History is written by the winners. It is an inevitable, unchangeable law. Those who live to tell the tale will always tell it in their own words, and those who listen may never know what actually happened. As times goes by, facts will fade until all that remains are half truths.

Simply put: lies.

These lies are the foundations of history. The future may be paved in mystery, but the past is paved with just as much unknown. The truth is only what you can see without eyes, feel with your senses, and experience for yourselves. The past is untrustworthy, the present malleable and the future unforeseen.

However, at this particular moment, this sliver that is our history, the foundation for the future of all pranking will forever be set in stone. None will ever be able to deny what happened here, as no half-truth or even lie could compete with the fact. Decades from now, the tale of how Rainbow Dash, along with her faithful companion Scootaloo, will be taught and learned in schools for hundreds of yearning students. They will glimpse at greatness, and forever try to reach it themselves. For, on this day, the greatest, most ingenious prank–

“Hasn’t this been done before?”

Rainbow Dash jumped, startled by the interruption to her internal monologue. She turned to her partner-in-pranking.  “W-what?!”

Scootaloo regarded the various schematics and blueprints littered on the table. “I swear I’ve seen this before in a cartoon...”

“A cartoon?!” Dash scoffed, offended that her work could be mistaken for that of a children's show. “C’mon, Scoots, have some faith in me! My pranks are all original, well thought out, intricate–”

“You put food coloring in shampoo…” Scootaloo deadpanned.

“My point exactly: it was genius,” Dash said with an agreement nod, then loudly cleared her throat. “Anyway, let’s go over the totally original plan one more time.” She pointed to one of the many papers. “First, we’re gonna lure out the Pink One with a trail of candy leading over to this nearby ravine, which has a huge pile of candy on the other side. Then, Pinkie’s gonna wanna get that candy. So, she’s gonna run over to it, not noticing there’s a cliff, fall down onto the trampoline and fly over to this giant bubble wand, get coated in glue, then fall into a pile of feathers. It’s foolproof!”

Scootaloo’s gaze swapped from the papers to Dash. “Yeah I’ve definitely seen this before.” She shrugged. “Oh, well, a prank’s a prank. So, when do we start?!” She exclaimed, practically bouncing from excitement.

Dash rolled up the papers and put them on a nearby shelf. “Patience, my young apprentice. You are not ready to take on a task such as this.”

Scootaloo’s expression fell. “W-what? B-but…”

Dash patted her on the head. “You need more practice before we can prank her. And to do that, do you know what we need to do?”

Scootaloo tilted her head. “Prank… somepony else?”

“Close.” Dash then pulled out a radio, placing it in front of Scootaloo. “We need… a montage!” Rainbow turned on the radio, and a song started to play.

“X gon’ give it to ya–”

Rainbow turned it off. “Okay, not that one…” Though it would work, it’s just that that particular song wasn’t something a ten year old filly should listen to. “Okay, nevermind… let's just skip the montage and go right to the pranking.”

Scootaloo’s ears fell flat against her head. “Awww… but I like montages.” She then turned the radio back on, switching the stations until she found something she liked. “Oooh! I like this one!”

“Until the break of dawn. Live life, cannot go by the letter–”

Rainbow blinked. “You listen to the Offspring?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Uh huh.”

Rainbow sighed, turned off the radio, and headed for the door. “C’mon, I’ll silently judge you on the way.”

“Heyyyy! What’s wrong with ‘em?”

“Still judging you~!” Rainbow sang out as she threw her small companion on her back, then took to the sky.

(\/);,,;(\/)

Rainbow hugged her hind-hooves closer to her chest. She slowly rocked back and forth, her story momentarily paused as tried to collect herself. Twilight sat directly next to her distraught friend and whispered soft coo’s of support into the pegasus’s ear while she ran a single hoof through her prismarine hair. The two sat in the middle of the silent library, their position the same as when Rainbow had first arrived.

