//------------------------------//
// Coda 
// Story: Dance of the Rainbow 
// by Masterweaver 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash finished another slice of cake, looking around her with an expression somewhat akin to amazement. Her family, mingling with her friends. Not the Canterlotian 'let's get connections' kind of mingling either; no, this was the genuine kind where everypony wanted to just talk and... well, hang out.

"Hey Rainbow Dash!"

The pegasus turned to her egghead friend. "Oh, hey there Twilight. What's up?"

"Well, if you're not too busy partying, I just wanted to see if you think I did everything I needed to with the weather." She gestured at the clouds. "I've read a lot of books, and the team was quite cooperative but this is the first time I--"

A blue hoof cut her off. "It's fine! Don't worry, Twilight, it's perfect." Dash smirked. "Well, a few things are different then the checklist, but most of that relates to... well..."

She flicked a wing at where her cousin was chatting with Scootaloo.

"Seriously, though. How did Pinkie arrange this entire thing without me noticing?"

"You were too busy moping to notice." The pink pony bounded up with a grin. "I don't like seeing frowny faces, but I have to admit that it helps make a surprise party a surprise."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Now I have one really big important ultrasuperduper important question that I want to ask you, and I want you to answer with complete utter total honesty and truthyness. Are you ready for this?"

"...you're going to ask why I didn't tell you I was a duchess."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE PART SNAKEYBIRD THING?!"

The pegasus blinked. "Er, what?"

"Your mane," Twilight explained casually. "It means you're part Quetzalcoatl. And, well, a lot of the Quetzalcoatl were granted duchies for their actions in the Era of Discord."

"Wait, seriously? I'm a duchess because of something some snakybird thing did thousands of years ago?"

"...Yeah pretty much."

"That explains a lot."

"Wait." Pinkie tilted her head. "You didn't know you were part snakybird thing?"

"Nah, I just thought the rainbow mane was just something we had, you know?" Dash grinned, pulling on a fetlock thoughtfully. "Part snake, huh?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Quetzalcoatl. Quite a few generations removed."

"...Still neat." The pegasus shrugged. "Wow, you learn something new every day."

"Why would you want to be part snake anyway? Snakes are freaky!"

"No, Twilight, you think snakes are freaky. I like 'em. They're awesome. Not radical, though."

"So you didn't know you were part snakeybird thing?" Pinkie asked.

"Nope, had no idea."

"Oh, alright then."

"My, this is quite the smashing party!" Rarity walked up, giving the weathermare a coy look. "And it's all thanks to you, darling. So... why didn't you tell us you were a duchess?"

The pegasus sighed. "I... look. I just... It doesn't fit who I am. I mean, I... Okay. I was embarrassed, I guess." She kicked the ground awkwardly. "I mean... I thought if everypony knew about this... I'm wearing a tiara for crying out loud!"

Twilight frowned. "What's wrong with tiaras?"

"How many awesome pegasi have you seen wearing tiaras?!"

"I've see you wear a tiara," Pinkie replied brightly, "and you're pretty awesome!"

Rainbow Dash stared at her, uncomprehending.

"I believe what Pinkie is trying to say is that your nature is not in what you do, but in how you do what you do." Rarity smiled. "When I see you wearing that tiara, I don't see you as... well, as a soft-spoken fashion obsessed mare. I see you as one of the pegasus warriors of old. I see nobility, true nobility, not the kind that Blueblood purports to have, but the kind that is worth praising precisely because the one with it will do anything for their companions."

"You'll never be Duchess Silverhoof to us," Twilight agreed. "You'll always be Rainbow Dash, world's most awesome pegasus."

Pinkie bounced up and down with a wild grin. "Twenty percent cooler in ten seconds flat!"

"...Thanks, guys. You have no idea what that means to me."

"Mind you, Dashiel is a rather elegant name. Perhaps I should use it more often, seeing as we're dating."

"What? OH! That thing at the--Look, um, Rarity, that, uh, that wasn't--"

"Wasn't what? Genuine?" The fashionista pouted. "I'm hurt, Dashiel. I truly am."

"....you're just having me on, aren't you."


***


The nobles of Cloudsdale smiled, danced, hugged, and eventually dispersed throughout the day. when the time finally came for Rainbow Dash to say goodbye to her namesake, there was much hugging, most of it genuine, some of it awkward. Dazzler Prism had given her action-obsessed granddaughter a bit of advice; "If anypony comes by asking for favors, not help, just tell them you'll look into it. If they keep pressing, actually look into it. They're probably the cause of the problem."

That had been some surprisingly good advice.... then again, grandma was always a surprising mare.

Now she relaxed with her friends in Sugarcube corner, still wearing her dress and most of her finery. She'd taken off the slippers though. Those things were just irritating.

A smile quirked onto her face. "Hey everypony?"

Applejack turned to her, shaking her mane loose from the style it had been in. "Yeah Dash?"

"I just thought of something. See, you all know my big secret. Out in the open, yadda yadda yadda." She leaned forward, still grinning. "I think it's only fair that you all let me know one of yours."

Silence filled the room.

The pegasus continued to smirk.

"...er..." Applejack was the first to speak up. "Um... Ah, uh... Ah kinda, ya know, collect.... doilies."

And with that, the dam burst.

"I... well, I am something of a fan of the electronic music genre. Wubs, and... all that, it's actually rather conducive to making dresses."

"Okay, so my favorite food? Asparagus. I tried making an asparagus cake once, but the Cakes said it tasted awful and I guess they were right but I just can't help but like ASPARAGUS!"

"Well, I... have a small recording studio under my cottage, where, I, um, make musical albums and, um, my publisher says I'm almost as popular as DJ PON-3."

Rarity blinked. "Wait wait wait. Are you... are you saying that you're Mama Tomcat?!"

"Menea esa cola hacia mí, corcel, porque yo seré quien la encadenará." Fluttershy blushed lightly as she sang.

"I know this is going to sound rather... fanish, but I have all your albums! Are you working on a new one?"

"Well, yes. I... could give you a signed copy from the first edition line, if, um, if you like."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but giggle at the absolutely elated expression on the fashionista's face.

"Come on, Twilight." Applejack gave the librarian a friendly nudge. "All of us have gone, it's yer turn."

"Oh! Um, well, I.... I kinda have a cosplay hobby." The unicorn giggled. "I like to dress up in period accurate costumes of famous historical figures, and I like to check the costumes myself or even make them--"

"Everypony knows about that," Rainbow interrupted.

"What? No they don't."

"Uh, yeah, ever since Nightmare Night they've figured it out."

Twilight's eyes narrowed to pinpricks. "You're... joking. Please, please tell me you're joking."

"She's not joking," Pinkie replied, deathly serious.

The protegee of Celestia accepted this new knowledge with the dignity and aplomb that befitted her position.

That is to say, she fainted.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Wow. Such a drama queen."