Scarlet Lightning: Rainbows, Butterflies and Lightning Storms

by Scarlet Key

Chapters

• Volume 1, Part 1: Questions with Questionable Answers
• Volume 1, Part 2: Departure
• Volume 2, Part 1: Reception in Dodge
• Volume 2, Part 2: Cherry Hill Ranch
• Volume 2, Part 2.5: The Missing Goggles
• Volume 2, Part 3: Nightmare
• Volume 2, Part 4: Revelation
• Volume 2, Part 5: A Change of Plans

Volume 1, Part 1: Questions with Questionable Answers

Questions with Questionable Answers

Scarlet sat in a very plain, square room (not surprising, as it was made of clouds). There were no decorations, save for an ugly plant in the corner, and the color of the room was unbearably dismal. There was a mahogany desk at the front, opposite from the building entrance, and there were some chairs lining the walls. Next to the mahogany desk was a door that led into the main offices in the building. Other than the registrar sitting at the desk, Scarlet was the only pony in the room. She began to ponder the events that had just transpired.

She remembered Dumbbell and Hoops making fun of Rainbow Dash, and she remembered stepping in to defend her, which usually didn't happen. Then, as she started to walk away, Hoops made that comment.

“At least I have parents, so they can teach me a thing or two about manners!”

Scarlet gritted her teeth. "How in the world did Hoops even know about my parents? I never talked about them with anypony except Rainbow Dash."

Either way, that was beyond the point. She remembered crying a bit, and then her mind went blank. She had absolutely no recollection of what happened during that time, because pretty soon, her eyes had opened and she saw Hoops lying on the ground. She was confused beyond words, but she didn't have time to think about it then. Before she knew it, authorities were surrounding her and she was forced into a tight harness. As they dragged her away, she noticed the medics putting Hoops on a stretcher, and carrying him in the direction of the Cloudsdale Hospital.

They brought her to a place called the “Cloudsdale Investigative Building”, where they asked her a bunch of questions. They demanded details that she couldn't provide. They wanted reasons she couldn't give. Then they asked for witnesses. The only possible witness she could think of was Rainbow Dash, and she wasn't even certain about that, considering she wasn't there when Scarlet "woke up". She would've named Dumbbell, but he was long gone. When they asked about parents, she gave them the name of her caregiver; the matron at the orphanage where she lived. She also gave them the name of her counselor at Summer Flight Camp, whom she suspected they would contact as well.

She was then led to the room she now sat in, and had been sitting in for several hours. One by one, ponies she knew had come in and out of the main offices, being led by a stallion that could only be described as "professional-looking". The first one who entered the building was Rainbow Dash. She was led into the main offices, and after about half an hour, she came out. As Rainbow passed Scarlet on the way out of the building, she leaned over and whispered, “Meet me in our usual spot, at six. I'll bring Fluttershy, too. Apparently she doesn't live very far from the orphanage.”

The next ponies who had gone in and out of the room with the stallion included her camp counselor, Mr. Bolt, and her school teacher. After quite a while, they, too, were on their way.

Next, was the matron at the orphanage, Mrs. Caring. It had been about twenty minutes since Mrs. Caring entered the main offices, and Scarlet was growing anxious.

“What in Equestria happened?” Scarlet thought to herself.

“Today wasn't much different than any other day, was it? Well, then again, I normally don't engage in Rainbow Dash's conflicts with other ponies. Why did I feel so compelled to step in this time? Was defending her really that important?

“Ms. Lightning.”

“As her friend, I suppose I was obligated to stand up for her in the first place. I can't wait until I'm out of this building, then I can get the whole story from Rainbow. I just hope she saw enough to give me a clear explanation.”

“Ahem, Ms. Lightning.”

“How in the world could that have happened to Hoops? Did I do that? Argh, I wish I could remember what happened! It's like my memory just went completely blank for a short period of time. This is so aggrav-”

“MS. LIGHTNING! Please wake up!”

Scarlet nearly jumped out of her seat. She looked up, and saw the professional-looking stallion staring down at her with a hint of agitation on his face.

“Umm, sorry. What did you say?” Scarlet asked, trying to recover from the sudden interruption of her in-depth thought process. She looked around, but Mrs. Caring was nowhere to be seen. “I guess she left already.”

“Please follow me, Ms. Lightning.” he said.

Scarlet got up from her seat. “Great, time for more questions.” She followed the stallion into the door, and made her way down a long, narrow hallway, and through another door. The room she now stood in was very plain, like the one before. However, she was given almost no time to observe.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Lightning. Please have a seat.” said a different stallion, who was sitting at the desk in front of her. This simple request, while somewhat patronizing, was asked in a polite way. Scarlet found it ironic because this "request" was not a request at all. She didn't actually have a choice in the matter, so she sat without a word.

The stallion in front of her was slightly less professional-looking than the last, and a bit more on the intimidating side. He had a Grey coat, and a neat, dark Grey mane. He waved his hoof in a sort of shooing motion, and the professional-looking stallion left, closing the door behind him. They were now alone.

The two of them sat facing one another in awkward silence for a few minutes. The Grey-colored stallion began to flip through some pages on his desk, glancing up at Scarlet every so often. After quite a bit of time, the silence was finally broken.

“So, your name is Scarlet Lightning, if I’m not mistaken?” He didn’t wait for a response.

“I’m looking through these reports, and I see nothing but good things about you, Ms. Lightning. According to your school teacher, you do exceedingly well in your classes, especially Social Studies. It says here that your Geographic knowledge of Equestria is astounding for your age.”

Scarlet shrugged. “I guess, but I’ve never left Cloudsdale. My dad used to show me maps when I was little. I’ve loved looking at them ever since.”

The stallion flipped to another page. “Your camp counselor says you’ve been attending Summer Flight Camp every summer with Rainbow Dash for quite some time.”

“This is our fifth year.”

“So I assume you two enjoy it?”

Scarlet shrugged again. Under conditions like these, she wasn't great with words. “Mrs. Caring was the one who suggested it to us. It was our first summer at the orphanage, and she thought it’d be nice for both of us to go. We were hesitant at first, but we ended up having a great time. It’s really close to the orphanage, so we commute.”

“Mmhm. What do you think of Mrs. Caring?”

“Well, she was always there for me and Rainbow Dash right after our parents died. It was hard for both of us, but she always had a way to cheer us up. In fact, she’s the one who introduced me to Rainbow Dash in the first place. When we started hanging out a bunch, she switched around some of the fillies so that we could bunk together.”

“So you think of her positively?” he asked.

“Well, yes.  I don’t have any reason to dislike her. She’s been nothing but kind to me and Rainbow.”

“Hmm, that’s strange.” he replied. Scarlet was very confused by this statement. “When I talked to her just a few minutes ago, she seemed hesitant to tell me anything positive about you, Scarlet. At first, she refused to talk about you at all. However, I can be quite persuasive. She told me positive things about you, but it was completely insincere. I believe she was honest with me, but at the same time, I feel as if she wanted me to think negatively of you.”

“Why would she want that?” Scarlet asked, bewildered.

“I haven't the slightest idea. Perhaps you should ask her yourself.” he said casually.

Scarlet had no time to consider reasons for this... strange circumstance, because the stallion continued speaking immediately.

“Tell me what happened today.” he continued. Once again, he wasn't asking.

“Today?” she asked. “As in today at Flight Camp?”

“What else could I be talking about?”

Scarlet recounted the events in the day that led up to the incident. She made sure to be very specific, even including what she ate for breakfast. When she arrived at the most important part, she was stumped for details.

“After Hoops mentioned my parents, I was at a loss for words. I didn't know how to respond to that, so tears just started to flow. A few seconds later, my mind blanked.”

“Your mind... blanked?” he asked condescendingly.

“Yes, it blanked,” Scarlet stated. “Meaning, I have no idea what happened right after that. It's almost like I went unconscious for a few minutes. I don't know how else to explain it.”

“Very interesting...” he said.

“I don't know how long I was out, but eventually my eyes opened and I saw Hoops lying on the ground, motionless. Needless to say, I was shocked, but before I had time to think about it, I was being tied up in a harness, and dragged here. I was being questioned earlier, but I don't think they knew what they were doing. In fact, all they seemed to know how to do was raise their voice at me. The only info I was able to provide was a possible witness, Rainbow Dash, and the name of my camp counselor, my teacher, and Mrs. Caring. After that, they brought me into that waiting room of yours. I think you know what happened after that.”

“Indeed,” he replied. “About your friend, Rainbow Dash. What's she like?”

“I'm pretty sure you saw that for yourself when you talked to her earlier. It doesn't take long to figure her out.” said Scarlet, trying to fight back a small smile.

“Well,” he started, “she was trying to tell me exactly what happened. She says she saw the whole ordeal.”

There were a few seconds of silence. “Well?” asked Scarlet impatiently.

“Well, how shall I put this?” he began. “Your friend seems to have quite a vivid imagination. I wouldn't let these words faze you.”

“Just tell me.” she said firmly.

“Very well.” he said, clearing his throat. He looked down at a piece of paper on his desk. “Here are her exact words:”

“That comment Hoops said made Scarlet really upset, so she started getting all glowy. Then, all of a sudden, I got pushed back by something, kinda like wind. I looked at Scarlet, and she was floating in this really creepy way. Her wings weren't even flapping, but she kept floating up! Then, this weird blue stuff wrapped itself around her like a cocoon, and a bunch of lightning came out of nowhere! There must have been like 20 bolts, and every single one hit her! Then, it looked like she was starting to calm down. She came back down to the ground, so I galloped over to her as fast as I could. Usually ponies aren't okay after being struck by lightning over and over, but she didn't have a scratch on her! Before I had time to say anything, I noticed her eyes were all blue. Not the regular blue, I mean COMPLETELY blue, and nothing else! She had this mad look on her face, like she was about to attack. I got spooked, so I flew away as fast as I could. When I was pretty far away, I heard this loud 'BOOM', and everything seemed calm again after that. I went back to Scarlet, but there were a bunch of ponies in uniforms crowded around the area and tying her up, so I flew back to the orphanage as fast as I could to tell Mrs. Caring. Not too long after that, two stallions in uniforms arrived at the door and brought us here.”

The long pause told Scarlet that he was done reading. She didn't even know what to say. She had no reason to doubt Rainbow Dash's words, but it seemed so far fetched. She was definitely going to talk to Rainbow Dash about this later.

One thing in particular struck Scarlet as odd.“Where was Fluttershy this entire time? Could she have arrived sometime during my memory gap? If she was there, it'd make sense that Rainbow Dash didn't mention her. Better to not get her involved. We both know that situations like this scare the hay out of Fluttershy.”

“Well?” the stallion asked, apparently expecting a response.

Once again, Scarlet had become lost in her own thoughts. She looked up, and realized the stallion expected her to say something.

“Well... ummm, I don't...” Scarlet still didn't know what to say.

“Pretty ridiculous, isn't it?” he asked. Scarlet looked up to see him chuckling. He was obviously amused by it. “Your friend definitely has quite the imagination. She should write a book with this. Anyway, it's clear what happened today.”

“Really?” she asked. “That's good, because I've been trying to figure it out for hours.”

“It's quite obvious, really. What we're dealing with is your everyday school yard scuffle. Well, in this case, it was at camp, but you know what I mean. I'm not saying that makes your actions justified, but this isn't anything out of the ordinary.”

Scarlet had a dumbfounded look on her face. “That's it? If that's the case, how do you explain my mind going blank for the entire duration?”

“I'm not sure,” he said. “I've heard of times when ponies were literally blinded by rage, and they completely lost all sense of control.” Scarlet started to protest, but was interrupted. “Anyway, I don't think further investigation is necessary. Your discipline is no longer my responsibility. If you were a few years older, I could have you arrested for aggressive assault, but due to your age, I believe whatever punishment instilled by your camp counselor and Mrs. Caring will suffice.”

Scarlet took this as a hint that she was allowed to leave now. She got up and made her way to the door, and he didn't say anything. As she opened the door and started to exit, however, he spoke up one last time.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” he asked.

She stopped. “What do you mean?”

He paused for a moment, as if he was trying to word this next phrase carefully. “Well, that colt, Hoops,” he started.

“Yes?” she inquired.

“He's comatose. It'll probably be a few days before he wakes up.”

Volume 1, Part 2: Departure

Departure

As Scarlet left the Cloudsdale Investigative Building, she looked at the huge clock in the center of town. It was ten past five, so she decided to give herself forty-five minutes of free time before she headed over to meet Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Scarlet never had the chance to eat lunch, so she decided to grab an early dinner. Her favorite hay stand was right around the corner, and she had a few bits with her. As she approached the stand, the owner's back was turned as he took another batch of hay fries out of the oven.  

“Hey there, Strawford.” Scarlet said in a friendly voice. “Could I get the usual, please?”

Strawford turned around. “Sorry, but I don't serve delinquents.”

“What?” she asked, insulted.

“Maybe you should go attack an innocent filly. Or, perhaps you could rob that apple stand across the street! Hmph!” He turned his back and continued tending to the hay fries.

