A quiet afternoon found the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their clubhouse after school. Twilight Time would be starting within an hour, and Sweetie Belle was confident that she was set to impress. By the glow of her horn, three bright, red apples spun rapidly in a circle until they were blurred into what looked like a single red ring suspended in midair. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked on with amazement, but for Scootaloo, that amazement was entwined with the tiniest sting of envy.

"Great job, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom said approvingly.

"Okay, next!" said Sweetie Belle, stopping the apples' rotation and levitating them over to Apple Bloom.

She took a few steps back and planted her hooves tightly upon the floor.

"Ready!"

Apple Bloom tossed the three apples into the air simultaneously. As they fell, they were each surrounded in a light green aura, stopping in midair before they were able to touch the floor, with the third apple being stopped mere inches away.

"YES!" Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly.

"Awesome job, Sweetie," praised Scootaloo.

"Yeah, you've come a long way from not even bein' able to lift a broom," said Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle blushed at the compliments. "Thanks guys, but let's try something a little more difficult now."

She levitated the three apples back over to Apple Bloom and walked to the opposite edge of the clubhouse.

"I want you to throw the apples right at me, one at a time," she instructed.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other with surprise.

"Are you sure, Sweetie Belle?" asked Scootaloo. "It'll probably hurt if you can't stop it."

"It'll be fine," Sweetie replied. "I'm sure I can do this."

"Okay then...," said Apple Bloom, preparing to throw the first apple.

"I'm ready," said Sweetie Belle after taking a deep breath. "Go."

Apple Bloom threw one of the apples with a moderately high speed. Sweetie Belle squealed and ducked at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding it as it splattered against the wall behind her.

"See? You ain't ready for this," said Apple Bloom.

"I just lost focus for a second," said Sweetie Belle. "Let's try it again."

"Fine, but I'm throwin' it slower this time," replied Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle readied herself once again and Apple Bloom threw the second apple with much less speed. Sweetie Belle caught it in her magic before it had traveled halfway towards her.

"That was way too slow," Sweetie said, dissatisfied. "Let's try it one more time. Throw with the same speed as before."

"What's up with you?" asked Scootaloo. "Why are you trying to get this so badly?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping that if I managed to get this down, Twilight might start teaching me some other spells besides just levitation," answered Sweetie Belle.

"Oh...," replied Scootaloo. Another sharp sting of envy pierced her body as she was once again reminded of a time when she and Sweetie Belle had more in common than just their lack of cutie marks.

"What if you lose focus again?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I won't," Sweetie Belle replied confidently. "But if I can't do it this time, we won't try again."

Apple Bloom sighed with acceptance. "If you say so..."

Sweetie Belle returned to her position. "Okay, ready."

After a brief hesitation, Apple Bloom threw the apple with about with the same speed as the first time. It soared towards Sweetie Belle and her horn illuminated just as she turned her head to brace herself for the blow. When she turned her head back again, the apple was suspended in a light green aura, hovering just inches away from her face.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Awesome, Sweetie," praised Scootaloo.

"Yeah," said Apple Bloom. "I actually thought I hit you for a second."

"Well, I'm all set for Twilight Time now," Sweetie Belle said proudly. "How about you guys?"

Scootaloo sighed. "I'm going to skip Twilight Time today."

"What?!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cried in unison.

"I haven't improved at all since last week, not like you guys have. I've been thinking about trying something else, but I'm just not sure what I have to fall back on," said Scootaloo.

"But you're really good!" said Apple Bloom.

"I still haven't moved past needing help from an instruction sheet like you have. There's really nothing that I can do that you guys couldn't with a little bit of practice. I'm just really tired of not really getting anywhere while you guys run laps around me. So...I'm not going—not until I have something else. And besides, I've kinda had a lot on my mind lately."

"Like what?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Like....I don't know...death. I mean, it's just so cruel sometimes. Well, all the time, actually. We all have ponies that we care about and ponies that we love, and it just...doesn't care. It steals them away from us whenever it wants."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged perplexed expressions.

"Umm, did somethin' happen, Scootaloo?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I can't tell you about it," Scootaloo replied with a sigh. "Not because I don't want to, but because I promised that I wouldn't tell anypony."

The three fillies stared at each other in silence.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go," said Scootaloo as the silence began to become uncomfortable. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Tell Twilight that it'll just be you two for now until I find something else I want to try."

She swooped out of the clubhouse hastily before her friends could ask any other questions.

