Faint, sweet music from the Grand Hall below floated in the air, marred only by the choked sobs from the pegasus huddled on the floor under her window. Rainbow Dash panted for breath, covered in the shredded remains of her ballroom gown. Her mane fell in a mess around her eyes. She must have lost her golden tiara during her impromptu escape. Rarity would have a fit when she found out, but, the way she was feeling now, Rainbow Dash was more likely to strangle her than apologize to her.
A pale cone of moonlight surrounded her trembling body. Rainbow Dash knew the Grand Galloping Gala was going to hurt, but not like this. She was expecting a bittersweet celebration. The news that Princess Celestia once again extended the invitations she made so long ago felt like a chance for closure. So Rainbow Dash came to Canterlot with her friends. She followed willingly, like a lamb, into the trap.
The five of them played it well. Celestia invited the Ponyville gang to a private audience with her. Rarity jumped at the chance, and Pinkie Pie was ecstatic at the possibility of a private party with the Princess. Applejack suggested her guest room because it was close to the hall and they could all rejoin the party quickly. Fluttershy sealed the deal with a simple nod of approval. Rainbow Dash didn't suspect a thing.
A low growl escaped her throat as the music died down. They didn't go to any guest room by Rainbow Dash's definition. There was nothing inside but the six ponies, a table, and the thing that Rainbow Dash swore she would never see, let alone touch, ever again. Celestia slammed the door shut behind Rainbow the moment she recognized it.
The trap was sprung. The damned necklace lay on the table, surrounded by the other five ponies. Its red jewel was a silent taunt. The shape matched the mark on her flank, the mark she would carry for the rest of her life if she liked it or not. Worse, it was all connected by the one word that haunted Rainbow Dash for the past month: Loyalty.
Celestia held the door shut with a spell and began to talk. It was time, she said, or maybe it is destiny; it was something Rainbow Dash didn't want to hear. Celestia's words, and her friends' faces, made it clear there would be no easy way out of the room. Rainbow Dash did not respond kindly. Now that she thought about it, she was probably bleeding. To find out, she would have to move, and Rainbow Dash wasn't ready for that yet. The night's event still had her shell shocked.
Another song started from the party below. The music grew louder with the sound of Rainbow's door opening to the hallway outside. "Rainbow Dash, are you in here?"
It was Fluttershy's voice. Rainbow Dash didn't answer. Instead, she listened as the door closed and her friend's footsteps entered the dark room. She came alone. Rainbow could live with that. Fluttershy turned on the lights, and the fire in the castle's magical lamps flickered to life with the ease of light bulbs. Rainbow Dash still didn't move. She heard Fluttershy walk past the wash room... into the main chamber... and around the towering posts holding the screens around the massive bed.
She was still in her flowing green dress. Her eyes instantly locked on Rainbow's. "Rainbow, you're bleeding!"
"Yeah, I figured." Rainbow studied Fluttershy's face as her friend galloped to her side. Fluttershy ripped a loose strip of cloth from the ruined train of Rainbow's dress and pressed it above her right eye. Fluttershy's own eyes were filled with concern. They were gentle. Kind. Where was all of this ten minutes ago? "So, how's Celestia?"
Fluttershy's eyes showed a small smile that her face held back. "She's... surprised."
"Well, she shouldn't be. I told her my exact plan word for word." She raised her eyebrows at the sound od Fluttershy's giggles. "I'm serious! You're a witness. I told her straight up, 'If you don't open the door, I'm gonna punch you in the face and fly out the window.' She didn't open the door, so I punched her in the face and flew out the window."
Fluttershy pulled back the strip of cloth. The rainbow pattern was covered up with a blood stain. "A locked window that is now a broken window. What were you thinking?"
Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "I thought you would know how desperate a cornered animal gets."
"How many cuts do you have?"
Rainbow shook her head. "I haven't looked."
Fluttershy started moving her hooves along Rainbow's body. The soft touch soothed Rainbow's fire a small bit, but her role in the trap still bit deeply.
"Why did you do it?"