Scarlet just stood there. “How could he know about the incident so soon? Do rumors really spread that quickly?”

She tried a few other places, but she was given a similar response at each one. “I guess that means every single restaurant in Cloudsdale is going to refuse service to me.”

She sighed, too tired to dwell on this much more. Scarlet decided to head back to the orphanage. She took the usual route. As she walked through the streets, ponies of all ages gave her nasty looks, and some even shrieked at the sight of her. Everypony in Cloudsdale seemed to look at her with contempt.

“What have I become to them?” she asked herself.

She finally arrived at the orphanage. As she walked up the steps leading to the front door, she noticed her trunk leaning against the wall. She opened it, and surely enough, all of her belongings were packed messily inside.

She knocked on the front door, and after a few minutes, it opened. Mrs. Caring stood there, with a look of disgust on her face.

“Hi, Mrs. Caring. Why is all of my stuff here?” Scarlet was afraid of the answer.

“You are no longer welcome here. I've taken the liberty of having all of your belongings dropped outside for you. Take them and go.” she turned to go back inside.

“Where do you expect me to go?” Scarlet asked pitifully.

"That's not my problem." she replied. She began to close the door.

"Wait!" Scarlet raised her voice in desperation.

“What do you want?” she asked impatiently.

“I've lived here for five years. I've learned to call this place my home. I'm guessing this is because of the incident earlier today, but why are you of all ponies disowning me? I thought you cared about me.”

“I did care about you,” Mrs. Caring started, “but I can't let a maniac live in this orphanage with the other fillies and colts. I won't risk their safety on your behalf.”

“I'm not a maniac...” Scarlet protested.

“Then why did you beat that young colt into a coma? I've seen plenty of fillies and colts get into fights before, but you did not need to go that far.”

“I don't think I knew what I was doing at the time,” Scarlet started to explain the situation, but Mrs. Caring didn't care to listen.

“That doesn't matter to me. The fact remains that you almost killed my son!” Mrs. Caring was almost shouting at this point. Upon seeing Scarlet's look of shock, Mrs. Caring realized she had said more than she intended. She went inside and slammed the door behind her.

Scarlet just stood there for the better part of five minutes. “Hoops Caring. What a weird name.” she chuckled. Even though she knew this was no time for comedy, she couldn't help herself.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet sat on the curb, wondering what she was going to do. Where would she go? Most of the ponies in Cloudsdale seemed to scorn her, and if every single pony didn't hate her now, they would by tomorrow.

“How in Equestria do rumors like this spread so fast?” Scarlet thought to herself.

It was starting to get dark outside, but the huge clock in the center of town was still visible. It read five 'til six. Scarlet was supposed to meet with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in five minutes. Hopefully those two didn't think any less of her.

Scarlet was still outside the orphanage, so she made her way around to the back. Once there, she located the cellar door, and went inside. As she descended the short flight of stairs, an idea suddenly came to mind. She realized there was only one thing she could do at this point, and although she wasn't particularly fond of the idea, it was the only option. She decided she would mention it to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

She arrived in the main cellar room. She discovered this vacant cellar a few months after living in the orphanage, and it had been her place to hang out with Rainbow Dash ever since. At first, the cellar seemed like it hadn't been used in years, but after dusting it, touching up the cracks in the cloud walls, as well as bringing in a couch, two chairs, a table, and a few of her favorite books, it had become sort of a clubhouse for the two of them.

The reason Scarlet loved this cellar so much was because it was probably the only room in Cloudsdale that went underneath the cloud floor. There were windows on all four edges of the room, and she could get an amazing view of the surface. Scarlet had never been to the surface, but Fluttershy had been talking about it nonstop for the last few days. She described it as a place of “so many wonders” and that it was filled with all sorts of plants and creatures. Rainbow Dash was bored to death by this, but Scarlet was very intent on listening, because of her interest in geography. Scarlet knew the map of Equestria like the back of her hoof, but she had always wanted to see the different places for herself.

There was a knock on the cellar door. Scarlet spoke up. “What is a Scarlet Rainbow?” she asked.

She heard a loud sigh, then an answer, “It's not a rainbow at all, but a red ribbon strewn across the sky.”

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash had designed that password in order to keep this place a secret from other ponies. Well, Scarlet had initially come up with it, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care either way.

Scarlet walked over to unlock the door, and as soon as the 'click' noise was heard, the door burst open. Scarlet was knocked on her back, and pretty soon she found herself pinned down by Rainbow Dash.

“What happened?!” she could barely contain her excitement. “Is everything okay? Are we in trouble?”

Fluttershy still stood by the entrance to the cellar, watching the action without a word. Scarlet groaned. “Calm down, Rainbow. Get off me, so we can discuss this like civilized ponies.”

Rainbow Dash hesitated for a second, then slowly lifted herself off of Scarlet. The two of them made their way over to the couch and chairs, but Fluttershy still stood by the entrance in silence. “Come inside, Fluttershy.” said Scarlet. “You need to be here for this discussion, too.”

Fluttershy was also hesitant, but surely enough, she made her way down the short flight of stairs, and joined them by the couch.

When all three of them were seated, Scarlet spoke up. “First things first. Rainbow Dash, I need you to tell me exactly what you saw. Don't leave out any details, and don't get over enthusiastic. I need to be able to keep up with what you're saying.”

Rainbow Dash explained the entire ordeal. It was practically identical to the report Scarlet heard before, except this time, Rainbow mentioned Fluttershy arriving in the middle.

As soon as Rainbow finished her explanation, she bombarded Scarlet. “So when were you planning on telling me about this 'ability' of yours, huh? Considering we tell each other everything, that might have been nice to know.”

“Because I didn't know about it, myself,” began Scarlet. Rainbow wore a confused look on her face. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I'm still having a hard time believing it, to be honest.”

“You think I'm making this up?” said Rainbow defensively. “I saw what I saw!”

“No, Rainbow. I have no reason to believe you're lying to me. It's just so... bizarre. This... 'outburst' of energy you mentioned. It sounds more like magic to me than anything, and if you haven't noticed, I'm not a unicorn! It just doesn't make any sense to me.”

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Rainbow. “Are you gonna try to find out more about this, or are you gonna just try to forget about it?”

“Well,” started Scarlet, “That brings me to a rather upsetting announcement, but one that needs to be a mutual understanding between us, regardless.”

“Tell us, already!” Rainbow Dash was obviously impatient.

“I will, but first I need to make something clear. I've already made this decision, so don't bother trying to change my mind. This decision isn't without reason, I assure you of that.”

“Just tell us!”

As reluctant as Scarlet was to make this announcement so suddenly, she knew it had to be done. “I'm leaving Cloudsdale.”

The room was so silent, they could hear the light breeze coming from outside.

“You're... leaving?” asked Fluttershy. This was the first time she had spoken up since she arrived.

“I think she means she's leaving on vacation. When did Mrs. Caring start giving you that much freedom, Scarlet? I'm jealous!” Rainbow Dash was in total denial.

“No, Rainbow. I'm leaving Cloudsdale, and I'm never coming back.”

The look of bewilderment and shock on Rainbow's face was enough to know that explanations were in order.

“Gossip seems to have a way of spreading very quickly in Cloudsdale. The incident only occurred six hours ago, and already, everypony in town is treating me like some sort of deranged freak! I can take looks of disapproval every so often, and I could survive if restaurants refused to serve me, but when Mrs. Caring is so perturbed by me that she decides to kick me out of the orphanage, that is when I know there's nothing left for me here.”

There was more silence, and then Fluttershy said, “So, all those things happened to you today?”

“Who cares about that?!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “You can't leave Cloudsdale! Where the hay will you go? You're just a filly! When did you even decide this?!”

“About 10 minutes ago, to answer your last question. As for your other one, I haven't decided where I'll go yet, but I'll figure something out. I want to find a place where I can live in peace, but I'm hoping I'll chance upon somepony who knows a thing or two about what happened to me.” Scarlet seemed surprisingly calm, despite the life-changing situation at hand.

Rainbow Dash stood there, uttering random words and sounds, not saying anything in particular. Scarlet knew what this meant, because she'd seen it before. Rainbow was at war with herself. She was bouncing back and forth between thoughts, most likely trying to make up her mind about something.

At last, Rainbow Dash spoke in complete sentences. “I can't let you go by yourself. I'm coming with you!”

This caught Scarlet by surprise. She knew Rainbow Dash was loyal to ponies she cared about, but she wasn't expecting this!

“When are you leaving?” Rainbow asked eagerly.

“I was planning on leaving tonight, but-”

“Great! I'll pack my stuff! Meet me at the western edge of Cloudsdale.” she turned to leave, but then stopped, and turned back around. “What about you, Fluttershy? What are you going to do?”

Fluttershy stood there, utterly unsure of what to say. “Oh, well, I'm not sure...” she said.

“Do you want to come with us?” Scarlet blurted out without thinking. Fluttershy was caught off-guard by this proposal.

“Leaving Cloudsdale to go to the surface...” she thought out loud. “That would be nice, seeing all the different animals and places. What would my parents think?” at the mention of her parents, she stopped.

“My parents... what would they think?” now Fluttershy was the one in conflict with herself. After yet another couple of silent minutes, Fluttershy spoke. “I just can't, Scarlet. As much as I care about you two, I don't think I have it in me to leave everything behind and come with you. I'm sorry...”

“Don't worry about it,” Scarlet said reassuringly. “I shouldn't have asked that of you. For that, I apologize.”

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash exchanged sad goodbyes with Fluttershy. Then, the two of them agreed to meet at the western edge of Cloudsdale at seven o' clock, giving Rainbow about half an hour to sneak into the orphanage, pack up her things, and sneak back out. Scarlet was already packed, so she was ready. The three of them parted ways to prepare for what was to come.

[][][][][][][][]

Fluttershy entered through the front door of her house. Her parents were lounging in the living room, and made no comment when she returned. She went straight to her bedroom, where she closed the door behind her.

As she sat at the foot of her bed, she contemplated what had just occurred. The only two friends she'd ever had were leaving Cloudsdale forever. As she thought about it more and more, the true reality of the situation hit her like a brick.

“I'm never going to see my friends again,” she told herself. As she repeated those words over and over in her mind, her eyes began to well up with tears, and she couldn't hold them back.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by shouting, and it was coming from the other room. Fluttershy leaned against the door to hear what her parents were shouting about.

“Her inability to socialize with other ponies is unbelievable!” said her mom. “She barely even talks to me, her own mother! I've never heard of such a thing!”

These words were nothing new to Fluttershy. Her parents had been arguing about this same subject for months. She didn't know what they expected her to do about it. It's not like she chose to be shy and timid.

“She hangs around those two abrasive fillies all the time, yet she can barely even look at me! I just don't understand what her issue is.”

Fluttershy sighed. She didn't have an issue at all. The reason she talked to Rainbow Dash and Scarlet was because they were the only ponies who didn't judge her timid nature. They may be rough around the edges, but they're also incredibly kind and caring, which was a quality she rarely saw in ponies these days.

“If this bothers you that much, why don't you pull her out of that ridiculous flight camp, and place her in a boot camp? I'm sure that will toughen her up a bit.” suggested her dad.

Fluttershy gasped. She had never heard this kind of suggestion from either of her parents before now.

“Do you think she would be able to handle that? I can see that as a potential solution, but don't you think they would eat her alive?”

“Eh, it'll be good for her. I think it's about time we showed her some tough love.”

“You're right! Plus, this will keep her away from those two fillies. They're such a terrible influence. Did you hear, that pony named Scarlet Lightning got into a fight with a colt earlier today? I heard he's in the hospital right now. How frightening to know that our daughter is hanging around such a brute!” stated her mother.

“Alright, then. I suppose I'll sign her up.” said her dad.

Fluttershy took her ear away from the door. She'd heard enough. Her eyes were flooded with tears at this point. She hadn't realized before that her parents truly despised who she is. Not only that, but the thought of going to boot camp terrified her more than anything, and panic began to set in.

She checked the clock at her bedside table. It read six-fifty.

“ten minutes. I have ten minutes to get to them.”

She'd made up her mind. She pulled out the saddlebag from beneath her bed. She tried not to think about the weight of the situation, and instead, focused on getting her things together. She had to be careful not to forget anything, because she knew she wouldn't be coming back to retrieve it.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet waited at the western edge of the city, thinking about the day's events.

“It's hard to believe that so much has happened in such a short amount of time.” she thought. “Just earlier today, I was doing stunt classes with Rainbow Dash. Now, I'm leaving behind everypony I know to live on my own. I'm just glad Rainbow is coming with me, because in all honesty, I don't know how long my sanity would last without her.”

“What will the rest of my life hold in store for me? Will I ever be able to salvage something good out of this hollow husk of a childhood? I suppose if I want to find out, I'll have to keep going.”

Scarlet heard the familiar sound of Rainbow Dash's wings flapping. She looked at the luminescent clock at the center of town. It was seven o' clock on the dot. Scarlet was surprised by her friend's punctuality.

