Boxes. Stacks and stacks of boxes. The brown cardboard had transformed the once vibrant cloud house into a depressing reminder of what the day held for its inhabitant. Rainbow Dash gave a heavy sigh; the sepia environment was weighing on her spirits. She trotted down the hallway, memories flooding as she reminisced about its previous decorum. A voice sounded from the front of her house, bringing her back to reality.
“Hey Dash, the movers are here. If you’re still gonna do it, now’s the time.”
Her heart sank at the message. Lowering her eyes to the ground, she remained in a tunnel vision as she trotted to the front door. The voice was close by and filled with concern.
“Do you want me to come too?”
Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly.
“No…. no. This is something I have to do alone.”
“I’ll meet you halfway back and fly the rest with you. Take your time; I’ll be waiting.”
She forced a smile, addressing the concerned pony.
“Thank you,” She whispered.
Walking outside, Dash took a deep breath and concentrated on her destination.
It’s time.
She leapt into the air and corkscrewed smoothly as she stabilized herself along the air currents. Dash gave a bittersweet smile; that was how it all started in the first place.
“That was awesome, Rainbow Dash! I’ve been flying for years and I’ve never seen anypony start off with a corkscrew that fast before! And the way you used that momentum to do the Sonic Rainboom! It was just… just…”
“Soarin’, I think she gets it.”
The pegasus stallion grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he avoided eye contact with his scolder. He cleared his throat, regaining his previous high spirits.
“I’m gonna go get some pie to celebrate! Hope you guys like blackberries!”
Spitfire shook her head, smiling at her teammate’s overenthusiasm as he rushed off. Trotting up to Rainbow Dash, she threw a hoof over her shoulder and pulled her into a quick hug.
“Congratulations, Dash. As soon as that position opened up on the team, I knew you would be the one to fill it. Your audition was awesome, though you probably could’ve flopped and still passed. I think everypony on the team wants to see what we can work with once we incorporate the Sonic Rainboom into our shows.”
Dash blushed faintly at the words of praise her idol pushed onto her.
“Heh, it was nothing. So when do I start?”
“Eager to start so soon, eh?” Spitfire cocked her head in amusement. “Practice starts at eight a.m. sharp every morning. We have you scheduled to begin your training next Wednesday.”
“Eight a.m.?!” she groaned. “I’m gonna have to get up by six if I’m gonna make it on time!”
Spitfire gave her a confused frown.
“You do know that we provide housing near the arena, right?”
Rainbow Dash awkwardly scuffed a hoof on the ground.
“I know, it’s just… well I… you know I,” she paused, taking a breath to collect herself. “I totally would, but I could never leave my friends.”
“Never say never, Rainbow Dash. After all, you-”
Spitfire paused as Soarin’ came trotting happily towards them, a pie firmly grasped in his teeth. He had, in his good mood, not noticed a groove in the ground until it snagged his hoof. Stumbling forward, Soarin’ fell face first into the pie, splattering violet juice over himself and the surrounding area. Both mares present laughed hysterically, though their merriment was Soarin’s misery.
“Awww, my pie- I mean… awwww our pie!”
Spitfire wiped a stray tear from her eye, chuckling as she finished her sentence.
“You may find something you can leave them for.”
Rainbow Dash blinked, breaking her flashback. She touched down on Ponyville’s outskirts, deciding an aerial route might draw too much attention.
She sifted through her memories, hoping they could give her the courage she needed to build.
Applejack took the news the best. In retrospect, Rainbow Dash shouldn’t have been surprised by her friend’s levelheadedness, but perhaps her own feelings about the matter had driven her to assume the worst possible situation for each confrontation. Maybe Rarity had rubbed off on her more than she cared to admit.
“So, Ah’m not even gonna bother askin’ if you’re sure about this. Heck, RD, Ah know ya’ll enough by now to know this here’s the real deal.”
“You’re not upset?” Dash asked.
“Upset?! Of course Ah’m upset! One of my best friends is leaving, how could Ah not be upset?!” Applejack barked, her eyes welling up with tears. She smiled, placing a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “But Ah’d be more upset if you didn’t do this. You think we all like seein’ you run yourself so ragged that it keeps you from bein’ happy? Not to mention the whole reason you’re goin’ in the first place. Woah nelly, was that a shocker. Sugarcube, as much as Ah hate to see you go, Ah won’t lie to you. It’s for the best. Just remember, Ah’ll always be waiting here if ya’ll need a friend to talk to, or if a visit’s all you want.”
