Speed

Prologue: Farewells

Rainbow Dash floated overhead at the Golden Oaks library, facing her five friends. She had invited them for an announcement that she was sure would change all of their lives. The only hint they had about it was that Dash had a letter in hoof.

        Dash was waiting to read the letter aloud, not to build dramatic suspense, but because she was uncertain about how her friends would react. The letter meant big changes for her life, and while she believed her friends would support her wholeheartedly, she also suspected they would be sad when the changes actually came.

I can’t keep them waiting any longer, she thought as she cleared her throat.

        “I wanted you to come here because I got this letter in the mail and I wanted to read it to you out loud.” Dash took a deep breath and tried to start reading.

        “What’s it about?” Pinkie chirped, breaking Dash’s concentration. Twilight turned to Pinkie calmly.

        “Why don’t we just let Dash read it?” Twilight asked politely.

        “Oh, sorry!” Pinkie exclaimed, closing her mouth.

        “Um, thanks, Twilight,” Dash said. She cleared her throat again and began to read.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

We are writing because we wanted to inform you of a wonderful opportunity, should you choose to accept it. A position has recently opened up in the Wonderbolts, and we would like to offer it to you

        “You’re gonna be a Wonderbolt?” Pinkie cried out.

Dash simply nodded her head. Pinkie shrieked and tackled Dash out of the air in a hug. The letter fell out of Dash’s hoof and floated to the floor. The other four ponies were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful news. Applejack smirked and adjusted her Stetson.

        “Well, I think congratulations are in order!” she said, her smile getting wider every second.

        “Why yes, this is fantastic news!” Rarity cheered. “Your life-long aspirations are finally being realized; an opportunity most ponies only ever dream about.”

        “We’re all very excited for you, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said. She and the others went over to pull Pinkie off of Dash and make a proper group hug that didn’t have Dash being crushed on the floor.

        “This is awesome!” Dash cheered. “Ever since my dad took me to see them as a little filly…” Dash choked up, and her eyes became welled up with tears. “Darn it! I promised myself I wouldn’t cry…”

        “Cry all you like,” Rarity suggested. “It will do no good to try to suppress your emotions. You’ll become overwhelmed.”

        “I’m overwhelmed already…” Dash said, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Seeing this, Fluttershy grabbed a box of tissues and offered them to Dash, who gladly accepted one and wiped her eyes dry.

        “Thanks, Fluttershy,” she said, smiling widely again. “I can’t believe it. I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!”

        The six ponies began to chat excitedly about how awesome it would be for Dash to perform with the best flyers in Equestria, before speculating about other opportunities that might arise for them, other dreams that might come true.

        Suddenly, Pinkie stuck her head up and shouted out through the room.

        “I gotta go! I have to...um, take care of something.”

        Before anypony could ask, Pinkie bolted out the door, taking off down the road at a speed that might impress even the Wonderbolts.

        “She’s totally throwing me a surprise party,” Dash said with a smirk.

        “Probably,” Twilight agreed, walking up to Dash’s side as Dash floated back down to the floor. “But you’re still going to act surprised, right?”

        “Well, duh,” Dash said, sticking her tongue out at Twilight, eliciting laughter from her friends. Even though Rainbow Dash would be leaving them, she was going to be living the dream, and no good friend would stand in the way of that. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

        “Streamers! We’re gonna need lots and lots of streamers!” Pinkie said to herself, zipping across the floor of Sugarcube Corner adjusting tablecloths and tying up balloons for Dash’s surprise party. Carrot and Cup Cake, hearing the commotion, walked into the room and watched Pinkie moving at full speed. They looked at each other knowingly.

        “What’s all this for?” Carrot asked, the words bringing Pinkie screeching to a halt.

        “Oh, Dashie’s gonna be a Wonderbolt and I’m throwing her a surprise party!” Pinkie cheered, quickly kicked back into gear. After finishing up the decorations, she zoomed into the kitchen.

        Carrot and Cup followed her, and Pinkie was already mixing up what looked to be batter for a cake. Judging by the size of the bowl, it was going to be a big one. Smiling nervously to each other, they slowly approached the pink ball of energy.

        “Pinkie, don’t you think you should ask us before you start baking things with our ingredients?” Cup asked gently.

