The royal guard whips his wing out to block my passage. My ego is bruised enough already, and he's leaning down at me with a stony sneer; he's looking down on me like I'm a flea! “Sorry, kiddo, but the Princess is very busy and doesn't have time for kids. Run along now.”

Of all the rotten—I snort, expressing my frustration. I might not be able to fly, but a moron I can deal with. I glare right back, getting so close to his face that I can feel his breath on my fur. “Did she ask not to be disturbed?”

The guard blinks and rears back. “Uh, no.”

“Then you have to notify her when a pony seeks an audience or you get in trouble. It's a rule.”

“Uh...” The guard shifts nervously. “But you're just a kid. I'm sure that rule only applies to grownups.”

I narrow my eyes and speak in a slow voice, “Do you want to get in trouble?”

The other guard sighs. “You might as well do what the kid wants. She is right about that rule and it doesn't have an age limit.”

“Ugh, fine. Who should I say wants an audience?”

“She'll know it's me.” I throw my nose up, pretending to be aloof. I might as well make this as difficult for him as possible.

The guard rolls his eyes. “Whatever, kid, but don't be surprised when she ignores you.” He turns around and walks in, leaving me alone with the second one who shifts his position to stand in front of the door.

“She won't ignore me,” I mutter.

“Kid, you sure are full of yourself.” The other guard makes his distaste clear, and I can't help but wonder if I overdid it.

Maybe I am just full of myself. Celestia wouldn't have come here this early unless she had actual business to attend to. Can I really claim to be more important than what's going on in Town Hall? It doesn't take more than the pain in my aching wing to tell me that I'm nothing more than a pathetic cripple. No wonder she sent me away.

The tink of metal hoofplates scuffing on a wooden floor perks my ears up. The guard returns and professionally stands at attention. I can't help but smile. I might feel worthless, but I am still important to her. Of course Celestia would choose me over politics.

When the towering alicorn opens the door, I bow low to the ground to keep up appearances. Of all the ponies in the world, there's none quite so awesome as my mother.

“Why hello there, my little pony.” The sun princess is as bright and cheerful as a sunny day itself. Her sparkling, aurora mane wafts about on an ephemeral breeze. I wish my hair did that. Mine constantly looks like I've been licked by cows, and not the ephemeral kind.

“Princess Celestia, I'm so glad that you came to see me,” I say.

“Of course I'd come to see you. You know I come to visit every year.” She chuckles. “But what is so important that you had to call me out of my meeting so early in the morning?” Celestia's tone is light and teasing. She doesn't look at all perturbed that I interrupted her meeting.

I have so many questions that I want answers for! Gah, but those guards are right behind her in the middle of town. The few other ponies walking in the streets stop and bow when they see her. We're going to draw to a crowd at this rate. There's no way I can ask anything without raising suspicion. My frown must be eating at Celestia, because her smile fades. “Uh, can we talk? In private?” I ask.

She gives a small nod. “Yes, I think that we should.” Turning aside, she address her guards with a firm voice, “I'm sorry, but I must cancel my plans for the rest of the day. If something comes up, bring the matter to Princess Twilight. I'll return to the castle at dusk, but until then I do not wish to be disturbed.”

The guards salute. They remain professionally stoic, but I can see a hint of confusion in their eyes. I might not be able to flaunt my status, but little victories like this can sure brighten my day.

“Hop on. I know of this place by Rainbow Falls with the most wonderful view.” Celestia crouches and bends her neck low to the ground. I can never get over just how big she is. She reminds me of those pictures of dinosaurs. I crouch down and jump, wincing when my wing flares with pain. Ow, I shouldn't have tried using them to help me up. What was I thinking? I bite my lip, but thankfully the pain recedes quickly. Celestia shifts up, and I grasp her sparkling, flowing mane. Its ghostly motion tickles against my fur, and I can't help but smile. Her giant wings pump against the air and—wait, she took off already? Wow, that was so fluid I didn't even notice!

