//------------------------------// // Chapter 81; Changing Sides // Story: Working Towards The Future // by Dasponi //------------------------------// Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were still curled up together and just simply enjoying the moment that had been lasting for quite a lot of moments. As with most peaceful moments it didn’t last too long before something came along to ruin it. In relative time Star Shine had just met Rarity and was about to take her back to the library. “Excuse me? Hello? Is anypony home? Helloooooooooooo?” Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash heard a voice call from outside the house and, presumably, from below it on the ground. Scootaloo looked worriedly at Rainbow Dash. “Who’s that?” Scootaloo asked. With everything that had happened she was more than a little nervous about strangers randomly visiting the house. Rainbow Dash was pretty well known and the place stood out a lot so she couldn’t even reason it was somepony Rainbow Dash knew. “I’ll go find out, you stay here.” Rainbow Dash replied. She gave Scootaloo another nuzzle and got out the bed. She stretched and left the room, heading for the front door. She leaned over the edge of the cloud layer and looked down on the ground. She saw a white Pegasus looking up at her. “Can I...Can I help you?” Rainbow Dash called down. “We’re kinda having a bad day.” she added. Scootaloo appeared next to her and scooched up to her. “Sorry, I got kinda worried and wanted to stay with you.” Scootaloo explained. Rainbow Dash smiled and put a foreleg around her, holding her close. “I know you’re having a bad day. I saw the paper. I’m sorry about that. I probably had a chance to stop it and I didn’t take it.” the Pegasus called back up. “What do you mean? Who are you?” Rainbow Dash called back. The Pegasus shifted uncomfortably. There was no way he could say what he had to say next without getting hurt. and probably a lot at that. “I’m the guard that took Diamond Tiara home after she came here. I qu-” Firefly, for it was him, began. He was cut off by Rainbow Dash flying in to him, knocking him to the ground, and pinning him down. She was glaring at him and seething. To his credit Firefly kept his calm. Years of being a bodyguard had allowed him to experience his fair share of angry and crazy people. Rainbow Dash had every right to be angry at him and he was well aware of that. That made it easier for him to deal with how she was. “I was gonna say that I quit this morning after what I read. I can’t believe she did that.” Firefly said, looking down and not really acknowledging Rainbow Dash’s anger. “You said you could have stopped this. What did you do?” Rainbow Dash asked. Scootaloo was watching from the cloud house. She was starting to get a little scared. “I lied. I did see her inside your house. She was holding herself odd too, like she had hurt her leg. I didn’t check her to see what it was. I guess, looking back, it was what she put in the paper.” Firefly admitted. At first Rainbow Dash was incredibly angry. She wanted to pound Firefly into dust, but logic hit her brain first. Right under her hooves was a pony who could give proof that Diamond Tiara had entered her house. Maybe he even had proof that she had taken something from her too. Rainbow Dash controlled her anger and stepped off of Firefly. “You need to go to the library.” Rainbow Dash said, controlling her emotions. “What? Why?” Firefly asked, confused. Rainbow Dash facehoofed, sliding her hoof down her face. “Star Shine and Twilight are at the library taking care of this. You could help a lot, so go help. Tell them I sent you and tell Star Shine the singing worked and Scootaloo calmed down. Just that. He’ll know what you mean. Now go already!” Rainbow Dash explained, shouting at the end as both a release of emotions and to hurry his flank up. “I’ll get on my way then. Again, I’m sorry this happened.” Firefly flied, preparing to leave. “What happened happened, now go FIX IT!” Rainbow Dash cried out. Firefly could be as hard to deal with as Star Shine. They’d probably get along pretty well. If Star Shine could wait to hear him out before trying to crush his skull. Assuming he hadn’t calmed down yet. Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite sure which outcome she would have preferred. Rainbow Dash headed back up next to Scootaloo once Firefly had been sent on his way. Rainbow Dash scooped Scootaloo up and took her into the living room and placed her on the couch. “What was that about? Who was that?” Scootaloo asked, watching Rainbow Dash move around the room. Rainbow Dash pulled a book out and sat down next to Scootaloo. “He was one of Diamond Tiara’s guards.” Rainbow Dash replied. Scootaloo made a disgusted face and Rainbow Dash laughed. “Don’t worry, he quit. He said he saw Diamond Tiara here in the house too, so I told him to go to the library. I’m sure he can help the guys out.” Rainbow Dash explained. “Oh. I wonder how how they’re doing.” Scootaloo replied, huddling up to Rainbow Dash. “Me too. I’m sure we’ll find out soon.” Rainbow Dash replied. She put a foreleg around Scootaloo and started to read from the book. Both of them wanted to just