Rainbow Dash appeared out of the darkness, her rainbow mane and tail easily visible, even in the black of night. She carried her saddlebag over her back. Her facial expression was one of fierce determination.

“Are you ready, Rainbow Dash?” Scarlet asked. She already knew the answer.

“I couldn't be more ready.” she replied.

“Alright, but I hope you-”

“Wait!”

Scarlet was interrupted by a familiar voice. She looked at Rainbow Dash questioningly, but Rainbow was just as clueless as her.

“Girls! Wait!” yelled the voice again. There was no mistaking it this time. Rainbow Dash and Scarlet knew it was Fluttershy's voice, and they could hear her approaching, but they had no idea why.

Finally, the Canary Pegasus came into view. She carried her own saddlebag, and her heavy breathing told them that she had flown here at top speed.

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash stared at her curiously, and noticed that she had been crying.

“Fluttershy, what are you-”

“I want to come with you!” she declared.

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash looked at each other indecisively, and after a few seconds of silent collaboration, nodded their heads in agreement.

“Fluttershy, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into,” Scarlet affirmed. “We're not going to have anyone to help us. We'll be completely on our own. You realize that, don't you?”

“But we'll have each other, won't we?” asked Fluttershy innocently.

Scarlet smiled, and a single teardrop made its way down her cheek. “Of course we will. We'll always be there for one another.” In spite of the situation, Scarlet was overcome with joy as she realized the potency of the bond she shared with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Scarlet looked out to the horizon. She was prepared to tackle whatever life threw at her. Her confidence only increased knowing that the two ponies she cared about most would be by her side the whole time.

“Alright, girls. Are you ready?” she asked in a headstrong manner. They nodded.

She looked off the edge. In the dark, it looked like a never ending abyss. “It's now or never,” thought Scarlet.

Scarlet dove off the edge of Cloudsdale and soared freely through the air. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy following close behind her. “This is how things should always be,” she thought to herself.

The three fillies flew off into the night, unknowing of their destination, and utterly clueless as to what life had in store for them. Regardless, they continued to fly, and they promised themselves not to stop.

Thus, began the journey of a lifetime.

End of Volume 1

Volume 2, Part 1: Reception in Dodge

Reception in Dodge

The three fillies continued to fly in a V formation with Fluttershy in the lead. They had no idea where they currently were, but that didn't stop them.

“How long do you think we've been flying for?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No idea,” answered Scarlet. “Probably a few hours.”

“Do you actually have a place in mind for us to go?” Rainbow asked apprehensively.

Slightly embarrassed, Scarlet answered, “Not exactly. I was hoping Cloudsdale would be closer to civilization when we left, but it looks like we're in the middle of nowhere. In the dark, it's impossible for me to tell where we even are.”

Rainbow wore a confused look on her face. “What do you mean 'you were hoping it would be closer'? I thought you knew where it is on the map.”

“Cloudsdale is an exception. It constantly drifts all around Equestria throughout the year.” Scarlet explained.

“Clouds don't move on their own!” Rainbow protested.

“This one does. Shortly after the founding of Equestria, Commander Hurricane requested that the unicorns cast a spell on their beloved ancestral home. This spell did two things. First, it caused the city of Cloudsdale to drift around Equestria, like I said before. Second, it gave all pegasi the ability to locate it by instinct, in case they had to leave on important missions. Haven't you two noticed by now that you know exactly how to get back to Cloudsdale from here?”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked behind them. Even though it was pitch black out, they knew the exact direction to Cloudsdale, and exchanged looks of wonder.

“The pegasi did this as a strategic form of defense. They were known to be a great warrior race, after all. We learned about this in History last year, Rainbow. Weren't you paying attention at all?” Scarlet asked.

“What do you think?”

Scarlet chuckled, remembering all the times she heard Rainbow Dash snoring behind her during Social Studies lessons.

“Umm, Scarlet? I'm so sorry to be a bother, but we've been flying for such a long time. I'm very tired, is there any way we can rest for the night?” asked Fluttershy.

“I'd love to, but I don't really feel comfortable sleeping in the middle of this place. We have no idea what's on the ground. I might be more comfortable if I knew where we were on the map.” Scarlet said.

Then, seeing just how tired Fluttershy was, she relented slightly.

"How about I take the lead, Fluttershy? That way, you can rest a little in my wake."

Grateful, Fluttershy drifted to the back, while Scarlet made her way to the front.

Moments later, the three of them heard a strange noise in the distance. It sounded like a deep whistle of some sort. Scarlet looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a faint light, approaching them slowly. As it got closer, Scarlet began to realize what it was. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind.

“What is that thing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

By now, the object was so close, that the three of them could make out the distinct shape of the locomotive.

“It's called a train,” answered Scarlet, “and it might be the solution to both of our problems. Follow me!”

The three of them dove down towards the train. As they got closer, the noise became louder, until the entire train was in plain sight.

Scarlet spotted an open window on the caboose of the train. “I think the three of us can fit in there,” Scarlet shouted over the sound of the train, gesturing towards the window she had in mind. “We just need to be quick.”

“Oh, I got this!” said Rainbow brashly, and she swooped down. With some smart maneuvering on her part, Rainbow landed safely in the opening with ease.

“Great,” stated Scarlet. “Alright, Fluttershy. Your turn!”

Fluttershy looked at the train as if it were some ferocious beast waiting to consume her. It was apparent that Fluttershy would not be convinced to fly towards it, and Scarlet quickly caught on to this. Aware of the fact that they were limited on time, she grabbed hold of Fluttershy's tail, and pulled her towards the window. She managed to get Fluttershy into the train unharmed, but due to the awkward positioning, Scarlet lost her balance and crash landed inside. Fortunately, she didn't injure herself in the landing, and all three of them were safely inside the train. Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” uttered Fluttershy. “I didn't want you to hurt yourself, I was just so terrified.”

“It's fine,” Scarlet responded. She got up and brushed herself off. “At least I crashed in here, and not out there.”

The three of them looked around. The inside of the train was quite boring. There were stacks of hay all over the place, and nothing else.

“So what now?” asked Rainbow Dash impatiently.

“Now,” started Scarlet, “we should try to get some sleep. This train should bring us to some form of civilization, so we can just rest until then. Celestia knows we need it.”

“Will we get in trouble for staying here?” asked Fluttershy nervously.

“Probably not,” answered Scarlet as she put together a makeshift pillow with some nearby hay. “Just try not to make a lot of noise.”

With that, Scarlet laid her head down on the soft hay, and slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did likewise, allowing the train to carry them to their next destination... wherever that may be.

[][][][][][][][]

The three fillies were woken by a multitude of voices coming from the outside. The sunlight was shining into the window they had entered through the night before.

“I think we're here,” Scarlet said, yawning.

Rainbow sat up lazily. “Where?” she asked. Her eyes were still half shut.

“I have no idea. Lets go find out.” Scarlet said. With that, she stood on all four legs in preparation to fly out. Fluttershy slowly got to her feet, but Rainbow Dash just flopped back down on her back, desperate for more sleep.

“Come on, Rainbow,” said Scarlet. “We don't have all the time in the world. We need to get going.” Scarlet walked over to her, and shook her repeatedly. “Time to get up!”

“Ughh... fine.” Rainbow said begrudgingly. She started to sit up in slow motion. After a matter of seconds, Scarlet's impatience took over, and she pulled Rainbow to her feet by force.

“Lets check out this town. It sounds lively enough.” said Scarlet, referring to the voices they heard coming from outside the train. She dove up and out of the window, and the other two were right behind her.

The three of them found themselves in a humble little town. It wasn't as magnificent as Cloudsdale, but it was still decent. They were surrounded by wooden buildlings, sandy  roads, and many earth ponies. In fact, they were the only pegasi in sight.

“I've never seen so many earth ponies in one place,” exclaimed Fluttershy with growing wonder.

“What is this place, anyway?” Rainbow asked.

Scarlet looked around, taking in the new environment. After a bit of searching with her eyes, she stated, “We're in Dodge Junction.”

Rainbow snorted in annoyance. “How is it that she seems to knows everything? Seriously, she just answers every single question like it's nothing. This is starting to get on my nerves just a little bit! Fluttershy, why can't you answer any of my questions whenever-” she was interrupted by Fluttershy, which was unusual.

“I remember you saying once before that she's good at Geography. Maybe that's her talent! You shouldn't be mad at her for her special gift, because that's not very nice.” Fluttershy stated in a somewhat assertive tone.

“Actually, it's not my special talent, I consider it more of a hobby. As to how I know where we are, I just looked at the sign,” Scarlet said in a nonchalant way, pointing at a huge banner hanging from the ceiling that read, “Welcome to Dodge Junction!”.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked down in embarrassment, and Scarlet said in a sympathetic, yet thoroughly entertained voice, “It's okay, girls. Come on, lets have a look around town. Maybe we can find someplace to eat.”

They proceeded to look around for a place they could get a bite to eat. It didn't take long before they came across a small place called the “Cherry Bomb Diner”. The name wasn't exactly appetizing, but Scarlet would take anything at this point, considering she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Right outside the entrance, they noticed a sign on the door that said “No Apples!”.

They entered the restaurant, and upon seeing the interior of the building, Scarlet retracted her earlier thoughts about the place. The upkeep was obviously good, with spotless tables and a clean floor. Also, the walls were professionally painted in red and yellow stripes, which added to the overall quality of the restaurant, in Scarlet's opinion.

“Y'all three can just have a seat at whichever table you like.” said a peppy pony from behind the counter. “Someone'll be right with ya,” she finished.

The three of them walked over to the closest table in sight. They carefully sat down at the wooden table, to avoid splinters. However, to their surprise, the table and seats were covered in a layer of smooth, glossy finish, designed to prevent just that. “What a nice place!” Fluttershy stated out of the blue.

They were approached by a waitress. “What can I get y'all to eat?”

“Do you have any apple pie?” Rainbow blurted out. Scarlet smacked her hoof against her face. “Its been a whole thirty seconds, and she already forgot about that sign?”

The weightress rolled her eyes. “Did ya look at the sign outside? We don't sell apples here. We got plenty of cherries, though.”

“We'll just have three slices of cherry pie, please.” Scarlet stepped in before Rainbow Dash inadvertently insulted the restaurant again.

“Sure thing.” said the waitress. She walked away, and the three of them were left to wait for their food.

Scarlet looked around the room in curiosity. She noticed an older stallion sitting at a table near them. He was enjoying a cup of cherry juice and some cherry pie. He also had a cutie mark of a cherry orchard.

“Talk about your cherry enthusiast.” Scarlet thought in amusement.

After a few minutes, the waitress came back out with the three slices of cherry pie. “Enjoy,” she said, as she placed them down on the table.

Rainbow Dash was the first to dig in. Scarlet was next. Fluttershy hesitated (as usual), but finally jumped on the bandwagon and started eating.

“Sweet Celestia!” said Rainbow Dash in delight. “This pie is awesome! I wasn't expecting much since it's not apples, but it's so good!”

“I agree!” said Scarlet. “I don't know if it's just because I'm starving, but who cares? This is delicious! Fluttershy, what do you think?”

Fluttershy sat there, eating her pie calmly. “It's... good.” she said without a hint of enthusiasm.

Scarlet was shocked, but Rainbow Dash seemed downright offended. “Good? How can you say that? You don't think it's delicious? Fantastic? Anything?”

“I never said I dislike it, it's just not my favorite thing ever. I still think it's good...” Fluttershy stated plainly. Rainbow Dash decided to leave her alone about it.

Despite the fact that it wasn't Fluttershy's favorite, she still finished her whole slice. All three of them had been hungry, especially after that long night of nonstop flying.

“So,” started Scarlet, “how much money did you two bring?

“I brought 10 bits,” said Fluttershy. “I would've brought more, but that's all I had saved up.”

Rainbow Dash looked up from her plate, her face covered in cherries. “We were supposed to bring money?” she asked cluelessly.

Scarlet once again had a legitimate reason to smack her face with her hoof. “Yes, Rainbow Dash. Did you think we'd be eating out of the trash or something?” Rainbow Dash looked down in embarrassment.

“Well, nevermind. Don't worry about it, Rainbow. Anyway, I got up last night and looked through my trunk. Fortunately, Mrs. Caring was honest enough to pack all the bits I had saved.”

“So how much do you have?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I counted twenty-five bits. With that, plus Fluttershy's savings, we have a total of thirty-five bits, which should last us a few days.”

“So what are we gonna do once we run out of money?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I think you know the answer to that.” answered Scarlet.

Rainbow thought for a moment, and after a sudden realization, she groaned. “Ughh, I hate working, but I guess it's the only way.”

Fluttershy gulped. “We... h-have to get... j-j-jobs?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Sorry, Fluttershy, but it's the only way we can feed ourselves. Remember when I said that we'll be completely on our own? Well, I meant 100 percent, absolutely, completely on our own, not counting each other, of course.”

Just then, the waitress came by with their bill. “Your total is forty-two bits, kids. Will you be splittin' that?”