Scootaloo's thoughts were heavily occupied as she set a course for Rainbow Dash's cloud-based home. Half of those thoughts were fixated on Rainbow Dash. She had hardly been able to stop thinking about her since they parted ways on Sunday evening. She wondered whether nor not Rainbow was still trying to deny her feelings, still refusing to acknowledge that his death would have an affect on her. Surely she had told her friends by now and they would have done their part to console her, assuming that she was in need of being consoled, yet Scootaloo was still curious if she now felt any differently about his passing.

The other half of her thoughts continuously mulled over her new perception of death—a few of such thoughts had just been shared with her two best friends. Every living thing now seemed to her like a clock ticking in reverse, all the way down to the final moments of life. Scootaloo was not unfamiliar with the concept of death, but never before had it seemed so cruel, so malevolent. That Rainbow Dash could receive such horrid news when she had instead been expecting great news seemed unspeakably cruel. As hard as it was to swallow, life itself now seemed a little less meaningful.

After several minutes of walking, Scootaloo found herself standing underneath the cloud-crafted mansion that was Rainbow Dash's home.

"Rainbow Dash!" she called out. After a few moments, the wind blew, carrying nothing but silence with it.

She called out three more times. There was still no response, and no indication that she was even home. Scootaloo grunted irritably at the inconvenience of Rainbow's home being several feet above the reach of any non-pegasus, or in her case, any pegasus that could not yet fly.

Unsure of what else to do, Scootaloo decided to seek out Rainbow's friends, and at about five minutes away, Fluttershy was the one who lived closest.

She arrived quickly at Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door. Fluttershy opened the door after a few moments, and a pair of soaking wet chipmunks scurried out almost instantly, dashing past Scootaloo's legs.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tinseltail, come back!" Fluttershy called after them. "You haven't finished your bath yet!"

The chipmunks refused to turn around and continued to run until they finally ducked into the safety of a small burrow in the ground. Fluttershy sighed.

"Hey, Fluttershy," said Scootaloo, mildly amused by the scene. "Uh...sorry about that."

Fluttershy shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. I guess there isn't much point in bathing an animal that lives underground, is there?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I guess not."

Fluttershy sighed with acceptance. "Anyway, what can I do for you, Scootaloo?"

"Um, have you seen Rainbow Dash today?" Scootaloo asked.

Fluttershy shook her head. "Not today. I saw her yesterday, though."

"Oh. Would you happen to know if she's home or not?"

Fluttershy shook her head again. "Are you looking for her?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see how she's doing," answered Scootaloo.

"Oh. She's doing much better now," said Fluttershy. "We had a nice talk yesterday."

"So she told you, then? About her dad?"

Fluttershy titled her head. "I wasn't aware that you knew about that. But then again, you two have grown pretty close."

"Yeah. I was actually there when she got the news," said Scootaloo.

"Well, don't worry," said Fluttershy. "I think she's feeling much better about seeing him again."

Scootaloo blinked. "What...?"

"They're going to be able to rebuild their relationship now. She doesn't think so, but I know they will," said Fluttershy.

Scootaloo looked dumbfounded. "What...what are you talking abo—? I mean....what did the two of you talk about yesterday?"

"Well, she was having doubts about getting into the Wonderbolts," replied Fluttershy. "And she also told me that she was nervous about seeing her dad again because she wasn't sure how he would react."

Scootaloo lowered her head and sighed. "Oh..."

"Is something wrong?" asked Fluttershy.

Scootaloo shook her head. "No, no. I just...well, I thought....err...it's nothing. I'm...glad she's feeling better about it."

"I still think that she should have dropped by his place from time to time," said Fluttershy. "I mean, what if something had happened to him during all those years she was away? That would have been awful."

Scootaloo looked at her for several seconds and nodded.

"Yeah, that would have been really awful. Anyway, I should be going. See you, Fluttershy."

"Goodbye, Scootaloo," Fluttershy replied, closing her door.

Scootaloo slowly turned and walked away from Fluttershy's doorstep, feeling both shocked and deeply disappointed. If Rainbow Dash had not told Fluttershy, her closest friend, then she had not told anyone else. Even worse was that she had chosen to lie about it rather than accept any consolation or support from her friends. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash asking her not to tell anypony about his death made much more sense. It was because she was not planning on telling anypony herself...