Fluttershy flinched, but kept her hooves moving. She didn't meet Rainbow's eyes. Rainbow glared at her as another strip was torn from her ruined dress. "Maybe you should see a doctor. I can stop the bleeding, but—"
"Answer me, Fluttershy. I've told you, Applejack, Rarity, Celestia, Spike, Luna, all of you more than once that I'm done with the Elements. I know I've told you that I want to just break the damn thing and be done with it. Why did you pull this stunt? What did you think would happen?"
"Celestia needs to know if the Elements still work with her—"
"I don't care about Celestia!" Rainbow Dash stood, knocking Fluttershy off balance for a moment. She stormed forward. Fluttershy retreated from her advance until she backed into a wall. Rainbow pushed further in, forcing her friend to cower under the daggers of her stare. She could see Fluttershy's body shaking. That was just too bad.
Rainbow snarled through clenched teeth. "You lied to me, Fluttershy. You tricked me. You forced me into something you knew I would hate and fight against. Every single one of you did that, so I want to hear this from every single one of you. Why?!"
"Twilight—"
"TWILIGHT IS DEAD!"
Fluttershy wilted under Rainbow's roar. She sank to floor, shielding herself with her hooves.
Rainbow's anger broke at the sight. The last time she saw Fluttershy like this was on that day, the day Twilight died in front of Rainbow's eyes. Rainbow was the only one who could have saved her, and she failed. Fluttershy threw herself at Rainbow's feet that night, begging for forgiveness. She was the one sitting next to Twilight, and she never noticed her fall. That night, she was forgiven. This night would be a harder sell.
"Fluttershy," the cowering pegasus looked up at the softer tone of Rainbow's voice, "I thought I was getting past it. I actually slept a whole night for the first time last week. And now," Rainbow looked away to blink back tears. She pointed a hoof down the hall. "And now you spring that on me?"
"You can't keep blaming yourself." Fluttershy stood back up. "Twilight made—"
"Made what?" Rainbow Dash put the venom back into her voice. "A mistake? Is that what you were going to say? She shouldn't have been there in the first place. It wasn't her fault!"
Fluttershy withstood Rainbow Dash this time. "It wasn't yours, either."
Then whose was it? Rainbow Dash was the one that insisted on a bigger cheering section at the Best Young Flyers Competition. Twilight Sparkle was so eager to see her perform that she casted an incredibly complex flight spell on herself. Rainbow was overjoyed. Even now, she could still see Twilight's smile through her first two tricks.
Rainbow Dash was nailing it that day. She remembered the adrenaline rush of climbing high above the Cloudosseum for Phase III of her routine. The guitar riff in the song she picked was rocking, feeding the intensity of the moment. Looking back, that riff must have covered Twilight's scream when the spell wore off. When Rainbow Dash turned to dive back down, Twilight was gone, and there was a small speck plummeting to the earth below.
Fluttershy was watching Rainbow Dash. Princess Celestia was watching Rainbow Dash. Even the Wonderbolts were watching Rainbow Dash. Every eye in the stadium was watching Rainbow Dash. And when she started blazing her way through the sky on her way down, they didn't think anything of it. She climbed, so of course she would dive. No pony knew anything was wrong until Rainbow Dash rocketed past them all.
The worst part was that Rainbow gave herself false hope. The sight of Twilight flailing helplessly pushed Rainbow past her breaking point. She felt the odd feeling she had as a filly. She pushed herself faster, and faster, and faster still. In one glorious moment, the Sonic Rainboom exploded around her. It wasn't enough. Twilight was too far gone. Rainbow's greatest achievement, her legendary moment, meant nothing but a closer view of Twilight Sparkle's death.
Rainbow Dash howled and clutched her head, sinking to the floor of her guest room. She forced her brain to omit that sight. As Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Rainbow's shoulders, Princess Celestia's explanation was the next thing she remembered. By focusing the flight spell on herself, Twilight divided her concentration. The spell only lasted half the time it should have. The words meant nothing to her, then or now. Every single thread of the story connected to Rainbow Dash.
She would never forget the events of that day. A friend died because of the Element of Loyalty. Rainbow forced back more tears. She told Fluttershy the truth when she said she was getting past it. Rainbow hadn't cried for days, and she didn't want to break down now. This time, though, she could tell she couldn't stop it.
Fluttershy nuzzled her. "Tell me what I can do. Please, Rainbow, let me help you."
