//------------------------------// // Epilogue: There Is No One In Equestria Like Her // Story: A Night of Dashing Dreams // by Nyronus //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle hummed as she put quill to parchment. Today had been going well. She’d spent lunch with Rarity, organized a preliminary work cited for her latest project, and had managed to work in some Twilight Time with the crusaders. A knock on the door broke her concentration. “Come in?” The door opened and in stepped Princess Luna. “Twilight.” She said, grinning. “Luna!” Twilight smiled in return. “Oh! How did the dreamwalking with Rainbow Dash go?” Luna raised an eyebrow and her grin deepened. “So she has not told you?” “No. She came back yesterday and as far as any of us can tell she’s been sleeping this whole time.” “That is unsurprising.” Luna levitated something she’d had under her wing and laid it on top of Twilight’s desk. Twilight glanced down to see it was a newspaper, and then read the headline. WILD WONDERBOLT WRESTS WARD FROM WRONGDOING PARENTS IN WHIRLWIND RESCUE “What.” Twilight picked it up and began reading furiously. Luna waited in silence. Twilight put the paper down and looked back up at her. “...What?!” “I admit, it was not what I expected when I had invited Rainbow Dash along, but I am admittedly pleased with the results.” “What?! How? Why?” “Rainbow Dash came upon a nightmare of the foal that revealed the treatment they had suffered, and leapt to action. Based on the paperwork it seems she had resolved the whole issue in a matter of hours. Stunning, really.” “She did what? And you let her?” Twilight rose up. “Oh, there was no letting her involved! She took to the dream alone, and broke out of the realm of dreams by sheer willpower. By the time I had kenned what happened she was already gone, and there is no creature in Equestria who could have captured her. It was very impressive.” Twilight slunk back down into her chair. “She just… ran off, and started arresting ponies.” “It was quite a daring move.” Luna began pacing, smiling as she spoke. “Despite her… unorthodox approach to protocol, I am lead to believe she read the guard on duty quite the riot act, and forced them to action.” “She bullied the guard into arresting the ponies?!” “Oh no, she made the arrest – although the article embellishes. She just detained the colt’s parents for obstruction and self defense, no charges on that front have been formally pressed.” “I can’t believe she can do that…” “The status of the Wonderbolt as a part of the E.U.P. is somewhat ambiguous, but it is true on paper.” Luna turned to Twilight. “Honestly, based on what I know, she wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you, Twilight!” “What!?” Twilight snapped her head to look at Luna. “Indeed! Afterall, it was your instruction that taught her how to learn, and thus become a teacher and Wonderbolt. It also no doubt lead to her retaining what would otherwise be dull trivia well enough to leverage it to her advantage in this crisis.” Twilight began rubbing her face rapidly. “Oh, no, no, no!” Luna tilted her head and frowned. “Are you alright, Twilight?” “No, I’m not.” She shook her head. “I never intended to put Rainbow Dash in a position of legal authority! She’s already run off and detained somepony and kidnapped a foal based on a dream! When I imagined her working with you going wrong, I was thinking she’d just hurt somepony’s feelings by being blunt – not instigate a child abuse case in the time it took you to lose track of her!” Luna frowned and looked away. “Perhaps I have been unwise in discussing this with you in this manner.” Luna nodded to herself. “I did not realize this would distress you so.” “It’s not you, Luna.” Twilight sagged. “It’s just now if Rainbow hurts anypony it’s gonna be my fault.” She sighed. “I didn’t realize I’d be giving her this kind of authority by helping her pass a couple tests.” Luna’s lips thinned and her eyes softened. “There is much to discuss there, I think, but for a moment, I think we should perhaps return to our prior conversation. Do you remember a running metaphor about hammers?