“Of course I’ll visit!” Dash said, fighting back tears herself. “We still have a score to settle to find out who the real iron pony is! Don’t think I’ll let you hold that title just because I’m moving, got it?”
Applejack smiled warmly, embracing her competitive friend.
“Ah wouldn’t dream of restin’ easy on my title, sugarcube.”
Rainbow Dash began trotting into town, taking her time. For once in the young athlete’s life, she wasn’t in a hurry. A quick movement grabbed her attention. Focusing her eyes, she spotted the backside of a rabbit rushing under a sales cart.
Dash smiled at the creature’s speed. Looks like Fluttershy has been slacking on her work.
Fluttershy….
Rainbow Dash swallowed the lump in her throat. That was one of the news deliveries she had been most reluctant to give.
*Knock Knock Knock*
“Fluttershy, I know you’re in there! C’mon, I need to talk to you.”
Silence.
Rainbow Dash sighed, pressing her forehead against the cottage door. This was what she had expected, although she hadn’t relied on the news to reach her timid friend so quickly. What she didn’t expect was the door to open, and as a result she lost her balance, falling face first onto the wooden floor.
“Owwwww,” she moaned, rubbing her sore muzzle. Her eyes drifted upward, meeting the concerned gaze of a snow-white rabbit. Angel took Rainbow Dash’s hoof in his tiny paw and looked at her with pleading eyes. Dash’s specialty may not have been animals, but even she knew he was asking for help. Flying quickly up the staircase, she stopped at the bedroom door, knowing better than to barge in immediately. She pressed an ear against the frame, hearing the muffled sounds of the pegsus pony’s crying. Rainbow Dash pinned her ears back in guilt. Creaking the door open slowly, she whispered as gently as her raspy voice would allow.
“…Fluttershy?”
“I-I heard…. a-about…. the-the p-p…,” she choked, unable to finish her sentence.
Rainbow Dash frowned sadly and entered the room. Fluttershy looked at her with watery eyes and smiled sadly.
“O-oh, I’m so happy for you, Rainbow Dash.” She said, struggling to hold back her crying. “I really am. If anypony deserved this, it really was you. After all those bullies that said the day would never come, how you would never find-“
She stopped herself, shaking her head slowly.
“Well you did, and that’s what matters. I’m sorry for being such a mess, it’s just that it means you’ll be..” She swallowed the lump in her throat and squeaked out the end of her sentence. “…leaving us.”
Dash sat down on the bed and drew her friend into a close hug.
“Look, Fluttershy. I’m not so good at the sappy stuff, so bear with me here. Remember what I said way back when we fought Nightmare Moon? At the bridge?”
“Th-that you’d never leave your friends hanging,” Fluttershy sniffed.
“Exactly! I might not live nearby anymore, but you guys will always be my best friends. I’m the fastest flier in Equestria! You need me and bam! I’m there.”
Fluttershy smiled, finally gaining control of her sobbing. Rainbow Dash returned the smile.
“Feel better?”
She nodded, throwing her hooves around Dash.
“Thank you. For everything.”
Rainbow Dash continued trotting, smiling as she relived the touching memory. She looked around to make sure she hadn’t strayed off her path. To her right was a bakery, the building made to look as tasty as the treats they sold. Dash shuddered as she relived telling Pinkie Pie the news.
“Woopee! This calls for a party! We can make MMM cake too! I know how much you liked it last time, Ms. Sneaks-A-Bite! Ooh and I can bring pin the tail on the pony! And the best part is I get to make even more friends because of this; think of how many ponies will show up and how many of them I can make my friends! Oh Rainbow Dash, we’ll all get to party together every day too, and you can bring SMPHHHH!!”
It wasn’t the first time Rainbow Dash had silenced her hyper friend with a hoof. Now she just had to explain that it hopefully wouldn’t be the last time either.
“Pinkie Pie, you do realize that I’ll be wanting some time to myself, right?”
“Of course, silly! I learned that lesson from Cranky Doodle Donkey! We all need our down time, and you will especially since you’re gonna be partying and Wonderbolting!”
Dash groaned; she was hoping Pinkie Pie’s excitement wouldn’t cloud her judgement.
