MY LITTLE PONY: EQUESTRIA UNLIMITED

CHAPTER THREE: DARING MOM, PART II

Scribbler just had poured tea into the cups he had placed for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow was still shaky. Of course she would be, after what she just had experienced. She had just learned the pony Daring Do was based on was her own mother. Scribbler sat down in his couch as he sighed. "Now…where should I begin?"

"At the start would be nice…" Rainbow said dryly.

Quincy had a small smile on his face as Rainbow said that. "The sarcasm…typically your mother. Now…as you've figured from the books, she was a treasure hunter and a really good one at that. In fact the best there was. No mountain was high enough, no desert too hot, she lived for adventure, she would nothing slow her down, she would give her full hundred percents once she set her mind on something." Quincy said, starting to smile at the memories of Aurora.

"Just like Rainbow." Fluttershy noted.

"She sure is her mother's daughter. Personality and looks, but with her father's coloring. But now I'm getting off-track. Aurora was a great mare. While she could be a show-off and rash, she could think her way through a brick wall and she was very loyal. Though she loved her life as a treasure hunter, she cared little for the treasure itself, every time she got something she would donate it to the museum or something. That attitude insprired Daring Do's catchphrase; 'It's not about the riches, it's about the adventure.'" Quincy said.

"But where do you come in? How did you know my mother?" Rainbow asked curiously.

"I at the time worked as a reporter. I was assigned to chronicle down her adventures. I went abroad a lot in my line of work, but I didn't get into the adventurous stuff until I started working with your mother. And believe me, the first few trips made me afraid to leave my hotel room for a few weeks." Quincy said, laughing as he finished that last statement.

"Wait…the reporter that joins Daring Do on her quests in the later novels…Live Report…that was you?" Rainbow asked. Quincy Scribbler nodded. "Then every character in the book is based upon a real-life person too?" Rainbow Dash continued asking.

"Indeed. Even Ahuizotl. Ahuizotls are no longer common nowadays, but they did exist, and he was a true rival to your mother. He used to be top dog in treasure hunting until your mom came along. And it's good she did, Ahuizotl's methods were less…pure then your mom's. He wouldn't care who got in his way, or what he needed to destroy to get his treasure, he was all about the treasure. Your mom's opposite in fact." Scribbler continued as he sipped his tea.

"How did she met my father then? I don't recall Daring Do meeting a love interest in any of the novels, unless you had one planned for the future…" Rainbow asked.

"I haven't…because after the events of the latest novel…she met your dad. She just got back after her last crusade and wanted a bit of rest in between two quests. But then she met your dad, by accident. He was on his way to his job at the cloud factory before he literally flew into your mother. It was a nasty bump, but they laughed it off…they started talking, and started seeing each other often after that…and one thing led to another." Quincy said.

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Fluttershy said delighted.

"Not the way I'd imagine my parents meeting…but who am I to complain, if it didn't happen I wouldn't be here." Rainbow muttered. "But it still doesn't explain what happened to her."

"Ahuizotl happened. When your parents were married, and Ahuizotl couldn't cope that Aurora would abandon her life as a treasure hunter for that." Scribbler answered.

"Wouldn't Ahuizotl be relieved Rainbow's mother would no longer be in his way?" Fluttershy asked confused.

"You'd think that…but Ahuizotl didn't forget how Aurora humiliated him again and again. He was no longer obsessed with treasure, all he wanted to do is best Aurora at her own game, and prove himself the best treasure hunter. And Aurora retiring meant to him that she was cowardly running away from him." Scribbler said.

"My mom wasn't a coward!" Rainbow said, stomping her hoof on the table, nearly making the tea spill… "Sorry…I mean, my mom wasn't scared, she just wanted to be with my dad, that's understandable." Rainbow stated.

"Indeed, but Ahuizotl didn't care. He would threaten her, but when she refused, he started to threaten your father. They wanted to step to the police, but Ahuizotl used his riches and connections in the underworld to cover his tracks. So there would be no evidence against him. And when you were born, that's when your mother really started to get worried." Scribbler continued, his face nearly turning pale.

"What did she do?" Rainbow asked, she now wanted to know more than ever what happened. Scribbler looked like he barely had the guts to continue. "Please, tell me. I've been in the dark about her for so long…" she begged him.

Quincy sighed. "She made a deal with Ahuizotl. They would compete one more time. They would go after the biggest and most valuable of treasures…this one would finally determine who would be the better treasure hunter. Your mom had no intent of winning, she just hoped that once it was over, Ahuizotl would leave her alone for good. They both left, neither of them telling where they had gone…but since then neither of them have been seen again. She only left a note, telling she would settle things forever, but nothing to indicate where she went or what she would be after." Quincy said, looking sad.