Scarlet looked like she had just taken a whack to the head. She was completely speechless.

“You're joking, right?” shouted Rainbow Dash. “How can you charge..." she hesitated for a moment to think. The waitress stood there, waiting impatiently. Finally, Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "How can you charge fourteen bits for each slice of pie? In Cloudsdale, that would buy you an eight-course meal at a fancy restaurant!”

“Oh, you three are from Cloudsdale, huh?” asked the waitress. “Well, I've heard stuff there is way cheaper than it is here. Something about the economy and what-not. Anyway, I'm gonna need those forty-two bits.”

“Listen, lady. We don't have enough to pay for that.” retorted Rainbow Dash.

The peppy pony from before came over. “Is there a problem here?”

Scarlet said, “We don't have enough money to pay for the pie. We weren't aware that prices here are much higher than Cloudsdale.”

“Whether y'all knew about it or not makes no difference.” said the peppy pony, suddenly sounding less peppy and more aggressive. "Each pie slice costs fourteen bits, and its been that way for years. If y'all can't pay for what you ordered, I'm gonna have to call the authorities.”

“I don't think that'll be necessary, Ms. Cherry Bomb.” said the old stallion sitting at the nearby table. “I'll pitch in the last seven bits they owe.”

The three fillies looked over at the old stallion, who was reaching into his saddlebag. Once he pulled out seven bits, he walked over to them, and placed it on the table.

Scarlet felt humiliated. “We've been here for less than a day, and we're already accepting charity. This is definitely not what I had in mind.” Nevertheless, she dug through her trunk and pulled out a pouch containing twenty-five bits. Fluttershy did the same, and they both added to the pool.

Ms. Cherry Bomb took the money. “You fillies should consider yourselves lucky that a generous pony like Mr. Jubilee was around. Take care, now.” With that, she and the waitress left to tend to the other customers.

Mr. Jubilee stood there, studying the three fillies carefully. Finally, he broke the silence. “So, you three are from Cloudsdale, eh?”

“Yes,” answered Scarlet. There was more silence, so Scarlet spoke up. “We really appreciate what you did. Thank you.”

“Ahh, don't mention it.” he replied. When the awkward silence came back a third time, Scarlet decided it was time to go. She turned to leave. Rainbow and Fluttershy did the same.

“Now hang on a cherry-pickin' minute there.” the stallion said firmly. The three stopped in their tracks. “You three just got wiped clean of all your bits. What do ya reckon you'll do now?”

There was more silence. Scarlet grew tired of the silence. “I don't know.” she said. “We'll figure something out.”

“I couldn't help but overhear you three were considering finding jobs.” he said. “Pegasi don't come through here often, and it just so happens a few pegasi would be a great asset to my cherry orchard. If you three are willing, I'd love to have you come and work part-time down at my ranch. I could provide housing and meals, if that's an issue. What do ya say?” Mr. Jubilee was straight and to the point, without the slightest hint of a stutter.

The offer caught Scarlet completely off guard. As great as it sounded, she wondered what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would think about it. Rainbow's face was beaming, so that was a good sign. However, when Scarlet turned to look at Fluttershy, her face seemed more sullen than anything.

“Umm, Mr. Jubilee, could you give us a moment to discuss this?” asked Scarlet politely.

“Of course, dear. Take all the time you need.”

Scarlet, Rainbow, and Fluttershy discussed the situation in hushed tones.

“I think we should take this offer,” said Scarlet. “I don't know about you two, but I'd call this a stroke of luck, and I can't imagine it happening twice. He's basically offering us a home on the condition that we work part time.”

“I agree,” said Rainbow Dash. “This was a pretty lucky break, if you ask me. What about you, Fluttershy?”

They looked at Fluttershy, who was looking at the floor. She looked up slightly, and said, “I don't know... the idea of staying in a stranger's house is quite... frightening.”

“Come on!” said Rainbow, irritated. “Isn't it better than sleeping in the streets? Would you rather sleep in a bed, or in the sand?”

Fluttershy made no response. Scarlet decided to use her trump card. “Come on, Fluttershy. This will be fun. I bet there will be a bunch of little animals on the ranch, too. Won't that be nice?” As it turned out, Scarlet had no idea if there were animals on the farm, so she could only hope.

The suggestion seemed to work, because Fluttershy's groundward face immediately shot up in excitement. “Really? You think there'll be animals there? Oh, that would be lovely!”

“So you'll come?” asked Rainbow.

“Of course I'll come!” said Fluttershy. “Ooh, I wonder what kind of animals I'll see? I hope there are bunnies, and little birdies. I'm so excited!”

Scarlet sighed in relief. She turned to Mr. Jubilee, who had given them privacy while they discussed. “We'll take your offer, Mr. Jubilee. Thank you for the help.”

Mr. Jubilee's face lit up. “No, thank YOU for accepting! I've needed some pegasus help for years now!”

“So, what kind of work will we be doing?” Scarlet asked.

“Oh, we'll discuss that soon, dear.” said Mr. Jubilee. “Lets head back to the ranch. I'll give you the grand tour.” He slung his saddlebag over his back, and made his way out of the diner. The three fillies followed him.

“The farm is about a 20 minute walk out of town, just to let you three know.” said Mr. Jubilee.

Scarlet wondered what it would be like there. As always, questions flooded her mind. She continued to speculate with herself as they walked towards their next home.

Volume 2, Part 2: Cherry Hill Ranch

Cherry Hill Ranch

The twenty minute walk out to the ranch proved a bit more arduous than Scarlet had originally imagined. About a mile out of town, they approached a steep hill, which they had to hike over.

“Why can't we just go around?” Scarlet asked begrudgingly.

“It's a precautionary measure to avoid getting lost. A rule of Dodge Junction is that you always stay on the trail when ya leave town.”

“It seems so tedious.”

“The extra effort is better than getting stranded in the vast desert, I assure ya.” Mr. Jubilee said.

As tiring as it was, they eventually made their way over the hill (which was more like a mountain really), and when they finally reached the summit, what came into view was entirely unexpected. A quarter mile away, the landscape transitioned from arid and desolate, to cultivated and luscious. In the distance, they could see an enormous collection of cherry trees, spreading at least a mile in each direction. The leaves on the trees ranged in color from a snowy white to a bubble gum pink, similar to Fluttershy's mane.

“That there's my orchard.” said Mr. Jubilee proudly, as they continued to approach the ranch. “My family has kept it going for generations, and I plan to uphold their legacy to the best of my ability.”

After another minute or so of walking, they found themselves in front of the actual ranch. In the center of the orchard was a small establishment made up of a few buildings.

“Welcome to Cherry Hill Ranch!” he said in a welcoming manner. “I know this may not be as luxurious as you kids are used to in Cloudsdale, but try to make yourselves right at home. What's mine is yours. Anyways, let me give ya a proper tour of the place.”

Mr. Jubilee led them to the largest building. Before they went inside, Mr. Jubilee insisted they go around back. There, he showed them a huge tub containing thousands of cherries. “When ya collect cherries from the fields, this is where ya bring them. You'll see why in a minute.”

He led them back to the front and inside the building. The room they now stood in resembled a factory. There was a conveyer belt, and a running wheel.

“This is the sorting room,” he stated. “After a long day of buckin' cherries and hauling them over here, ponies use this contraption to sort Red cherries from Yellow ones. When the wheel turns, it brings the cherries from outside onto the conveyer belt. One pony runs the wheel, and the others sort. Simple as that!”

“What's the 'pegasus-specific job' you had in mind for us?” asked Scarlet,  changing the subject, due to habit. Her mind tended to wander, and she was always craving an answer to whatever question currently occupied her thoughts. Unfortunately, this question came out in an unintentionally rude and demanding tone.

Mr. Jubilee turned towards them, a stern look upon his face.

Scarlet realized her folly and, not wanting to damage their situation, retracted her statement. “Sorry... I didn't mean to sound impudent. I was just curious.”

Mr. Jubilee chuckled. “Actually, I completely forgot about that! It's funny because that was the main reason I recruited you three! Thanks for reminding me. Come with me, and I'll show ya the job that I need the three of you, specifically, in order to complete.”

They turned to leave the sorting room, and Scarlet breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “That was close. I'll have to be more careful, and mind my manners from now on. The last thing I want to do is get us kicked out.”

When they were back outside, Mr. Jubilee led them to some trees that had already had the cherries bucked out of them. “No matter how hard some of my workers buck the trees, they can never manage to get the cherries at the very top. See for yourselves.”

They looked up at the empty tree, and true to Mr. Jubilee's word, there was still a small basketful of cherries remaining at the top of the tree.

“We've found that the cherries at the top of the tree are the hardest to buck out. We've also found that they're the most delicious. Don't ask why, 'cause I have no idea. What I need you three fillies to do is to fly up there and pick 'em by hoof. It's the only way. Can ya manage to do that each day?”

The three of them looked at each other and smiled. “You can count on us, Mr. Jubilee.” said Scarlet.

“Yeah! We'll have those cherries out of the trees faster than you can say cherry pie!” said Rainbow Dash with enthusiasm.

“I'm glad to hear it!” said Mr. Jubilee. “Not only will this increase our production, but it will also improve the overall quality. Your help will be much appreciated.”

Mr. Jubilee continued to show them around the ranch. He showed them where they made the cherry juice, as well as the bakery where they made treats such as cherry pie. He showed them the chicken coop, much to Fluttershy's excitement. He also showed them around the entire orchard, getting them familiar with the different sections and how they rotate jobs. While being shown around the orchard, they ran into his daughter, Cherry, while she was bucking the cherry trees. She looked like she was in her mid-thirties, give or take a few years. After making her acquaintance and exchanging pleasantries, they went on their way, leaving Cherry to continue her work. All this took about an hour and a half. Finally, he brought them to the house they lived in.

“Now for the easy part of the tour,” Mr. Jubilee said, hanging his saddlebag on a hook by the door. “This is my home. The kitchen is right over there. Help yourself to anything in the pantry or fridge when you're hungry. Please make sure to clean up after yourselves. Also, we have a few rules.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at each other nervously.

“First, Cherry always makes breakfast, and she always makes plenty. You can eat what she prepares, or you can fix yourself something. If ya want to get something from town, you're more than welcome to, but you'll have to get up extra early to get there and back. We start work at ten o' clock sharp, so please be on time.”

“Second, you're on your own for lunch. Once again, you're welcome to fix something for yourselves in the kitchen, or you can go into town to get something. We break for lunch at one, and that break lasts two hours. As long as you can make it back to work by three, I won't bother ya about lunch.”

“Third, eating dinner as a family is mandatory. We eat dinner together every night at six-thirty, and we always eat as a family. This is very important to me, and I'd appreciate it if you three would abide by it, seeing as how you're being treated like family.”

The three fillies nodded their heads. The expectations were perfectly reasonable, and Scarlet had no problem respecting them.

“Other than those three, I'd say I'm quite lenient. I'll let ya make your own bedtimes, as long as ya don't wake up anypony in the middle of the night, and as long as you're able to get up the next morning ready to work. If you're punctual with meals and work, I won't bother you three. Does that sound alright to ya?”

“Yes, sir.” Fluttershy said.

“Yup!” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Sounds great.” Scarlet affirmed.

“Fantastic,” Mr. Jubilee said, satisfied. “I'll show ya to your room, then.”

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet sat on a bed lined with wool sheets. Contrary to what Mr. Jubilee assumed, this was actually MORE luxurious than anything she was used to. Instead of sharing a room with fifteen other fillies, she was only sharing it with two others, and they were both her friends. Plus, she had her own bed, instead of a bunk.

After showing them to the room that the three of them would share, Mr. Jubilee told them to relax for the duration of the day, and they would start work tomorrow morning. Considering it was only half past noon, they had plenty of time to do whatever they wanted.

Rainbow Dash was lying on the bed, bored out of her mind. She looked out the window next to her, and saw Fluttershy sitting against a tree and interacting with the birds and squirrels in the vicinity.

“I guess she's enjoying herself, isn't she?” Rainbow suggested sarcastically.

Scarlet, who was lying in the bed across from her, looked up from her reading to glance briefly out the window. “I guess so.” she responded.

Scarlet was reading a book titled “The History of Dodge Junction”. It told of how Mr. Jubilee's ancestor, Van Stalwart Jubilee, who lived in Canterlot, made a bet with his brother that he could propagate an orchard of apple trees in the middle of the desert.

As it turned out, Van Stalwart had already found an unusually large patch of fertile soil right in the middle of the desert, and he had a plan. He made the day-long journey into the desert. If he hadn't marked his trail, he never would've found the location again. Fortunately, Van Stalwart Jubilee had thought ahead. When he arrived at the fertile land, he began planting his orchard immediately.

He had bribed his pegasus friend to bring rain to his orchard every other day. This way, he would be able to return to Canterlot so his orchard could grow. After several months of waiting, he once again returned to his fertile soil, only to find a full grown orchard of Cherry trees! Apparently, he had switched the seed types by accident!

