Rainbow Dash was heading back home from the market after buying about a week's worth of food. It was the first time she had left her house since she decided to begin her rigorous training regiment in preparation for her worldwide rainbow trick. She wished that she didn't need food to survive. Every minute she wasn't working out felt like a waste to her, but she still needed to eat. A voice piped up from the low murmur of the crowd of ponies at the market.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"
She winced at the sound of her name, especially since she recognized who spoke it.
"Hey, Derpy," she muttered.
"What's going on?"
"Just doing some shopping. I can't really stay and chat though. I gotta get home and continue my training."
"Oh, I see. What are you training for?"
"I'm going to be working on a new trick, but I need to get a lot stronger in order to be able to pull it off."
"Ooo, a new trick! That's cool! That Sonic Rainboom of yours is awesome! I saw that thing you did for those kids earlier this week, too. I can't believe you could move that quick! Was so cool to watch!" Derpy gushed.
"Heh, thanks. I didn't know you were there."
"Yeah, Dinky asked me to bring her. She was sitting with the others in that little fan club of yours. Tell me, what're you going to do for your trick?"
Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes. "Listen, Derpy, I'd love to hang out for a little bit, but I really have to get back to my training."
"Aw, come on, Rainbow Dash. I won't keep you long. I promise!"
"Fine, fine," she said, sighing. "I'm going to try and pick up enough speed and fly around the whole world so I can reach my own rainbow trail before it dissipates so it looks like there's a rainbow around the entire planet. Pretty cool, eh?"
"Wow! That sounds amazing! But.. umm.. "
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Well, won't half the world be dark if you pull it off?"
The blue mare smirked, annoyed. "That's what Twilight said, too."
"Then, why are you trying to do something that half the ponies in the world won't even see as you're doing it?"
"Look, I don't know if you can understand it or not, but I've always wanted to be somepony big in this world! Like, as big as the Princesses, maybe bigger!" Rainbow said, patting her puffed out chest and popping her wings out. A gentle breeze caressed the large preened feathers, causing them to flutter like a hero's cape.
"But you're already big. You're an Element of Harmony, and as far as I know, you're the only one who can do a Sonic Rainboom. I'm pretty sure you've saved all of Equestria a few times at least now. How are you even supposed to be bigger than you are now?" Derpy asked.
"That's only here. Why stop there?"
"That's what I don't understand though. Why even worry about what ponies who don't even know you think about you? Unless you move away, they won't even know who you are."
"But, that's just the point. I want to be known."
"You are known, Rainbow," Derpy insisted. "Your friends know you, and you know what they think about you. Doesn't.. doesn't that mean anything?"
"Well, yeah, of course it does. Why are you so concerned about this?"
"I just wouldn't want to see you get hurt or lost if you tried this trick."
"That's why I'm training. Duh."
"You're missing my point, Rainbow Dash." With a sigh and a sad look, the gray mare continued. "Your friends wouldn't want to see anything happen to you either. My point is it isn't about the trick. It's about you. I don't think you realize what you already have."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look, I know you probably think I'm some bumbling imbecile, but I do know a thing or two about some stuff. Come sit with me. I want to tell you a little story."
Rainbow pursed her lips and moaned, following Derpy. "OK, but can we please make it quick? I really need to go."
"Sure." Once the gray mare was comfortable, she began her tale. "A couple Hearth's Warming Days ago, I wanted to get my little Dinky this one particular toy she wanted. It was a little expensive, but it was the first Hearth's Warming I spent without her father. I wanted to prove that I didn't need his help and was determined to get the gift for her.
"I worked extra hard at the Post Office for about three or four months before Hearth's Warming to try and save up enough. I didn't see her as much as I wanted, and it was exhausting most days. When the holiday started getting close, I knew I had to pick one up before they ran out.
"It was the Saturday before Hearth's Warming Day and I made it to the store after my shift. When I got there, they only had a few left, but I just didn't have enough, and I wouldn't be able to earn enough money before the holiday came, plus they'd have been out of stock by then. It was so hard holding back crying right there in the store. I got a similar, cheaper toy for her."