Twilight looked down and regarded her friend in her hooves. Though Rainbow had stopped crying, the unicorn mare could still see the ghostly trails that trailed down her muzzle, while the rest of her face still shown with sadness. Sadness from what, exactly, the Unicorn was yet to know, but it had to be something severe to put the normally brash and bold pegasus into such a state.

Oh, Rainbow… What happened to you? Twilight thought as her hoof continued to caress her friend’s mane. Though her heart said differently, Twilight’s mind told her to try and get her friend to just say it; to point out the issue that plagued her directly. If she did, then Twilight could address it and work towards a fix, rather than wait and listen. It was the logical thing to do, but emotions were never completely logical.

Neither were ponies.

With a soft sigh, the unicorn mare shook her head. “Rainbow… I don’t mean to push, but… what’s really bothering you? What you’ve told me so far just details a fun day with Scootaloo. Am I missing something? What’s got you so worked up?” Twilight asked in a soft, non-threatening tone. She didn’t want to push her too hard, but like her brain said: she needed to get to the core of the issue.

Rainbow let out a soft sniff, then rose to a seated position, and finally, wipe her nose with the back of her hoof. “Sorry, Twi… I guess I am rambling on,” the pegasus confessed. “But, you need to know the whole thing to understand it properly, y’know?”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re right... Sorry,” the unicorn admitted. “I don’t want to push you. I just…”

“Want to know what the heck is going on?” Rainbow finished for Twilight, who nodded. “Yeah, I know the feeling,” she chuckled. “Don’t worry, Twi. It’s almost over, I promise.”

(\/);,,;(\/)

She was almost there.

“Ooh! A piece of candy!”

Just a few more feet.

“Ooh! A piece of candy!”

Just past the bushes.

“Ooh! A piece of—” Pinkie Pie lept into the air and gasped as if she had surfaced from being underwater for an extended period of time. The pink mare’s eyes went wider than what physically should be possible at the sight in front of her. Just a few precious yards away laid a gold mine of delicious, mouth watering, sugary sweets, completely unattended.

And it was all hers!

Rainbow Dash and her tiny accomplice lay in wait just out of sight. They giggled with anticipation; their bodies almost vibrating as they waited for the final part of the plan to work.

The pink mare wasted no time and bounced over to the pile of valuable loot. She continued forwards, completely ignorant the small ravine that says between her and her candy prey. Tunnel vision had sat in; nothing could break her focus! It was this fact that the two super-pranksters had hoped for, and waited for the pink one’s lack of attention to her surroundings cause her to fall straight into their trap.

Pinkie Pie took one last bounce at the edge of the small fissure, her landing point void of a tangible ground. Rainbow and Scoots shook as they waited for their friend to fall.

She didn’t.

The sound of two jaws thumping against the dirt resonated for miles. The source of said jaws belonged to two dumbfounded pranksters as they witnessed their pink friend continue to bounce, uninterrupted, despite the lack of ground!

“La lala lala~!” Pinkie sang as she approached the cache of candy, only to make it halfway before being stopped by something blue and pony shaped. She skidded to a halt and smiled. “Heya, Dashie!”

Rainbow stared at her with slightly-above-moderate-agitation. “Pinkie! What are you doing?!”

“Oh... me?” Pinkie asked as she tilted her head slightly. “Well, I was just going to get that pile of candy, but now I’m talking to you!”

Rainbow’s eye twitched as she hovered in place. “Do you realize where you’re standing?”

“Uhh… yeah… in front of you?”

Rainbow facehoofed. “Look down!”

The pink mare looked with her friend inquisitively, then shrugged and did as asked. “Oh wowie! Now that’s a long fall!”

“Yeah… it is…” Rainbow deadpanned.

“Mmhmmm!”

Silence.

“So, uh…” Rainbow began, slightly embarrassed. “Ya’ gonna fall, or what?”

Pinkie gasped. “Oh, Dashie! You want me to fall down this ravine? How could you ever wish such a thing to your best friend?!”

Rainbow growled. “Pinkie, no—uhg! There’s a trampoline!”