“That’s the thing, Pinkie. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t keep up with everything that’s been going on in my life. As fast as I am, I can’t be in two places at once. I can’t live in Ponyville and be on the Wonderbolts too.”
“But Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie gasped. “It’s been your dream for like, ever to fly with them! And you’ve been loving it so much, how could you even…”
As blissful and ignorant as Pinkie Pie was, even she could detect the meaning in Dash’s cringing as she spoke.
“…oh.”
“I-I hope you’re not mad, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “It’s just something I have to do, cuz well, you know.”
“It’s okay. I understand, Rainbow Dash,” she said calmly. “I’m not angry, just sad.”
Dash flinched at Pinkie Pie’s drop in energy.
“So I’ll… see you around?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Rainbow Dash gave the party pony her privacy. She knew enough about her friend to understand that she needed time to let her hair curl up again.
Dash continued on her path, passing by Carousel Boutique on her way. She smiled and shook her head; Rarity had taken the news almost too well.
“Oh daaaaaaarling, this is simply fantastic! You! Rainbow Dash! Getting…. oh I can’t even say it I’m so happy for you!” She squealed. “And don’t you worry about a thing, I’ll take care of it all. Think of it as my going away present to you.”
Rainbow Dash watched Rarity prance around her workshop, sketching new designs and locating the fabric required for them, her face aglow the entire time. The last time she remembered her fashion fervent friend being so giddy was when she had been turned into a crystal pony, if only temporarily.
“You’re… not sad?” Dash asked.
Rarity paused, as did the fabric floating around in the air. She continued their paths, albeit a much slower velocity.
“Oh darling, of course I am. I’m just so happy for you that it overweighs my own sadness, and there is always the chance that I’ll make it myself to Canterlot one day. Of course in the meantime, I’ll miss you. We all will, but I hope I can speak for the others when I say that it wasn’t as if none of us saw this coming! After all, things tend to… escalade after a certain time, do they not?”
Dash nodded, but remained unconvinced by Rarity’s composure.
“Pinkie Pie saw it coming, it’s just she sort’ve assumed I would be staying in Ponyville.” She sighed, confessing her doubts to the glamorous pony. “Maybe it would be for the better. Maybe I-“
“You stop right there, Miss Rainbow Dash!” Rarity barked.
Rainbow Dash was stunned by her friend’s outburst and obeyed the command as if it were one of her orders on the team.
“I will have none of these ‘second thoughts’ that any of the others may have unintentionally planted in your mind! You will be leaving, you will remain on the Wonderbolts, and you will be living your life, even if we will not be there as often in it. Have I made myself clear?”
“But how can I leave you guys?!” Dash yelled, failing to hold back her tears. “I can’t leave you guys. I can’t… I can’t…”
Rarity watched with wide eyes as her prideful companion broke down, whimpering the same phrase again and again. She reached for Dash’s chin, bringing it up so they could meet at eye level.
“You’re Rainbow Dash. You can do anything. You can leave us, and you will,” she said confidently, black tears running down her cheeks. Rarity ignored her ruined mascara and continued. “It is not disloyal to leave your friends and live your own life, especially with our blessings.”
“B-but-”
“Listen to me, Rainbow Dash. I want you to listen very carefully, okay?”
She nodded, waiting for Rarity to continue.
“Some things…. are worth breaking your heart for.” She smiled, placing a hoof on Dash’s heart. “It will only heal back stronger.”
It is worth it, Dash thought. She slowed her trot, approaching her destination, the library.
Telling Twilight the news had gone over about as well as she expected it would.
“There’s nothing in my books about this!”
“Twilight, I don’t think you can always find-“
“I don’t need your smart remarks, Spike!” Twilight snapped, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
Rainbow Dash fidgeted awkwardly in a corner, avoiding books as they were tossed overhead by the frantic unicorn’s magic.
“No! No! No! Aha! Convincing your friends to not move away and simply accept energy renewal spells from their magically talented friends.”
“Uhhh Twilight,” Spike piped up, looking around her head at the pages. “There’s nothing written on those pages. That’s an empty book.”
“It may as well be Equestria now!” Twilight shrieked. “Without Rainbow Dash the Elements of Harmony won’t work! What if there’s a huge threat?! What if-“
“Uhhh Twilight?” Rainbow Dash crawled out of the corner, daring to speak up. “I’m gonna be living pretty close to Canterlot. If anything, I’ll be closer to the Elements than you guys.”