She fidgeted in her seat over the memory. "When she opened up her present, I was expecting her to be all angry and go running off to her room saying how much she hated me. Just the way kids act sometimes. Anyway, she loved it. I couldn't believe it! I told her that it wasn't the one she wanted, but she said she didn't care. She was just happy to spend time with me. The toy was just a bonus for her. It was one of the sweetest things she ever said to me."
Derpy smiled happily and looked to her blue friend. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Rainbow Dash?"
She looked away with uncertainty. "Sort of."
"What I'm saying is that in the end, it's not about what you can do for the ones you love and care for. It's about how they feel about you. What you mean to them. I know your friends would appreciate your trick, but I guarantee they appreciate the fact that you're just here even more, y'know? Who cares what the rest of the world thinks!"
The googly eyed mare stood up and rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Just promise me you'll cherish the time you spend with them, OK? I know a certain little filly that would love to spend more time with you. At least, that's what I've heard from Dinky."
Rainbow sat a moment and let the words sink in. Derpy's nugget of wisdom surprised her and left her at a loss for words. Finally, she put some semblance of a coherent thought together.
"Uh, s-sure. I promise. Thanks, Derpy. I-I'm gonna head home now. I'll see you later, OK?"
"Take care, Rainbow Dash!"
They waved goodbye and the blue mare flew off. Once she was out of sight, Derpy turned her attention away and trotted to a nearby diner. She walked up to a nearby table outside and sat down on a waiting pillow where a light brown stallion was waiting for her.
"So, how'd it go?" The Doctor asked.
"I talked to her a bit, but I didn't go into detail, like you said. Hopefully she figures it all out," Derpy said, shifting in her seat and looking out at the bustling crowd in the heart of Market Square. "It's still so hard to believe what you told me."
The stallion chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "After all the places we've been to and the things we've done– "
A fruit salad dish was placed in front of The Doctor by his waitress while they spoke. "Your meal, sir. Enjoy!"
"Ah, thank you, miss," he said as she left. "You're really going to say that is so hard to believe?"
Derpy shrugged and glanced in the direction of Canterlot. "I just never would have expected the Princess to do anything like that. Then you say something happened that made it so I never existed, but here I am? That's.. that just sounds.. weird."
"Eh, I wouldn't worry about. You're here, I'm here, we're all here. We just have to keep an extra eye on Rainbow Dash, that's all."
"What about the Princess?"
"I wouldn't worry about her either." He took a bite of his dish and immediately spit it out. "Ugh! Pears! I told the waitress to make sure there weren't any pears in here!"
"It's OK, Doctor. I'll eat them for you. I don't mind them."
"Oh, well, that's very nice of you, Derpy. Thank you."
-----
Luna stood happily on her bedroom balcony that evening, gazing peacefully at the large full moon and the twinkling stars above. She took in a slow deep breath and the cool night air tickled her nose, forcing a pleasant little shiver. The serene solitude was broken by a quiet knocking on her door. Curious, she turned around and called out for the visitor to enter. She did not expect to see her larger white sister come in.
"Tia? It's late. Shouldn't you be resting?"
Large circles under her bloodshot eyes showed how little sleep she had gotten as of late. Even her flowing mane seemed to have a few split ends.
"Good evening, Luna. Yes, I suppose I should be in bed, but, I'm.. having trouble sleeping. Again."
"Is it the dreams?" Celestia's eyes trailed off sadly at the question. "It is, isn't it? Sister, would you like me to come help?"
"No!" she said sharply, her voice trembling slightly. "Err.. no. Thank you, sister, but I just can't bear to let you experience what I've been seeing. It's.. it's all so vivid. It feels so real." She slumped onto her haunches and wept into her hooves. "The things I do in them. To you! It– "
"Shhh. Sometimes dreams can seem very real, Tia, but they're not. You know this as well as I."
"But, I just can't stop seeing the horrors, even when I'm awake!"
The Princess of the Night walked calmly up to her agitated sister and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Without warning, Celestia wrapped her hooves around Luna's long neck and pulled her in close, nuzzling her softly.
"Luna, I-I want you to know that no matter what I may have done in the past, or what I may say or do in the future, I love you. I love you with all my heart."
The dark alicorn smiled sweetly at Celestia gesture, despite being a little confused by her actions. Nevertheless, she rubbed her cheek on her older sister's affectionately.
"I love you, too, Tia." She giggled as it took a few attempts at pulling away from her sister's tight embrace. "Come now, sister. I am beginning to feel a little embarrassed."