“A trampoline?”

“Yes, a trampoline! Right there! Right at the bottom!”

“OoooOOoooOOoOOOOohhh! I see it now!” Her cheerful expression soon turned inquisitive. “Wait, why is there a trampoline at the bottom of a ravine?”

“Because I put it there!”

“OoooOOOOooOOoohhh! Why’d you put a trampoline at the bottom of a ravine?”

Sky blue feathers ruffled as Rainbow shook with annoyance. “Ugh! Because you were supposed to fall down there, distracted. Then you would bounce on the trampoline, fly through a pit of glue, then land in a pile of feathers! It’s a prank, Pinkie!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes, then booped the practically steaming pegasus on the nose. “Silly Dashie! You’re not supposed to tell the person you’re pranking about the prank! It ruins the effect, y’know?” The pink mare shrugged. “Besides, I’ve seen that one before in a cartoon. Anyways, I’m gonna go and snack on that delectable pile over there. See you later, Dashie!” she finished, then bounced the remainder of the gap, and into the awaiting pile of sweet loot.

Rainbow, on the other hoof, could only continue to hover in place, contemplating what had gone wrong. Had she missed something? Had Pinkie known about it and placed a clear walkway over the drop? Yes, that had to be it!

Rainbow shook her head and smiled. “Good one, Pinkie,” she muttered to herself as she retracted her wings and fell towards her friends counter-pranking platform.

Well, she thought she did.

There was no platform, nor was there anything at all. And, to make matters worth, the mare didn’t register this fact until she made contact with the trampoline.

“Pinkieeeeeeee!”

The pink mare and the tiny pegasus watched from above at the backfire of the century.

Pinkie shrugged as she munched on her hall. “Huh… didn’t know Dashie wanted to prank herself…”

(\/);,,;(\/)

“Rainbow?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But!”

“I don’t want to talk about it…”

“Okay… well, did you remember the solvent?”

Opal eyes went wide as the Rainbow remembered that, as a second half of the prank, she had left the solvent to remove the glue back in the center of town. Rainbow looked down at her abnormally feathered body, then let out a sigh of resignation.

“How did Pinkie do that?”

“I don’t know, Scoots… I don’t know.”

“Should we… should we try again?”

“No, Scoots. Never again.”

“But!”

“Never. Again.”

“Oh… okay. Well, uh… we should probably go and get the solvent. I’d get it myself, but… I don’t think I can reach it at the top of Ponyville fountain.”

“It’s okay, Scoots. We can go together.”

“Do you… do you want me to get a bag?”

“Yes, please.”

(\/);,,;(\/)

After the bag-wearing chicken-pony and her sidekick retrieved the solvent, both ponies headed back to Rainbow’s house to removed the failed remnants of their attempt to prank the best.

After another several hours of scrubbing, plucking and screaming, the back-to-cyan pegasus sat on her cloud couch. Her hooves were crossed, and her face was filled with anger at her humiliation.

“You have to admit: it was funny!”

“...”

“I mean, if it wasn’t you, it would have been perfect!”

“...”

“Never talk about it again?”

“Yes, please.”

Scootaloo’s ears fell flat against her head. “Fine,” she muttered, then stretched her forelegs and yawned. “Pranking sure is hard work, ain’t it?”

Rainbow floated towards the kitchen. “I can agree to that.” She briefly scanned over her cabinets and fridge. “Hey, so I’m like too tired to make something. Wanna order a pizza?”

Scootaloo’s ears perked right back up. “Totally! With extra jalapenos!”

“Heeeeelll yeah!” Rainbow said, giving her honorary little sister a hoof bump.

(\/);,,;(\/)

Thirty minutes (and many slices of pizza) later, the duo find themselves getting ready for bed. Rainbow had prepared the guest bed some time before, so all she had to do was tuck Scootaloo in for the night.

“Need an extra blanket or pillow or somtin’?” the older of the two pegasi asked.

Scootaloo wiggled around under the blanket, then let out a sigh of peace as she sank into the mattress. “Nah, I’m good.”