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. “At the time, you compared Rainbow Dash to a hammer, and I rebutted that hammers are a versatile tool, but I gave further thought to that yesterday. I realized something; hammers have been the tools of ponies since before even the time of three tribes. What this meant, I realized, was not just that a hammer has several uses, but that it has always been useful. Much in the same way, as I think you will understand, sometimes the shortest path through a crisis truly is a straight line.” “What do you mean?” “I have read Rainbow Dash’s reports, which she filed mostly correctly thanks to you. The dream she faced was a terrible one, where the dreamer was actively reshaping the dream against themselves even with outside intervention. It brought dark memories of the Tantabus to mind.” Twilight grimaced, and Luna pressed on. “When Rainbow Dash could not overcome the despair the colt manifested with brawn and bravado, she instead responded by forcing the colt to break their cycle so she could take charge of the situation. She then rushed off because she realized the situation was most likely dire based on the very straightforward interview she had with the colt. While it is true she did not exercise much tact in her confrontation with the parents, such villains will often exploit tact to buy time and spin lies.” Twilight’s expression evened out and she leaned forward, listening more attentively. “While she made quite the scene at the guard station, she was relentless in proving herself and would not back down from her cause, allowing the colt to be turned over to the proper authorities quickly. She recognized they would be better able to handle the situation now.” Twilight’s posture relaxed as Luna said that, and she took on a contemplative look. “I saw Dash blunder into situations where no problems existed, antagonize ponies in doubt, and alienate others with her impulsiveness, but each time she found some way through. Often she would see problems that were not obvious, or wield her flaws like a hammer to draw out courage or wisdom in ponies crippled by fear. Dash is, as you said, brash, impulsive, and stubborn, but that, from another perspective, makes her fearless, quick to act, and unfaltering.” Twilight gave an embarrassed frown and rubbed the back of her head. “As for your role... Dash saved a child from despair and betrayal of the darkest order. One I know all too well.” A shadow passed over her face and was gone. “She did so well within the bounds of the law, and with restraint. After all, it was the mother who threw the potted plant at Rainbow Dash first.” Twilight snorted out a laugh, and then covered her face. Luna could still see her grin, and returned it. “Without the temperance and wisdom you taught her, I doubt she would have been able to overcome the nightmare, let alone save the foal from their parents without things having been much messier.” Twilight gave a sad smile and shook her head. “I guess when you put it like that, I really underestimated her.” Luna’s smile softened. “We both did, I think. I had no idea myself of what my lonely whims would bring.” “Well, now I feel bad for doubting her and freaking out.” “Do not fret, Twilight.” Luna said. “I feel your error was an easy one to make. Your concern was for the wellbeing of others, a passion you share with Rainbow Dash. Furthermore, history has inertia, even among friends.” “What do you mean?” Twilight frowned. Luna walked toward the window, and gestured towards the hills and forest beyond Ponyville. “Much like an earth pony among the trees has little sense of the vastness of the forest, the familiarity of friendship can sometimes blind us to things about those around us. Sometimes a pony changes in a way that is so subtle the routines of companionship will hide it from us – or perhaps it was always there, but unseen among the moment to moment rhythm of a friendship. Rainbow Dash has and always will be Rainbow Dash, but beyond the surface, things pass unnoticed.” “I guess that’s true.” Twilight’s smiled, more warmly now. “We’ve all changed a lot, haven’t we?” “Indeed! I suspect there are things about you that your friends have not noticed.” Luna gave a mischievous grin. “Once you went to pieces over Celestia’s favor; now it is the well-being of a kingdom that causes your, what was the term? ‘Twilighting?’ ” Twilight blushed. Luna chuckled. Twilight shook her head and turned to look at the setting sun. “She really is amazing, isn’t she?” “I believe the term she would prefer is ‘awesome.’ ” “I am in some awe.” Twilight giggled. “Both kinds.” “A sane reaction, I feel.” Twilight giggled again. Luna’s face split in a wide grin, in return. “I think, though, we have had our fill of philosophy and recrimination. I assure you, the colt’s story was but one of Rainbow Dash’s many triumph’s that night. I must tell you of what she did to the poor mare who was afraid of spiders!” “Oh no!” Twilight groaned, but smiled. “I assure you, it was quite awesome – and informative.” So the two stood in Twilight’s office as the sun set, trading stories of Rainbow Dash in all her glory.