Scootaloo turned around and walked back towards the cottage, knowing what she had to do. Without feeling a single ounce of regret, she knocked on Fluttershy's door again.

Rainbow Dash soared above Cloudsdale's residential area once again, after she previously thought that she had left it behind for good. Gripped in her mouth was the photo that had fallen out of the envelope the previous night. It pictured a mare who Rainbow had never seen before, at least not to her knowledge. She was a pegasus with a sand-colored coat and eyes that were a few shades darker. Her mane and tail were deep ocean blue and sunshine yellow blended together, and her cutie mark appeared to be three white lilies that resembled pinwheels. She wore a smile that was comforting enough to make her seem like somepony who could be trusted, even though Rainbow knew nothing about her.

On the back of the picture was a small note that read:

This is Wind Lily. Talk to her about the house. Her address is 146 Cloud Drop Lane.

Once again, it was in her father's writing. Was she a friend of his? If so, that would mean she was most likely aware of his death, bringing the grand total of ponies who knew about it outside of the funeral director and Grimmtock to three. The only reason Rainbow Dash now found herself flying to pay her a visit was because the note said "Talk to her about the house." Rainbow's old house had been a facet on her mind ever since she left it behind, and she had since been wondering what she was going to do with it had her father left it in her ownership. If this mare wanted to take it off her hooves, she would gladly allow her to do so.

Within minutes of searching, she was finally standing outside 146 Cloud Drop Lane, which was only a few blocks away from her old house. It was yet another average one-story home that did not look much different from the hundreds that surrounded it. The number "146" was inscribed on both the mailbox and the door.

Rainbow Dash removed the picture from her mouth and tucked it into her wing-pocket. Unsure of what to expect, she knocked on the door. After full minute passed with no answer, she suddenly regretted coming. If this mare was a friend of her dad's, it was possible that she knew a lot about their relationship, and he would have most likely altered the story to make it seem as though he was utterly blameless for her leaving. The last thing she wanted was to get berated by somepony she didn't even know for never coming back to see him again.

As Rainbow Dash considered flying off, the door was finally answered by the mare in the photo, whose eyes widened upon seeing her.

"Oh, my goodness, look at you!" she exclaimed, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow in an embrace.

"Uhhh...hi," Rainbow said apprehensively after being released. "I really hate to say this, but....I have no idea who you are."

The mare chuckled. "Well, that doesn't surprise me. You were three years old last time I saw you. My name's Wind Lily. Why don't you come in?"

Rainbow stepped through the threshold of the house, now feeling somewhat more comfortable.

"I was just about to sit down to some tea," said Lily. Would you like a cup?"

"Uhhh...sure," said Rainbow, despite not being much of a tea drinker.

They walked into the kitchen and Rainbow Dash took a seat at the table while Wind Lily went to the counter to pour tea into two teacups. Rainbow took a moment to examine every part of the house's interior that was within her view. It seemed a nice enough place, but there was no doubt that her old home was nicer, if just for the fact that it was two stories.

"Well, to start, let me just say that you have my deepest condolences for your loss," she said as she sat down with the cups of tea. "Your father was a great pony."

"Did you really know him?" Rainbow said contemptuously, raising an eyebrow.

Wind Lily went silent for a brief moment, her eyes trailing down at the table.

"I know he was troubled. And I know that you did not always see his best side. But he was still a great pony who deserved to live much longer than he did. Same as your mother."

Rainbow blinked. "You knew her?"

Wind Lily shook her head. "Unfortunately not. Like you, everything I know about her comes from what he told me."

"Okay, this is kinda getting uncomfortable now," said Rainbow Dash. "You clearly know a lot about me, but I still don't know anything about you beyond your name."

Lily chuckled again. "I apologize. Your father hired me as a caretaker for you shortly after your mother passed. After your falling out, we got in touch with each other again."

Rainbow squinted her eyes in thought. "I don't think he ever mentioned you before."

"Well, we weren't really friends back then," said Lily. "I was just somepony he was paying to look after his infant daughter when he had to work."

She took a sip of tea, and Rainbow Dash followed suit. It tasted better than any tea she had in the past, but it still was not about to replace cider as her drink of choice.

"He was troubled even back then," Wind Lily continued. "Your mother's passing really did a number on him."

"Yeah, it did, and he wanted me to be just as miserable as he was," said Rainbow bitterly. "And all he ever did was make me feel like I would never accomplish anything in my life. Like there was no point in even hoping for something, because I would never get it."

