbow walked quietly among them, the only sounds the shallowness of her own breath and the soft padding of her hooves on the unmown grass. There was no birdsong, no endless drone of the cicadas. Even the wind didn't reach this place, sheltered as it was by the highlands, which rose up on three sides. All was silent.
At last, she came to her destination. Two granite stones rose out of the ground. For awhile, she just stood there and stared at them, lost in thought. Then she spoke:
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."
The graves were silent.
"So... I haven't come to talk to you guys lately. I'm real sorry about that. I know I promised I would visit as often as I could. It's just... Things have been so crazy. Between the weather patrol, flying practice, kicking around with Applejack and the others..."
She scraped the ground with her hoof, digging out a shallow furrow.
"I know what you'd say, and you're right. I could make time. I—I should make time. And I will. You always made time for me, even when you couldn't keep up as well. I... guess I haven't been a very good daughter lately. But I'm gonna try harder from now on. You'll see.
"It's been so long since... that day. I was just a filly then. Now your little girl is all grown up." Rainbow cracked a smile. "What would you have to say about that, Daddy?
"I remember the first time you took me up in the sky on your back and told me about the clouds. And then two years later when you ran with me down the field, lifting me up so I could catch the wind and fly for the very first time. Heh. If you saw some of the stunts I do today, you'd be terrified. And Momma would probably be passed out on the floor.
"You know, I... I won the Best Young Flyer Competition. Dazzled 'em all with a sonic rainboom. Only the second time in history that anypony's broken the sound barrier, and I was the one to pull it off. And—and I saved, like, four ponies' lives in the process. And this one time last year, when Nightmare Moon came back, I even helped save the whole world.
"...I only wish you guys coulda been there to see me do it."
Rainbow could feel a torrent of emotions roiling inside her and a horrible tightness in her throat.
"I never woulda come this far if you hadn't believed in me. You're the reason I'm the awesome pony that I am today. I just... I just..."
She blinked back tears.
"I always wanted you guys to be p-proud of me. You're the ones I always wanted to impress, even when it looked like I was showing off for everypony else. And even though I didn't turn out as pretty and ladylike as you always wanted, Momma, I just hope I—that I—"
Her legs buckled, her whole body racked by quiet sobs.
"—that I m-make you proud."
Rainbow buried her head between her hooves, her emotions spilling out onto the cold ground. She felt awful. Physically sick, mentally torn. Her chest stopped heaving after several minutes, though the tightness in her throat remained.
"But now there's someone new in my life, and she's good and kind, and she says she loves me, and she wants to be my—my m-mother. And I just—I don't want to turn my back on you! Am I wrong for wanting to let her into my life? Would I be wrong to—to ask your permission?"
"Oh God!" she cried. "I wish you were still alive so I could ask you what to do!"
"Rainbow Dash?"
The little alicorn jumped and wheeled around. Twilight.
"Damn it," she growled, rubbing furiously at her tears. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! How long have you been standing there, Twilight?"
Twilight stepped back, startled by her friend's anger. "Just a few seconds. I usually go for a walk about this time of night after Spike falls asleep. I was passing by, and I thought I heard somepony out here, so..."
"So you thought you'd stick your nose where it doesn't belong and violate my privacy. Got it," Rainbow snorted. She untucked her wings and started to fly away.
"Wait!"
Rainbow stopped and spun in midair. "What?"
"Please don't go," Twilight pleaded. "I honestly didn't hear all that much. You're one of my best friends, Rainbow. Please don't me angry at me."
Rainbow was so furious, she had half a mind to leave Twilight in her dust, but something in her voice made her do otherwise. Grudgingly, she flapped back down to the ground.
"Fine."
An uncomfortable silence passed between them. Twilight looked like she didn't know quite what to say or do. Rainbow was still cross, but she made an effort to redirect her glare away from the speechless unicorn, shooting daggers off into the bushes instead.
"I didn't see you at the party," Rainbow said. A token attempt to break the ice.
"Yeah, I was with Princess Celestia all day long. We had a picnic lunch."
"That's nice."
Dead silence.
"If it means anything, she's just as intimidated by this whole situation as you are."
Rainbow scowled. "I am not intimidated."
Twilight moved closer, desperate to bridge the rift.
"Rainbow, I never had a chance to meet your parents, but from everything Applejack told me, it sounds like they loved you more than anything else in the world. Don't you think they'd want the best for you? Wouldn't they want you to be happy?"
"It isn't that easy, Twilight."
"It doesn't have to be hard," said Twilight. "Your parents will always be a part of you. Nothing can take away who they were or what they did. But allowing somepony else into your heart doesn't mean you have to cut them out of it."