This is way different from that time I flew with Rainbow Dash. She was awesome! Carrying me on one hoof and zipping around without a care in the world. Celestia just makes the sky feel smooth. I might as well be riding a pane of glass. Tightening my grip, I lean off to one side. The ground speeds by at a steady clip, and a breeze whips over my face and through my mane. This might not be the wild ride that Rainbow Dash gave me, but it's still a wonderful feeling. It's all the joy of flight, but none of the satisfaction of doing it myself. I...

Suddenly, the flight isn't nearly as pleasant. My eyes mist up and I fell sick inside. I-I just... Even a smooth, boring flight like this is far beyond what I can do. I don't have the heart to watch anymore. Burying my face deep in Celestia's multicolor mane, I try not to cry.

…

What?

A clack of metal against stone jars me to my senses. I rub at my eyes. When did I fall asleep?

“We're here. What do you think?”

Well, nothing yet. All I can see is the back of your neck. Just let me twist around, huh, this place is sparkly, and—a roaring, um... Is that a liquid rainbow colorfall? What are we doing behind it?

I let go and hop down, consciously keeping my wings still. The impact jars my bones and I wobble awkwardly. Wincing, pain flairs up again. Still or not, my wings got shaken anyway. Why does Celestia have to be so tall?

She watches me with a concerned eye, frowning at my antics. “Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“Huh, no I'm...” What am I saying? No, I'm not fine. I'm far from fine. My wings might heal, but I'm hurt inside with a pain that will never go away. I just can't bring myself to say that. Instead, I open my eyes and look around. “Whoa, what is this place?”

We're in the most colorful cavern that I've ever seen! Stalactites and stalagmites of all hues of the rainbow line the ceiling and floor. Curiously, I examine a large, red one. I'm so close that my breath fogs the gleaming, crystalline surface. It's slightly translucent and there appears to be a core of gray rock under the thick veneer of sparkling color. A distorted reflection of myself looks back at me. Along the walls, colorful floes of all hues creep down the gray bedrock. A small rainbow stream trickles and swirls along the edge of the cavern and dribbles out the entrance, which is cut off from the rest of the world by the steady roar of the backside of the rainbow colorfall. Filtering through the pouring rainbow, refracted sunlight makes the whole room dance with even more color.

“Do you like it? We're in a small cavern behind the largest colorfall in Rainbow Falls. The river that used to feed this place was diverted to the reservoir long ago. Ever since the rainbow falls were added, color has slowly been seeping in and transforming the place into what you see now.”

“It's amazing! I wish my friends could see this.”

Celestia smiles, but she also looks apologetic. “I'm glad that you're thinking of them, but I'm afraid that's not possible. Scootaloo, I brought you here because this is the most isolated place that I know of. The only way to get here requires coming through the colorfall itself, and to do that you'd need to both fly and know a good shield spell. The roar of the rainbow river will also stymie any potential eavesdroppers. You can speak frankly and without worry here. What is it that you wished to speak of?”

How can she bring me to a place like this and expect to talk? It's just so beautiful! I could stand here and stare at this all day. Gah! What am I thinking? She always does stuff like this; she always distracts me when my questions get too prickly for her. Well, the beauty here is superficial, but the pain in my heart is real. If she brought me here to speak frankly, than I'm going to do just that.

“Mom...” My voice trails off as I look up into the sunny eyes of Celestia. It's true; she is my mother. It's just sounds so awkward to say it, especially since I have to keep it secret. I know she said that we're safe here, but I still feel guilty. That's... not how I should feel about calling her my mother. Regardless, she has the answers I want, and I just don't know what I'll do if—if she actually answers. A dread weight holds my tongue. There's got to be a reason she hasn't answered yet; it could be dreadful! I... also can't go on without without them. I have to know!

“Mom, why can't I fly? Why are my wings so tiny? Are they ever going to grow out? Why do I have to keep everything secret? Who's my father? Am I ever going to meet him?”

“Oh, Scootaloo, daughter.” Celestia sniffles. “I'm so sorry about all of this, but...” Her voice trails off. Turning away, she watches as the colors pour down.

I waited with apprehension, curling my tail around my legs to keep them warm. The way she seems to sigh makes my heart sink. I already know what she's going to say before she even speaks.

“Scootaloo, you just have to trust me on these things, but I have my reasons. I'll tell you when you're older. I promise, okay?”

