Rainbow Dash stared out at the setting sun. A small smile danced across her face as she shifted on her cloud, letting her hindquarters sink into it ever so slightly. The cool moisture clung to her skin, working its way through the insulating coat of fur all pegasi had. She would have to do some extra preening before bed, but she didn’t care. Because right now, up here, in the clouds, she was watching the sunset after a nice workout, not preparing for bed.
It was nice. Really nice. She didn’t often do this, always rushing around, being the most awesome and cool mare in Ponyville. But every now and then, she’d just kick back and relax, let everything catch up to her and calm her down, let her come to grips with everything. Things had been pretty hectic in past few days, even given all the things that had happened in her life. Twilight’s coronation, the Everfree invading, giving up the Elements...
Rainbow’s smile lessened somewhat, a melancholy working its way into her heart. Yeah, they’d really given up the Elements of Harmony. Who’da thunk. It was strange, really. For the past few years, those things had been a constant part of her life. Sometimes they were impossible to miss, the physical embodiment of loyalty hanging around her neck. Other times were more subtle, almost impossible to see. The way other ponies looked to them to lead, how complete stranger recognized them.
But now... now it was gone. They were gone, the Elements returned to the Tree of Harmony from whence they’d come. She felt just a little bit empty now, something that she hadn’t even noticed before missing from her life. No... that wasn’t right, it was more...her soul. Yeah, that was a good way to describe. Now that Loyalty was back within the tree, working its magic over all of Equestria, a small part was missing from her soul. It unsettled her, deeply, but she didn’t know why.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Dash rolled over onto her back, her withers sinking deeply into the cloud. She wasn’t all that good at this introspective nonsense. That was egghead stuff, so uncool and lame that it was beneath her. But yet, here she was, thinking about even now.
It was just-it was so frustrating! Her whole life, she’d been going through life with confidence, with assertion. Sure there were times she’d falter a bit, or hit a snag, but she’d always gotten right back and barreled on, overcoming the problem and asserting her coolness. Yet now...something that had grown within her was gone, something that she hadn’t even been consciously aware of.
It was like- it was like she- like she was suddenly questioning why she’d done everything! Why she’d followed Twilight into the Everfree all those years ago? Why did she stick with helping Fluttershy overcome her shyness? Why did she unhesitatingly help Applejack and her family keep the farm? Why did she sometimes model for Rarity even though she hated it? Why did she put up with Pinkie's somewhat unreliable craziness? Why did she care for them at all?
“Because they’re my friends,” she whispered to herself, a small part of her startled that she even needed to think that. They were her friends. And since they were her friends, why shouldn’t she be loyal to them? why shouldn’t she put up with their flaws? But why should she? Pinkie Pie was funny and all, but she was just so random that she could be pretty lame at times. Fluttershy was such a scared introvert that it could get to be downright painful to be with her. Applejack just spent so much time working and was always so serious, and they got into such heated arguments for Celestia’s sake! And Rarity, she was as stuck up as you could get, with all her frou frou dresses and elite, high class demeanor. Not to mention Twilight, the most uncool of all of them. She was an egghead who spent most of her days inside a library! Why should she care for them?
Because they were kind, honest, funny, generous, and dependable. They’d been there for her during the Young Fliers Competition, they’d given her their support when she needed it, and her them. But when did that start, and why?
...Did it even matter?
Because they were friends now, they’d probably always would be. It didn’t make perfect sense, and the whys and hows of everything was still kind of a mystery to her, but who cared? What mattered was that now, they’d be there for each other, through thick and thin, rain and snow, day and night. They were friends, and that was all that mattered, really.
A smile crossed Rainbow’s lips, and she let out an amused snort. She really was an idiot. Egghead stuff just wasn’t her thing. Really, who cared why they friends, or why she’d done the things she’d had. She was Rainbow Dash, best flyer in Equestria, sole pegasus capable of performing the Sonic Rainboom, and possessor of the five best friends anypony this side of the sun could ask for.
Standing up from her cloud, Dash shook herself out, droplets of moisture sliding of her feathers and fur with ease. The sun had set already, and Luna’s moon was high in the sky. Looks like it was time to call it a night.
As she took off from her cloud, Rainbow couldn’t help but notice that that little empty space inside her, while still there, was smaller, as if she’d filled it, to an extent. A smile crossed her lips, and she did a few loops through the air as she flew, a delighted whoop of happiness filling her lungs as she headed home, ready to hit the sack.