Rainbow nodded. “Aight, then. I’m right next door if you need me, and the bathroom is right down the hall to your left,” she said with a smile, then turned to head out of the guest room. “Sleep tight, Scoots. See ya tomorrow.”

“Hey, Dash?” Scootaloo asked just as Rainbow was about to close the door behind her.

The older pegasus popped her head back into the room. “Yeah?”

Scoots shuffled awkwardly in her bed. “Thanks for spending the day with me, Rainbow. It really means a lot.”

Rainbow smirked. “Anytime, kiddo! You ain’t to bad yourself, kid—not many ponies can keep up with me!”

Scootaloo nodded, mumbling as she snuggled into her blankets.  “I wish I had a mom like you,”

The door stopped just short of closing for the second time. “Huh?” Rainbow asked, poking her head back inside.

Scootaloo shook her head.  “Nothin’, I just… I wish I had a mom like you.” She looked down at the blanket. “I mean, Blossom is nice, but… she’s not a mom.”

“What do you… mean.” Rainbow asked.  That name, Blossom, sounded familiar to her.  She knew of two Blossoms that lived in Ponyville.  One, Blossomforth, worked with her on the weather team.  The other, however…

Rainbow’s eyes went wide, then she slammed them shut. “Oh… uh… yeah. I gotta… uh… Night, Scoots!” Rainbow said quickly, before she closed the door as fast as she could without slamming it.

(\/);,,;(\/)

“A-and that was the moment when everything made sense,” Rainbow said as she sniffed again, then wiped her nose. “The visions, t-the odd feelings... everything.”

Twilight took a moment to contemplate her friends’ words. “So… you came here after that?” she asked, then added, “Did you leave Scootaloo alone?”

Rainbow sniffed again, but composed herself. “No, of course not,” she began. “I freaked out for a little bit... then decided to take a quick flight to calm myself down. I-I ended up flying around for a good half an hour, then... somehow ended up at Fluttershy’s…”

(\/);,,;(\/)

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow muttered as she gently knocked on the door of her yellow friends cottage. She didn't want to bother her meek friend with her problems, nor did she even know what she’d say. Part of her wished her friend wouldn't hear her, but another desperately needed somepony to be there for her right now.

Rainbow halted her knocks as the door suddenly creaked open, a tired looking yellow head with a frazzled pink mane poking out soon after.

“Rainbow? Why… What are you doing here so late?” the shy Pegasus mumbled, her voice soft and nurturing, almost motherly.

The sky blue Pegasus opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. This cycle continued as the Pegasus was at a loss for words, and it was Fluttershy who eventually broke the silence.

“Oh, my! Have you been… have you been crying?” Fluttershy asked, now noticing the sadness and confusion in her friend's expression. “Oh, dear, please come in!”

Rainbow didn't get a chance to say anything as she was instantly pulled inside by her normally shy friend. She was lead over to a couch that sat in the middle of the cottage’s main room, located just next to a small kitchen. The room itself was filled with bird cages, and other animal habitats, all currently occupied by sleeping tenants of the respective animal. The yellow mare motioned for her friend to sit down, to which Rainbow complied.

“Thanks…” the blue pegasus muttered, now unable to meet her friends gaze.

Fluttershy gave a meek smile but didn't respond. Instead, she trotted over to the other side of the room and picked up a chair, then quietly dragged it over so it was opposite Rainbow. She then sat down and looked her friend in the eyes.

“Rainbow… What’s wrong?”

It was a simple question, said in a gentle way by a friend she respected and trusted with her life. Yet, the blue mare still couldn't find the words to explain. All she could do was sit there, unable to reply to her concerned friend.

Minutes went by with only silence.

Fluttershy eventually got up from her chair to sit next to her friend, then began to run a hoof gently through Rainbow’s mane.