        “Yeah, yeah, sure,” Pinkie reacted, but she grinded to a halt again after giving the question some thought. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry! I should have realized this is for your business and it’s so rude of me to just use it without permission and I’m so silly I just forgot and please don’t be mad at me—”

        “Pinkie!” Carrot shouted, just enough so that he could be heard over her babbling. “It’s fine. We understand how important this is for your friend, so feel free to use whatever you need. But do try to ask us in the future next time, won’t you?”

        “Of course,” Pinkie said. “I’m really sorry.”

        “It’s okay,” Cup reassured her. “Is there anything we can help with?”

        “Oh! Well, I was hoping the party would be tonight, because Dashie is probably going to have to leave right away and we can’t let her leave without throwing her a party! So I need about ten dozen cupcakes and party favors and we need to set up Pin the Tail on the Pony and there needs to be a giant bowl of punch in case ponies get thirsty and—”

        “Pinkie,” Carrot said, and she stopped talking again. “Why don’t we make a list? Then we can keep track of everything and go through it systematically.”

        “Great idea! Let me go get a quill and parchment!” Pinkie zoomed out of the kitchen and up the stairs, presumably to get the quill and parchment from her room. Carrot looked to Cup and shrugged his shoulders. Smiling at each other, they started to get the ingredients together to make ten dozen cupcakes.

        “There! It’s all ready!” Pinkie cried, looking at the transformed Sugarcube Corner. There were tables set up all over the room with plastic chairs. Balloons were tied to chairs, floating towards the ceiling, and there was a long table towards the back that was laid out with all sorts of party food. Cupcakes, cheese and crackers, vegetables and dip, the works. Pinkie had set up a turntable for Vinyl Scratch, who had agreed to take on the gig last minute after Pinkie offered her a hefty bag of bits. Pinkie realized the party had actually cost quite a bit of money, but she knew it was worth it to see Rainbow Dash off with a rousing farewell.

        The only thing left was to invite everypony. She had scribbled together invitations, but was worried she was going to have to deliver them by hoof to everypony in Ponyville. However, when she went outside, it turned out that nearly the entire village of Ponyville was waiting in the road.

        “This is loco!” Pinkie exclaimed. “How’d you all know there was gonna be a party?”

        Mayor Mare stepped forward from the crowd. “Word got out that Rainbow Dash was asked to join the Wonderbolts,” she explained, “and, knowing you, we assumed there was going to be a celebration. So I asked everypony I knew to gather together everypony they knew, and it continued down the chain until just about everypony in Ponyville had decided to come! Remarkable how quickly news spreads in a small community like this one.”

        “Great!” Pinkie cheered, thoroughly pleased that the hardest work was over. “But where’s Dashie and the others? Do they know to come here?”

        “Way ahead of you!” Applejack called as she, Rarity, and Fluttershy made their way to the front of the crowd.

        “Twilight took Dash out to practice some maneuvers,” Applejack recounted, “and she knows to bring her here at around sunset. We figured that’d give ya enough time to get things ready.”

        “Was that assumption correct?” Rarity asked. Pinkie beamed and nodded emphatically. She looked at the sky and saw the sun sinking low already.

        “They’ll be coming any second!” Pinkie bellowed to the crowd. “Everypony get inside right now! We need to be ready when Dashie gets here!”

        Everypony crowded the door, and they struggled to cram themselves into Sugarcube Corner. Eventually, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack herded everypony into a line so they could funnel in and get into position. Pinkie was running about making sure everything was set up perfectly.

        “Balloons, streamers, tables, chairs…” she recounted out loud. “What am I missing?” Looking up at the ceiling, the thought suddenly hit her.

        “I didn’t get a banner!” she shouted. “How could I have forgotten! We need to make a banner for Rainbow Dash when she walks in!”

        Pinkie pushed her way back out the doors of Sugarcube Corner and found Rarity directing the line into the bakery.

        “Rarity! We don’t have a banner!” she cried. Rarity turned to Pinkie and took a deep breath.

        “Pinkie, need I remind you that you only had a few hours to prepare this party?” she suggested. “It was never going to turn out perfectly.”

        “But it has to be perfect, because this is Dashie’s perfect day!” Pinkie cried. “What is she gonna think if we don’t throw her the absolute most bestest surprise party of all time?”