Technically, he lost the bet with his brother, because the orchard didn't consist of apples, which meant he owed him two hundred bits. However, after all the planning and bribing that Van Stalwart had done, he was completely broke! He was forced to move with his family to the Cherry orchard, where they built a new house, and started to harvest the cherries. He would try to sell the cherries, and make enough money to pay his brother.

When he and his wife brought the cherries to Canterlot to sell, they were a huge success! Ponies commented that the cherries were more delicious than any they had tasted before, and begged for more. Perhaps it was that patch of soil that made these cherries so delicious. Perhaps the soil's existence in the middle of a desert was a magical occurrence in and of itself!

After a matter of time, ponies started returning with Van Stalwart and his family to the Cherry orchard, where they settled and started building houses and shops on the other side of a hill. They eventually built railroad tracks connecting the newly settled town to Canterlot and many other places in Equestria. This town came to be known as Dodge Junction.

“Weird,” said Scarlet to herself as she closed the book, and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed. She had picked the book from Mr. Jubilee's disappointingly scarce collection.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Umm, nothing. So, do you think there's a bookstore in town?” asked Scarlet, changing the subject.

“No idea.” replied Rainbow Dash. “It wouldn't surprise me if there's not. This town is so dinky.”

“So you don't like the town?” asked Scarlet incredulously.

“I never said that!” replied Rainbow Dash. “I just meant that this town doesn't have as much stuff as Cloudsdale.”

After a bit of silence, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Hey Scarlet, what does 'punctual' mean?”

Scarlet looked up. “Since when are you interested in learning new words?”

“Since never,” retorted Rainbow Dash, “I just want to know what Mr. Jubilee was talking about so I don't mess anything up tomorrow.”

Scarlet smiled. She was impressed, to say the least, that Rainbow Dash was taking this seriously enough to ask a question that was so out-of-character for her.

“ 'punctual' means prompt. You know, like, when somepony is 'punctual', they're always careful to be on time.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks Scarlet.” Rainbow Dash said as she laid down on the bed, hooves behind her head, without a care in the world. She obviously intended to relax for a little while.

Scarlet pulled another book from her limited choices and looked at the cover. It was titled “Egghead's Guide to Cherries: The Controversy Between Red and Yellow”.

Scarlet sighed. Giving in to her naturally insatiable curiosity, she opened the book, and began to read.

Volume 2, Part 2.5: The Missing Goggles

The Missing Goggles

Scarlet looked up at the sky. The bright sun was slowly falling towards the west horizon. Evening was on its way, and the three fillies were almost done with their first day of work.

“That should do it for today!” called out Rainbow Dash from a distance, as she picked the final cherry from the top of a tree. “I think we're all caught up!”

They had worked two hours in the morning, and two more hours in the afternoon. At first, the simple task of picking cherries hadn't sounded strenuous at all. Surprisingly enough, however, all three of them were mentally exhausted because of how detail-oriented the job was.

Rainbow Dash hopped down from the tree, using her wings to soften the landing. She was a few trees away from Scarlet, so the two made their way towards each other. Fluttershy approached as well, several little animals following in her steps.

“First day of work, complete.” Scarlet said. "I hope there's more jobs for us in the future, because this one is totally monotonous."

“I know what will make you feel better!” said Rainbow Dash enthusiastically. Scarlet cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Rainbow Dash crouched down in a cat-like pose to emphasize the theatricality of her incoming statement. “A race!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, hopping in the air with her arms spread in excitement. This outburst scared away all the creatures near Fluttershy, much to her disappointment.

“Talk about dramatic.” Scarlet thought to herself, sighing.

“Aww, come on!” said Rainbow Dash. “It'll be fun! We haven't had a good race in weeks! In fact, the last race I flew was against Dumbbell and Hoops, the day Fluttershy and I got our cutie marks.”

“Right,” said Scarlet, “your cutie marks...”. She stared back at her flank. All she could see was her blank, red coat.

Quickly realizing the implications of her words, Rainbow berated herself. “That's not what I meant, Scarlet... sorry.”

“It's fine,” Scarlet said, brushing it off. “I don't care that much. Racing sounds like fun, actually.”

Rainbow Dash leaped into the air yet again. “Yes! Alright, lets go!” she began to soar up in preparation.

“Hang on,” Scarlet said, “I need my goggles.”

Rainbow stopped in mid-air. “Ugh, I don't see why you need those things. I'd have thought you got used to the air rushing into your eyes by now. Quit being a wimp!”

“I don't need them to fly,” Scarlet explained. “They're just important to me, that's all. I don't need to explain my reasons.”

Suddenly, Scarlet realized something, and the thought of it possibly being true caused her heart to sink.

The last time Scarlet remembered seeing her goggles was in the cellar behind the orphanage in Cloudsdale. She had put them in the drawer there one day, but forgot to take them out before leaving.

“Oh, no.” muttered Scarlet. Now Rainbow was the one who was confused.

Before Rainbow Dash had the time to question her friend, Scarlet bolted towards the house, flying at top speed. “No... I can't be right about this. This can't be true!” she thought with growing fear.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet burst into the bedroom she shared with her friends. She looked around, and upon seeing her red trunk lying underneath the bed, she raced towards it without a moment to spare. She pulled it out from beneath the wooden bed frame, and opened it. Inside, there were a few things she hadn't unpacked yet. Mainly a few of her books, which she had already read, and some trinkets from her younger years. She dug through her things without any regard for their fragility, tossing them over her shoulder like they were completely worthless.

“They have to be here. They have to! I couldn't have possibly left them in Cloudsdale!” Scarlet thought to herself as she frantically sifted through her trunk.

Once she had emptied the main pocket of her trunk, she moved on to the side pockets, unzipping them one by one. Her hopelessness grew, and her thoughts subconsciously shifted back several years.

[][][][][][][][]

The warm, spring sunlight shone in through the silk curtains, which were neatly draped over the windows. It was another perfect afternoon in Cloudsdale, and a family had just arrived home from a pleasant lunch together.

In the living room, a blue-coated stallion sat in his chair. On his lap sat a young filly with a red coat, holding up an atlas that was almost as big as she was. The two of them studied this enormous map together.

“In ancient times, the pegasi were known as a great warrior race.” the stallion explained. “They were renowned for their superior military tactics, both offensive and defensive. However, during Celestia's rule, she developed revolutionary military strategies that could not be surpassed by mortal ponies. Those strategies were confined to the capitol city of Canterlot, in order to maintain balance.”

“Daddy,” started the young filly, “What's the point in all this military stuff? There have been almost no wars in the history of Equestria, and those that we know about were petty. Why are all these things necessary?”

The father smiled. “Nothing gets past you, does it, Scar? You're right, none of the wars in Equestrian history have been substantial enough for most of these things to be necessary. However, that doesn't guarantee the same for the future. It's best to practice caution for all situations like this.”

“What do you mean, 'all situations'?” asked Scarlet. “What else is there?”

The father chuckled. “If I listed everything, we'd be sitting in this chair for weeks. Months, even. All I'm trying to say is that knowledge in every form is a valuable thing. You never know if a seemingly pointless fact will come in handy one day.”

Scarlet began to question her father more, but he held up a hoof. “I know what you're about to ask, and I'm thrilled that you have such a voracious appetite for knowledge, especially at your age. That being said, there are some things I can't downright explain to you. You'll just have to experience them for yourself.

“Cerulean!” called a beautiful voice from the other room. “We need to leave soon! Preparations for the tornado start in less than half an hour! We both need to be at the weather factory, in uniform, ten minutes early!”

“Of course, Golden!” replied Scarlet's father. “It's not like they can start without us!” he said in a facetious tone.

Cerulean closed the huge atlas, and set it down on the coffee table in front of them. “Well, I guess that's all we have time for today.” he said. Scarlet looked down in disappointment.

“Hey, don't worry, kiddo. We still have every day after this to talk all we want. If I were you, I'd look forward to tomorrow, instead of holding on to today.”

Scarlet looked up, smiled at her father, and got off of his lap. At the same time, Scarlet's mother walked into the room. She had a beautiful gold coat, and a rich crimson mane. She was already in her weather uniform, and she had a name tag that read “Golden Lightning”. She stared at Cerulean impatiently.

Cerulean quickly caught onto her death-glare. “Alright, alright, I get it. You can stop staring at me like that. I'll go get dressed.” he said. He quickly left the room, and returned minutes later in the white uniform worn by all the pegasi at the weather factory. His name tag read “Cerulean Lightning”.

Golden smiled. “That's more like it.” she said. She turned to Scarlet. “You'll be alright by yourself for several hours, won't you?” she asked. Scarlet nodded.

“Good,” she responded. “We won't be back until late tonight, so go ahead and eat when you get hungry. There's some hay casserole in the oven. Preheat it to three-hundred fifty degrees, and ten minutes should be fine.” she finished. She kissed her daughter on the forehead, and Cerulean did the same.

They started to walk out the door. Golden went first, and right before Cerulean left, he turned and walked back to Scarlet in a sneaky manner. He bent over and whispered, “I know your birthday isn't until next week, but I wanted to give you an early present.” he said as he held out his flight goggles.

Scarlet gasped. These goggles had been passed down in her dad's family for generations. “Daddy... won't you need them for the tornado? Come to think of it, don't you need them for your job, period?”

Cerulean chuckled. “Of course I need goggles! I just don't need these goggles. I have plenty more at the factory.” he held out the goggles to her. Hesitantly, she reached out and took them.

As she held the worn-out goggles in her hoof, she stared at them in wonder. These goggles had seen and been through so much. Now, they belonged to her

.

She looked up at her father, who had a huge grin on his face. Scarlet jumped up and gave her father a tight hug, cherishing this moment. “I love you, Daddy.” she said softly.

“I love you too, Scar. Happy early birthday.” he said lovingly. Slowly, he put her back on the ground, where she stood in place without another word.

“Cerulean! Hurry up!” called Golden from outside.

Sadly, the moment was broken. “Well, I better get going. Don't stay up waiting for us if you get tired.” he said. With that, he quickly left, closing the door behind him.

Scarlet stood there, staring at nothing in particular, with the goggles in her hoof.

Suddenly, Scarlet was abruptly pulled back into reality, where she continued to search through her trunk like a maniac.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet had made it to the last pocket in her trunk. Alas, her goggles were nowhere to be found. At this point, it became certain that the goggles were still in Cloudsdale.

Scarlet slumped against her trunk like a rag doll that needed stuffing. With all her might, she held back the urge to sob. “I can't believe I left them.” she said in a choked voice. Her eyes were like an unstable dam about to burst.

Then, Rainbow Dash walked into the room. Immediately, Scarlet managed to get her composure in her friend's presence.

“Scarlet, are you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash, somewhat concerned.

“Yeah.” replied Scarlet. There was still a hint of a choke in her voice.

“You know, you don't need to make such a big deal out of a stupid pair of goggles. We can just to town and buy you a new pair at the convenience store.” said Rainbow.

“You don't understand, Rainbow.” started Scarlet. “Those goggles meant more to me than you know.”

“Why?” asked Rainbow jokingly. “Did you win your first race with them or something?”

Scarlet sighed in annoyance. “No, I didn't. They belonged to my dad. They were the last thing I had left of him. Now... they're gone.”

This statement left Rainbow Dash speechless. She realized what she had said to Scarlet was completely insensitive, and she wasn't sure how to word an apology, or anything for that matter. She was able to relate with Scarlet on this subject better than anypony, but she had no idea how to handle this particular situation.

Finally, she spoke. “Scarlet, I'm pretty sure I know how you feel.”

Scarlet grunted in response.

Rainbow continued. “When my parents died, the only thing I had to remember them by was a hair brush. It was really strange, but they used to brush my hair whenever I was upset. I don't know why, but it would always cheer me up.”

Scarlet said nothing.

“Do you know what I did with that hair brush? I threw it in the trash. I didn't want to use such a stupid thing to remember them, when I knew I would never actually forget about them.”

Scarlet chuckled a bit. “That actually explains a lot.” she said as she looked at Rainbow's always-messy mane.

Rainbow smiled. “What I'm trying to say is that you don't need some object to keep your parents' memory safe, when you already have it locked in your mind. You're not going to just forget about your parents one day, are you?”

Scarlet shook her head.

“Good.” said Rainbow Dash.

There was a long silence, then Scarlet stood up. “You know, Rainbow, this isn't at all like you. When did you become so profound?”

“Well, I don't know what that means,” stated Rainbow Dash plainly, “but I do know that I can be serious and helpful when I need to. Don't expect it to happen often, though, and whatever you do, don't tell Fluttershy. I don't want her thinking I'm all sappy.

Scarlet laughed at this. “I'll try to keep my mouth shut. So anyway, Rainbow, how about that race?”

A huge grin formed on Rainbow's face, and Scarlet knew everything was going to be alright.

Volume 2, Part 3: Nightmare

Nightmare

Scarlet laid back on a plush cloud, kicking back after a long day of work. This was, by far, her favorite form of relaxation. Nothing felt better than sinking into a fluffy bed of condensed water vapor.

