Little Uncertainties
Dear Readers,
Long time no update, huh? I have moved into the mountains and cannot be happier. It has taken some time to relocate and settle into my new job duties, but now I'm back. I will be updating this story as quickly as I can. Thank you for your patience and dedication.
I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Yours truly,
rainbow-leaves
Please do not post my work on other sites. Plagiarizing is wrong.
I do not own any rights to any characters. Ever. Damn.
Chapter 6
Applejack kept her keen eyes peeled as she searched the surrounding area of the part of Ponyville that Rainbow Dash had practiced over, but no matter how much she looked she found no clue to anything being out of place. This was beyond frustrating!
"All Ah see is ah bunch of hoof prints," the orange mare groaned to herself as she continued to search the ground for clues, "If there was a powerful magic-user here, and he or she was a pony, then how in tarnation are we goin' to tell one hoof mark from another?"
"Anything?" a voice asked from behind Applejack making the Earth pony jump in surprise to find Twilight Sparkle and most of the rest of her friends cantering up with hopeful looks on their faces.
"Nope," Applejack denied as she shook her mane in frustration before settling her hat more firmly upon her head and stamping a hoof in frustration, "Ah don't see anythin' suspicious, Sugar Cube."
"We didn't find anything either, Darling," Rarity agreed as Fluttershy hurried up to the group and squeaked out a soft "excuse me."
"Doesn't magic leave some kind of mark after it's been used?" Pinkie Pie questioned the two Unicorns as Fluttershy tried again to get her friends' attention with a slightly louder "excuse me," "I mean…don't you sometime leave what looks like scorch marks when you do spells, Twilight?"
"I have only left one scorch mark before and that is only when I have messed up a spell. Magic usually doesn't leave any kind of lasting mark," the blushing, lavender Unicorn explained as Fluttershy took to waving her hooves wildly in the air and getting her bird friends to whistle loudly around her, "Only a really powerful spell might leave a bit of magic remnants in the air, but there should be some kind of a clue left by his or her tracks."
"Tha's tha problem, Twilight," Applejack interjected as Fluttershy held up a sign that read "Please listen to me!," "Tha tracks woulda been a hoof print and there are a ton of hoof prints around here. Hay! Tha whole town seemed ta turn out ta watch our Rainbow. Which hoof print leads to tha culprit?"
"Maybe we can track each hoof print to each pony that was here?" Pinkie Pie suggested as she seemed to mysteriously pull a slice of apple pie out of thin air and gobbled it down in two bites.
"We couldn't possibly track down every pony, Pinkie Pie," Rarity disagreed as Fluttershy took a deep breath, "Why that would take ages and…"
"EXCUSE ME!" Fluttershy bellowed at the top of her lungs making her friends fall back on their haunches and twist in shock to stare at their usually timid friend.
"Um…yes, Fluttershy?" Twilight meekly asked.
"Oh…uh…well, there are some tracks over here that I found that seem a little odd to me," Fluttershy offered as she withdrew behind her long, pink mane, "I was trying to tell you, but you were all so busy talking that you didn't hear me and then I yelled to get your attention. I so hope that you don't mind that I yelled. I didn't hurt your feelings, did I? Oh, please tell me that I didn't hurt your feelings or…or…your ears. Did I hurt your ears? I'm so sorry!"
"Our feelings and ears are fine, Fluttershy," Twilight assured, "Please, show us the tracks."
The yellow Pegasus led the group over to a group of bushes and pointed out the odd tracks. The group of friends all examined the prints and looked at one another in confusion. What was this?
"Tha tracks are goin' in tha same direction tha Rainbow Dash went," Applejack pointed out, "Let's follow. Maybe we can catch the magic-user if he or she is tryin' ta do somethin' ta Rainbow Dash again."
The friends all looked at one another in alarm and tore off to follow the tracks. Nopony was going to hurt their friend if they had anything to say about it.
Meanwhile a shadowy figure had been stealthily making its way after the Element of Loyalty once the rainbow-maned Pegasus and her life mates had taken off from their cloud home. He had placed a spying spell on Rainbow Dash earlier and had been able to hear everything the Triad had said.
"The plan could not have turned out any better"
"What plan?"
"Gah! The plan to get the Loyalty Brat to feel isolated and alone."
"That doesn't sound very pleasant."
"What doesn't?"
"Feeling isolated and alone. It kind of sounds like what it has been like ever since he left."
"Would you shut up!"
"You shut up."
"Stop. We've got to go."
"Go where? Back to the Everfree Forest? The blackberries should be ripe by now and you know how much I love blackberries. Let's go."
"No, you idiot. We are going after the Loyalty Brat. It is time for the finishing touches of the plan."
"What's the finishing touches of the plan?"
"You'll see!"
"But...the blackberries."
"Shut up about the blackberries!"
With this final parting comment the figure took off on all fours to race in the direction that Rainbow Dash disappeared towards. Finally it was time to bring him back. Now he would see what great help an assistant could bring.
Meanwhile Rainbow Dash had finally lost her two life mates in the clouds and glided down to have a nice sulk under the cover of a nice, shade tree. The rainbow-maned pony tried to settle down to calm herself, but instead found herself furiously pacing back and forth.