        “Pinkie, it isn’t so much the party,” Rarity said, “but it’s the time and care you put into preparing it. You know how Rainbow Dash is. Everypony will be approaching her to congratulate her, and you know how much she loves the spotlight. It’s going to be perfect for her, not to mention good practice for when she’s giving out autographs to her adoring fans.”

        “You know what?” Pinkie began, taking a few deep breaths. “You’re right. It doesn’t have to be super duper perfect, because it’s already great the way it is. Thanks, Rarity!”

        “You’re welcome,” Rarity said, but before she had finished Pinkie had already made her way back inside Sugarcube Corner. She shook her head knowingly and returned her attention to the line.

        Once everypony was inside, Pinkie shut the blinds and turned out the lights. Everypony was now huddled together in pitch darkness, waiting for Rainbow Dash to enter.

        Her curiosity getting the best of her, Pinkie couldn’t help but peek out the window to see if Twilight and Dash were arriving. Lo and behold, they were off in the distance flying towards Sugarcube Corner. She pulled away from the window.

        “This is it!” she called out to the room. “Be quiet, everypony!”

        There was a hush as everypony stopped their casual conversations and anticipated the door opening. Not before too long, the doors to Sugarcube Corner opened and the bell rang. Pinkie flipped the light switch and everypony rose from their positions on the floor.

        “Surprise!” they cried out. The noise stunned Dash.

        “Wow, what is this, like, the whole village?” she asked as ponies began to crowd her, offering her congratulations.

        “So I guess you were surprised after all,” Twilight whispered so that Pinkie couldn’t overhear. Dash nodded and laughed in the middle of shaking everypony’s hooves and thanking them for their appreciation.

        Twilight stepped away to join Pinkie, who was already pouring punch into plastic cups for everypony to drink.

        “You really pulled out all the stops,” she said. Pinkie nodded, but remained focused on the punch.

        “I think Rainbow Dash really appreciates what you did for her today,” Twilight added, and Pinkie looked up this time and beamed at Twilight before returning to the drinks.

        “Do you want me to take over?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie shook her head. “Sorry, Twilight, but I have to make sure everything is just right. You’re the expert at magic, but I’m the expert at parties, so let me work my magic here. You just enjoy yourself and have a good time.”

        At that moment, records scratched and music began playing from the speaker in the corner. Vinyl Scratch had prepared her set, and everypony started dancing where they stood. It was extremely hot and stuffy in the room, especially in the middle of summer, but everypony was too excited to care.

        Finally pulling away from everypony shaking her hoof, Dash made her way to the food table, where Pinkie was arranging the cheese and crackers.

        “Pinks!” she called over the noise to get her attention. Pinkie looked up and beamed when she saw the look of joy on Dash’s face.

        “Dashie!” she cried. “I’d give you a big extra-squeezy hug but I can’t get over to you! Did you enjoy the surprise?”

        “Yes, Pinkie, it’s awesome. Thank you so much! How’d you pull it off?”

        “Oh, this? Psshh. This is nothing! I do this like every other week!” Pinkie and Dash both laughed hysterically, each of them recognizing the understatement in the exclamation. A crowd of ponies eager to talk to Dash started pulling her away.

        “Well, I gotta go!” she shouted. “My fans are calling me!”

        Pinkie winked as Dash was pulled back into the crowd. Rarity had been right about the banner. Seeing how this night was going, it had definitely not been necessary.

        The party had wound down, and Pinkie’s friends had chosen to help her clean up rather than go home, even though it was late. Dash was plodding along, picking up plastic cups off the floor but almost collapsing on it herself. Twilight noticed and approached her, holding her upright so she wouldn’t fall.

        “You look exhausted,” she remarked. Dash’s eyelids were drooping, but she shook herself awake and extricated herself from Twilight’s grasp.

        “I’m fine, Twilight,” she ensured her, flying over to the trash barrel and dumping the cups she had in her hooves. Her eyelids began to shut again and Applejack nudged her to keep her awake.

        “You ain’t in good shape right now,” she stated. “Ah reckon all that hoofshaking got you beat.”

        “Not to mention how much you flew today helping me practice,” Twilight added, walking over to Dash’s side. The others surrounded Dash as well, and she looked nervously at the five of them before letting out a big yawn.