"G-Get out. Please." Rainbow Dash looked away as Fluttershy sighed and stood up to leave. It wasn't a fair request. Fluttershy trusted her enough to come alone after Rainbow attacked a princess. She even treated her wounds, and now Rainbow was kicking her out.
The departing footsteps stopped suddenly. "May I say one more thing?"
Rainbow turned her head to look at Fluttershy and nodded.
She looked back at Rainbow nervously. Her eyes clenched shut for a moment, and she began to tremble.
"What is it?"
"I... I... I miss you more than I miss her." With that, Fluttershy hung her head and left the room.
Alone again, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and let the tears come. As much as her eyes burned, those few minutes of her life could not be unseen. Twilight's smile, one of her real smiles with nothing in it but joy and excitement, would not leave her. It was a beautiful memory that would be forever meaningless.
Rainbow Dash crossed her front hooves and buried her face in them. She would be OK. Honestly, she would have been surprised if she didn't break down like this at least once at the Gala. A memory, a scent, a joke, she knew something would get to her. Something always tore the wound open again. The only thing she could do was cry it out.
The wound healed a little faster every time. Of course, that did nothing to help her guilt. Why was Twilight in Cloudsdale? Rainbow Dash. Who pulled the eyes of every pony away from the arena? Rainbow Dash. Why wasn't any pony able to hear the scream? Rainbow Dash. Who simply wasn't fast enough to catch Twilight Sparkle before she hit the ground? Rainbow Dash. The same litany of questions plagued her mind every time.
"I'm sorry, Twilight," Rainbow choked out. She must have apologized like this a thousand times over by now. Luna once tried to tell her something about forgiving herself, but Rainbow Dash didn't know how that was possible. A cold wind blew from the window. Rainbow pulled her legs in and curled up. "I'm so sorry!"
Her tears still wouldn't stop. The continuous wind reminded her of her failed dive through the sky. Her mind played the events over and over again. Twilight always smiled. Rainbow Dash always turned her back on her to begin her climb. And at the end, after doing something no pony had ever seen before, she always felt powerless. Helpless. Worthless.
Exhaustion overtook her. This roller coaster of a night caught up to her. Even though her bed was only a few feet away, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. She spent this much time on the floor already, so what were a few more minutes? If it wasn't for the chilly wind, the floor actually wouldn't be that bad.
The wind gradually changed. The cold left Rainbow's body. Her ears pricked up, but the comforting warmth now covering her kept her down. The breeze shifted again, this time blowing into the room with gale force. Rainbow Dash panicked. What was going on? Still, her tired body simply refused her commands to move. From the surrounding wind, a voice whispered through Rainbow's ears.
I never blamed you. Not once.
The voice sent lightning down her spine. She was imagining it. She had to be. Something brushed against Rainbow's face. Her eyes shot open in surprise. A lavender hoof caressed her cheek. It moved under her chin and gently pushed up, suggesting that she raise her head.
"Look at me, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow did, slowly and in disbelief. A body sat in front of her with a tail wrapped around it. The tail was cut evenly, and it was highlighted with two stripes, one pink and the other purple. It was her tail. Rainbow lifted her head and saw the bottom of the pony's mane, a mirror image of the tail. It was her mane. Rainbow finally looked at the pony's face. Two purple eyes met her own. They were her eyes.
Twilight Sparkle smiled down at her and brushed away some of Rainbow's mane with her hoof. "There you are."
"I missed you." What did she say?! That was the best she could do?!
"I missed you, too. Although I'm not sure that I like this look for you. What happened?"
"I broke through a window," Rainbow whispered. Twilight's eyes were exactly the same. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she looked Rainbow over, just like when she always asked a question. This... was happening...
Twilight chuckled. "I know you're the tough pony, but don't you think your taking that image a bit too far? I mean, a torn dress is one thing, but scars don't suit you."
"Well, Fluttershy did what she could for me." Rainbow slowly started to push herself up. Real as this felt, the impossibility of this situation was not lost on her.
Twilight noticed her hesitation and grinned. "I'm not a mouse, Rainbow Dash. Sudden movement won't scare me away. So Fluttershy helped patch you up a little? I'm glad. That sounds like her. How are the others doing? How's Spike?"
