Wings of Friendship

by DemonBrightSpirit

Epilogue: A Brighter Tomorrow

Fluttershy flitted about her cottage, humming a happy little tune as she dusted. The animals that were assisting her suddenly fled to their hiding places. “Huh?” Fluttershy muttered. She turned to find an unannounced guest lounging on her couch. She gasped as she smiled wide. “Discord!” Fluttershy dropped her featherduster, flying over and embracing the draconequus. “You never said you were coming over for a visit.”

“Oh, an old friend can’t just ‘pop in’ for an unannounced visit?” Discord asked, returning the hug.

“Of course, you can always come and visit me,” Fluttershy said as she withdrew from the hug, smiling at Discord. “I’m happy that you’re here.”

“Come now, Fluttershy. Who wouldn’t be happy to see this face?” Discord asked, pointing with both talon and paw at his own face.

Fluttershy giggled at the goofy display. “Oh, I don’t know. Twilight seems to get awfully grumpy whenever she sees you.”

Discord waved his paw dismissively. “That old fuddy-duddy? She’s always grumpy.”

“I’ve seen her happy and excited plenty of times,” Fluttershy replied.

Discord’s lips pursed as he stroked his chin and his gaze trailed upward. He shook his head as he shrugged. “Nope… I just can’t imagine her all happy and froliky.”

“You two really should try to get along better,” Fluttershy said.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Discord asked with a grin. He held out his hands, one cupped over the other. “Oh, and you know, a little birdie told me that Rainbow Dash was flying again.” He lifted his paw to reveal a squirrel in his talon. “Huh?” He blinked a couple of times before shaking his head. “I said a birdie!” He snapped his fingers. The squirrel vanished, and a small bird was standing in its place.

“Um, yes,” Fluttershy replied as the bird flew off. “We all worked together and helped to make Rainbow Dash a replacement.”

Discord smirked. “You see? I told you that you could do it,” he said, producing a laurel and draping over Fluttershy’s neck. “Bravo!” He duplicated into a crowd all around Fluttershy, each one clapping and cheering.

Blushing and cowering, Fluttershy recoiled from the surge of attention. “O-oh, um, thank you?”

In an instant, the crowd of draconequi vanished, leaving only one Discord standing before Fluttershy. “You should be proud,” he said, saluting her as a military uniform appeared on her. “You have done a magnificent service for your fellow pony.”

Fluttershy looked down, pawing at the floor. “Actually, I didn’t really do all that much.”

“Nonsense, my dear Fluttershy,” Discord replied. “You give yourself far too little credit. You and your friends achieved something extraordinary.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s nothing you couldn’t have done with a snap of your fingers.”

“Well…” Discord said, snapping his fingers, ushering in a second pair of wings of Fluttershy’s back, “that may be true, but what kind of friend would I be if I saw you dangling on a cliff and went over and pulled you up?”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as Discord removed the extra wings, instead placing them on Angel Bunny and letting him flutter around. “A good friend?”

“How absurd,” Discord said with a wave of his paw. “You have wings. There’s no reason for me to hold your hoof when you are completely capable of saving yourself.” He snapped his fingers, and Angel’s wings vanished. Angel plummeted toward the ground, but was caught in Discord’s talon at the last moment. Discord set Angel gently on his feet, despite the bunny’s angry squawks and motions. “I would never let you hit the ground, but if I don’t let you try to save yourself, then you will always rely on me instead of believing in yourself.”

“Discord…” Fluttershy mumbled breathlessly.

“Enough about all of that,” Discord said, snapping his fingers and transforming the room into an elegantly decorated dining room. “I do believe I owe you a tea party, considering we had to cut our last one short.”

After adjusting to finding herself sitting in a chair and wearing a flowing dress, she smiled. “I’d be delighted,” she said, grabbing the tea cup in front of her.

---

A mailpony approached a small, glittering home. The modest abode may have gleamed in the sunlight, but that was nothing special in the Crystal Empire. Setting a large, heavy box on the stoop, he raised a hoof and rapped on the door.

The door opened to reveal a cerulean unicorn. He smiled at her, glancing at his clipboard. “Are you Silky Gem?”

“Um, yes,” she replied, her eyes darting to the package and back.

“I have a package for you. Special delivery all the way from Ponyville,” he said, extending the clipboard and a pen towards her. “I’ll need your signature, please.”

“Okay,” she said, eyeing the package again. Hesitantly, she took the pen in her aura, scribbling her name on the clipboard.

“Thanks,” the mailpony said, tucking away the clipboard and producing a manilla envelope. “This came along with the box.”

Silky turned the envelope over with a flick of her magic. It was plain, except for the fact that her address was on it. “Who do I know from Ponyville?” she muttered. Taking the envelope in hoof, she grabbed the box in her magic and retreated inside.

Setting the box down just inside, she opened up the envelope. From it slid a letter written on stationery. Attached with a paperclip was a single photograph. “Ooh…” Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled the photograph away and examined it.

It showed an ivory mare in a luxurious dress that shimmered as brilliantly as any gemstone. Next to her was what appeared to be a small, purple dragon. Behind them, were an entire set of dresses on mannequins. They all had to have been made of but one material—the crystalline cloth!

