“Looking good, Squirt. Try to hold it a little longer,” Dash said as she watched Scootaloo. A week ago, the filly started going out again, and Dash decided it was time to fulfill her promise and teach Scootaloo how to fly. Since standard methods didn't work, she was using the Gale Wing, hoping for better results.
Results, she was starting to see. It took a few days to get Scootaloo to focus to use her pegasus magic that way and not for her habit of rapid flapping she used to power her scooter. She was only a couple of hooves off the ground, but she been there more than a minute. Eventually, Squirt tired out and fell bad to the ground.
“Not bad, Squirt. That was the longest you stayed up.”
“But I didn't fly,” Scootaloo complained.
Dash rubbed Scootaloo's back. “I didn't expect you to yet. This isn't going to be a simple thing, Squirt. It's gonna take time and effort, but you’ll get there. I can see it. Luna has worked hard to make me more patient, though I admit she hasn't fully succeeded. One day, Squirt. That's all that needs to go through your mind. One day, you will fly.” That seemed to relieve the filly. Dash looked up to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle racing to their location in one of Ponyville's parks. “Looks like your friends want you. Go on and have fun with them, Squirt. You need a break before we do more anyway.” Scootaloo looked at her approaching friends, then looked back at Dash.
“You sure, Rainbow Dash?”
“Of course I'm sure. Friends you can trust are a treasure, Squirt. Don't waste them. Now go have fun with them, and I'll see you later.” She then nudged Scootaloo towards her friends, and that was all that was needed.
Rainbow watched Scootaloo race towards her friends, and a smile came to her lips. The little pegasus didn't know how good she had it. In some ways, she was jealous of Scootaloo. She had friends she could trust so well. The type of friends she thought she had not too long ago. She prayed to the moon that Scootaloo never went through what she did.
Once Scootaloo was out of sight, she took to the air, enjoying the thrill and freedom flying brought to her. She flew over Ponyville and saw Jetaloo entering her home.
'Must have gotten off from work,' she thought and headed down.
“Hey, Jets!” The other pegasus mare looked up and smiled.
“Dash! Come in. I was just going to make lunch.”
“Awesome!” Jets allowed her in, and Rainbow took a look around.
It wasn’t a big place; Jets couldn't afford one since she was a single mom, but she and Scootaloo made it a homey place. Pictures of Scootaloo and her friends, as well as many of the mother-daughter duo, lined the walls. The sight brought a smile to her lips. She followed Jets into the kitchen, and the older mare got started on lunch.
“So, how did Scootaloo's practice went?”
“Squirt did awesome. She managed to hover in the air for five minutes. She has the drive to get there, but I have to pace her. She's out with her friends right now.”
“I hope this works. I tried everything else, and they just wouldn't work.” There was a hint of sadness in Jets voice on commenting that.
“Me too, Jets. It wasn't easy seeing her struggle like that. It seems to be working, and I’ve been scouring the books in Golden Oaks looking for why the art was abandoned. Even Twilight looked into it and swore she was going to check out the Royal Library the next time she heads there.”
“Does that mean you and Twilight are making up?” Jets asked as she was making some sandwiches. Dash thought on that a bit. Where did she and Twilight stand now? She decided to voice her thoughts.
“There has been progress. She has stayed to our agreement and never once talked about me rejoining their team. She has been nothing but supportive. Hay, I've seen her visit Fluttershy at the hospital and when she was let go.” She paused for a bit before continuing, “Part of me wants to forgive them and maybe even move back, but another part of me is afraid of being hurt again. Jets, they were practicality family to me. I would have done anything for them...within reason.” Jet gave a knowing smirk. Dash wouldn't be surprised if Jets had fallen victim to Rarity's Fashion sense. “All we went through, and they did that to me. My Element is Loyalty, Jets. To me, it’s the most important virtue. Discord couldn't make me disloyal when he was loose but divided it between my friends and Cloudsdale. That's how strong my sense of loyalty is. Their betrayal hurt, Jets, and it hurt bad. I admit to being afraid to being hurt that bad again.” She grabbed a sandwich that Jets made and took a bite.
Jet took her time before she responded, “What you gone through is tough, Rainbow. It's hard for me to look for a stallion after I was left alone with Scootaloo. Log Roll left me pregnant, and while I love Scootaloo, that still hurts. But you know what, Rainbow? I don't let that fear of hurt control me. I may find Mr. Right out there somewhere.” Jets looked sadly at Rainbow. “I have also seen the effect this has had on your friends. Fluttershy, you already know, but all of them have suffered to some extent. They don't meet as much, and the bright smiles they always seemed to have are gone. There was something special about the friendship you shared with each other. We all saw it after the Summer Sun Celebration. Isn't something that special worth regaining if possible?”
Rainbow sat back and thought as she mindlessly ate the lunch. After they finished lunch, she still didn't have an answer. “Thanks for lunch, Jets, and for the talk. Gave me something to think about when I get home.”
Jets put a forehoof on her shoulder. “Do you really have to leave? Scootaloo is so happy when you’re around.”
“Can't ignore my responsibilities, Jets. If Luna wasn't backing me, I would’ve lost my job a long time ago.”
“I understand, but please visit, Rainbow.”
Rainbow gave Jets her smug smile. “That's a promise, Jets.” She opened the door and noticed ponies heading for the town square. Looking back to her friend, she said, "Hey, was any event planned today?"
“Not that I know of.” The pair decided to follow the crowd and see what was going on.
* * * * *
When they got to the town square, they saw a platform assembled with a pile of wood in front of it. Rainbow and Jets picked a spot and waited. Soon, it seemed all of Ponyville had come, and that was when Twilight appeared on the platform, followed by the rest of her friends.
“Thank you all for coming. The reason I called for this meeting is to answer some questions and to right a wrong done to a dear friend of mine. You all are wondering why the Mysterious Mare Do Well had disappeared. Well, I will tell you why.”
Twilight extended a hoof to her friends as she continued, “We were Mare Do Well. But Mare Do Well was not made for heroic reasons but in a misguided attempt to aid a friend. Rainbow Dash's ego was building with her heroic deeds, and we thought she needed to be taken down a peg. Believing her to be too stubborn to listen to us, we made Mare Do Well to humble her. However, in our quest to leash Rainbow's pride, we let our own loose.
“When she found out the truth, it hit her harder than we thought possible. Instead of teaching her to be more humble, we just drove her away. We are proud of what she has done since she has left. She has become the Student of Princess Luna like I am for Princess Celestia. She has done great feats where she now lives. But, as proud of her as we are, we also miss her dearly. Our actions hurt her, and nothing we can say can truly undo them. She told us actions speak louder than words, so we’re here to let our actions speak.”
She and the others revealed Mare Do Well costumes and tossed them onto the wood pile. “Mares and stallions, Mare Do Well is no more. We will never be her again.” With that, Twilight used her magic to set fire to the pile, and everypony watched the costumes burn. Dash saw Rarity having teary eyes, but she could understand that. Rarity just destroyed her own works, works she took time and effort to make not once but four times.
Many ponies started to leave, and it seemed they didn't know how to take this move by Twilight and her friends. Soon, the fire started to die out. Then, they finally noticed Rainbow.
Rainbow said, “Let's head to Twilight's Library. We have things to talk about.” She nodded to Jets, who took the hint and headed home.
The group silently entered the library, and when the door closed, she broke the silence. “First off, that meant something to me.” She pointed a hoof in the direction of the fire. “Right now, I'm torn. A part of me wants to forgive you. You girls meant the world to me. I imagined the day I became a Wonderbolt, and you five would be there cheering me on. That's how much you meant to me. That's why what you did hurts so much, and I'm afraid that you will hurt me like that again.”
Applejack took off her hat and walked forward a bit. “Rainbow, you are more to us than an Element of Harmony. You’ve always been more. Ah don't know about the others, but Ah considered you family. All of ya are like that to me. We all never wanted to hurt ya. Ah’m ashamed that what we did hurt ya so much, and Ah’m willing to do anything to make up for my mistake. Ah think we all do. So what can we do, Rainbow?”
Dash rubbed her head. “What I need right now is time to figure out what I want to do with you girls. That's part of the reason why I’m heading back to Mareapolis.”
“Okay, Sugarcube. Ya do what ya have to do.”
“Rainbow isn't the only one leaving.” Everypony looked to Fluttershy, wide-eyed.
“Darling, why!?” Rarity asked in shock. Fluttershy looked down.
“I hurt my dearest friend with Mare Do Well, and then, I hurt you all when I tried to starve myself. I need time away from everything. I’ll come back, though, so think of it as a long vacation.”
With tears in her eyes, Rarity walked up to Fluttershy and hugged her. “I’ll miss you, Fluttershy. Please try not to stay away too long.” With that, everypony, even Rainbow, joined into group hug. For the first time in months, the six mares were in agreement.
In Canterlot, an Element repaired a crack.
* * * * *
Dash was checking over her wings for her flight home. Fluttershy had left the day before, and all the girls saw her off and wished her luck. Squirt looked downtrodden.
“Do you really have to go, Rainbow Dash?” the young filly asked.
Dash gave a small smile and rubbed Squirt's mane. “Yeah, I do. I have responsibilities, Squirt. If Luna wasn't supporting me, I would have been fired already for how long I was gone. You’re all healed up and working on flying. I don't need to be here 24/7 anymore.” She saw tears starting to form in Squirt's eyes. “Now, that doesn't me you won't see me. I promise to come by every couple of weeks to train you more. Till then, just keep working on what I taught ya. And please, no more extreme stunts to get your cutie mark.”
It was a happy Squirt that replied, “You got it, Rainbow Dash!” With that, Rainbow nodded and took to the sky, doing a loop-de-loop for Squirt before heading to Mareaoplis.
* * * * *
Celestia was heading to the vault that held the Elements of Harmony. Twilight had reported that Fluttershy had left Ponyville for some needed time after the stress of the aftermath of Mare Do Well and her near suicide. That last worried Celestia greatly, though it fit that the Bearer of Kindness would be the most harmed after the bearer of Loyalty for that stunt. If not for her sister's faith in Rainbow Dash, Celestia herself would have raced to Ponyville and done all she could to repair the damage.
Thinking of her sister managed to bring a small smile to her muzzle. It's been ages since she had seen Luna so happy. It was the one silver lining in this whole affair. The pride Luna has for her apprentice shown brighter than the sun, and she wondered if that was what she herself looked like when she talked about Twilight.
The door to the vault stood before her, and using her horn, she unlocked the door and opened the chest that contained the Elements. Kindness seemed fine, and Celestia gave a sigh of relief at the sight. Then, she looked at Loyalty. While it was still gray, the crack that had been on it was gone. She couldn't stop the smile on her face.
“Sister, what are you doing?” Celstia looked behind her to see a sleepy Luna.
“Luna, shouldn't you be asleep?”
“After Discord took them, I wanted to be alerted the next time they were touched. So, has something happened to them, sister?”
Celestia smiled. “Indeed. Look, sister.” Celestia showed Luna the Element of Loyalty, and soon, both shared a knowing smile.