Rainbow Dash soared along the currents of air, the wind buoying beneath her wings. She was done with her duties for the day. All morning, since Celestia’s sun had heralded the start of the day, she had been bucking clouds. Today was supposed to be clear. After repeated scoldings from Twilight, the Mayor and even Derpy Dash had started waking up earlier to do her weather work. She was starting to like it. When she got done with her work earlier it gave her time to do important things. Like taking naps. She was searching for a stray cloud to curl up on when she spotted something on the ground outside Sugarcube Corner. It was a doll, a plushie if Dash wasn’t mistaken. Not that knew that much about dolls as she hadn’t played with any since she was a filly. And thirteen was still filly years and she would tell that to anypony that asked. She flew down to investigate, landing softly on the cobblestone and bringing her wings around her. It was a doll in her likeness, blue coat, blue wings and a rainbow mane. Dash smiled and picked it up.
“Ah…Scootaloo must have lost her doll. Poor kid.” She slipped it in her saddle bag and took into the air intending to search for her littlest fan. She figured Scootaloo would be doing tricks on her scooter since it was a Saturday and she liked practicing stunts at the skate park. Sure enough, the orange pegasus was at the park, barreling down a ramp while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle cheered her on. Scootaloo swung off the ramp and corkscrewed in midair. Dash felt her wings tense and she almost zoomed over to catch her, but at the last second Scootaloo brought her scooter all the way around and landed. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle went nuts as they cheered and ran up to their friend. Dash wondered how she would handle this. She didn’t want to embarrass the proud pegasus filly. Maybe she should stop by her house later that day. Just as she was about to go Scootaloo noticed her.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” She called running up to her. “I just came up with a new trick! Did ya see it? Did ya?” She bounced up and down, her wings excitedly fluttering in the air.
“I sure did, Squirt.” Dash said, ruffling her mane. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to be missing anything would you?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“Like say, a plushie?”
“Um…” Actually, all of Scootaloo’s dolls were arranged on a shelf in her room. She’d kissed them all good morning. Just like she did every morning. And the most extreme forms of torture wouldn’t be able to get her to admit to that. None of her dolls were missing. Including her Rainbow Dash plushie.
Dash eased the plushie out of her saddlebag.
“For me?” Scootaloo squealed, then blushed. “I mean, oh that’s cool. A doll that looks like you.”
“I found it this morning, is it yours?” Dash asked.
“No.”
“C’mon. Don’t be embarrassed.”
“It’s not mine.” Scootaloo insisted. She lowered her voice. “I left mine right next to my pretty pink pony princesses dolls.”
“So, if it’s not yours, whose could it be?”
“Um…well, Sweetie Belle’s sister special made mine for Hearth’s Warming last year. I don’t know who else could have one.”
“Oh. Well, catch you later.” She gave her fan another mane-ruffle then flew off. The pegasus pony was perfectly perplexed by this mystery. Who else but Scootaloo would have a plushie made that looked like her? Maybe another colt or filly? Noticing Snips and Snails she flew down and asked them if the doll was theirs. Both denied it. Dash asked several more colts and fillies, but stopped as she was getting strange looks from the adult ponies. None of the children seemed to be the owner of the doll or know anypony that might own it. As she sat on a cloud brooding over the mystery she decided to take a nap. It was a very comfortable cloud. She sunk into its folds. If it wasn’t a filly or a colt, maybe an adult was the owner of the doll? But what would an adult pony be doing with a doll version of her? Did somepony have a crush on her?
'Well, I am pretty awesome so that wouldn’t surprise me. Who DOESN’T have a crush on the Dash? I practically have to turn ponies down every week. Maybe Thunderlane? He did ask me out last month. He is cute. Too bad I play for the other team.'
A worried thought struck her and she examined what she’d thought was an innocent child’s toy for any stains. Luckily there were none. Even if there had been…well, a stallion has needs doesn’t he? She wouldn’t judge a stallion for that. Just like she didn’t judge Big Mac for holding on to Twilight’s Smarty Pants doll. She went from the cloud and flew to find Thunderlane. She found the pegasus as he was flying from the market place.
“Yo, Thunderlane.”
“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash.” Thunderlane said slowing down as Dash caught up to him.
“Say, Thunderlane you don’t have a doll version of me do you?” Dash asked, pulling out the plushie.
“She’s adorable!” Thunderlane gushed. “But no. She’s not mine. Where’d you find it?”
“I found it on the street. Do you have any idea who it might belong to?”
“Sorry.” Thunderlane said, continuing to stare at it. In fact, he stared at it so long Dash started getting a little creeped out.
“So, um, I’m gonna go now.” Dash said.
“So, who do you suppose made it?” Thunderlane asked suddenly.
“The only pony I know who does stuff like this is Rarity.”
“So, if you wanna know who made it why not visit Rarity?”
Dash facehoofed. “Dang it. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Thunderlane chuckled. “Well, good luck. I’m going to go get some lunch. See ya around.”
“See ya.” Dash flew off in the direction of the carousel boutique. She strolled into her friend’s shop. Rarity was at the counter attending to
a customer. She waved to Dash. Dash waited while Rarity’s customer, an elderly unicorn, levitated her purchase out the door.
“Hello, Darling. What can I do for you?” Rarity asked, trotting up to her.
Dash took the plushie out of her saddlebag. “Did you make this?”