Rainbow noticed her face fall when she mentioned her assistant. She couldn't stand the sight. "Don't worry! He's great! He's doing better now than ever!" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Ah! No, no, no! I didn't mean—"
The smile returned. "It's OK, Rainbow. I know."
"Good," Rainbow sighed. She followed as Twilight turned and started walking to the window. "I wasn't exactly lying, though. He... He took it hard. Really hard, but he's made a new friend now. An owl took shelter in your library one night. Spike's been taking care of him."
"Is he really? I'm happy to hear that." Twilgiht sat by the window and looked out at the stars. "He did a good job taking care of me. So what's the little guy's name?"
She was afraid Twilight would ask that. Rainbow sat next to her before she gathered the courage to answer. "Hoots the Boss."
For an agonizing second time, Rainbow watched Twilight's face collapse. The unicorn stared at the stars, completely unmoving. "That's... horrible."
"I'll tell Spike you think so," Rainbow said with a smirk.
"Don't you dare, but you do have my permission to think of a new name and tell him it was my idea." The pair shared a laugh. "What about the others? Are they OK?"
Rainbow nodded. "They miss you, but yes. They... They're all here with me, actually. Do you want me to get them?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
Twilight turned her head away from the stars. "Because I'm enjoying this moment. Aren't you? This reminds me of our night at Sweet Apple Acres."
"I remember," Rainbow said. "We snuck in because you had some crazy idea about a midnight picnic."
"I seem to remember that it was your idea to sneak onto the Apples' farm."
"You wanted to see the stars. They've got the best view of them in Ponyville. Well, at least on the ground." Rainbow returned the smile Twilight gave her before the unicorn looked back out the window. She didn't follow Twilight's lead. The mare in front of her was more miraculous than anything she would see out there. Rainbow inspected every inch of her body. Every detail matched with her memory. Twilight even gave off a shadow.
"Rainbow?"
"You tried to teach me the constellations," Rainbow blurted out, quickly looking back at Twilight's face.
"That I did," Twilight said with a smile. "Did it work?"
"No! I still have no idea where they are! And what's with the names? Why would they name one after a monster like the ursa?"
"There are two ursas, and they named them that because that's what they look like." Twilight laughed. "I said that at least three times. Ah, I wish we had more moments like that."
"Really?" Rainbow shook her head and smirked. "I'm not the right pony to argue with about stars. You should have gone back to Canterlot for that."
"'I don't need to know them to swim through them.' That was a provocative argument."
"I... what? I said that?"
Twilight looked incredulous. "You don't remember? It was beautiful, Rainbow! That was the first time I heard you talk about flying as more than just speed. Just the thought of you floating in the middle of the stars... I never knew you could be so poetic. Those are the moments I wanted."
Rainbow blushed and looked away. Her eyes landed on Twilight midsection, where her failed wings used to be. "I was going to take you up with me after the competition. I knew you would want to see them like I see them."
Twilight's forehead met her own. "I would have loved that, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow closed her eyes and leaned into her friend. A long silence passed between them. Whatever was happening, Rainbow knew it wouldn't last forever. She knew she had to make the most of this chance, but she didn't know how to do that. Her mind was conflicted. All she wanted was to just enjoy this moment. She knew she needed to talk about what happened.
"Twilight," she whispered as she opened her eyes, relieved that she was still there. "Were you serious?"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you before you touched me. You said you never blamed me."
Twilight pulled her head away and grabbed Rainbow's shoulder. Her eyes burned with sincerity. "Not once," she repeated.
Rainbow fought to keep her voice under control. "How can you say that?"
"I... I," Twilight gave her a small smile and a single ha. "Rainbow, I hated myself every second I fell. I can't apologize enough for what I put you through."
"I never hated you."
Twilight's smile grew. "I never blamed you, and you never hated me. We're even."
"We're WHAT?!" Rainbow jumped to her feet. "I let you die! How are we even?!"
Twilight's infuriatingly calm smile remained. "Because I lied. There was one moment of my fall that I didn't hate myself. You showed me a Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow, my last memory is you coming to save my life."