        “You guys are right,” she conceded. “I worked really hard today and I’m not feeling so great. Think I’ll fly home and get some shut-eye before I leave tomorrow.” Dash made an attempt to leave, but Fluttershy swiftly flew in front of her to block her from exiting.

        “There’s no way you’re flying home by yourself,” she asserted. “I’m going to make sure you get home okay without passing out in midair.”

        “What are you, my mom? I’ll be fine, relax. Just had a bit of a busier day than usual. No big deal.” Dash’s eyes shut and she nearly fell to the floor before Fluttershy swooped beneath her and caught her.

        “Darling, I would accept Fluttershy’s offer to help, if I were you,” Rarity advised her. “You’ll more than likely miss your train if you can’t make it home and rise early to pack.”

        “For Pete’s sake, fine…” Dash grumbled, allowing Fluttershy to help her out of Sugarcube Corner.

        “We’ll see you at the train station!” Twilight called as Dash and Fluttershy left the bakery.

        “Bye, Dashie!” Pinkie cried even louder as they flew off into the distance.

        Fluttershy wasn’t strong enough to support all of Dash’s weight, so she prodded Dash in order to keep her awake so she could help herself get home. They didn’t do much talking along the way, as neither of them knew what to say to each other. By the time they reached Dash’s house, Fluttershy was afraid she’d have nothing left to say to her before she left tomorrow. But as she set Rainbow Dash into bed and wished her goodnight, Dash sat up straight and called out to her.

        “Don’t leave yet,” she pleaded, hating the vulnerability in her voice, but knowing that Fluttershy was the only pony who had truly seen that side of her. Fluttershy approached her without hesitation and sat on the side of the bed.

        “I’m here, Dashie,” she said, giving her a reassuring smile. Dash smiled back for a moment, but then sighed as her fatigue and emotions overwhelmed her.

        “You made a good point today, Shy,” she admitted, her stomach now a bundle of nerves as she thought about the friends she would be leaving behind. Fluttershy being here reminded her that she was the friend she had known the longest, and would therefore be the hardest one to leave. Letting out a long sigh, Dash curled up under the covers.

        “We’re all going to miss you,” Fluttershy said gently. “But this is a very exciting time for you, and you shouldn’t miss it for the world. You know we’ll be there to support you all the way. We’ll see the shows and be cheering from the sidelines. We’ll keep in touch with letters. You’ll be able to come back during the offseason. It’s going to be okay.”

        “I guess you’re right,” Dash said, sniffling in spite of herself. “I think I’m ready to go to sleep now. Don’t wanna drag this out longer than I have to…”

        Those words stung Fluttershy. She knew this was going to be hard on them, but to be turned away like that by a friend she’d known so long just didn’t feel right. “Rainbow Dash, avoiding it isn’t going to make it go away…”

        “Avoiding what?” Dash snapped, making Fluttershy jump. “Look, I don’t want some sappy, cliche farewell where everypony starts crying and doubting themselves and all that emotional stuff. I’d rather just be left alone. I appreciate you flying me home, now can you let me sleep?”

        There was a pause as Dash closed her eyes, hoping Fluttershy would just fly away and say goodbye at the train station tomorrow like everypony else. Fluttershy stayed right where she was.

        “You were the one that called me back here as I was leaving, so don’t try to get rid of me now. We’ve been friends for so long…” Fluttershy said carefully. “This isn’t how we should say goodbye.”

        Dash groaned. “Fluttershy, look! Oh, forget it, just forget it! Yeah, I’m gonna miss you. Yeah, we’ve been together since flight school and it’s gonna be weird with you so far away, and even though I’m living the dream, I have nopony to share it with. Yeah, writing letters will be nice but not enough. But do you have to remind me of that now, when I’m already feeling lonely and afraid? Do you have to remind me now?” Dash started sobbing openly, turning over and hiding her face from Fluttershy as she cried into her pillow.

        Fluttershy took a deep breath, afraid she was going to cry herself, but seeing a rare outpouring of emotions from Rainbow Dash was oddly quite relieving. She laid down next to her friend and stroked her back, shushing her gently.

        “It’ll be okay, Dashie,” she whispered. “You’re going to love it. Performing in front of huge crowds, signing autographs, getting to know your childhood idols. You won’t have time to miss us too much.”