Napping on clouds is not uncommon for pegasi. However, most of them would gladly sleep for hours on any cloud they saw, with absolutely no regard for their quality. Scarlet, on the other hand, made it a point to educate herself about the characteristics of different clouds. As unnecessary as this may sound, there is a good reason. After all, what's more comfortable, a spring mattress, or a memory foam mattress? A fleece sweater, or a wool sweater? This is the same basic concept.

Obviously, cumulus clouds are the most comfortable types, due to their puffy nature. Stratus clouds are usually cold and damp, and cirrus clouds tend to linger at much higher altitudes (making it harder to breathe). That fact is a no-brainer, in Scarlet's opinion. However, a surprisingly huge contributing factor of cloud comfort is their actual location.

The worst place for a cloud to be is around big cities, such as Manehattan or Baltimare, because there is a high quantity of pollution from nearby factories and such, which eventually makes its way into the air and combines with the water particles. Thus, resulting in a dirty cloud, which is not pleasant in the slightest.

Cloudsdale, despite its name, is nowhere near the most comfortable cloud in Equestria. Quite the contrary, in fact. Clouds tend to gain a somewhat coarse feeling after too much time, and the city of Cloudsdale has been around for over a thousand years. At some point in time, the pegasi of Cloudsdale decreed that not a single tuft of cloud was to be removed from or added to their glorious city. Perhaps they felt it was perfect, and nothing should be changed, but that's irrelevant.

As it turns out, the best clouds in the world are those that form in the middle of nowhere (out in the country, if you will). These types of clouds are sheltered at formation from the loathsome effects of air pollution, and therefore maintain maximum cleanliness.

It just so happened that Scarlet was lying on a cumulus cloud in the middle of nowhere (well, technically not “nowhere”, but far from any factories), and the pleasant feeling that resulted was indescribable.

Scarlet stared over the edge of the most luxurious cloud in the world, and looked down at the orchid, which was right below her. The sweet aroma of cherries drifted up, and only added to her delight.

Scarlet nonchalantly put her hooves behind her head, leaned back into the cloud, and sighed. “This is the life.” she said to herself.

As Scarlet closed her eyes to sleep, she glimpsed something out of the corner of her vision. She turned her head, and noticed something in the distance. It looked like a cloud, but it was too far away to make out. At first, Scarlet brushed it off as nothing more than just that; a cloud, but then she noticed something unusual. The cloud seemed to be getting closer to her.

“That's strange.” she stated. “Clouds don't normally move by themselves, except...” her thoughts trailed off for a moment. “That's impossible...”

She lazily got up off of the cloud, annoyed that her nap was being interrupted. She flew in the direction of the moving cloud, wanting to find out what it really was.

As she got closer, she noticed more distinct features, such as pillars and houses. Indeed, it was Cloudsdale, but how?

“Cloudsdale couldn't have made a full cycle around Equestria by now. This doesn't make any sense,” Scarlet said to herself. She continued to fly closer.

When she finally arrived at her previous city of residence, the first thing she saw was the Weather Factory, the biggest building in Cloudsdale, sitting near the edge of the city. She decided to check it out.

The factory was enormous. Rivers of rainbow flowed from the inside to the outside. Storm clouds lingered above, and the sound of thunder could constantly be heard.

Scarlet wandered around to the back of the factory, where she found the testing grounds. This area was designed for large-scale testing procedures, and it was quite spacious.

There were pegasi (about twenty-five) standing in formation for something big. Scarlet watched with growing interest.

A large stallion pegasus walked to the front of the group. “Alright, workers. Today, we're going to test a new, innovative formation for creating tornadoes. It's designed to improve overall control, and should be much easier than what you're used to. Cerulean, are you ready to begin the test? You're the leader of this formation, so you decide when to begin.”

Scarlet was in disbelief. Her eyes searched through the group of pegasi, and sure enough, there was a Blue pegasus with a dark blue mane standing at the front.

Cerulean replied, “Yes, sir.” He looked towards the other pegasi. “I'm going to give you all a countdown from 5. Follow my lead.”

Scarlet was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to approach the situation. She called out, “Dad! What are you doing here?”

Cerulean looked in her direction. He mouthed a sentence. He seemed to be saying, “Go back home. I'm working.”

“Scarlet, dear!” called a familiar voice. “Please get back to the house. We're busy!”

Sure enough, the voice calling out to her was her mother, Golden. Scarlet was speechless, her confusion overpowering her ability to think clearly.

“Alright, workers! Here we go!” called out Cerulean.

Scarlet didn't know what to do.

“Five. Four. Three.”

Scarlet was terrified.

“Two. One.”

Scarlet felt utterly helpless.

“Begin!”

The pegasi flapped their wings, and made their way into the air, keeping their formation in check. As their speed increased, Scarlet could feel a strong gust of wind. The wind started to become visible, and finally, it began to focus by the pegasi workers, its color getting darker by the second.

In just a small amount of time, the cone-like shape of the tornado was clear, and it continued to grow.

“Alright,” called out the large stallion, observing the test from the sidelines. “That's more than enough. Break up the formation before it gets too big!”

Several seconds passed, and nothing was changing. The tornado continued to grow in size. A worried expression made its way across the stallion's face.

A voice could be heard from inside the tornado. “We can't control it! Somehow, it's self-sufficient now! It's growing on its own!” yelled Cerulean.

The tornado was now at its peak size, and it looked extremely unstable.

“You all need to escape! Fly towards the outside, and try to get out!” yelled the stallion.

The effort of the pegasi workers was obvious, as the walls of the tornado expanded and distorted in shape. One by one, many of the workers were able to escape the monster, flying away as fast as they could. Cerulean easily escaped, and he frantically looked around, then back at the tornado. Some of the workers didn't have the strength to get out, including Golden. He searched around with his eyes, but could not locate his wife. He took a deep breath, and dove back into the vicious tornado.

He came out seconds later with one of the workers. When he let them go, they flew away at top speed, trying to distance themselves from the tornado as much as they could. Cerulean dove inside the tornado once again.

Every few seconds, Cerulean managed to locate and rescue another worker. The expression on his face was one of fierce determination, and Scarlet could tell that this required every ounce of his concentration and strength. If he lost focus for just a second, he would lose his balance and become a rag doll to the tornado's fury.

After saving the lives of seven workers, Cerulean finally returned from inside the tornado with Golden.

The second Scarlet spotted Golden's bright coat, she yelled “Mom! Dad!”.

At that moment, Cerulean and Golden glanced towards their daughter for a split second.

That's all the time it took for him to lose his focus.

Cerulean lost grip of his wife, and she was hurled back into the tornado. His wings began to fold. He tried his best to maintain balance, but the tornado would not be denied its victims.

Cerulean glanced at his daughter one last time. Their eyes met for a moment, and the look on his face was one of sadness.

Then, he did something she never expected, and smiled at Scarlet.

Cerulean was sucked back into the tornado, and he could no longer fight it.

“NO!!!” yelled Scarlet. She tried to dive in the direction of her parents, but found that she couldn't move a muscle.

Suddenly, her vision was forced towards the whole of Cloudsdale, and she had a view of the entire city.

A gargantuan, red lightning bolt appeared from the heavens, and struck the city. Scarlet watched in horror as her ancestral home began to break apart.

Scarlet awoke with a scream. She sat up, and realized that she was sitting in her bed at Cherry Hill Ranch.

Scarlet was sweating profusely, and her heart was beating fast, as if she had just finished a race.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “It was just a nightmare.” she thought to herself.

She got up from the bed, and walked towards the door, careful not to wake up her friends (who still seemed to be asleep, despite her abrupt awakening). The door creaked slightly as she opened it, but she paid it no heed.

After she left the room, Fluttershy lifted her head. She saw that Scarlet's bed was empty, and the door was slightly ajar. Curious, Fluttershy got up and slowly made her way to the door as well, trying to be as discreet as possible.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet wandered through the cherry orchard, hoping some fresh air would help her gather her thoughts. Eventually, she found herself at the edge of the entire orchard, and she looked up. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and Scarlet could clearly see that it was a full moon. The famous “Mare in the Moon” pattern was completely visible.

“Five months.” she thought to herself. “I can't believe we've been gone for five whole months. It only feels like a couple weeks, at most.”

Scarlet heard some rustling behind her. She turned around, tensing up slightly, and saw Fluttershy emerge from the orchard.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy.

Scarlet relaxed. “Yeah, I'm fine, I just had a hard time sleeping.”

Fluttershy walked over to Scarlet and sat next to her.

“Did I... wake you up, by chance?” asked Scarlet.

“It's fine.” replied Fluttershy. “It's not your fault I'm a light sleeper. It's pretty hard to avoid a creaking door, anyway.”

Scarlet fought the urge to chuckle. “She wakes up to a creaking door, but not a loud shriek. I won't even question that logic.”

“Why did you come out here, Scarlet?” Fluttershy asked. “When I saw you leaving the house, I got kind of worried, so I followed you. Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine...” Scarlet assured her. “Well, everything is fine in reality. For some reason, I've been having these really weird dreams lately.”

Luckily, Fluttershy didn't press her for details.

Scarlet left out the fact that these “dreams” were more like nightmares. Every single one of these nightmares ended similarly, which she thought was strange.

“What is that red lightning bolt that I keep seeing?” she thought to herself. “I want to think that it means something, but it doesn't make any sense to me.”

Scarlet looked towards Fluttershy, studying her intently. Fluttershy was staring up at the sky, much like she was just a few minutes ago. Something came to mind, all of a sudden, and Scarlet couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. She wanted to talk to Fluttershy about it, but wasn't entirely sure how to broach the subject without hurting her feelings.

“Fluttershy,” started Scarlet. Fluttershy turned her attention back to Scarlet. “Please don't take this the wrong way... I know how sensitive you can be sometimes, and I just want you to know that I don't mean this in a negative way.”

“Yes?” asked Fluttershy.

Scarlet hesitated. Finally, the words came out. “Why did you leave Cloudsdale to come with us? I know you had parents, and a house, and friends. I don't understand what drove you to abandon all of that for us.”

Upon hearing this, Fluttershy looked down. She didn't seem eager to answer this question.

“Fluttershy, I hope you know that you can trust me, and that I would never judge you. Please. I want to know why.”

Fluttershy looked back up. “Okay, Scarlet. I'll tell you everything.” she said. Scarlet opened her ears, and for once, kept her fluctuating thoughts in check.

“You're right about the first two things. I had parents, and a house. But you're wrong about the third.”

Scarlet's eyes shifted slightly. Fluttershy took this the wrong way. “Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put it like that, it's just...”

“Why are you sorry? I asked for what happened, and you're telling me. I don't care how you have to say it, I just want to know.” Scarlet asserted.

“Okay, then.” said Fluttershy. “Well, the third thing you said was wrong. I didn't have any friends, besides you two. In fact, you and Rainbow Dash are the first friends I remember having since I was almost a foal. Nopony ever bothered talking to me, and I was too nervous to approach them. I was thrown for a loop when you two seemed so eager to get to know me. I wasn't used to the attention.”

“I see,” said Scarlet. “What about your parents?”

Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably. “Well, my parents... I never really saw eye-to-eye with them. They always wanted me to do things I didn't want to do. They were always pointing out my flaws, telling me that I'm too timid and shy.”

“It wasn't until the night we left that I realized what they were trying to do. Remember when I told you at first that I couldn't leave with you two?”

Scarlet nodded her head.

“Well, as soon as I got home, I heard them talking about me. They wanted to send me away, Scarlet!” tears started to show in Fluttershy's eyes. “They wanted to pull me out of flight camp and send me to military school! They hated everything about me!”

At this point, Fluttershy was sobbing uncontrollably. She covered her eyes.

Scarlet put a hoof around her friend, trying to comfort her. “Hey, it's okay. I doubt they hated you. I don't think anypony could hate you, let alone your parents. I think their mind was just in the wrong place at the time.”

Fluttershy rubbed the tears out of her eyes. “They mentioned you and Rainbow Dash. They didn't like the fact that I was talking to you two and not them. Also, they wanted to get me away from you. By that time, they'd already heard about the incident earlier that day.” she managed to say through a choked voice.

Scarlet didn't know how to respond to this.

“You know, Rainbow isn't lying about what happened back in Cloudsdale.” said Fluttershy, as she started to regain her composure. “I saw a lot of what she saw. We flew away before anything happened. Rainbow said not to turn around, even when we were far away from you, but I couldn't resist. I turned around just to get a quick look, and I saw a big red flash, followed by the sound of thunder. We both heard the noise, but I don't think Rainbow Dash saw what I saw.”

Scarlet thought of her recent nightmares, with the red lightning bolt, and wondered if this was related.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” asked Scarlet.

“Because I think you've been trying to avoid that incident all this time.” said Fluttershy. “I think you should try to figure out what happened to you, and what it means. There's obviously something that separates you from any pegasus I've ever seen, Scarlet Lightning. I think you should make it your goal to discover who and what you are.”

