"We should have a celebration!" Rarity exclaimed, her voice echoing jubilantly across Sugarcube Corner. "This is a most felicitous discovery, after all!"
"Ehhh... it's kind of cool, Rarity," I said, blowing multicolored bangs out from my face. "But I don't see why we all gotta get down and—I dunno—party over it."
"Are you kidding?!" Pinkie Pie all but shouted in my face. She went cross-eyed and leaned back to rub her chin in thought. "Cuz I'm the bouncy jokester around here, at least last time I checked. And though you're sarcastic from time to time, sarcasm was funny last decade. This is the decade of irony." Pinkie scanned one wall, a second, a third. Her eyes twitched and she gasped at me, "You weren't kidding! What's wrong with you?"
"Hey, chillax!" I shrugged, smiling nervously. "I'm not used to all of you guys getting all touchy-feely with me at once."
"Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed, grinning warmly from across the eatery. "We just all found out that we got our cutie marks thanks to your sonic rainboom! Don't you realize how special this moment is?"
"Like I said, some celebration is in order!" Rarity exclaimed.
"I, for one, agree," Applejack said, her hat lowered as she smirked our way. "Who wouldn't want to leap upon an occasion like this one?"
"Uhhh..." I glanced towards the front of Sugarcube Corner. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were nuzzling each other and giggling in the spirit of things. With a lethargic expression on her face, Scootaloo squatted lonesomely in the corner. I turned and smiled crookedly towards the rest of the group. "At least one pony's got the right idea. Let's just not all go overboard—"
"Why not?" Twilight said, smiling. "This is the most remarkable thing I've learned since I came to Ponyville."
I squinted at her upon hearing that. "For real? Like... out of all the crap—er—I mean nuggets of wisdom you've mailed to Celestia?"
"Friendship is what made me stay in Ponyville," Twilight said. "Now I know that it's what brought me here as well. Don't you realize what you mean to the rest of the Elements, Rainbow Dash? To the rest of us?"
"I... I was just doing my own thing," I said with a shrug, backtrotting away from the group. "I was a little filly showing off! I didn't know it'd somehow spark destiny into bringing us together or whatcrap..."
"What's the matter, sugarcube?" Applejack leaned in and smirked at me. "I thought you liked being in the center of attention."
I chewed on my lip. "Well, yeah... but... er... I dunno..."
"Rainbow Dash, you are always used to winning things," Fluttershy said, staring at me lovingly. "Have you ever once thought that the best things in life were won before you were even born?"
I opened my mouth to say something. I glanced at all my friends, at all their adoring faces aimed my way. I suddenly wasn't ashamed to be bearing flushed cheeks.
"Heh... I, uh... I guess a little victory celebration would be okay. Just don't you guys all smother me at once."
"Wooohoo!"
"Yeeeeha!"
"Smashing!"
Pinkie Pie ran into the kitchen to begin baking. Rarity and Fluttershy made for the Boutique to gather decorations. Twilight rambled to Applejack about writing another letter to the Princess, and I...
I stood there, all alone, but from the shape of my smile I certainly didn't feel it.