        “That’s not true,” Dash said, sniffling and wiping the tears from her eyes. “You know I’m gonna miss you, Fluttershy, and all my other friends in Ponyville. No way that’s not gonna sting.”

        “I know, I know,” Fluttershy said, “but it won’t be so bad once you get used to it. Everything’s going to be okay. You have a lot to look forward to, so I just ask that you don’t spend too much time looking back.”

        Dash allowed herself a smile. “Okay, Fluttershy, I promise.”

        “Pinkie Promise?” Fluttershy teased. Dash let out a hearty chuckle.

        “Don’t overdo it,” she said, reaching up and teasing Fluttershy’s mane. Fluttershy beamed and rose from Dash’s bed.

        “Have a good night’s rest, and I’ll see you at the train station tomorrow.”

        “It’s a deal,” Dash said, waving to Fluttershy as she left the room. Dash shut her eyes, knowing it was going to be a fitful night’s sleep. Maybe I’ll sleep on the train tomorrow to make up for it, she thought.

Despite her sadness, she knew that tomorrow would mark a new chapter in her life, just as it had for Twilight when she was crowned a princess. Okay, maybe not thatmuch.

        Dash smiled as she nestled herself into her sheets.

        The alarm clock seemed to ring too soon, shaking Dash from her slumber. It had been harder than usual to fall asleep that night, so she felt like she had missed a few hours. She was looking forward to catching up on the train, provided her nerves didn’t keep her awake.

        She had given herself just enough time to pack the essentials. Given her upcoming life on the road, she’d be leaving most of her belongings behind in Ponyville, where they’d wait for her until the offseason. All she needed was a saddlepack with the basics: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and most of the other bath items she owned. It took her all of ten minutes to finish packing, and she had enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before she left.

        Dash, despite her laidback nature, was a pretty good cook, at least when it came to the basics. She had a craving for oat pancakes, so she took out the instant pancake batter and poured a few dollops onto a frying pan before setting it on the stovetop and igniting the burner. As the batter sizzled in the pan, Dash took a glance at a photo she kept on the countertop.

        It was a picture of her and her five friends just after the Summer Sun Celebration when they met. Twilight was wingless, Pinkie’s mane was shorter, and everypony looked just a bit more chipper. Not that a relatively quiet life in Ponyville had worn on her, but even a couple years’ time showed a marked difference, both in age and maturity.

        Seeing the picture reminded Dash of her conversation with Fluttershy last night, and she was hit with a fresh wave of sadness. Darn it, this is supposed to be an exciting day for me. Why am I getting so mushy all of a sudden? Truth be told, she’d be leaving a lot behind here in Ponyville, and the reality of that had not quite settled in. She wasn’t about to start bawling her eyes out again; she suspected her fatigue had as much to do with her breakdown last night as her emotions. But a bitter wave of nostalgia weighed her down regardless.

        She couldn’t remember aching like this when she had left Cloudsdale, because there was much about her childhood she’d rather forget, and she was following a friend. Now she was leaving a far more pleasant community behind and doing so without any social connections whatsoever. The difference was stark, and no less painful when Dash reminded herself of it.

        In her reminiscence, she almost burned the pancakes. She quickly flipped them over and noticed they were a bit darker than she liked, but still far from inedible. She focused the rest of her attention on the pancakes so that her last meal in Ponyville would at least be a pleasant one.

        She heard a low thud at the door that indicated there was somepony waiting to come in. Dash left the stove unattended briefly to answer the door for who she suspected was Fluttershy.

Can’t that mare just stay away for a while? No need to keep reminding me what I’m leaving behind.

        She was surprised to see Twilight waiting for her on the other side of the door.

        “What are you doing here?” Dash asked, the first thing that came to her mind.

        “I didn’t want you to eat your last meal alone,” Twilight said hesitantly, noting the annoyed look on Dash’s face. That quickly faded into a smile as Dash let Twilight in and led her into the kitchen. Twilight could smell the pancakes Dash was cooking on the stove, and the aroma sent a wave of hunger into her stomach.

        “Do you want pancakes?” Dash asked as she manned the stove, spatula in hoof.

        “If you wouldn’t mind, that sounds great,” Twilight said. “Oh, but you were probably making those for yourself before I got here.”

        “Don’t worry about it,” Dash said, taking the finished pancakes off the pan and setting them down onto the waiting plate. “These are a little burnt. Still good, though, I think.”