Rainbow fired back, "Look, I knew my mom and dad for ten years, and in all that time, they never missed a birthday, or a flight expo, or a race. Even when they were sick and dying, they went to work to put food on the table for me. I was never someone else's daughter to them. But now I'm supposed to replace them with—"
"Princess Celestia would never try to—"
"—someone who wasn't even there! Where was Celestia after they died? Where was she when I had to teach myself how to build my own cloud house or eke out a living on the weather patrol? WHERE WAS SHE?"
Twilight bit her lip. She didn't have an answer.
"Tell me how I'm supposed to feel, Twilight! TELL ME! Go ahead and look it up in one of your stupid books! Because from where I'm standing, I should be FURIOUS at Celestia! I shouldn't want her love! I should be INSULTED by it! So WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?"
The tree nearest Rainbow Dash suffered a tremendous blow, raining down leaves under the force of her punch. Applejack would have been proud, even if it wasn't quite a buck.
"WHY? WHY do I have these feelings? Why am I out here begging my parents to understand why I want to be with her when I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND IT MYSELF?"
Her pain was obvious. It passed through her in shudders and pooled in tiny beads at the corners of her eyes. Twilight wanted nothing more than to reach out and physically comfort her, but somehow, she sensed it would only make a bad situation worse. After all, Rainbow Dash was nothing without her pride.
So she didn't say anything. She simply stood there and waited for the alicorn to vent her anger. And when that anger had gone out and she slumped to the ground looking lost and confused, Twilight sat down next to her.
"Why?" she sobbed. "I don't get it."
"I think... I think you've saddled yourself with a lot of guilt, and you need to let it go. Wherever your parents are, you'll always be their daughter, and you'll always have their love and support. Loyalty means a lot to you, but this isn't a betrayal. It's just... a new beginning."
Slowly, Rainbow nodded.
"And Celestia would never try to replace your mom and dad," Twilight said firmly. "You've been alone for so long, Rainbow. I know it's made you tough and self-reliant, and I know it's scary not being in control, but please... just give yourself this one chance to be happy."
"I was happy before," Rainbow mumbled, but she didn't bother to argue the point. She was tired of arguing. She was tired, period.
"Go with Princess Celestia. Go with her to Canterlot."
Rainbow blinked. "What?"
"Princess Celestia would like you to accompany her back to Canterlot. She asked me to extend you an invitation. She doesn't want to keep you in the dark anymore."
"But—I can't just turn my back on everypony here!"
"Ponyville will be fine. Derpy filled your hooves for the last few days, and we managed to pull through alright. Besides, it would only be for a month or two."
For once, Rainbow Dash didn't look angry. She looked... scared.
"I've known Princess Celestia since I was a filly, and I've never met a kinder, more loving pony," Twilight said softly. "Go with her. Get to know her. If there's anything meant to be, it will come on its own in time."
"I guess I can... give it a try," Rainbow replied at some length.
With that, everything was said that needed to be said, and they lapsed into silence.
Minutes later, Rainbow stood and turned to go—but not before gazing longingly on the two ponies present who had remained speechless throughout the entire conversation; the two ponies who would never say another word ever again.
"Do you—do you think—" she struggled to form the words, "—my parents would be proud?"
"I know so," Twilight said, smiling earnestly. And Rainbow was reassured.
They said their goodbyes and departed. Rainbow took to the sky, and Twilight went her own way on the ground. Ten minutes later, the sun broke over the eastern horizon, carrying with it Celestia's light, Celestia's warmth, and Celestia herself.
The princess arrived in a blinding ball of light without coach and guard (as had lately been her custom). She stood on the spot, her eyes fixed on the place where her daughter had lain, and pondered the answer to a question.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. Then she spoke:
"Watching over you every day, my Freyja. With every sunrise."
Celestia kneeled down low, lips brushing against dewy blades of grass. Reverently, she kissed the earth where Rainbow's father was buried, then did the same for her mother.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."
She stood tall. A golden light enveloped her, and then she was gone.
One week later, a small crowd had turned out to see Rainbow Dash off.
The golden chariot stood waiting. She had said her goodbyes to most of her friends, and as for Derpy—well, she had already politely informed Derpy what vengeance lay in store should she return to find Ponyville wiped out by a tsunami or buried beneath a mountain of volcanic slag.