Scarlet didn't know what to say. This was so unlike Fluttershy. The truth of her words hit Scarlet like brick.

Fluttershy saw the shocked expression on Scarlet's face, and backed down. “I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-”

“No, Fluttershy. You're completely right. I need to figure this out. I've been trying to elude this for too long.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy said, reassured. Then, she yawned deeply. “I'm going back to bed.” she said.

“Alright. I'm gonna stay up for a bit longer. I have a few things to think about. Good night, Fluttershy.” said Scarlet.

“Good night, Scarlet.” said Fluttershy. She started walking back in the direction of the house.

“Fluttershy,” said Scarlet. Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, and turned her head.

“Thank you,” Scarlet said, smiling. Fluttershy smiled back, and replied, “I'm glad I could help.”

Her friend disappeared into the orchard, and Scarlet was left to reflect on the discussion.

Volume 2, Part 4: Revelation

Revelation

Scarlet continued to stare up at the night sky. The full moon was mesmerizing, and the glistening stars only complimented its beauty.

As she sat there, she thought about the discussion she'd just had with Fluttershy. What was this “red flash”? Did it have anything to do with her nightmares? These kinds of questions flooded her mind, practically begging to be answered. She didn't even know where to start.

“Even if everything my friends said is true, who in Equestria would believe me if I told them? Nopony would even consider a farfetched story like that. It's common knowledge that only unicorns can use magic. Then again, was I actually using magic? Could it have been something else? Pegasi don't know much about unicorns, besides the obvious fact that they can use magic at will. If only there was somepony who knew a decent amount about all the races.”

Scarlet looked down from the sky, and her gaze was averted to something shimmering in the distance. It somewhat resembled a star, but it shined much brighter than any star she'd seen before.

Scarlet focused her eyes, and realized what it was.

“Canterlot,” she thought, awe-struck by the shining spectacle. “What do I know about Canterlot?”

She thought of her days in school, hoping that would somehow jog her memory on any useful facts.

[][][][][][][][]

The classroom was full of rambunctious young pegasi. Some of them talked amongst themselves, while others, such as Rainbow Dash, tried to catch some shut-eye. Scarlet, on the other hand, had her eyes on the large map of Equestria, which hung at the front of the room. However, it became increasingly difficult to concentrate, thanks to Rainbow's increasingly loud snoring in the desk right behind her.

“Good morning, class.” announced the teacher, who had just entered the room. The noise began to tone down as the teacher approached her desk.

“Today, I'd like to tell you all a bit about one of the most important ponies in history: Princess Celestia; our beloved ruler.” she said, as the pages of her textbook rustled.

The students' disgruntled voices could be heard throughout the room, and they all began to settle into their seats.

“Now, can anyone tell me how Princess Celestia came to be our ruler?” asked the teacher.

The children were silent.

The teacher sighed. “I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning.” she cleared her throat in preparation.

“Shortly after the founding of Equestria by the three pony races, a great evil descended upon the land, and threw Equestria into a state of chaos for quite some time.”

“One day, Celestia appeared, as if from nowhere, and stood up to this evil force. A battle ensued, but she was victorious in the end. She sealed away the evil, and the ponies bowed down to her. She assumed leadership of Equestria, and has maintained balance and harmony ever since.”

There was a brief pause after that statement, and then she continued.

“Celestia accomplished many phenomenal things in her life. Probably the most extraordinary is the huge drop in crime, hunger, and disease. Also, she has completely prevented Equestria from falling into a state of war with neighboring countries.”

A young colt raised his hoof.

“Yes, Airy?”

“Well,” started Airy, “I just wanted to know how Princess Celestia could do so much to change the world. She's just one pony.”

The teacher smiled. “Nopony knows how Celestia acquired her legendary leadership abilities, or her immortality. Some say that the universe presented her as a gift to us. Others say she is from a different world entirely. The only thing we are sure of, is the fact that she is the only known pony in Equestria with the wings of a pegasus, and the horn of a unicorn.”

Scarlet's eyes widened, as if she had come to a sudden realization. She stood up, and all the other children stared at her. She was aware that her reaction must have looked strange to the others, but she didn't care. She spoke up.

“So, I suppose it's safe to say that Princess Celestia is the wisest pony in the land, considering all her years as our ruler?”

The teacher nodded warily.

“To think,” Scarlet muttered to herself, “her store of knowledge must be inconceivable... perhaps she has the answer. I'm willing to bet she knows more about all of the pony races than anyone in the world!”

“Scarlet... are you alright?” asked the teacher.

Scarlet looked up. She realized her hooves were raised in the air, and she had been shouting in excitement. The children in the room gave her weird glances.

“I guess this has become more of a dream than a flashback,” Scarlet thought, as she returned to herself.

[][][][][][][][]

She looked in the direction of Canterlot, but noticed that it wasn't shining as much as it did a few minutes ago, most likely due to the position of the moon.

“Canterlot,” she repeated to herself several times. “Princess Celestia might be able to tell me more about myself, but how am I supposed to get an audience with her? I doubt I could just barge into the castle and speak to her. There's probably some long process involved.”

The thought bounced around in her mind. “Perhaps I should get to Canterlot first, then I can figure out the next step. If Van Stalwart Jubilee took an entire day to get from Canterlot to this place on hoof, then the train ride there should only be a few hours at most. Tomorrow, I'll see how much the ticket costs, and I can make my decision based on that. Hopefully I've saved up enough in these last five months.”

Another predicament presented itself. “What about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? What should I tell them? I can't honestly expect them to throw away all their savings to come with me. Hmm.”

Scarlet paced back and forth, trying to come up with a solution.

“I guess I can tell them the whole story right before I leave. It's not like I'm abandoning them, I'll just be gone for a few days. Then again, I'll have to talk to Mr. Jubilee, as well. Ugh, I'm too tired to think at the moment. I'll just wake up early tomorrow, and go into town to see how much a train ticket to Canterlot costs. No need to make split decisions right now. The best thing I can do right now is get some much-needed rest.”

Scarlet headed back towards the house. She approached the orchard, and her head turned around one last time to gaze at the capitol city, which was barely visible now.

“Is this where my real journey begins?”

Volume 2, Part 5: A Change of Plans

A Change of Plans

The crickets from the surrounding area ceased their chirping. The nocturnal creatures of the desert entered their dens in preparation for their daytime slumber. The gleaming sunlight made its first appearance over the east horizon, and a rooster crow could be heard in the distance, heralding a new day.

Scarlet rose out of bed. She was groggy due to the restless night, but did not let that sway her plans.

She glanced at the clock. It read six-thirty. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were still fast asleep, so Scarlet tried to be as discreet as possible when exiting the bedroom, so as not to wake her friends.

Scarlet was quick to get ready. She cleaned her teeth, brushed her mane, and filled her saddlebag with necessities for the next few days, mainly money.

She descended the stairs, hovering a few feet above the floor to avoid making noise (the wooden floorboards in the house tended to creak). She approached the front door, and opened it slowly, with the utmost care.

Once outside, Scarlet felt the cold breeze, causing her to shiver. "Winter is almost here." she thought to herself. Regardless, she didn't want to risk going back inside to get a scarf. She rose into the air, and flew in the direction of the town.

The previous night, after laying awake for hours, Scarlet had come to the decision that she was going to sneak off to Canterlot. She didn't think Mr. Jubilee would hesitate in telling her "no" if she had asked, so this seemed to be her only choice. Hopefully she wasn't being too hasty.

Normally, the town and Cherry Hill Farm were separated by a twenty minute walk. Fortunately for her, however, she was one of the only pegasi in Dodge Junction, and the flight there was made in no more than five minutes.

The town seemed almost deserted this early. Many of the ponies were just now waking up to begin their work day. The train station, which was Scarlet's destination, was one of the few places open at all hours (for obvious reasons). This made her trip that much simpler; minimal waiting, making for a quicker escape.

There was a bit of a line at the train station, but it was more than tolerable. Scarlet placed herself at the back of the line, and began to ponder the situation.

"Am I being selfish by doing this?" she thought. "I hope Rainbow can forgive me at some point. I know she'll drive herself crazy with worry. I hope she doesn't do anything irrational."

The line continued to move forward.

"I know for a fact that Mr. Jubilee will be upset. He'll probably instill some form of punishment, and hopefully that'll be the end of it. I can't say I'd blame him... what I'm doing is completely idiotic, yet..." she trailed off for a moment, in conflict with herself. 

"No." she thought, shaking herself out of her stupor. "I made this decision with good reason. I need to do this. I've already chosen to accept the natural consequences that'll come with it. After all, what's the point of existing if I don't even know who or what I am?"

Eventually, Scarlet reached the front of the line, where she was met by a tollbooth operator with a look of agitation on his face. He looked down at her like she was some sort of pest. One could assume he wasn't particularly fond of children.

"Whaddya want?" he asked, before Scarlet even had the chance to speak. She didn't let his crotchety attitude get to her, and instead replied in a polite manner.

"One ticket to Canterlot, please." she said. At this, the operator laughed. As much as this annoyed her, Scarlet maintained her absolute composure, and stood there without a word until his fit of chortling came to a halt.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

He looked back down to her. "Kid, a train ticket to Canterlot is WAY too expensive for you. Most grown ponies can barely afford it."

"How much does it cost?" she asked. "It couldn't be more than 500 bits. It took me almost five months of work to save up that much!" she thought to herself.

"One ticket to Canterlot on a whim is gonna cost ya five thousand bits." he said.

Scarlet couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you joking?" she asked. "I think you added an extra zero by accident."

"Nope." he replied. "Five grand. Three zeros. No joke."

"Do you have any idea how much money that is? Who do you think you are, making up outrageous prices like that?"

"Hey, watch your tone, kid. I didn't make it up."

"Just because I'm a child doesn't mean I'm a complete ignoramus. Who in their right mind would pay 5000 bits for a train ride to Canterlot? Nopony, that's who." Scarlet said, her frustration growing. "Canterlot is only a day long walk from here, and I could fly there in just a few hours. Now that I think about it, I should fly there. I'm wasting my time." she turned around and was prepared to storm off, but she was stopped by the same operator.

"Okay, so you're a little less stupid than you look for your age." he said. "Still, I didn't make up that price. Ponies who need to go to Canterlot on official or royal business get a free ride, but those who go just to go have to pay that fee. I'll admit, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it's not my choice. If you go to any train station trying to buy a ticket to Canterlot, they'll give you just about the same price."

"Okay," said Scarlet. "then why wouldn't I just fly there, like I said?"

"That won't do you any good." he replied. "Recently, security has increased a bunch. I don't know why, but I heard it has something to do with the stars, or something."

Scarlet gave him a strange look.

"The only way to get there is by train. If you try to fly in from the side, the guards will stop you. They're stationed all over the edges of the city. As for walking, well, I doubt the guards will allow a complete stranger into the city, even if you entered from the front. I'm willing to bet you don't have any registration or ID with you."

Scarlet's heart sunk into a pit of hopelessness.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet sat in the Cherry Bomb Diner by herself, solemnly nibbling on a slice of cherry pie. With diminished hopes and an unshakable feeling of discouragement, she didn't know what to do at this point.

Cherry Bomb came by with the bill. "I hope you can pay for your food this time." she said in a sarcastic tone. Scarlet tried to force a slight chuckle, but couldn't manage. Cherry Bomb looked down at her with worry. "What's eatin' ya, kid?" she asked.

Scarlet sighed. "Hmph, kid." she repeated to herself with disgust, growing sick of the word. She looked up at Cherry and tried to wear a look a reassurance. "Everything's fine," she said. The lie was obvious, but Cherry Bomb didn't bother her about it any more.

Scarlet finished the last bites of her breakfast, and left fourteen bits on the table as payment. She was preparing to leave, when she noticed something out of place.

There was an open newspaper on the table near her. "The last pony there must have left it." she thought. As she continued to stare at the open parchment, she somehow felt drawn to it. It was as if the newspaper yearned to be read, as strange as that sounded.

As usual, Scarlet's curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself walking towards the table. She picked up the paper, and scanned through the different articles and such, disregarding unimportant information, and eyeing the rest with great interest.

She was almost finished with her knowledge intake when she flipped to the back page. There, she came across a section called "News From Cloudsdale". As she looked through it, she passed over something, and for a moment she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. What she saw were pictures of none other than herself and her two friends, as clear as day, in the center of the page. There was an article to go with the pictures, and it read as follows:

Three Fillies Missing for Five Months!

Psychotic pegasus, Scarlet Lightning, may be connected to the disappearance of two other pegasi, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Following Lightning's brutal attack on one of her fellow flyers, a colt by the name of Hoops Caring, the three fillies vanished before the end of the day, leaving the entirety of Cloudsdale scared and confused. As of now, their whereabouts remain unknown, but the investigation is still underway. If you receive any information whatsoever regarding these fillies, please contact authorities immediately.

Scarlet's breath quickened, and she found her pulse rising until she felt an intense pounding in her head. It didn't take a genius to realize the severity of the situation upon reading the article.