False hope. Until now, all that moment meant was false hope. But... there was more to it than that. It was so long ago that Rainbow could barely remember what it felt like. The Sonic Rainboom killed her fear. For a few precious seconds, there was no doubt in her mind that she would catch Twilight. If that was what Twilight felt...
Rainbow threw her hooves around Twilight and buried her face in her neck. Twilight wrapped her up as well. "Rainbow, being there for you meant everything to me. Being here for you now means everything to me. I want you to know that I died at peace."
Her tears matted down Twilight's coat. "There's so much I want to tell you."
"And I'll hear it all one day. I promise. Just not yet." Twilight started to stroke her mane. "You have so much more to do. I'll be waiting when you're finished. Take your time. For once in your life, please take your time!"
Rainbow Dash smiled and lifted her mouth to whisper in Twilight's ear. "Thank you, Luna."
She felt Twilight's body stiffen against her. "What?"
"Thank you, Luna," Rainbow said again, pulling out of the embrace. She smiled wider at the dumbfounded look on Twilight's face. "Oh come on, that's the only way this makes any sense."
"What are you talking about?"
"You came into my dreams once before, remember? You came to help me face a nightmare out of respect for Twilight. That was the first time I got any real sleep after she died. Gotta say, the shape shifting is impressive. I didn't know you could do that."
The hurt that came into Twilight's eyes instantly broke her heart all over again. "You told Princess Luna about our night at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"NO! No, I never told anyone! I promise!" But how could Luna know about it? She couldn't. The answer struck her dumb as two tears fell from the corners of Twilight's eyes.
"Rainbow, it's me!"
Time stood still. It was a miracle. The impossibility shut down her mind. Her muscles turned to jelly. Rainbow Dash fell.
Twilight leapt forward and caught her before Rainbow hit the floor. She hoisted her back up, and Rainbow leaned against her chest like a rag doll. "You thought I was tricking you this whole time?"
Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think. The first thought that formed in her head was horrible. Her friend did... this for her. She came back for Rainbow Dash, and she was repaid with suspicion. "I... I don't deserve you. I never did. I couldn't save you. I couldn't even appreciate you."
Twilight's hooves tightened around her. "I once knew a pony that wanted to soar above the rest. No matter how many times she fell, she got back up. She never accepted less than greatness, because that's what she thought she deserved. And she was right. She deserved greatness, and do you know why? That's what she worked for. That's what she fought for. Where is that pony?"
"She's gone," Rainbow whispered.
"She's right here with me," Twilight shot back. "Failure can't change who you are, Rainbow Dash, and who you are is what helped unite us all. You all made my time in Ponyville the happiest of my life. For that, you deserved to enjoy every last second of happiness you felt from that friendship. You deserved to enjoy every last second of what we shared. You still do. You put yourself through all this pain because you couldn't catch me, and you never lost me in the first place. Do you hear me, Rainbow? You never lost me!"
Something changed in Twilight's voice. Despite the conviction in her words, they sounded softer. Fading. "No! Not yet!"
"Can you promise me something, Rainbow Dash?" Her voice sounded weaker with every word.
"Yes, anything, just please stay!" Rainbow tried to throw her hooves around Twilight again, to just hold her one more time, but her muscles were frozen. Twilight Sparkle leaned down and brushed her lips against Rainbow's ear. Her voice whispered through Rainbow's mind again.
Don't let me go.
"I won't!" Rainbow jumped to her feet and shouted again, "I won't!" She stared at the wall of her guest room just a few feet away from her. "I won't..." How did she get here? She walked to the window with Twilight, now she was back where Fluttershy was.
Rainbow looked over her shoulder at the window. She dreamed it. But as Rainbow walked over to the spot she shared with Twilight, she knew it wasn't that simple. Nothing ever felt more real to her. Twilight came to her for a reason. Rainbow Dash was not going to let her down.
She raised her eyes to the stars and smiled. "I promise, Twilight. Thank you."
There was one last thing she had to do tonight. Rainbow lifted her hooves one by one, letting her shoes fall off. The remains of her dress soon followed. Rainbow launched herself out the window, spreading her wings and soaring into the stars. The sky was hers alone. She didn't even see any pony below her. The Gala must have been long over.