Pinkie Pie was jumping around like a rabbit on amphetamines; a description Angel Bunny would have taken offense to if Fluttershy weren't inadvertently squeezing the life out of him.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, I'm so excited, you get to go to CANTERLOT! It's such an amazing place! Even if everypony there was a big meanie grumpy mean-meanie pants at the Grand Galloping Gala. I mean, how can you hear the Pony Pokey and not stick your left hoof in? Hey, I know! You should invite me to Canterlot so I can throw you a SISTER party! We can do all sorts of things sisters normally do together, like submarining, making racecar noises, shaving cats—"
Applejack was reticent, chewing thoughtfully on a sprig of wheat. "Gonna be real boring 'round Ponyville without ya," she said.
Rainbow smiled back weakly. "Gonna be real boring 'round Canterlot without you."
Leaning in close, she whispered furtively into Applejack's ear, "Be sure to let me know if you have any problems with the weather while I'm gone. You know, storms, droughts, the divine apocalypse, that sort of thing."
Applejack chuckled. "Don't y'all worry none. Ah'll send ya a message if'n anything happens, Spike Express. Deal?"
Rainbow spit on her hoof and clopped it against Applejack's. "Deal."
"—and you're going to go live in a castle, and castles have moats, and moats have alligators, and that's just SUPER DUPER FANTASTERIFIC because Gummy's an alligator too, and he would loooooooooove the chance to meet his aunts and nephews and grandpas and sisters and nieces and cousins—"
"Do be sure to drop a line if you find yourself in need of a formal gown, dahling! I'll be happy to whip up something chic and feminine for you!" said Rarity.
"Thanks, Rare," replied Rainbow, though she blanched a little. Applejack snickered.
"—and stepmothers and brothers and uncles and great uncles and great great uncles—"
"Have a safe trip, Rainbow. We'll all... miss you..." said a somber Fluttershy.
Rainbow trotted over and, for the second time in recent memory, wrapped the shy pegasus in a comforting embrace. Angel Bunny saw his chance and made a break for it, scampering for dear life, coughing and panting and making a very rude gesture with his paw, though nopony noticed.
"Hey Fluttershy, no worries, right? Canterlot isn't far, so don't go shedding any tears over me. Besides, Ponyville needs you to stay strong in case anymore dumb dragons decide to show their ugly mugs around this place."
"Hey! I resent that!" called out Spike.
Fluttershy smiled warmly. "Thanks, Rainbow."
Then, at last, Rainbow traipsed over to the chariot, head bowed.
Almost a year had gone by since Nightmare Moon's long-prophesized coup d'état had ushered in the night. If you had asked her then, as she stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, about to embark into the dark unknown—if you had asked her then how she felt about the five ponies standing next to her—she would never in a million years have predicted her feelings for them would ever amount to anything as powerful as this. They had been through so much together; so much had grown between them.
It hurt to part ways with them, these wonderful ponies—her friends. And not just her friends, but the town as well. Only now, with one hoof already in the chariot, did she realize how painful it was to leave Ponyville behind.
Ponyville, with its quaint wooden houses and its meandering cobblestone roads; its lush wildflower meadows and old forests, softly breathing, swaying in the wind day by day, as they had for centuries; its clear blue rivers reflecting clear blue skies, and endless groves of apple trees stretched far and wide across the horizon.
Ponyville. Her home, for most of her life.
She spared one last glance back over her shoulder. Twilight caught the misty look in her eyes and started to say something, but Rainbow cut her off.
"Shut up, Twilight. You were right. I need to make this trip. Just leave it at that."
"Actually, I was going to recommend a restaurant in Canterlot I thought you might like. But since you snapped at me, now I'm not going to tell you."
"You were not!"
"Was too."
"Were not!"
"—and then I said, 'Oatmeal? Are you CRAZY?' But then he started to laugh, and balloons and party favors started coming out of his ears. And that's how Equestria was made!"
Twilight just smiled. Rainbow rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
Then she climbed aboard the chariot and nodded to the pair of armored pegasi drivers. Slowly, they began to pull away.
The drivers' hooves clopped loud against the hard-packed dirt road as the chariot gained speed. They were a ways out of town, not far from the boundary of Whitetail Wood, rapidly approaching the thicket.
"WAIT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
Rarity was almost bowled over by an orange blur which tore past the group and down the road, desperate to catch up to the speeding cart. Scootaloo ran faster than she ever had before, her little wings beating madly against the headwind, hell bent on propelling herself forward. Yet as the forest loomed large, the armored pegasi drawing the chariot opened their wings and kicked off, bearing the vehicle and its passenger into the air.
Scootaloo stopped dead in her tracks, three hundred yards from the rest of the group. She reached out in vain as her hero disappeared over the treeline.