It was likely that someone had already read this article, and she quickly looked around the room in paranoia. When she was sure that nopony had their eyes fixed on her, she promptly exited the diner.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet flew towards the ranch in a hurry. As her anxiety grew, her wings flapped with less efficiency and more irregularity. Her panic was getting the better of her, and was actually hindering her flight.

"I need to keep my composure," she thought to herself. "After all, Mr. Jubilee might not have read the article yet."

She tried to maintain a positive outlook on the situation, but her mind continued to explore the possibilities.

"...but what if he has read it? Would he contact authorities immediately? Wouldn't he want to hear my side of the story? Argh! Focus, Scarlet, focus. I need to concentrate on my flying. Maybe the newspaper hasn't arrived yet, and I can intercept it."

She decided to put all thoughts aside until she arrived at the ranch.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet entered the kitchen in an abrupt manner. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Mr. Jubilee were all sitting there finishing breakfast, and Cherry Jubilee was cleaning up. They looked up at Scarlet curiously.

"Hey, Scarlet! You okay?" asked Rainbow.

Scarlet looked around the room.

"No newspaper in sight."

"Hey," she replied. "has the newspaper arrived today?" she asked, ignoring Rainbow's concern. Mr. Jubilee looked.

"Stupid!" she thought to herself. "I shouldn't have brought that up! Now it'll be on his mind."

"No," Mr. Jubilee replied. "Do you need it for something?"

Scarlet shook her head. "No, I was just wondering."

"Yeah, that's not in the least bit suspicious." she thought with sarcasm. "I need to be smarter about this if I'm going to get out of this predicament."

The tension in Scarlet's body eased up as she gave a quiet sigh. She walked over to the table and sat down.

"Do you want any breakfast?" offered Cherry, gesturing towards a platter of eggs and a large bowl of fresh fruit. "There's plenty left over."

"Umm, no thanks. I already ate in town."

"You went into town? Oh, what'd you do?" asked Rainbow.

Scarlet hesitated, at a loss for excuses. "I just wanted to have a slice of that delicious cherry pie." she lied.

Rainbow stared at Scarlet with a look of bewilderment. "That's all?" she asked.

Scarlet nodded. She had a feeling if she said anything, her voice would crack and give her away.

"I'm not handling this well at all. Mr. Jubilee might be fooled, but Rainbow Dash can read me like a book. I think she knows I'm not telling her everything."

Amazingly enough, Rainbow didn't press her for more details. Once everypony was finished eating, and the kitchen was clean, they were all left to their own devices until work started an hour later.

[][][][][][][][]

The work day dredged on like normal. The three fillies were picking leftover cherries from the tops of the trees, which had been bucked the previous day.

Scarlet didn't let her field of vision wander too much from the pathway that led to town. If something seemed to stir in the corner of her eye, she immediately turned her head towards the path. She was intent on intercepting that newspaper when it came.

Rainbow Dash noticed that Scarlet was acting a bit odd. She couldn't seem to keep her eyes on her work for long. Rainbow wanted to confront her about it, but wasn't sure what to say. As the time passed, Scarlet's behavior became more and more noticeable, until Rainbow couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"Scarlet, are you okay?" asked a worried Rainbow.

Scarlet's head lurched towards her friend. Rainbow now had a much better view of Scarlet's facial distinctions. Her eyes were a little bloodshot, and there were dark blotches underneath them. She was obviously sleep deprived.

"What?" asked Scarlet, seemingly unaware of what was going on around her. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Rainbow wanted to argue with that statement, but a bell sounded in the distance, signaling their two-hour lunch break. Their first half of the work day had gone by very quickly. Rainbow decided she would talk to Scarlet at lunch, when Fluttershy was with them.

Rainbow headed towards the house to gather some money, as usual, but was disappointed to see that Scarlet, instead of coming with her, was settling down by a large tree near the front of the house.

Rainbow called out, "Scarlet! Aren't you coming to lunch with us?"

Scarlet lazily looked up from her spot. "No, thanks. I think I'll pass today. I'm not really hungry."

"Are you sure you're okay, Scarlet?" repeated Rainbow. "You look kind of down in the dumps."

"I already told you, I'm fine. Go enjoy your lunch. I'll see you after break."

Rainbow remained unconvinced. She snorted in annoyance, and flew away.

Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief when Rainbow left. "Good, now I can watch for the newspaper without anypony bothering me." she thought, as she sat down against the tree. The jagged bark seemed very comfortable, oddly enough.

"I just need to wait for any approaching visitors. As long as I can keep my eyes focused long enough, I should have no problem intercepting that newspaper."

Scarlet yawned deeply, and her body slumped ever so slightly. Her eyes stung and felt heavy. She tried blinking, and it felt good. "Maybe if I close them for a few minutes, it'll feel better." she decided, and so she did.

[][][][][][][][]

She tried to open her eyes slowly, but the light was blinding. She quickly shut them again, welcoming the darkness. "How could anyone enjoy that bright light?" she thought. "Then again, I don't remember the sun shining that brightly during work. It's like that groggy feeling when you wake up, and your eyes are sensitive to the light. Heh, it's almost like I was taking a nap..."

At this suggestion to herself, Scarlet's eyes shot open, reminding herself of what she was supposed to be doing. She sat up quickly, and looked around. Then, she proceeded to berate herself.

"How could I have dozed off?" she thought, frustrated by her own carelessness.

She rose to her hooves, ignoring her drowsiness, and cautiously headed towards the house. Instead of entering through the front door, she flew up to her bedroom window, opening it from the outside.

Once inside, she had to locate the nearest clock. "I can check the grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs." she thought, immediately leaving the bedroom.

She had a good view of the big clock from the very top of the stairs, once she was there. "Okay, so it's ten minutes past one. That's not too bad. I was only asleep for about an hour."  She thought, relieved.

She prepared to descend the stairway. The kitchen table could be seen around the corner once she was halfway down. She turned her head, and to her dismay, saw a copy of "The Daily Dodge" lying on the table. It was opened so that the cover page and the back page were showing. The article about her was in plain sight.

Before she had time to figure something out, she heard hoof steps coming into the room. She retreated a few steps up, and poked her head around the corner to get a better view.

Two ponies entered the kitchen. One of them was Mr. Jubilee, and the other one was a tall, lanky stallion with a straight, serious face. He had a sandy coat, and the salt and pepper color of his mane suggested that he was near middle aged. His hazel eyes, as well as the rest of his face, didn't seem to contain much emotion, other than the slight movement of his eyebrows as he absorbed his surroundings.

"Let me get this straight. You've allowed these three fillies to live in your home for five months, yet it never occurred to you to find out anything about them?" asked the mysterious stallion, his voice calm yet daunting.

"That has occurred to me, yes, but a pony's past is their own business."

"Usually that is the case. However, if I were you, I wouldn't feel comfortable if somepony was living in my house and I knew absolutely nothing about them. This particular situation is a perfect example of why I feel that way."

Mr. Jubilee didn't say anything.

"However, we're straying from the point. We need to figure out how to apprehend Ms. Scarlet Lightning, as well as bringing the other two back to their homes in Cloudsdale, without causing any kind of disruption to the folks in town."

"Well," started Mr. Jubilee, "they'll be back from their break at about two o' clock, and they usually return together. Perhaps I could tell Scarlet that I have a different job for her this afternoon. I'll lead her away from her friends, then you can make the arrest. Once you have her in custody, I doubt you'll have much trouble with the other two, as long as you're able to catch them before they fly away."

"I wouldn't worry about them escaping. I'm very good at what I do, and my officers are well-trained, as well."

"I'm glad to hear that you have that part taken care of. That being said, I wouldn't underestimate Scarlet. She may be young, but she's no dummy, to say the least. Don't make it too obvious." said Mr. Jubilee.

"I'm certain a single pegasus filly won't give me trouble." he said with a smug grin.

Scarlet had heard enough. She crept back up the stairs, careful not to make any noise. The conversation between the two stallions became more blurred as she approached her room, until their voices were no longer audible. She managed to make it to the bedroom without being heard, and she immediately started gathering her things.

"No time to get everything I brought. I need to leave my trunk behind. Money is essential. Books? No, too bulky, and I've read all of them multiple times." Scarlet thought, scatterbrained.

"I should probably grab some of Rainbow and Fluttershy's things. They didn't bring as much as I did. Now that I think about it, my books were causing the majority of my bulk. There's Fluttershy's bedside clock, and all of her savings. Rainbow keeps her savings hidden under her mattress."

Scarlet continued to gather necessary items, toiletries, and things of that sort, while simultaneously trying to keep out of earshot from anypony who might want to make an early arrest. She threw everything on her back and made for the window.

[][][][][][][][]

"I'm telling you, Fluttershy, there's something up with Scarlet." Rainbow Dash said through a mouthful of hay.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were in the middle of eating lunch at The Cherry Bomb Diner. It was a good thing they had other choices besides cherries, because that could get sickening after a while.

"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, she ditched us for lunch, first of all. Plus, I've been waking up in the middle of the night to her tossing and turning, talking, and weird stuff like that!"

"Well, I did wake up to her last night."

"You did?"

"Yes. Scarlet was walking outside to get some fresh air, and I followed her. We talked for a bit, and then I went back in. I think I fell asleep before she came back."

"Well, what did you guys talk about?"

"Oh, well... I don't think she wants me to tell anypony...."

"Come on, Fluttershy! There shouldn't be secrets between us!"

"I know... but I don't want Scarlet to be mad at me. I don't know if she'd be happy if I told you everything."

"Did you take a good look at her face today? Her eyes are bloodshot with bags under them."

"Well, I didn't look closely at that, but-"

"She can't seem to focus on anything for more than a few seconds, and she won't even talk to me. Something's up with her, and I'm going to figure out what it is! Please, Fluttershy, if you know something, tell me, for her sake."

"Well, when you put it that way, alright. Last night, when I went outside to check on Scarlet, she-"

The door burst open. Scarlet stood at the entrance with saddlebags messily thrown over her shoulders. She was breathing hard and sweating profusely.

"We... need to go... right now." said Scarlet through quick breaths.

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow Dash, confused beyond words.

"There's no time to explain. We need to leave Dodge Junction this second. Come on!"

Scarlet turned to leave, but was surprised when Rainbow and Fluttershy didn't get up to follow her. Rainbow sat there expectantly. Scarlet knew exactly what she wanted, but that was something they couldn't afford at the moment.

"Listen, Rainbow. I know I've been blowing you off today, and I know I haven't seemed like myself. You have every right to be hesitant to follow me. In fact, I don't blame you for being hesitant, but hear me when I say this: if you two don't stand up this very second and follow me to the train station, everything we know is going to change drastically. Fluttershy, you'll go to military school, and Rainbow, you'll go back to the orphanage."

"What about you?" asked Rainbow.

"Well, I don't really want to think about that." said Scarlet. "I'm making a promise to both of you that I will explain everything once we're safely on that train, but until then, you just have to trust me. I have your things, so we can't go back to the ranch. There's no other alternative. Please..."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and nodded. They stood up, and walked to Scarlet's side.

"Alright, Scarlet." said Rainbow. "We'll trust you."

The three of them left the diner, and flew towards the train station at top speed. They walked up to the booth, and were met by the same tollbooth operator.

"Back so soon, kid? I told you, one ticket to-"

"Forget about that." interrupted Scarlet. "We'll take three tickets for the next train you have. I don't care where it goes. We need to get the heck out of dodge."

The operator cocked an eyebrow, and sighed. "The train to Manehattan arrives in about two minutes." he said as he punched a few buttons. "The rate is sixty bits each, so the total is gonna be 180 bits."

Scarlet dumped out the contents of her coin sack, and counted the appropriate amount. "There you go," she said. As she frantically slid the remaining amount back into her coin sack, the operator brought up the three tickets. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood behind her without a word.

Upon handing her the tickets, Scarlet distributed them to her friends, and they turned to leave. The train was about to depart, and they had mere seconds to board it.

As they left the toll booth, the operator spoke up. "Hey!"

Scarlet turned around.

"I read about you in the paper, and I know they're lying. They always make stuff up." he said.

Scarlet was unsure what to say.

"Don't worry. Lets just say I have a certain grudge against the newspaper. If anyone asks about you and your friends, I'll lie. I don't want them to ruin another pony's life."

She didn't know how to express her appreciation, so she simply smiled and nodded. He nodded back with a smirk, and the three quickly boarded the train to Manehattan.

The train whistle sounded, and it pulled out of the station.

[][][][][][][][]

The mysterious stallion with the sandy coat stood at the train station. One of his officers reported seeing Scarlet flying towards town, and he had immediately headed in that direction. That same officer approached him now.

"Captain Hoof Tracker, the three fillies left just minutes ago." he said.

Hoof Tracker grunted in frustration. "Well, where did they go?" he said impatiently.

"The operator's description of them completely matches the pictures we have, and he says they boarded the train to Fillydelphia."

The captain looked out into the bright, desert plain. "It seems I've underestimated your wits, Ms. Lightning. I won't make the same mistake twice."

End of Volume 2