focus on eachother and spending time together and not focus on the bad things that had happened to them. *** While Shining Armor was dealing with Cheerilee, the rest of the team were still working on what to do next and weren’t just lazing around. “So...what else is on the list?” Star Shine asked Twilight, who was still looking at her list. Shining Armor had just left and would hopefully not be too long. “Next was that we need to see Feather Quill and find out just why he printed it. This was much more than idle gossip.” Twilight explained. Star Shine nodded. “I was thinking that too. I’ll go take care of that then while we wait for Shining Armor to get back.” Star Shine said. He got up to leave and was about to when the door opened. “Shining are you back-” Twilight began before she realised that while the stallion that had just walked in was white, it was not her big brother. He had not longed left but he was all she could think as to who it could be. It wasn’t even a Unicorn and was a Pegasus. “You!” Rarity declared, pointing a hoof at him dramatically. “You’re the one who talked to Sweetie Belle about Scootaloo aren’t you?” she asked. She couldn’t be totally sure. The Pegasus looked kind of familiar to her. She was dramatic enough to assume that it was him. “Uhhh…” Firefly began cautiously. He had lost his nerve as soon as he entered the room and saw all the attention he had suddenly received. He remembered Rarity and visiting her once. “Diamond Tiara asked me to.” he explained. Star Shine tackled him to the ground and was standing over him pretty quickly. “Oh not again.” Firefly muttered. It had been a bad day for his back. At least the last time it was a mare pinning him to the ground. “What do you know about Diamond Tiara?” Star Shine, growling. “Quite a lot, seeing as I’m her former guard.” Firefly replied, rolling his eyes. He couldn’t resist being sarcastic given the response he’d been getting. Not once, but twice. “Now you’re Star Shine aren’t you?” Firefly asked quickly before Star Shine could respond. He had some knowledge of Star Shine too. “Yeah that’s me, why?” Star Shine replied, narrowing his eyes. “Rainbow Dash sent me. Like I said I’m Diamond Tiara’s former guard. I went to talk to Rainbow Dash before I came here. I saw Diamond Tiara inside your house so Rainbow Dash wants me here to help you guys. She told me to tell you that the singing worked and Scootaloo calmed down. She said you’d know what it meant.” Firefly explained. Star Shine smiled after Firefly had finished speaking. They had another vital piece of evidence as well as somepony who knew Diamond Tiara well on their side and Scootaloo was happy. Or calm at least. Everything was really beginning to turn around for them and it was all a matter of time before everything came to fruition and became great again. Star Shine got off of Firefly and helped the poor stallion up to his hooves. “Sorry about that. You okay?” Star Shine asked apologetically and much to the surprise of everypony in the room. “Trained guard, those kinda things happen. Your girlfriend hits harder than you.” Firefly replied. Star Shine laughed which, again, surprised everypony in the room. Star Shine was from the land of wit and sarcasm and could appreciate a good dose of it, no matter who said it. “I have to agree with you there, though she’s not my girlfriend.” Star Shine said to Firefly. He then turned around to everypony else who was gathered around the table. “I’m gonna go talk to Feather Quill for now. Make sure this guy here talks to Shining Armor when he gets back. I’m sure he’d love the little snippet of information that Diamond Tiara did go inside Rainbow’s house.” Star Shine said. “Can we really trust him?” Twilight asked. “Yeah I mean he lied to Feather Quill and said that Diamond Tiara never came inside the house and he helped her out and he’s one of her guards. What if he’s just lying and she sent him here?” Pinkie Pie added. She jumped up and got right in Firefly’s face. He found it extremely uncomfortable. “Are you a spy?” she asked him, staring him down. Firefly backed away slowly. “Look you don’t have to trust me, you don’t even have to believe me really. All you need to know is that I can help and I want to. After I read the paper this morning I quit. I just walked out the house. I don’t have a job anymore and even if I was lying now, I’m aware of how much trouble I’ll get into for having lied before. Diamond Tiara is not worth that. I thought she was, but she wasn’t. I want to fix this mess I helped make. We don’t need to be friends for that.” Firefly said, pleading his case. Pinkie Pie backed away and smiled at him. “Okie dokie lokie” she said and sat back down at the table. Twilight and Rarity weren’t as convinced. They weren’t even sure Pinkie was convinced, but they did agree that they didn’t even need to get along. They didn’t even have to talk to him. Only Shining Armor did. “And we need all the help we can get.” Star Shine said, also pleading the case of Firefly a little. “Speaking of help, I’m gonna see if we can get any help from Feather Quill. I’ll be back in a bit guys.” he added. With that he opened the door and left the library, setting out on his task.