Wind Lily sighed. "I know it's not my place to comment on the relationship you two had, but I can at least tell you that he changed after you left."

"Yeah, sure he did," Rainbow said, looking down at her tea. "I guess I was the only thing standing in the way of him actually enjoying life."

"Or perhaps losing his daughter was the kick in the flank he needed to become a better pony?" said Lily.

"Or perhaps he just needed another mare in his life to fill the hole, because I was never enough," retorted Rainbow. "Does it really matter now?"

"You know, when he fell ill and was hospitalized, he opted against letting you know because he thought that you wouldn't care," said Lily. "Was he right?"

Rainbow Dash looked up at her and paused for a moment.

"I think you have that backwards. He's the one who didn't care to let me know."

"Oh, I assure you, he wanted to. He debated it with himself for a while."

"But he chose not to, right?" said Rainbow.

"Evidently," Wind Lily nodded. "Of course, we didn't know at the time how bad his condition was. We didn't know that he was...." She closed her eyes and sighed.

Rainbow Dash felt a sudden discomfort.

"I wasn't there for most of it," Wind Lily continued. "I thought it was just going to be a passing thing. I didn't think that his life was in any danger at all. In fact, I was thinking that he was going to be released soon. I went up there to ask how much longer he would need to stay hospitalized....and that's when they told me that he was gone."

Rainbow Dash broke eye contact with her, staring to the side at an empty frying pan that was sitting on the stove.

"I went to plan the funeral the next day, but I was told that you had already taken care of it," said Lily. "At that point, I really wanted to meet with you. I was actually in the process of tracking you down. And yet, here you are. How is that? You didn't even know who I was before you got here."

Without a word, Rainbow Dash pulled the picture from her wing-pocket and placed it on the table. Wind Lily looked over it front and back, and a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"It was in a letter that he wrote me while he was in the hospital," answered Rainbow Dash.

Wind Lily gasped.

"He must have known....," she whispered, going silent for a brief moment. "Have you read the letter?"

Rainbow shook her head.

"Well, surely you must have at least opened it, then?" said Lily.

"Yeah."

"Well, I understand your hesitation to read it. It's his final words to you, after all."

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly.

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question earlier," noted Lily. "Was he right?"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "No. I didn't hate him. I just—I didn't need him in my life anymore....except for one thing."

"Which would be him seeing you in a Wonderbolt uniform, correct?" said Wind Lily.

"Yeah," Rainbow nodded. "And now that dream is as dead as he is."

"I'm sorry about that," said Lily. "How have you been doing since you got the news?"

Rainbow Dash took another sip of tea.

"It's...harder than I thought it would be. I'm trying to get my life back to normal but all I can think about is that dream going up in flames. Now it's even affecting my dream of being a Wonderbolt. I'm in the Reserves now, I've pretty much made it in already, and yet I'm not anywhere near as excited about it as I should be, even though it's the only thing I've ever wanted out of life."

"Well, surely, you cannot expect everything to go back to normal this soon, can you?" said Wind Lily. "You need to give yourself time to grieve and mourn. At least wait until after the funeral."

Rainbow Dash did not reply, her eyes trailing back to the frying pan.

"He missed you," Wind Lily said, breaking through the silence. "He often tried to be very discreet about it, but I could tell. I think he really wanted you back in his life."

"Well, he should have thought of that before pushing me away at every turn," Rainbow said irritably. "He didn't even believe me when I told him I was leaving."

"I know the story," said Lily. "And I don't think you were wrong for wanting to leave. But I am curious about something. Had he lived long enough for you to have realized your dream, what would you have done after you showed up in your Wonderbolt uniform? Would you have still excluded him from your life, or would you have decided to put it behind you and repair the bond that you two once shared?"

Rainbow Dash paused to think.

"I guess I never thought that far," she said after a few moments. "But I suppose that would have been up to him."

"He would have been glad to see you again," said Wind Lily.

Rainbow shrugged. "So you say..."

"So...when is the funeral?" Wind Lily asked after taking another sip of tea.

"This Sunday," Rainbow answered.

"I'd like to attend, of course," said Lily. "If that's okay?"

"Sure. But don't be surprised when you show up to an empty funeral," said Rainbow Dash. "Other than you and me, only one other pony is going."

Wind Lily raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, that's curious."

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow.

"Well, when I started tracking you down, I learned quite a bit about you, Rainbow Dash," said Lily. "You're one of the ponies who help keep Equestria safe from all those nasty beings who try to take it over, wielding those Elements of....Harmony, was it?"