"How dare they!" Rainbow Dash spat out as she paced, "Who do those two think they are? I…I can fly circles around most of the new Wonderbolt trainees and Spitfire and Soarin' know it! I am Rainbow Dash! I can do whatever I want to do! It's my life and I get to make my own decisions!"
The young mare stopped and angrily blew some of her forelock out of her eyes.
"This isn't fair!" Rainbow Dash groaned out as she allowed gravity to pull her down into the soft grass, "I've worked so hard to prove myself. Why can't anypony trust me?"
The cyan Pegasus laid her head down on her forelegs sadly and gazed into the waning afternoon sun. A nagging twinge in her heart was bothering Rainbow Dash as the mare replayed Spitfire's words over and over again in her head.
"How can anypony trust you if you can't keep a promise to your two lifemates?"
"I didn't plan on lying," Rainbow Dash said aloud to herself as she flipped over to look at bits of the sky through the branches of the shade tree, "I…I just wanted the rumors to stop. I wanted ponies to see me for who I am."
"So…who are you?" a strange voice demanded from behind the rainbow-maned mare making Rainbow Dash jump to her hooves in alarm and spin around.
A small, cloaked form stood before her. Rainbow Dash knew immediately that the creature was not a pony and it seemed to be standing on two legs like Spike stood, but he or she was smaller than Spike by several inches. The hood and cloak obscured any features so the mare could not figure out what type of creature that was speaking to her.
"Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to hide her nervousness.
"Isn't that what I asked you?" the creature asked as he or she chuckled softly, "I just happened to overhear you and was curious. So…here I am to ask you again, who are you?"
The Pegasus mare relaxed a little and giggled. This creature didn't seem to be so bad, a little strange, but not bad.
"I'm Rainbow Dash the best flier in Equestria," Rainbow Dash boasted as she puffed her chest out.
"Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash?" the creature said thoughtfully to itself before turning it's hooded head in the mare's direction, "Aren't you Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty?"
"Yep!" the young mare happily agreed.
"The very Pegasus that won the Best Young Flier competition?"
"Yep!"
"The Pegasus that saved The Wonderbolts?"
"Yep!"
"The only Pegasus in the world who can do a sonic rainboom?"
"You've got that right!"
"Wow!" the strange creature breathed out, "I'm in the presence of a great Pegasus."
"No. Not really," Rainbow Dash quipped before drawing herself up proudly, "Okay. Maybe I am a little great."
"A little?" the creature gasped out as if in shock and awe.
"Okay. Okay," Rainbow Dash agreed as her ego got the better of her, "I am pretty great."
"So what is such a great pony doing all the way out here?" the hooded figure inquired, "Shouldn't you be with your friends or maybe even with your…what were they called? Oh…yes, why aren't you with your life mates?"
"My life mates?" Rainbow Dash started in confusion, "How did you know about them? Who are you?"
"Oh, my deepest pardons, Rainbow Dash. I am just a lone traveler," the stranger explained, "I have always been interested in the Elements of Harmony so I know a little bit about you and your friends. Plus, I have been hearing some rather unnecessary rumors about you lately and have made it a point to learn a little more about you."
"So you've heard those rumors as well?" the rainbow-maned Pegasus growled, "Well they aren't true! I would never…"
"Use your life mates to get ahead?" the stranger asked, "Why any fool who knew you would totally understand that you would never do such a thing. You are only one of the most loyal ponies in Equestria."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash stated as she stamped a hoof on the ground, "I just wish more ponies believed the truth."
"So ponies in Equestria actually believe these blasphemous lies?" the stranger questioned in an amazed tone.
"Yeah," the cyan Pegasus sighed out as she looked sadly at the ground.
"How dare they!" the stranger intoned angrily, "Why you are just too good for them!"
"Huh? What?" Rainbow Dash gasped out as she looked at the stranger in amazement.
"Equestria just does not deserve such a loyal and wonderful Pegasus as yourself," the stranger coaxed, "You should be worshipped for your bravery…your loyalty… and your abilities."
"You really think so?" Rainbow Dash hesitantly asked.
"Of course!" the stranger stated emphatically, "You should be treated with respect. And of course your life mates and your friends have probably stood up for you and showed you the respect you deserve."
Rainbow Dash winced a bit and then let out a sigh.
"Are you kidding me?" the hooded figure gasped out in apparent amazement, "They haven't?"
"Well…not exactly," Rainbow Dash hedged uncomfortably.
"Why not?" the stranger demanded, "Haven't you always been there for them? Haven't you put others first even when you wanted to do something else?"
"Yes, but…" the cyan Pegasus began before being cut off.
"I cannot believe with all you have done for your friends, your life mates, and Equestria that you have not been treated with more respect. This is a terrible treatment for such a wonderful pony as yourself," the stranger angrily voiced.
Rainbow Dash gaped openly at the hooded traveler as she let it's words sink into her mind. The more she thought about it, the more angry she was becoming. She should be treated with more respect. As anger built up within her heart several familiar voices called out to her. The cyan Pegasus turned and saw her friends galloping in her direction as her two life mates landed nearby. Rainbow Dash straightened her posture and moved rigidly forward as her new "cheerleader" moved to stand stiffly beside her.
"We need to talk," everypony stated at the exact same time.
To be continued…