        “That’s fine,” Twilight said. “Spike always makes them too runny, anyway, at least for my taste.” Dash brought Twilight some silverware, but she let it sit on the table as Dash went to pour more batter on the pan.

        “Go ahead and eat,” she said. “We don’t have time for you to wait for me to sit down.”

        “Thank you,” Twilight said, levitating over the syrup bottle on the counter and pouring some onto the pancakes before taking her first bite. The firm, warm texture seemed to melt in her mouth.

        “These are delicious,” she said, temporarily forgetting her manners by talking with her mouth full. She resumed eating with more proper manners, even though she knew Dash didn’t care in the slightest. Once the stove warmed up, it didn’t take Dash too long to complete her own batch. She set the pancakes down on a second plate and brought both plate and silverware over to the table, sitting across from Twilight. She ate them dry, without any syrup.

        “How do you eat them like that?” Twilight asked.

        “Old habit,” Dash explained. “Didn’t want all that sugar weighing me down. The oats are good for you, the sugary stuff in that syrup ain’t.” Dash was chewing at lightning speed in an attempt not to miss the train. Twilight felt pushed to eat quickly as well, but Dash noticed and shook her head.

        “You take your time,” she said. “I’ve gotta make sure I’m not leaving anything too important behind.”

        The two of them continued to eat in silence. Dash finished first and started zooming around the house looking for items she’d need, now that she was feeling more awake. Twilight continued eating at her own pace at the table, looking around the home she had not spent a lot of time in. It was a strange kind of magic that kept the kitchen appliances floating in the clouds instead of plummeting to the ground. Twilight had read some theories about pegasus cloud handling, but the science behind it all still escaped her grasp. Maybe if she had asked, Dash would have been able to explain it to her, but it was too late now.

        Dash zoomed back into the kitchen, saddlepack on her back, looking just about ready to leave. Her eye caught the picture of her and her friends that was sitting on the kitchen counter, and, hoping Twilight wasn’t looking, she swiped it and stuffed it in her saddlepack. Twilight was now finished with her pancakes, and she used a napkin to wipe the syrup from around her mouth.

        “Ready to go?” Dash asked.

        “I think so,” Twilight said as she rose from the table.

        “Then there’s no time to lose!” Dash cried as she flew out of the house. Twilight took one look at the countertop and noticed the picture was gone. She smiled and followed Dash’s trail out of the house on her way to the train station.

        Dash had to slow down so Twilight could keep up, but they still made reasonable time arriving at the train station. Waiting for them were Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike. Waving above them was a banner that said “Good luck, Rainbow Dash!” in bold letters.

        “Hey, Dashie!” Pinkie cried. “Do you like the banner? I was sad that I couldn’t get it ready in time for the party, but then I said to myself ‘Why don’t we have it when she’s boarding the train?’ So here it is! What do you think?”

        Dash chuckled heartily. “It looks great, Pinkie Pie.”

        “Are you sure you packed everything you need?” Rarity asked, fussing over Dash like an overprotective mother. Dash rolled her eyes.

        “I’m fine, Rarity. I’ve got all the basics.”

        “Good. Now, don’t make the same mistakes I made during that Best Young Flyers competition. Don’t push yourself too hard or too fast.”

        “Got it, Rares,” Dash said. “Thanks.”

        “Dash, give ’em all you got out there,” Applejack exclaimed. “Show them what an Element o’ Harmony can really do.”

        “And don’t forget to show off all your super-cool moves!” Spike exclaimed.

        “I won’t, Spike,” Dash acknowledged.

        “And make sure to go really fast!” Pinkie joined in. “That way they’ll be super impressed and might throw you a welcoming party!”

        “We’ll see about that,” Dash said, laughing at Pinkie’s overexuberant smile. The train’s whistle sounded as the conductor made the final boarding call.

        “Have fun, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called, waving as Dash made her way towards the train. Everypony else made their emphatic goodbyes as Dash boarded. Suddenly, Fluttershy floated up to her and gave her a hug.

        “Good luck,” she whispered into Dash’s ear, before drawing back and joining the other ponies waving to her. Dash boarded the train and waved back through the window as it started to churn and leave the station. Dash continued to wave to her friends until the station platform fell out of view, and then she sat back into her seat and sighed.