Finally, the Princess of the Sun let go, her tear stained cheeks becoming flushed. "Sorry. It's been.. it's been a rough week."
Luna planted her hooves proudly and lifted her chin high. An idea had come to her.
"You want my honest opinion, dear sister?"
Their eyes met and Celestia listened intently.
"I believe you should take a little vacation. Get away from the stresses of rule for a little while and clear your mind. Maybe a week or two."
"Oh, I couldn't ask you to oversee my duties for me because of something like a getaway trip! I wouldn't feel right about it," Celestia protested.
"Now, now, Tia. You know I'm perfectly capable of handling your responsibilities if need be. You can trust me completely."
"Of course I can, Luna. But.. " She paused, trying to think of a good excuse.
"But?"
After a moment of searching for a reason, Celestia finally conceded with a heavy sigh. "Maybe you're right. Perhaps it would help a bit. I have gone several centuries without taking some time off. Always busy doing something for somepony."
"That's the spirit! I hear the Gallopagos Islands are beautiful this time of year. I, um, understand that some of the resorts there have some rather dashing cabana colts," Luna said lustfully.
"Luna!" her sister gasped.
"Oh, don't look at me like that! I've.. I've just heard some.. things." After a moment of awkward silence, Luna cleared her throat. "Um, why not sleep on it before making any final decisions? If you decide to go through with the trip, I can help you pack tomorrow and you can be on your way the following day. Sound good?"
A tired smile found Celestia's lips. "Sounds good."
"Excellent! Now get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning!"
"Alright. Good night, little sister, and.. thanks."
"Tis no trouble at all, Tia! Good night!" she said with a happy little bounce.
-----
Rainbow laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been two days since Derpy sat down with her. She didn't know why, but what the wall-eyed pegasus said to her struck a bit of a nerve. She already knew she was brash and impulsive and that she could sometimes get under ponies' skin. Yet, her friends never told her to get lost or change who she was, even if it was obvious that her actions were bothering them.
What she had been planning to do nopony had ever done before. How could anypony? She was one of the fastest, if not the fastest, pegasus that had ever lived. Before she performed the Sonic Rainboom as a filly, it was just a legend. One that she made real thanks to her blazing speed.
But what if Derpy was right? What if she did get hurt or worse doing her rainbow-around-the-world stunt? Her friends would be there to help her get back on her hooves, obviously. They came to visit her plenty of times when she'd injure herself doing some daredevil feats, and not once did they chastise her about her constant, dangerous tricks. They were just happy to see her safe and able to pull through eventually. It was like the stunts themselves never really mattered.
She thought back to how Pinkie would always sneak some extremely fattening sweets into the hospital when they were strictly forbidden, just to cheer her up. She remembered how Fluttershy would try and help speed up her recoveries, despite the protests of the doctors on staff. Twilight would always bring her some exciting Daring Do novels to pass the time. Rarity would somehow manage to create some amazingly comfortable pillows for her to rest on, much softer than anything she slept on that came from the hospital's closet. Applejack, well, she would just be Applejack. Always keeping their competitive spirits up, whether it was with a hoof wrestling contest or a board game or even seeing how many times they can aggravate the doctors with some silly nonsense.
The memories made her chuckle, made her smile. She took in a deep breath and came to a decision. She looked at the clock on her dresser. 1:07 PM. Still not too late today.
-----
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at Twilight's door. Spike walked over and opened it, finding Rainbow Dash looking at him with purpose.
"Hey Rainbow! What brings you here?"
"What's up, Spike? Is Twilight around? I kinda need to talk to her."
"Yeah, she's upstairs cataloging some spells."
"Thanks, kiddo," she said, giving him a noogie as she walked inside.
She glided up the staircase and landed outside the study room that Twilight was sitting inside with several books floating around her head. With a gentle tap of her hoof on the wooden floor, she got the unicorn's attention.
"Oh, hey Rainbow. I didn't hear you come in. What's going on?"
"Hey Twilight. Um.. you remember that new stunt I said I was going to be working on? Well, I've changed my mind. I don't want to do it anymore."
The books fell to the floor as Twilight was hit by a wave of surprise. "Really? Why's that?"