"Has no one tried looking for her?" Rainbow asked.

Quincy shed tears as he took of his glasses and took out a handkerchief. "I'm sorry… I…we did what we could, but she had vanished of the face of the planet. No one knew where she went, no one knew where to start looking…" Scribbler said as he wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry I'm not able to help you any further. I have said all there is."

Rainbow Dash sighed, still seemingly upset, but part was relieved for having some answers. "It's okay…thanks, for shedding some light of a part in my life that was kept in the dark." She stood up as she prepared to leave, but before she did she asked one more question. "One more thing: if you and my mother were so close, why did you never come and visit me and dad? I thought that because of what mom meant to you, you'd like to be part of her daughter's life?"

"I considered, but the memory of your mother…just is so painful to me. I really loved her…as a sister I mean." Scribbler said, that last part a bit too quickly.

"Then why you wrote down her adventures in those novels?" Fluttershy asked.

"I wanted to honor her memory…" Scribbler replied.

"Thanks…for everything." Rainbow said as she strolled outside the trailer. She didn't even bother to fly anymore. She didn't feel much like flying anyways. Fluttershy was walking next to her by her side.

"Rainbow…you feel a bit better now?" Fluttershy asked, though she already knew the answer to that one.

"No, I'm not! I can't believe Dad never told me! He always had me believe my mom was a simple housemother!" Rainbow said annoyed.

"He…was just trying to protect you…I mean…if you were in your father's place, how would you bring it up?" Fluttershy noted.

"I don't know…but I wouldn't have waited until my daughter was an adult already." Rainbow growled.

"W-what are you going to do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"Simple, I'm having a talk with my father. I'm leaving for Cloudsdale right away!" She said.

"Can I come too? I know this is personal, but I…I just want to make sure nothing happens both of you will regret." Fluttershy muttered.

"So you're going to be the mediator? Well…Element of Kindness I guess…I must warn you, I'm quite cross with my dad. And dad isn't very happy with me since he never liked the decisions I made in life…so perhaps it's for the best if we have you around." Rainbow noted.

"Oh…Rainbow. There is one more thing…you also think something doesn't make sense about Scribbler?" Fluttershy asked.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't really understand…why would he continue to write about your mom, whom he cared for deeply, but at the same time not keep in check with her family, supposedly because 'the memories are too painful'…it doesn't make much sense to me." Fluttershy explained.

"I don't understand either, but he has been more honest with me then my dad has over the years. And I'm getting some answers from him soon!" Rainbow responded.

Rainbow would later fly straight to Cloudsdale that day. Cloudsdale was still as it always had been…true to its name it was a city in the clouds, many buildings drawing inspiration from something that comes out of Greek culture. This city also had rivers of rainbows and water flowing through it, logical since the Pegasi controlled the weather…these streams of water and rainbow would go over the edge of Cloudsdale and fall down in waterfalls to the surface world below.

She came across a cloud house that didn't look any different than the others. In fact, if you weren't a Pegasus, you would have a hard time to keep all the cloud buildings apart. But Rainbow recognized her childhood home right away. She didn't look particularly happy, and the sadness and anger hadn't faded from her face. "Here it is…I'm not sure I'm ready for this…" Rainbow muttered.

"No, it took this long to find out about my mom…and I don't want to wait any longer." Rainbow said. She took a deep breath and knocked the cloud door. Just a minute afterwards, someone opened the door. And that someone was the stallion that they saw at the book convention earlier, and the one that had threatened Scribbler, Rainbow's dad, Meteor Dash. "Hi dad…" Rainbow said in a monotone, no emotion in it at all.

Meteor didn't know how to respond. He just stood there, dumbstruck. Rainbow and he weren't exactly on speaking terms… "Rainbow…" he muttered, one part of him was glad to see her, but another part was terribly confused.

"I'm getting straight to the point here…I came to talk about my mom. Yes, I know, Dad. I know who she really is." She said it, just like that, no façade, no empty words…that's how Rainbow rolls.

Meteor sighed as he put a hoof to his forehead. You could only guess what was going on in his head…and all the emotions he felt at the same time: anger, confusion, though also somewhat happy… "All right…please come in!" he said, the same monotone in his voice as his daughter, as he let the Pegasus mare in.

Meteor had poured in lemonade for Rainbow Dash. He also had a bowl of cookies…filled with rose petal jelly, Rainbow's favorite. Meteor apparently always had a few in case his daughter would come to visit him again.

"So you know…" Meteor said, still in monotone. Rainbow nodded. "Who told you? Was it Scribbler?" when mentioning the writer's name, you could hear a bit of anger in his voice. He obviously didn't like him.