"Not anymore," said Rainbow. "We had to give them up."

"Oh. Well, perhaps that explains it..."

"Explains what?"

"Those other ponies who also wielded the Elements, they're your friends, right?" asked Lily.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, it just strikes me as odd that they wouldn't be attending your father's funeral, if for no other reason than emotional support. I'm just curious as to why that is. I mean, you are still friends with them, right? Or did you all have some sort of falling out and that's the reason why you had to give up those Elements?"

Rainbow Dash took another drink of tea to delay her answer. "Uhhh..."

"Is it perhaps....you haven't told them yet?"

Rainbow looked down, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"Is it perhaps....you're not planning on telling them?"

Rainbow sighed. "They really don't need to know. If I tell them, all they're going to do is shower me with their pity, and I don't want it. And I don't need it either."

Wind Lily penetrated her with a hard stare.

"If one of their parents died, you'd want to know about it, wouldn't you?"

"That's different," Rainbow said instantly. "They probably had much better relationships with their parents, and they would actually be overwhelmed with grief if they lost them. I'm doing fine. I'm not grieving or anything like that, so they really don't need to know."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Wind Lily. "Because I'm getting the impression that you're in need of much more help than you're letting on."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," snapped Rainbow Dash. "The truth is, all I'm really upset about is that he didn't live long enough for me to fulfill that dream. It was the last thing I needed him for."

"You say this right after telling me that you would have come back to Cloudsdale if you had known he was hospitalized?" Lily said sternly. "Stop lying to yourself. You loved him, and you're upset that he's gone."

Rainbow said nothing for a moment as anger welled up inside her.

"What do you see me as? Some sad, scared little filly distraught that her parents are dead? A helpless orphan who needs to be coddled like a newborn foal? Well here's a bit of a reality check for you: I've been on my own for years now, and I've been just fine. And I will continue to be just fine. I may have been three the last time you saw me, but I'm not anymore. I've grown up. I'm a part of the Wonderbolts now—I've achieved the very thing that he said I never would. I may be upset that I never got to realize my dream, but I'll get over it eventually. This won't hold me down."

Wind Lily fell silent for a few seconds and then sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, I guess I can't help you after all," she lamented. "And that's because you do not wish to help yourself."

"I didn't come here for your help," said Rainbow. "I came here because I'm supposed to talk to you about my old house."

"Right. Of course," Wind Lily sighed. "I've been trying to move out of this place for a while, but never really had the money to do so. I guess he left his house to me in his will. If you don't want it—"

"I don't," Rainbow interrupted. "It's all yours."

"What about everything inside it? Your father's things?"

"Do whatever you want with them."

Wind Lily grunted with frustration. "So that's it, huh? You don't want anything to remember him by, not even pictures? You just want to go on with your life like he never even existed? Is that right?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Are you even going to read his letter?" she asked.

"I will....sometime," replied Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I won't get rid of them," said Lily. "I'll keep them stored in a closet, and when you've finally decided that you're actually ready to feel something, you just come right on by and I'll give them to you."

"Fine, whatever," Rainbow shrugged, standing back up.

Their teacups still sitting upon the table half full, Wind Lily walked Rainbow Dash to the front door. She was more than ready to leave—this had been little more than a colossal waste of time, and she wished she had just flown off when she had the chance. Before she stepped back out the open door, Lily touched her shoulder, prompting her to look back.

"Look, you're right," she said. "I don't know you. It's not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, but I beg you, don't do this. Don't keep this from your friends. If they were to ever find out somehow, they may not forgive you for it. They would probably even lose their trust in you."

Lily's eyes brimmed with sincerity, and Rainbow Dash looked forward outside to avoid staring into them. She opened her mouth to say something, but words failed to emerge from it.

"I guess I'll see you at the funeral, then?" asked Wind Lily, after it became clear that she was not going to respond.

"Sure," Rainbow replied without looking at her, and finally left the house.

****

The sun beat down harshly on Rainbow as she returned home. It was yet another day that was much hotter than it really needed to be. The rain from the previous day brought of sense of rejuvenation over Ponyville, evident by how much brighter everything now looked—how much wider the flowers bloomed, how much more active the animals and insects were. The aftermath of a rainy day always seemed to make the town a bit more lively.