It was odd, having the roles reversed. Usually, it was Rainbow who had to be strong and comfort her yellow friend, but, now, it was the opposite. The two sat silently on the couch for a few more minutes, the only sound that filled the cottage with the soft sounds of sleeping animals and even softer coos of support from the yellow Pegasus.

“It's okay, Rainbow. You don't have to tell me if you don't have too,” Fluttershy spoke softly. “I’ll be here if or when you do. Just… tell me if there’s anything I can do to help, please?”

Rainbow sniffed, then finally spoke, “I don’t know, Flutters… I just… I don't know what to do.”  Her hooves began to shake.  To hide her rising anxiety, Dash wrapped them around her torso.

“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy.

Rainbow was silent, then muttered, “I… I screwed up, Fluttershy. Remember… Remember… R-remember…”

“Remember what?”

Rainbow’s tears resurfaced and she was unable to stop them from leaking out.  “R-remember that year in flight school?  When I...”

Fluttershy instantly stopped petting her friend. “Y-you mean when you–”

“Yeah…” Rainbow interrupted, then she shook her head softly. “She’s here.”

Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth.  “H-here?  In Ponyville?  Are you sure?”

Rainbow nodded.  “I-I think so.”

“Oh, my…” Fluttershy squeaked out. “What are you going to do?”

The sky blue Pegasus shook her head again. “I don't know, Fluttershy… I don't know what to say, what to do, anything! I'm just… Just stuck.”

“There there,” Fluttershy cooed. “It’ll be okay…”

“Not it’s not, Fluttershy!” Rainbow screamed. “It's not going to be alright!”

Fluttershy flinched back in terror at her friend’s outburst and hid behind her mane. The animals in the room all woke up in unison at the blue mare’s outburst, and immediately began to panic. Instinct kicked in, and Fluttershy instantly jumped from the couch and began to calm her animal friends.

All the while, Rainbow’s eyes went wide as she observed the aftermath of her outburst. She slowly curled up into a ball, then began to sob into her hooves.

Once all of the animals were calm, Fluttershy returned hesitantly to her friend’s side. “T-there there…”

The blue mare didn't respond, only continued to cry. It would be a few more minutes until the sobbing stopped, to which Rainbow then rose back to her hooves and sniffed again. “Sorry, Fluttershy. I didn't mean to… I shouldn't have yelled at you…”

“It’s okay, Rainbow,” Fluttershy spoke with a smile. “You didn't mean it, and the animals aren't mad at you since I explained how upset you are.”

Rainbow looked up at the plethora of now awake animals who gazed down at her from around the room, and she didn't need Fluttershy’s ability to communicate with animals to notice their sympathetic expressions.

“Um…” Fluttershy continued as she shuffled her hooves nervously. “I-I don't think I can be much help, right now. I mean… I'm good with animals, but not ponies. I, uh… I don't know how much help I can be.”

“It's okay, Fluttershy…” Rainbow whispered softly, her head lowered.

“But, um… I do think Twilight can help you. I mean, she’s really good at stuff like this.”

Rainbow flinched.  “T-Twilight?  I… I don’t…”

Fluttershy held Rainbow’s hoof in her own.  “Rainbow… I know it might be hard to tell her about… well everything… but I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Rainbow wiped her eyes with her free hoof.  “I-It’s not just that.  I… she’s mad at me.  I… I pranked her and…”

Fluttershy sighed.  “Oh Rainbow… you know Twilight; she loves all of us.  She won’t hold a grudge because of a silly prank.”

The sky blue Pegasus raised her head. “Yeah… Yeah, I guess,”

“Please… just talk to her.  If you want to get through this, you’re going to need your friend’s support.  If you want, I’ll be right by your side.”

Rainbow nodded.   “It’s fine, I can do it alone.  I’m going to head over to her now.  But, uh… can you do me a favor?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Scootaloo is sleeping over at my house, and… well, she’s still there. Would you… watch over her while I talk to Twilight?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Of course.”

“Thanks,” Rainbow said, then exited through the door.

