Year 933 AD Spring 1 Day 12

I'm making a special trip today. To visit an old friend of mine. The chariot I was traveling in began to descend, then landed on the cloud streets of Cloudsdale. It was a floating city made entirely of clouds. Only Pegasus lived here because only Pegasus can stand on the clouds.

Cloudsdale was always busy this time of year. So much rain is needed all over Equestria to help the plants grow. Cloudsdale is the city that makes most of the clouds and then sends them all over Equestria.

I walked up to one of the little houses, raised a hoof and knocked on the front door. I heard a young voice say from inside the house. "Mom! Someone's at the door." I wait a moment and then a pink pegasus pony opened the door.

As soon as she noticed who was at the door she took a step back and said surprised, "Princess… I… I wasn't expecting you." She immediately bowed her head.

When she was finished and raised her head again I said, "No need for formalities Rainbow. "

She replied confused, "Why have you coming to my house?"

"Can a Princess not visit her friends?… I suppose it's been a long time for you."

"Well you do visit Cloudsdale once in awhile, but we haven't had a conversation in over eight years. I enjoy your company, but I wouldn't exactly call us FRIENDS."

"Maybe I just see it differently then. Would you mind if I came in?"

Rainbow Skies nodded and said "Not at all, Princess." She moved to the side and I walked into her cloud house. The front door opened up to a living area. I quickly looked around noticing how big and tidy the house was and said "You have quite a nice place here."

She stepped beside me to look at the room then said "Yeah… You know I never forgot what you told me. 'Look at the future ahead of me' That's what I've been doing. After moving here I got a job doing cloud forming. You're actually lucky, this is a busy time of year and today is my only day off this week."

"I know." I said.

"Of course you would." She replied unimpressed then continued saying "Before I knew it I had a new family." She sighed, "I miss Dashing Defender all the time though."

All of a sudden a bouncy ball flew out from a doorway on the other side of the room. Then a small brown pegasus with rainbow colored hair flew out to get it and ended up flying into one of the cloud walls.

"Now I need to focus on his future." Rainbow said to me, then shouted, " Rainbow Dashing! You need to be more careful." She walked up to the young Pegasus who seemed to be stuck in the cloud wall. Just his body was sticking out and his legs were flailing.

He said in a muffled voice "Mom, I think I'm stuck."

Rainbow replied quite annoyed "Oh Dashing that's the fourth time this week." She opened her mouth and grabbed one of Dashing legs then pulled him out of the wall. "You be more careful next time, OK?"

"OK mom." He ran to the ball and began kicking it around the room.

I said "I see he can fly already."

"Yeah, he's just like his dad."

I look at the little colt running around the room. "Hey dashing, I have a few questions for you."

Rainbow replied confused "What would you need to ask him?" Dashing had stopped running and was also looking at me confused.

"I just want to check something." I replied, then I looked down at dashing and asked "Dashing do you know who Princess Luna is?"

Dashing said puzzled "Princess Luna? Umm… Oh, oh I know, Princess Luna was your sister like a thousand years ago, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. Now do you know who Nightmare Moon is?"

"Yeah, Nightmare Moon is Princess Luna's evil side that she used when she attacked the kingdom." He was beginning to get more excited. "This was all in that book the teacher read to us in class."

"Yes, I believe it is. Now I have one more question for you. What are the elements of harmony?"

This time Dashing didn't answer immediately. He thought about it for a bit before he said, "I don't know. I think I've heard the older kids talk about them, but I don't know what they are."

Rainbow explained "He doesn't learn about that till next year. But Princess Celestia everything you've mentioned was added to the school libraries in books you wrote. You already know all this, so why are you asking?"

My face began to look more serious and my voice went lower. "Maybe I asked to see if the young ones know the past, so they will be ready for the future." My face and voice return to normal as I continued "I almost forgot. I have something for you Dashing."

Dashing's excitement returned. He began jumping up and down and flapping his wings frantically. "Oh, oh, what is it?"