“….Oh,” she said, blushing at her oversight. Panic shot across the librarian’s face as realization crossed her mind. “But I still don’t want you to go! How will our friendship survive without you?! It’s always been so strong because all six of us were with each other! What’s going to happen to us, Rainbow?!”
“I… honestly don’t know Twilight,” she said, not daring to look her in the eye. “I don’t think you’ll find an answer in any of your books, spells, or even from Princess Celestia. The only way to find out is to wait and see. I’m sorry.”
Twilight gave a heavy sigh, her hopes for persuading Rainbow Dash defeated.
“Then I guess we’ll have to say goodbye soon, won’t we? I do know I have a few books on those. Can you wait a few days for me to study them?”
Rainbow Dash smiled at her studious friend.
“Of course, Twi. I’m not scheduled to leave until Saturday anyways.”
*Knock Knock Knock*
The door opened, revealing five mares who wore very sad smiles.
“Surprise!”
Rainbow Dash smiled at their attempt, even if she could sense the sorrow in their exclamation. She walked up to them, looking at each of her friends. Applejack and Fluttershy wore wide, fake smiles, choosing to attempt to conceal their sadness. Rarity managed a dismal smile, tears flowing freely onto the ground. Pinkie Pie’s hair had reformed to its previous bounciness, a sharp contrast to her morose expression. Twilight briefed through flashcards, attempting to find anything appropriate to say. Rainbow Dash’s smile faded; she approached the group, attempting to say anything to lift their spirits.
“You guys, I-“
An orange hoof pressed against her muzzle, silencing her. Applejack gave her a composed smile.
“You don’t have to say anything, sugarcube. It’s okay, we know. We understand.”
“Darling, you’ve accomplished your dreams and even more,” Rarity chimed in. “We couldn’t be more proud.”
“We’re just so happy for you,” Fluttershy added. “I don’t want this to be a sad goodbye. I’d rather it be a happy ‘until we meet again’.”
“Yeah! We’ll always find time for parties, and each other,” Pinkie said, her spirits lifting. “We can do it if we try!”
Twilight shuffled through her notecards, unable to decide on one. Upon noticing all eyes were on her, she tossed them into the air.
“Forget these! Rainbow Dash, I wrote a very special friendship report to the princess last night for all of us to sign. Everypony has signed it so far, except you.” Twilight moved aside to reveal a scroll laid out on a desk and looked at her friend expectantly. “I figured that since you were the one to form our special bond in the first place, that maybe you could be the one to conclude our time together. As much as we will keep in contact, we all have our own lives to get to, and it’s time to accept that a new, wonderful era of our lives is beginning.”
Dash nodded, approaching the scroll. Her eyes traced the lines, filling with tears as they reached the end. She signed the parchment and turned around, throwing herself at her best friends. The group hug burned itself into her memory, the final moment of their legendary friendship. She let the tears fall, breaking down into sobs.
“I love you guys.”
Dash broke the embrace and walked to the door. Spike opened it in a chivalrous manner, accepting a hoof bump from her in return. Rainbow Dash gave one final turn around, taking the image in and noting the difference in their demeanors. The sadness remained, but acceptance had made its way into their expressions. A nod from Rarity was all the permission Dash needed. She took off at high speeds, a trail of rainbow and tears following her. She increased her velocity, bending the sonic cone that formed at her hooves. It snapped, releasing her signature technique in a colorful explosion as a proper farewell to Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash flew on towards Canterlot, tears trailing behind her.
“Hey, Dash! Over here!”
Her ears perked up at the voice. Dash flew toward its source, eager to meet her company for the rest of the trip’s duration.
Soarin’ flew around the bend of a cloud, coming into view. He frowned quizzically at Rainbow Dash’s frazzled appearance.
“Are you all right?”
She rushed at him, pressing her muzzle against him and embracing him in a loving kiss. Soarin’s eyes popped open in surprise, his cheeks tinged in blush. He returned the kiss, breaking free to take breath.
“I will be. C’mon, let’s go see our room.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
This past week has taught us all just how bittersweet friendship can be. As wonderful as all the memories and experiences that have brought us closer together are, they only make it that much more difficult to let go of a friend and say goodbye. But just because we have to say goodbye doesn’t mean that friendship ends or weakens. Friendships can blossom, even from a distance, and it's important to always keep your friends close to your heart where they will always be safe.
Your faithful subjects
Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash
