Chapter 28:
Changed for the Better
After Rainbow Dash finished performing her signature trick, she came in for a perfect landing on the summit of Mt. Götterdämarerung. Scootaloo was still ecstatic.
"That was the most awesome thing ever!" she cheered, wrapping her forelegs around Rainbow's neck. "You're amazing, Rainbow Dash!"
"Heh, I know," said Rainbow with a chuckle.
"Hey, are we interrupting anything?"
Rainbow Dash looked up to see Daring Do and Tailspin come in for a landing. While Daring still had a cool demeanor, Tailspin couldn't even finish a sentence.
"I've seen some fancy flying, but that was... I mean, whoa! How'd you...?"
"Okay, Tailspin. Simmer down," said Daring with a hearty laugh. "That was a pretty awesome display, Rainbow Dash. What do you call it?"
"That, my friend, was a Sonic Rainboom," said Rainbow proudly. "It's a specialty of mine."
"And it was just the finishing touch to put our little changeling friend out of commission," said Daring. "Nice work."
"Thanks," said Rainbow. "You were pretty awesome yourself."
"Hey! What about me?" said Scootaloo with a pout.
Daring chuckled. "I think there's enough awesomeness to go around for all four of us." said she. "Isn't that right, Tailspin?"
"Huh?" said Tailspin, her face matching her scarf. "Oh, um..."
"Still worried about how you screwed up before, huh?" said Daring with a knowing smirk.
"W-well, kinda," said Tailspin sheepishly. "It's just, I never thought I'd get a compliment like that from you, Dare."
Daring gave Tailspin a warm smile. "Tailspin, you have a good head on your shoulders. You just gotta use it more often. And I don't care if you screw up sometimes. Honestly, I would've been more angry if you kept lying to yourself."
Tailspin twiddled her hooves for a moment. "Um, Scootaloo?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you come here for a moment?"
Scootaloo hopped off of Rainbow's back and made her way over to Tailspin. "What is it?" she asked.
Tailspin breathed a deep sigh. "Well, I didn't get a chance to say this before, so before you go back to wherever you came from, I just wanna say..."
She trailed off, her cheeks turning a more vibrant shade of red.
"Huh?" said Scootaloo, tilting her head. "What did you want to—? Oof!"
Tailspin suddenly pulled Scootaloo into a tight embrace.
"Thank you," Tailspin whispered. "Thank you for knocking some sense into me. I think I can be more comfortable with my feelings now."
"U-uh, no problem," said Scootaloo, her own face reddening. "A-and, thanks for looking after me."
Tailspin gave a self-mocking chuckle. "Oh, c'mon. Don't thank me for that. I didn't do that great of a job, anyway," said she.
"But you still cared," said Scootaloo. "Even if you didn't like me at first, you still brought me along when you could've just abandoned me any time you wanted. That has to say something, right?"
"I, suppose there's some truth to that," said Tailspin, finally releasing Scootaloo. "I'm gonna miss you, Scootaloo. You're a great friend."
"You too," said Scootaloo with a smile.
Rainbow cast her eyes downward and rubbed the back of her head. "Um, I'm gonna miss you too, Daring," she said.
Daring smirked. "What are you talking about? This isn't goodbye."
Rainbow blinked. "It isn't?"
"Rainbow Dash, if this adventure has proven anything, it's that my exploits are far from over," said Daring. "There are still many a mystery to unravel, and so much more of the world to explore. And I'm betting that each and every one of those adventures are gonna be published in your world."
Rainbow's face lit up. "Hey, you're right! Every time I read your books, it's as if I'm on the adventure with you. So, we will see each other again."
"You got it," said Daring with a wide grin. "It's like I always say. Another day..."
"Another dungeon," said Rainbow, completing the quip.
The two mares then shared a hoof bump. Afterwards, all was still for a time.
"Um, Rainbow Dash?" asked Scootaloo. "How are we supposed to get back?"
Rainbow sighed. "Hey, Twilight!" she yelled at the sky. "If you're reading this, Scoot and I would like to come home now!"
A few seconds later, Rainbow and Scootaloo became bathed in magenta light and began floating off the ground.
"Well, I guess this is it," said Daring with a tip of her hat. "Until next time."
"'Til next time," said Rainbow with a wave.
"Bye, Tailspin! And good luck!" said Scootaloo.
"Thanks! I think I'll need it!" Tailspin called back.
And with that, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo disappeared.
"So, what was it like in that other world?" asked Tailspin.
"Well, I'm not an utmost authority on it, since most of my time there was spent chasing that pretentious changeling," said Daring as she and her partner flew off into the sunset. "Hey, let's check out the library when we get back. I wanna see if our world has any books about Rainbow Dash and her friends."
Tailspin raised an eyebrow. "You really think such a book exists?"
Daring laughed. "The best thing about being an adventurer is that anything is possible, Tailspin. I'm sure you'll understand once you have a few more expeditions under your belt."
***
When Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo opened their eyes, they found themselves back in the Canterlot Archives with Twilight. Scootaloo took in a deep breath.
"Ah~. Feels good to be home," she said.
"Welcome back, you two," said Twilight. "Sorry I took so long to bring you back. I was a bit, distracted by your goodbyes to Daring and Tailspin."
"Ah, don't sweat it," said Rainbow. "So, is everything back to normal?"
"Only one way to find out," said Twilight. Using her magic, she pulled several Daring Do novels out of her saddlebags. Each and every one of them were restored to their former glory, words and all.
"Awesome! We did it!" Rainbow exclaimed, pumping her foreleg. "Daring's world is saved!"
"It looks like it," said Twilight, looking through each book. She then got to Daring Do and the Treasure of Das Reingold and raised an eyebrow. "Uh..."
"What's wrong, Twilight?" inquired Scootaloo.
"Well, I thought that when the changeling's spell was undone, all of the books would return to normal," said Twilight. "But look at this."
She showed the book to Rainbow and Scootaloo, who stared at it quizzically. In that particular book, nothing had changed. It still showed Scootaloo and Daring switching places, and all of Scootaloo's antics with Tailspin. Even the climax with the four pegasi fighting Nihilmodo was the same.
"Huh. I guess the spell couldn't be completely countered or something," said Rainbow.
"I guess that ruined the story, huh?" said Scootaloo, flattening her ears and heaving a great sigh.
Rainbow smirked and put her wing around Scootaloo. "Are you kidding, Squirt? It's true that the original story was probably gonna be awesome, but I think this version is at least twenty percent cooler."
Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow with wide eyes. "R-really?"
"Yep."
Scootaloo gave Rainbow a big hug. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash. That means so much coming from you."
"Aw, c'mon Scoot. You're embarrassing me," said Rainbow, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Well, while you two might like this, I think some ponies are gonna be pretty confused once this book officially comes out next Thursday."
"Meh, I think they're still gonna find it awesome," said Rainbow with a complacent grin.
"Yeah! I can't wait to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo chimed in. "They're gonna flip! Hey, can we show them right now, Rainbow Dash?! Can we, can we?!"
"Well, of course, Squirt," said Rainbow, equally excited. "C'mon, Twilight! Let's get the next train back to Ponyville!"
Before Twilight could say anything else, Rainbow and Scootaloo dashed off. She simply used her breathing technique and shook her head.
"I suppose there's nothing major to worry about," she said to herself as she followed to two pegasi. "After all, they're kinda right. This was a pretty epic adventure for everypony."
"Oh really? You'll have to tell me about it in your next letter, then."
A motherly voice made Twilight stop in her tracks. She turned her head and saw her mentor, Princess Celestia, standing over her and smiling.
"Thank you for fixing the Clover the Clever Wing, Twilight," she said sweetly. "Your help was much appreciated. Well, happy Tuesday!"
Celestia then trotted off, and Twilight used her breathing technique again.
"Write a letter about my adventure. Sure," she muttered as she continued to follow Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. "As if Spike is gonna believe any of this..."
The End