"Yes…I was there, at the convention. We saw you as well…we overheard your quarrel. Afterwards, he told me all he knew. But now I want some answers from you as well." Rainbow said firmly, her face showing no emotion. "Was my mother really a mere housemother? Or was she really a treasure hunter?"

Meteor sighed, looking down to the cloudy ground. "You must know Rainbow…everything I told you about your mom was true. I really met her by bumping into her as I returned from work…she was every bit the wonderful mare I told you she was…"

"But you omitted facts about her…I grew up never knowing her, and I always believed her to be a typical mother who cleans the house, prepares the meals and takes care of the baby while dad goes to work! And that she supposedly vanished in thin air one day." Rainbow said, raising her voice.

"Does it make any difference who your mother was? She was a loving wife and a great mother…her treasure hunting days had nothing to do with it. She gave it all up, because she loved me, and she loved you, and wanted us to have a peaceful life, were we could enjoy time with each other." Meteor said, raising his voice as well.

"Well if it didn't matter, then you could have told me. What harm would it have done? Why choosing to lie instead?" Rainbow growled.

"Because I didn't want to lose you too! If you knew about your mother's early life, you might have gone down the same path, choosing a life of dangerous adventures. I couldn't bear a life where I have to worry for your safety all the time." Meteor's voice was still loud and angry, but also sad.

"Too late for that now! I have become one of the Elements of Harmony, I've fought shadow monsters, timberwolves, dragons, spirits of chaos, changelings and other evil creatures. And I'm a Wonderbolt in Training…you never approved of my dream to join them. But I'm an adult mare now and I've chosen my own path in life." Rainbow said.

"Do you blame a father for trying to protect his daughter? Those stunts the Wonderbolts do are not always safe…the way you spoke of them was the same way your mother spoke of her days as a treasure hunter. You're so much like her, and I didn't want it to end for you the same way." Meteor's voice wasn't as loud anymore, but still sounded really sad.

"If you had just told me from the start…You thought I wouldn't have understood? I don't blame you for trying to protect me, but I blame you for never telling me the truth about the mother I never knew. That you lied to me!" Rainbow said, practically screaming, tears welling up in her eyes.

"How was I supposed to tell you? 'Hey daughter, your mother was a treasure hunter, but one day she left to find a treasure because she was threatened and never came back'!" Meteor said.

"I don't care how, I had the right to know! You think I couldn't handle it? I've handled the forces of evil, I've handled being with the Wonderbolts, I've handled being by myself on my own just fine!" Rainbow shot back.

"After you ran away from home! You know how worried sick I was? It wasn't until I heard you got that weather job in Ponyville that I finally was able to calm down." Meteor shouted back.

"You kept me on a short leash! So that's why I had to leave! I wanted to lead my own life. The life I wanted to live. The dreams I wanted to come true. I can understand you trying to protect me…but it doesn't matter. I was meant to be an Element of Harmony…so my life will be dangerous anyways." Rainbow said. Her voice has softened, but both anger and sadness were still present.

"I know…I've heard of your great deeds. And while I feel proud for you having become such a well-known hero…" Meteor said, surprising Rainbow as she said that. "…but I can't help but to think of your mother whenever I see your name in the newspaper after you fought the next force of evil…and I'm afraid that I might lose you too!" The anger and sadness were both present in his voice as well.

Both father and daughter both continued staring at each other, the angry looks and the tears in their eyes still visible. Both of there stood there, unmoving. But then both seemed to calm down, still teary-eyed but their faces showed no more anger.

"I'm sorry…I never told you." Meteor said sadly.

"I'm sorry I ran away." Rainbow replied equally as sad.

"Your mother wouldn't have wanted us to be like this…I wanted to protect you from the dangers this world has, but you are just meant to face them. Though I wanted it differently, you have to walk your own path…" Meteor noted.

"I know I gave you reason to be worried. I know I'm brash, I know I'm reckless…but I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted to feel free. But I wasn't thinking how it'd affect you and…"

"Thing is…" both started at the same time, before they finished at the same time: "…I'm sorry!" they both said. With that, both father and daughter embraced. Both could be stubborn, both were proud, but both were willing to admit their mistakes in the end.

"Rainbow…it's about time I showed you something…" Meteor said as he and Rainbow broke the hug. "Of course, when I hid the truth of you, I also hid a few of your mother's possessions from her 'Daring Do Days' if you will…I think it's about time I show them to you." Meteor said.

TO BE CONTINUED

XXX

Hi everyone! I finally managed to update this after a while. Sorry, but work and writer's block are both a bitch. I personally am satisfied with the bits with Scribbler, but not with the Meteor Dash bits. But I try to improve upon the next chapters (it's my first pony fic after all)