Starlight paced back and forth, the echo of her hoofsteps radiating throughout the hallways of Twilight's castle. She had asked Spike, who'd probably come to tell her not to tell Rainbow Dash anything, to go get Twilight and the others, but she couldn't seem to come up with a solid way to explain everything.
"Okay, so I know how you guys felt about what happened with Rainbow Dash - well, actually, I don't know at all, you didn't get the chance to tell me - but I went to check on her and..."
She shook her head, dismissing the idea.
"Look, I realize that I wasn't on board with your plan and that may make it seem like I have a bias, but I don't. I merely wanted to check on Rainbow Dash and let out more information than I..."
She grunted in mild frustration. She could come up with a spell for just about anything, but ask her to blab the truth about a situation that potentially made things worse and she struggled.
"I recognize that I'm a little slow at this whole friendship thing, but—"
"Starlight?"
Her ears went up on alert, hearing Twilight's voice and the echo of hoofsteps that weren't her own. She didn't want to disappoint Twilight, but what else was there to do?
Easy, Starlight. Just tell them the truth.
The five mares approached her, along with Spike, a few tossing concerned glances her way.
"Is something the matter, darling?" Rarity inquired.
"Yeah, why'd you need to call all of us here?" Applejack asked.
Starlight hardened her gaze, prepping herself for whatever was about to happen next.
"I..." She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, then stared at everyone. "I told Rainbow Dash the truth; the truth about last night."
There was a stillness in the atmosphere all of a sudden, the recipients of those words collectively gasping in silence. Starlight braced herself further.
"I-I swear, I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" she assured. "I just, Twilight said—"
Twilight raised a hoof, though was noticeably stunned. "N-no. If it had to happen, maybe it was for the best that you told her the truth."
She then sighed, hoof going to her face. "But I have no idea what to do now..."
"I'm sorry," Starlight said softly. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have said a thing! Something just slipped out and Rainbow Dash insisted that I told her the rest!"
"I'm not upset with you," Twilight assured.
Rarity was silent for a moment, then stepped forward. "We'll just have to go apologize, and hope that our dear Rainbow Dash forgives us."
"I'm with Rarity," Applejack agreed. "Maybe she'll understand if we all do it together."
"Maybe..." Fluttershy murmured meekly.
Twilight racked her brain for any further ideas, then placed a hoof over Starlight's. "Either way, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Starlight. I wanted so badly to deal with the problem immediately that I stopped looking for further solutions."
Applejack went forward and nudged Twilight reassuringly. "Hey, everypony makes mistakes. I mean, we all made a pretty big one yesterday. Everyone got a little too emotional about it."
"Okay, okay!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing and clearly impatient from all the talking. "Now let's go see Dashie!"
"Wait!" Twilight shouted, just as Pinkie Pie attempted to run out the door. Pinkie Pie froze in place, turning her head back. Twilight breathed out, then turned her attention to Starlight once more. "When you told Rainbow Dash everything, what was her reaction?"
"Well..." Starlight looked away, trying to find a way to describe it. It was clear to everyone that, while Rainbow Dash might not've given a clear response, her face told a story.
"...We need to go," Fluttershy said softly.
"Pardon?" Rarity asked.
"Hurry!" Fluttershy galloped down the hallway, everyone else following closely behind.
All except Starlight, who stood alone and sighed to herself.
What a mess.
Soarin was awoken from his afternoon nap as he heard a light knocking on the door. He yawned, kicking off his small blanket that he'd reserved on the couch for himself, then got up and went to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Rainbow Dash standing there, a familiar expression on her face. He remembered it well; she'd made similar expressions when they talked about her nickname in the Wonderbolts.
"Rainbow Dash? What's up?" he asked, attempting to rub the sleep out of his eyes. As he did, he noticed her full saddlebag, making him a bit more concerned. "...Going somewhere?"
"Hey, Soarin. Yeah, I guess you could say that." She gestured to her pet. "Me and Tank are just," she paused, tapping her chin with her hoof as she chose her wording, "taking time off from Ponyville."
"Did something happen?" Soarin asked, almost immediately. He'd learned from experience that it was best to ask Rainbow Dash upfront the instant he noticed something was wrong.
Rainbow Dash's ears flopped. "I'll... tell you some other time. I just wanted somepony to know where me and Tank were going. We're finding a hotel in Manehatten and sleeping there."
"Oh." Soarin nodded his head to show that he understood.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something else, but couldn't quite get it out. She smiled sheepishly at him, then adjusted her saddlebag and turned away.
"Uh, wait!" Soarin called, reaching out.
She paused, turning to him. He leaned against the door frame, looking off to the side.
"Do you... want some company?" he asked, though seeming a bit awkward.
She smiled at him. "You kidding? Of course!" Her smile faded slightly. "But... you don't have anything to do?"
Soarin waved a hoof dismissively. "Nah. Here, just give me a sec to pack some stuff and we'll head out."
Rainbow Dash nodded, watching as Soarin flew back inside to gather his things. She was glad to have the extra company.