Rainbow veered right and turned back to the castle. Her eyes tracked the windows as she passed by them. No... no... no...there! Jagged shards of glass, one decorated with a long strip of multicolored cloth, marked her destination. Rainbow accelerated, snapped her wings to her sides, and passed through unharmed.
Her shadow fell across the table inside. Rainbow walked around it, letting the moonlight reveal the golden necklace. Her anxiety flared up again. She let a friend die. She retreated inside herself and refused to let anyone else get close to her. Why did she deserve this?
Because Twilight thought she did. Who was she to argue? This thing lying on the table represented their friendship. Without this, Twilight might never have come to Ponyville. That was the miracle. Rainbow Dash wouldn't let that go. She reached out a hoof to take the necklace.
"May I have the honor?"
Rainbow whirled around. Princess Celestia stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight with an ugly bruise under her left eye. She hung her head at the sight.
Celestia tilted her head and chuckled. "Rainbow Dash, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"Maybe I have," she said with a smile. "I can't believe you're here. I mean, were you waiting for me? What about the Gala? How did you know—"
"You are the Element of Loyalty. Of course you would come back." Celestia sat beside Rainbow Dash and lifted the necklace with a flash of her horn. "The Element of Magic has passed back to me. Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter all stayed with their bearers. There is only one link missing in our chain. This will only confirm what I already know."
Rainbow pulled her mane off the back of her neck and bowed her head. "I'm ready."
She was expecting a flash of light when the jewel clasped around her neck. The same thing happened in the battle against Nightmare Moon. Back then, the Element formed itself around her, and the flash left her with a strange sense of... right, like she was where she was meant to be.
Rainbow Dash was not prepared for the indescribable flood of emotion she felt this time. The Element reached down into her and pulled out every memory she tried to repress. She relived every second of Twilight’s time in Ponyville in the blink of an eye. The Element held nothing back. It reminded Rainbow that she laughed after tackling Twilight into a mud puddle. It showed her the awe and respect she felt as Twilight defeated the ursa minor. Rainbow saw the stars in Twilight’s eyes at Sweet Apple Acres. She was devoured by the fear of seeing Twilight’s fall. And at the end, the Element left her with Twilight’s final message.
Don’t let me go.
Tears fell from her eyes. Her knees grew weak, and she started to sink. No! Rainbow set her hooves and forced herself to stay standing. She spent enough time crying on the floor. The Element of Loyalty was back, and she was right where she needed to be. It was time to be Rainbow Dash again.
Celestia wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders and covered Rainbow’s head with her own. “I’m proud of you, Rainbow Dash.”
She wiped a hoof across her eyes. "Twilight once told me that failure can't change who we are. I guess she was right."
"Did she really?"
There was something odd in Celestia's voice. Rainbow pulled away. "Are you laughing?"
Celestia grinned and shook her head. "No, I wrote those words in a letter to Twilight Sparkle. It was a reply to her latest friendship report. There was... something about believing in the unexplainable, if I recall."
Rainbow returned her smile. The coincidence would be eerie if she didn't already believe. "What did you write back?"
"I told her, rather jokingly, that I would be sorely disappointed if one failure caused her to swear off all the years of education we put her through here."
"When did you send it to her?"
A puzzled look crossed Celestia's face. "I sent it just a few days before the Best Young Flyers Competition. May I ask why you are so interested in the letter?"
Rainbow Dash forced herself to hide her joy. Only two ponies, and maybe a dragon, knew the words in that letter until tonight. "You're just, ah, confirming something I already knew. I... I'm sorry to bail out, but would you mind if I head back to my room? I'd like to get some sleep tonight."
"Of course. Unfortunately, I know that the sunrise can wait for no pony."
Rainbow laughed and stepped towards the window. "Good night, Princess."
"Rainbow?" She stopped in her tracks. Celestia gave her a sad smile. "I never spoke to Twilight in Cloudsdale. That letter I sent was the last time I talked with my student. Those words that I wrote so flippantly... I am just so thankful she was able to pass them on to you in time."
"So am I," Rainbow Dash said. She raised a hoof to her chest and touched her jewel, her destiny. Outside, she watched a shooting star trace its way through the sky. "So am I."