As Rainbow returned home, she opened her door and was taken aback at the sight of Scootaloo sitting on the bottom step of her staircase.

"What are you—? How did you—?"

Scootaloo stood up, shooting her with an irritated glare.

"We need to talk."

Rainbow groaned. "I don't really feel like it right now, Scoot. How did you get up here, anyway?"

"Fluttershy flew me up here," Scootaloo answered. "We had a talk today."

Rainbow blinked. "You did?"

"Yes, I did," said Scootaloo.

"Why?"

"Because I was looking for you. I wanted to see how you were holding up." Scootaloo looked in the direction of the kitchen table, still littered with empty cider bottles. "But I think I have my answer now."

"What did she say?" asked Rainbow.

"She told me that you were doing better after a nice talk you two had yesterday," answered Scootaloo, narrowing her eyes. "A talk that involved you lying to her about your dad."

Rainbow's heart instantly skipped a beat. "Did you....tell her anything?"

Scootaloo went silent.

"Scoot....did you tell her?!"

Scootaloo sighed. "No, I didn't tell her anything. She still thinks your father is alive and well. Happy?"

Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you..."

"Don't thank me," Scootaloo snapped. "I was about a second away from telling her when a thought occurred to me: maybe you just weren't ready to tell your friends yet. Maybe you wanted to give it a little more time? I'm really hoping that's the reason."

Rainbow sighed. "Scoot..."

"You are going to tell them, aren't you?"

"Uh..."

"When you asked me not to tell anypony, I didn't think that meant that you were actually going to keep it from your friends."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Telling them is not going to change anything. I'd just rather not have them smothering me with pity and sorrow that I don't need."

"But they need to know!" cried Scootaloo.

"No, they really don't," retorted Rainbow. "It isn't any of their business."

Scootaloo paused in shock for a brief moment.

"So are you saying that the only reason I know is because I was actually with you when you got the news?"

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes so as to not see Scootaloo's reaction to her next words.

"Yes. If it were up to me....you wouldn't know."

Scootaloo froze, feeling as though a icy snowball had just been tossed at her face. Tears began to pour out of her eyes.

"Why? Why are you doing this to yourself? Why can't you just admit that you're going through a difficult time right now and you need help?!"

"I don't need help," Rainbow Dash said as she turned her head away, not wanting to acknowledge Scootaloo's tears.

"Yes, you do!" said Scootaloo. "I know how hard losing a parent can be, whether you cared for them or not."

"How would you know that?"

"Because my mom left me!" Scootaloo cried as fresh droplets of tears leaked from her eyes.

Rainbow Dash turned her eyes back at her. "What?"

Scootaloo took a deep breath before going on.

"I never knew her, just like you never knew your mom. But the difference between my mom and yours is that mine didn't want anything to do with me. I was nothing to her but a big mistake that she made, so one day shortly after I was born, she just took off and never came back. And I really shouldn't care about her, but she's my mom, and I actually would like to meet her one day if for no other reason than to ask why she left. To ask why she didn't want to be my mother."

"I..."

No other words managed to escape from Rainbow's mouth. She stood in stunned silence, having never known about any of this. Scootaloo wiped away her tears and glared at her.

"You know what, if this is what you want, then this is what you'll get. As of this moment, I was not here with you on Saturday when you got the news. I won't be checking on you anymore because I have no idea that anything is wrong. I won't be going to the funeral because I have no idea that there is a funeral. As of right now, I know nothing, just how you want it."

Rainbow blinked with surprise. "Are you—?"

"—going to tell your friends? I can't tell them what I don't know, now can I?"

"That wasn't what I was—"

"I'm out of here," Scootaloo said irritably, taking a few steps towards the door.

"Scoot, stop!"

Scootaloo turned, and her glare was fierce enough for Rainbow Dash to take a step back.

"I don't have anything left to say. If this is what it's going to take to make you understand, then fine. You want to push away and lie to the very ponies who want nothing more than to help you? You don't want me to be here for you? Fine, then I won't be."

She turned and left the house, walked off the base and fluttered her wings to slow the fall to the ground. Rainbow Dash stood frozen in place, feeling as though she had just crashed into a thick brick wall after flying at Sonic Rainboom speeds, and then subsequently burst into flames as she tumbled into a bottomless abyss. The invisible chains around her hooves now seemed significantly tighter, and even more impossible to break free from.

With a sigh, she plopped down on the spot as an unmistakable sense of guilt intermixed with regret crept its way through her skin.