She rubbed the back of her neck. "I've just been doing some thinking recently. I'm starting to wonder if I'm really all that good a friend to you all."
"What? Why in Equestria would you think that?"
"Well, you all are always doing something nice for me, and all I do for you is fly around. Yippie, right? It just doesn't seem to me like I give anything important to you."
"Rainbow! We love watching your amazing flying skills! They're a testament to who you are, and we would never change anything about you!"
"You.. you mean it?" the pegasus asked, cocking her head.
"Of course, and if you really don't want to work on that trick anymore, I'm not going to think any less of you! Come on, Rainbow, you should know that whatever you decide, we'll support you."
Her ruby eyes fell and a smile found her face. "Thanks, Twi."
"No problem. Have you told the others yet?"
"Not yet. I'll do it later though. There's someplace I gotta get to, so I'll see you later."
"Take care!"
-----
The three o'clock bell rang and the Ponyville Elementary School doors burst open with a flood of young fillies and colts spilling forth. Three particular fillies walked out after the others, discussing what they were going to do after school that day to get their cutie marks.
"What about, uh.. butterfly catchin'?" Apple Bloom suggested.
"Didn't we already do that?" Loo spoke up.
"I think so. How about bird calls?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Think we did that too."
"Jeez, it's gettin' harder 'n harder to think of things we haven't tried yet."
"Yeah, I know. I'm running– Rainbow Dash!"
The blue pegasus sat underneath a nearby tree, relaxing comfortably in the shade. She leapt to her hooves as casually as the trio had ever seen.
"Hey girls. How was school today?"
"Better than ever now!" Scootaloo exclaimed, hovering for a moment with her little wings buzzing.
"Glad to hear it. You girls have any plans later?"
"We were hopin' to find somethin' to do that might earn us our cutie marks today. It's been a few days since we'd done any crusadin'." Apple Bloom explain.
"That's cool. I don't suppose you'd mind if I borrowed Scootaloo for a little while, would you?"
"You.. you want me to go with you?" the little pegasus chirped in amazement.
"Well, yeah. So, what do you say?"
Her little lavender eyes ballooned to ridiculous proportions and her wide smile stretched from ear to ear. "Sorry girls! We'll go crusading tomorrow! Promise!"
"Aw, OK," Sweetie Belle pouted.
"Have fun, Scootaloo!"
The two pegasi trotted happily into town, talking mostly about the little filly's day at school. It wasn't a terribly eventful or exciting day, which would explain why she and the other Crusaders wanted to go playing around afterwards. They stopped by Sugarcube Corner as they walked along and shared a couple of Pinkie's best cupcakes, Rainbow's treat.
"Mmm! How does Pinkie Pie make these things taste so good?" Scootaloo asked, licking her lips.
"Don't know, don't care. Can't be topped if you ask me!"
"You said it! So, what's going on? Why'd you want me to come with you? Not that I'm complaining or anything! It's just that, well, we rarely ever seem to do anything together."
"That's just it. We don't. I think maybe we should, and I had an idea, if you'd like to hear it."
"Sure!"
"Well, I think you've been grounded far too long. Maybe it's time somepony helped you earn your wings."
Scootaloo's jaw fell open and nearly hit the table. Her large lavender eyes began to water. "You.. y-y-you really mean it?!"
"Well, I mean, if you didn't want to, maybe we– "
Rainbow suddenly felt a tiny body squeezing her waist in a big bear hug harder than she imagined was possible.
"Yes! Oh, thank you thank you thank you, Rainbow Dash!"
The sky blue mare affectionately rubbed the filly's purple mane and smiled warmly. "Thought you might say that. Come on! We can practice in that big open field just north of town. It'll be nice and quiet, plenty of space to work with. Tell you what too. What do you say we get together a few times a week and really push this?"
"Totally!" she yelled, fluttering her wings.
They let each other go and headed outside. As Rainbow stepped through the door, she caught sight of a gray pegasus across the street cantering along. Derpy looked to Sugarcube Corner, suddenly craving a muffin as she always seemed to when she passed by the sugar shop. Spotting Rainbow Dash, she smiled brightly and waved hello. Rainbow beamed and waved back.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called out, bouncing impatiently. "Come on! I don't want a waste a second of this!"
"Heh, right behind you, squirt."