Rarity levitated the doll over to her and examined it. She stroked it. “No. I’m afraid this isn’t my work. I’ve only made one doll in your likeness and that was a gift for Scootaloo. I don’t know who could have made it. These stitches are seamless… I’d say they were stitched by hoof…maybe a spinning wheel? Certainly an older pony with a great deal of skill.”
“So, you didn’t make it?”
“No. It’s not my work. I’m good, but these stitches are better than anything I could do. Like the maker of it has been sewing for decades.
Perhaps somepony made it for their grandchildren. I’d almost like to study it just to see if I could replicate the design.”
“Doesn’t really narrow it down.”
“I know something that might. I sensed Earth Pony magic in the doll.”
“Earth Pony magic?”
“Yes. Don’t ask me how. It’s woven into the material-Twilight could explain it better.”
Dash suddenly realized something. “Thanks Rare. I think I know who the owner is.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know if she’d want me to tell you.”
“Oh my.” Rarity said. “A clandestine romance, some forbidden love?”
“Um…sure. See ya around.”
“Good-bye. I hope you get to the bottom of this matter.”
“So do I.”
She left the shop then took to the air. As she flew endless rows of apple trees, hanging low with their fruit, came into view. Applejack was kicking at a tree as Dash landed. The farmer collected the apples then nodded to her friend.
“Howdy, Dash.”
“Hey, Applejack.” She scuffed her hoof suddenly nervous. “Um, AJ, does your granny make dolls?”
A distant look came over Applejack. “Well, she used to before she got arthritis in her left fetlock. She made me this cute little bunny to cheer me up after my folks passed on to the Ancestors. I gave it on to Applebloom. I used to sleep with that thing every night. Took him near everywhere I went. Anyway, why do ya ask?”
“Well, I found a doll that looks like me. Rarity didn’t make it and she said there’s Earth Pony magic in it and an older pony probably made it. I was wondering if Granny might’ve made it for…um…”
Applejack smirked. “Me?”
Dash scratched her head. “Yeah.”
“My barn door don’t swing that way Sugarcube. Not to say I ain’t flattered.”
“Well, if Granny didn’t make it I wonder who did?”
Applejack shrugged. “There’s a lot of old Earth Ponies makin’ dolls for their gran-young’ns. It’s hard to say. Anyway, I’m headin’ over to Sugarcube Corner. Wanna come?”
“Sure.”
Dash followed her farmer friend as they traveled to the local sweet shop. They walked in and took a seat. Pinkie smiled and waved at
them before trotting over. Trotting, not hopped, her normal mode of transportation. Her smile also seemed to waver as she came up to them.
“Do you want cupcakes? We just made a fresh batch!” Pinkie announced.
“I’ll have two chocolate cupcakes.” Applejack said.
“I’ll have three cinnamons.”
“I’ll get those right up.” Pinkie said, a forced cheer in her voice. She trotted away.
“Does Pinkie seem a little down to you?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I noticed that.” Applejack said. “I wonder what’s up?”
Pinkie shortly returned with the cupcakes then sat down with them. She was eating a brownie.
“Say, Pinkie, you okay?” Dash asked.
“I’m fine. I lost something this morning.” Pinkie sighed.
'Lost something this morning…Earth Pony magic…'
Dash slid the plushie out of her saddlebag. “This isn’t yours is it?”
Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “You found it!” She cried, grabbing the Rainbow Dash plushie and cuddling it. She lavished kisses on her mane while bouncing in circles. She stopped suddenly. Her hair went flat and then she fled up to her room. Dash could almost swear she was crying. She stared after the party pony. Applejack kicked her and she yelped.
“Go after her, genius!” Applejack shouted.
“I was going to!” Dash shot back. She took to the air and flew towards Pinkie’s room. She could hear crying coming from behind the door. Dash knocked, then opened it when she didn’t get a response. There was a Pinkie shaped lump in the middle of the bed, softly sobbing. Dash walked over and pulled away the covers.
“Go away!” Pinkie cried, pulling the covers back up.
“Pinkie, I just wanna talk.”
“Y-you’re gonna make fun of me and call me a freak!”
“I would never do that!” Dash said. She laid a hoof on Pinkie’s mane. “Although I do kind of want to know why you have a plushie of me.”
“C-cause after that meanie Discord I was having nightmares.”
Dash sat on the bed. Pinkie kept going.
“And so I had my Nana Surprise make me the doll. I sent her a picture of you. Now when I have nightmares I hold it and they go away. Just like being around you makes my fears go away. Like, I’m really scared right now, but being around you makes me able to say it.”
“I make your fears go away?”
Pinkie nodded. “Because you’re so brave and cool. I know you’d never let anything hurt me.”
Dash hadn’t stopped stroking Pinkie’s mane. She loved the fuzzy softness of it. Pinkie sighed.
“Do you think I’m weird, Dashie?”
“No. I think it’s kind of cool. I mean, I know I’m awesome, but I didn’t realize how you felt. And Discord did a number on my head too. For weeks I thought the Royal Guard were gonna come and drag me away for treason.”
“Oh, Dashie! What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“I’d like to think that. But if I was really given a choice between Cloudsdale and Equestria…if I could only save my family or my country…I
don’t know who I’d pick.”
That depressing train of thought was cut off when Pinkie hugged her.
Dash hugged her back. “But, y’know, if you’re interested we can totally do a prank with that doll.”
Pinkie’s face brightened.
…
“Hey, Twilight, I borrowed a really old book on dark magic from your library-I thought it was spells on making dark chocolate-and I accidentally turned Dashie into a doll!”
“YOU DID WHAT?!”