"RAINBOW DASH!" she shouted after the chariot.
The exhausted filly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Too late," she cried softly as hot tears stung her eyes. "I—I just—couldn't make it in time."
"Hey, kid. What's eatin' ya?"
Scootaloo perked up. "R-Rainbow Dash?"
Sure enough, there stood Rainbow, grinning and flexing her wings.
"The one and only," she beamed. "Hey Scoots, what are you—Whoa! Hey!"
Scootaloo practically tackled her, knocking her back onto her bottom. The little orange filly threw her arms around Rainbow and buried her face in her mane. Rainbow was tempted to laugh, and she probably would have if Scootaloo weren't crying her eyes out.
"I thought—I th-thought I wouldn't get a chance—to—to s-say—"
"Goodbye?" Rainbow finished, smiling softly. "Oh, Scootaloo, this isn't goodbye."
She hugged Scootaloo lovingly, allowing the weeping girl to take refuge in her arms. The others were probably watching, but for some reason she didn't care what they thought of her right now.
Scootaloo sniffled and looked up at her. "You're not going away?" she asked hopefully.
"No. I am," Rainbow said.
Scootaloo's face fell, and Rainbow felt no small measure of chagrin. She didn't like letting other ponies down, let alone her number one young admirer.
"I wish I could stay here with you, kiddo. I really do. Sometimes in life, you've gotta do things you don't really want to do, but you have to do them anyway. It isn't easy trying to figure out who you are."
Scootaloo shot her a withering glare. "Don't you think I know that?" she grumbled with a meaningful look at her bare flank.
There was something hilarious in Scootaloo's mannerisms. Rainbow didn't know what it was, but it had her cracking up. Laughing hysterically, she fell onto her back, taking the surprised filly along with her.
"Hey! It's not funny!" she complained, rolling off Rainbow's stomach and standing defiantly.
"Yes it is! Hahahahaha!"
Scootaloo stomped her hoof in anger. All she wanted was to say goodbye to Rainbow Dash, and now she was laughing at her!
"Aw, don't be that way, Scoots. I didn't mean nothin' by it. Hey, come here—I got somethin' to tell ya."
She wrapped her arm around Scootaloo and drew her close.
"Look I've got a real important job for you. I'm gonna be gone for a month or two. So while I'm away, I need you to take my place."
"As a weatherpony?" Scootaloo blinked.
"Well, no—although you probably wouldn't be any worse than the mare they actually picked for that job. No, I need you take my place as the awesomest pony in Ponyville. You think you can do that for me?"
"Awesomest pony in Ponyville? Me?" Scootaloo gaped. "Y-Yeah! Sure! I can do that!"
"It's a tough job. Not everypony is cut out for the task. You've gotta eat, sleep, and breathe coolness wherever you go. Think you're up to it?"
"If—If you think I am!"
"I think you'll do fine. You're already the awesomest pony in Ponyville in my book."
"I am?"
Rainbow winked. "Well, second awesomest."
Scootaloo's eyes lit up. Rainbow Dash thought she was awesome! She felt like she could soar!
"H-Hey, Rainbow Dash. What happened to that golden chariot you were flying out on?"
"Oh yeah. That," Rainbow muttered. She glanced unhappily at the sky beyond Whitetail Wood, where her ride was a tiny dot quickly retreating into the endless blue. "Yeah, I'm gonna need to shred some serious air to catch up with them. Guess it's time for me to go."
She gave Scootaloo a quick noogie, which had the little filly giggling and feigning protest. Then she spread her wings and took to the air with a mighty gust. With a mock salute to Ponyville's new awesomest pony, Rainbow turned and started to fly away.
Scootaloo ran after her. "Goodbye, Rainbow Dash!" she called.
"I already told you, this isn't a goodbye!"
"Then—Then what is it?" Scootaloo wondered.
Rainbow smiled back at her. "It's a new beginning!"
To Scootaloo's surprise, she didn't immediately soar off in pursuit of the chariot. Instead, she went straight up... and up... and up... until Scootaloo had to crane her neck all the way back, and even then she could just barely see her. At the apogee of her ascent, she hovered for a few moments, the sun reflecting brilliantly off her horn, glimmering like a rainbow. Then she tucked back her wings and went into freefall. And just when it looked like she was going to impale herself on the treetops at eight hundred miles an hour—
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
—young Scootaloo's eyes were filled with wonder as she witnessed the amazing spectacle of the sonic rainboom for the very first time.
Rainbow thundered away, laughing madly to herself. 'Yep. Definitely still got it.'
She flew toward Canterlot. Toward Celestia. Toward tomorrow.