No! No more waiting! I'm not going to stand for it! If she's not going to tell me now, then I never want to hear it from her ever! “Mo-er, Princess Celestia, how much longer is this going to take? Five years? Ten? Twenty? You know, I've spent so long keeping everything secret that that I don't even think of you as my mother anymore.”

“You... don't?” Her eyes widen in shock, and she stares at me is if I'm a stranger. Good, now she knows what it feels like too. “Wait, how old are you now?”

Of all the—! “I'm ten. You should know that.”

She nods slowly, a white silhouette against the roaring rainbow. “Yes, you're growing up so quickly...”

“Are you ever going to answer my questions? Because I really want to know, and–”

“Yes.”

“–even though you always, always, always say 'no', I really think that I'm old enough this time and—wait, you are?”

“I am. This charade has always been one of my biggest regrets. Scootaloo, as of today you no longer have to keep things secret if you don't want to.”

“I don't?” What? No more secrecy? Just like that? It's been... I just...

I've never liked it, but I never thought I'd end. Not like this—but by some mistake. I've lived afraid of screwing up but—what am I worried about? I should feel happy but this just seems empty somehow. Celestia smiles at me, and I smile back. Perhaps this won't be so bad, after all. No more beating around the bush! My friends will sure flip out when they hear the truth!

“No, you don't.” Celestia looks as if she's thrown off a great weight, but her eyes are misty and her smile weakens. “But perhaps it would be best if I explained my reasoning for it in the first place.”

Now that she mentions it... “Didn't you tell me once that you didn't want me to be the child of the Equestrian court? That the nobles would pamper and spoil me in hopes of political favor and that I'd always have to worry about the motives of those who claimed to be my friends?”

“Yes. I did say that when I sent you off to live in Ponyville. I'm surprised you remembered. You were so young...” Celestia takes a deep breath. “That was just an excuse. Even in Canterlot, nopony would have bothered you with your origin hidden, but that was my problem. I wanted to keep you close, of course, but it would have been difficult to keep our secret with you there. If somepony with loose lips discovered us...”

Celestia sighs and shakes her head. “You were too young to be the center of a scandal, so I sent you off.”

“A scandal?” Uh oh, her eyes are full of... regret? I rub my foreleg with my other hoof. “What's so scandalous about me?”

“Well, not you so much as your father.”

“My father?” This is new, and not in a good way. Celestia has never spoken about him before. I'd welcome the change if it weren't for the way her shoulders slump. There's a heavy burden there. Sparkling colors dance around the room, but I can't take my eyes off of her.

“Yes. It's time that you learn of your heritage, though I think it will be easier if I show you what happened.” She frowns and waves a large white wing to encompass the room. “I know it's beautiful here, but would you mind another change in scenery?”

“I guess not, but it's not too distracting, if that's what you mean. Wait, didn't we come here for the secrecy?”

“Yes, but I have access to magic on another plane of existence which can lay bare the past. Come here, my little pony.”

“Okay...” I take a few steps forward ans she grabs me in a giant hug. She's so huge that it's absolutely smothering. Wincing, I clench my teeth as she rocks and hums. I'm not a little foal anymore! This is super-embarrassing. What's even the point of this? Does she expect me to pass out from the scent of her sunflower nectar and rose honey body wash or something? Her humming grows and the music sounds familiar. Is that Canterlot's anthem? Huh, I didn't know that was also a lullaby. Without the trumpets it sounds serene.

“Close your eyes and imagine the stars. The night sky is perfectly clear on a crisp, cool day. There is no moon and it stretches forever in all directions...” Celestia's voice is barely a whisper. It gets fainter as she speaks, and the starry mental image grows, taking over my mind and becoming as clear as a crisp night sky.

….

Celestia's voice stops. What happened? Where am I?

I'm standing inside the night sky itself. A vast, starry expanse stretches out in all directions, even down! I'm translucent, like a ghost. What's going on? Where is everyone? Where is anything? I might be a pegasus, and we like wide open spaces, but this is too much, especially with my ghostliness. My heart races and I shrink down, huddling against the only semblance of solidity here—a milky path of stars that I seem to be standing on. I wish I knew what was going on. Next Chapter: Stars of the Past Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 51 Minutes