I turned to head for the door and looked over my back towards the little colt and smiled. "Just wait a second and I'll go get it." I then walked out of the house. I could hear his curiosity from outside asking his mom if she knew what it was. She would never have expected the gift I was about to give him. I walked to the side of the house where I left it when I arrived. Then I used my magic to pick it up and carry it into the house.

I placed it on the floor in front of Dashing. Dashing's face showed complete wonder while his mom was in shock. "Dashing, this is your father's lance. He used it while he was a royal guard. It's yours now."

Rainbow said nervously "Are you sure that he will be safe having that?" Dashing looked intently at the gold lance. He grabbed the hilt with his mouth and began to drag the lance, across the floor, towards his room.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." I said. Dashing slowly continued dragging the lance. He disappeared through the doorway on the far side of the room and the lance disappeared behind him.

He jumped out from the opening and said "This is so cool! Thank you Princess!" Then he ran back through the doorway again.

"How did you get it? I thought it was left in the Everfree Forest." Rainbow asked. She had been wondering that since I told her that it was Dashing Defender's lance, but she didn't want to ask while Rainbow Dashing was still in the room.

I replied "I went back to the everfree to get it."

Rainbow Skies was stunned " Princess! After what happened last time are you sure you should have gone back there?"

"It was just a quick pick up. I knew where the lance was left. I was only there a few minutes."

"So you deliberately went to get that lance for Dashing... that's nice." She paused, then lowered her head and said under her breath "I hope this doesn't make him want to be a royal guard."

I replied, "what's wrong with being a royal guard?"

She continued, "I was always afraid Dashing would follow his father's footsteps, but I didn't want him to, I don't want him to. I don't think I could deal with worrying about him all the time. Wondering if he's OK or if he's…"

I cut her off, "Rainbow Skies, Dashing still doesn't have his cutie mark yet, but when he does get it remember one thing. Never prevent a pony from embracing their special gift. That can sometimes be worse than what might happen if you let them. If his cutie mark is for guarding then let him guard. His cutie mark will be what his cutie mark is meant to be. Not even I, nor the elements of harmony can change that. But… If Dashing does become a royal guard, I promise that I won't put him in any serious harm."

Rainbow raised her head, "Thanks Princess. I suppose I'll just have to worry about that when the time comes."

"As must I." I said quietly then looked up through the walls of this cloud house and into a possible future. A future after the return of Nightmare Moon. After she has defeated me and taken control of Equestria. A future without the sun. And where am I in this future? I'm…

"PRINCESS!" Rainbow shouted. She had said my name several times before, but I did not respond. I came back to my senses and shook my head a little. "You were kinda spaced out there weren't you?"

I turned to her smiled and said, "I am in a similar situation to you. I also have a future that terrifies me."

"Oh princess, I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle."

I lowered my head then replied quietly "If only that were true." I paused and saw Rainbow's reaction to what I said. she seemed shocked and kind of curious. "Well I probably should get going, I have important things to do back in Canterlot. Goodbye Rainbow, I don't know when the next time will be that we can have a personal conversation like this."

"Goodbye Princess. Oh, you should say bye to Dashing before you leave. I'll get him." She walked through the doorway at the far end of the room and said "Dashing, Princess Celestia is leaving… Don't you want to say something to her." Dashing ran out of his room and into the room with me, Rainbow followed.

Dashing stood right in front of me and said "Oh, um, Goodbye Princess, and thanks for the spear thing... Um, Princess is that really my father's?" He looked towards his bed room.

"Yes it is your father's 'spear thing'. The same one he would take into every battle."

"Wow." Dashing said excitedly.

"Well I should be going now. Goodbye Rainbow, Goodbye Dashing I'm sure we will see each other again."

"Goodbye Princess Celestia." They both said as I walked out the door and closed it behind me.

The future is so unpredictable, how do I know that I'm going to make the right decisions in order to create the future I desire. My only hope right now is that the steps I'm taking to make a better future don't end up making it worse.