(\/);,,;(\/)

Twilight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. She held a smile, but her mind didn’t mirror her expression. Inside, Twilight was confused. She had listened intently to her friends story, but she still didn’t understand why she was so upset. Daring a question, the purple unicorn asked, “So… What is it you need my help with, Rainbow? What is this all about?”

The sky blue pegasus took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. She had rehearsed her revelation over and over before she got to Twilight’s library, knowing that she would eventually tell all there was to tell. Even so, it was arguably the hardest thing she ever had to do. Her deep breaths slowed down as her heart rate decreased, then, she was able to talk. “Scootaloo is… she’s my… my daughter.”

Twilight froze. “D-Daughter?” she sputtered. In a single instant, everything made sense. From the strange psychological visions, to why it involved Scootaloo. Twilight put all the pieces together in a neat, methodological order. Once she made logical sense out of all of it, she regained her senses.

Twilight ran the numbers, but even though her math checked out, she still had to know. “How… how old were you?”

Rainbow just shook her head. “Too young, Twilight. I was… I was a stupid, horny teenager, okay? I wanted to… I thought that…” She closed her eyes and bit her tongue. “I was stupid, Twilight…”

Twilight pulled her friend into a gentle hug. “Shhh… it’s alright Rainbow. You’re not stupid. You just… made a mistake…” Twilight winced at her word choice. As much as she was always willing to help her friends get through anything, finding the right words in delicate situations was still a low point. “And you gave Scootaloo up for adoption, I’m guessing?”

Rainbow nodded sadly. “Yeah… I-I couldn’t… Mom said it was f-for the best. She said I was too young and we couldn’t afford to take proper care of her, so… I gave her up.” Rainbow tightened her grip on Twilight, unable to choke back a new wave of tears. “I-I-I didn’t want to, Twilight! I-I didn’t want to just… just give her away! B-but I d-didn’t have a choice!”

Twilight said nothing. She merely continued to hold her broken friend; allow her to let all of the sorrow out of her system. Soon enough, Rainbow’s sobs quieted down. She held on to Twilight for a moment longer, then broke the hug to gulp down another glass of tea in hope that it would calm her nerves.

“You never realized sooner?” Twilight asked, wanting to get as much information as possible to properly assess the situation.

Rainbow sniffed and shook her head. “A-after I gave her away, I tried to move on. It… It took a while but… but I…”

“You forgot about her,” Twilight finished. It made sense. Something as traumatic as giving birth at such a young age, then having to give up that child would warrant repressed feelings.

Rainbow nodded. It sounded terrible to her. What kind of mother forgets about their own child, and doesn’t even recognize them after being around them for years?  That wasn’t who Dash was.  She was supposed to be the Element of Loyalty, the pony who stuck by her friends and family through thick and thin; to hell and back.  How was she supposed to be the Element of Loyalty after abandoning her child?

Both mare’s sat in complete silence, unable to speak to each other. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that they didn’t know what to say. Eventually, however, a question made it’s way to Twilight’s lips.

“What are you going to do now?”

The sky blue pegasus hesitated to answer. “I don’t know, Twilight. I can’t just go up to her and say, ‘Hey! I’m the dumb teenager who got knocked up and gave you up! But, I’m less dumb now, so let’s be a family again!’ No… that won’t work. I gave up that opportunity a long time ago.” She hung her head and stomped her hoof on the floor. “She’s still in foster care, Twilight! Mom said she would get adopted by a good family, and that they would give her a better life than we could have. And… and I thought so too, but apparently we were wrong. I just… what do I do? Do I tell her? How do I tell her? What will she…”

Then the tears came back. The pegasus mare threw herself into her friends hooves. She cried and sobbed out garbled words, none of which Twilight could discern. The unicorn mare held her friend, but said nothing. She didn’t know what to say. Eventually, Twilight felt her friend’s sobs weaken, eventually fading to nothing. The purple mare looked down to her friend, and noticed that she had fallen asleep. With great care, Twilight sat up and used her magic to carry her sleeping friend up to her bed and gently tucked her in.