An indelible smile spread across Silky’s face. “Oh, Rarity. You really did it,” she said. She danced over to her mantle, setting the photograph next to her framed picture with her and the princesses. Once her giddiness subsided, she rushed back and grabbed the letter.

Dear Silky Gem,

I hope this letter finds you well. My, it feels as though it has been an age since we threaded the crystalline cloth together. Back then, you didn’t have faith that your cloth could ever become anything worthwhile, let alone magnificent. Truth be told, when I first tried to work it, I thought it may be impossible as well. However, thanks my dear friend Spike, I was finally able to make the cloth work.

I’ll have you know that I had a pair of diamond scissors specially made just to work the cloth, and they didn’t work at all! I had just given up when my little Spikey-wikey strolled in. I had never really considered it until that moment, but Spike’s favorite food is gemstones. His little dragon teeth slice right through them. Admittedly, it was a bit awkward having him do all my cuts by nibbling them, but as I am sure you have found, the results are nothing short of fantastic.

As promised, I have delivered to you a dress that should fit you quite nicely. I may have taken some liberty with the cut, but I am certain that you will be absolutely breathtaking in it. And, I have another gift for you to show my deep appreciation for your help. Attached to this letter is one ticket to this year’s Grand Galloping Gala. Princess Twilight has already invited myself and the rest of our little gang, but I insisted that you come as well. It is the absolute perfect opportunity to debut the dresses I have made with the help of your crystalline cloth. We shall be the belles of the ball!

Your friend,
Rarity

Breathlessly, Silky turned the letter over to find a golden ticket attached to the back of the paper. “The Grand Galloping Gala!” She squealed, holding the ticket high and taking it in before snuggling it. “Oh, this is just too much!”

Carefully setting the letter and ticket aside, she turned to the box. “This must be…” She said, opening the box with her magic. The contents of the box seemed to glow as they gathered and scattered the light. Silky’s eyes widened as she peered into the glimmering light.

She carefully extracted the dress, holding the shimmering threads against herself, she could already imagine being out on the dancefloor. There, in Princess Celestia’s castle, she would be the talk of the most elite group of ponies in Equestria. Slowly, she came back to reality, still holding the dress in her hooves. “It’s a dream come true!”

---

Dressed in a cap and with a whistle dangling from her neck, Rainbow Dash leapt from cloud to cloud, barely using her wings. “Come on, squirt! Keep it up!”

What appeared to be effortless leaps for Dash, were great ordeals for Scootaloo. At the edge of each cloud, she squatted down before jumping forward with all her might. Her wings buzzed furiously as soon as her hooves left the clouds, and each time she barely reached the next cloud. Her chest heaved as she looked after Rainbow Dash. “I-I’m trying!”

Stumbling the few steps to the opposite end of the fluffy cloud, she prepared for another leap. This time, despite her best efforts, she came just short of the next. “Guh!” She uselessly groped after the cloud, but her hooves only managed to just touch the cloud. The cloud fell out of sight as she tumbled downward.

She uselessly flapped her wings for what seemed like minutes before giving up and bracing for impact. Instead of a rough landing on the clouds below, a pair of strong, warm legs caught her. Scootaloo looked up to see Rainbow Dash smiling back at her.

“I got you,” Dash said, landing on a sea of clouds. She eased the filly down. “Well, maybe we can take a little break. Wanna go grab some grub?”

Scootaloo sat heavily as she huffed. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Huh? Something wrong?” Rainbow asked.

“Why are we even still trying? We’ve been at this for months and I’m not any better at flying!” Scootaloo said, her ears drooping as she looked down. “I can’t fly.”

Rainbow sighed, her ears drooping down. Plodding over, she sat next to Scootaloo and draped her real wing over her. “You know, you just might be right,” she said, rubbing her neck. “I kind of know how you feel, looking up at the sky and knowing it’s just out of your reach. But you gotta realize something—something I realized after I lost my wing—flying might be great, but there are a lot of other things just as important. More important.”

“I’m a pegasus!” Scootaloo emphatically replied. “What’s more important for a pegasus than flying?”

“Well, how about being awesome? You’re totally awesome with just your scooter, you know,” Dash said. “Seriously, name one pony that’s better at doing those wicked stunts.”

“Uh, well…”

“And whatever you do, don’t forget your friends,” Rainbow said, slipping a hoof under Scootaloo’s chin to make Scootaloo look up at her. “My friends are the only reason I’m flying today, and even if I never flew again, I know that they would do anything and everything they could to make that okay. You have friends like that too, and you have me. So even if you never do fly, everything’ll be all right. All right?”

As soon as Dash’s hoof slipped away, Scootaloo leaned forward and looked to Dash’s other side. “What about that then?” she asked, pointing to Dash’s fiery wing. “Why can’t Twilight just make me a pair of wings that work like those?”

Dash sighed, getting up and sitting back down in front of Scootaloo. “Lots of reasons. First, you never know. Until you stop growing, there is always the possibility that your wings will eventually get you airborne.”

“And what if I never do?” Scootaloo shot back.

“Then… then you talk to Twilight,” Dash relented. “When you’re an adult, well, that’s the sort of decision an adult can make.” She pointed to Scootaloo’s wings. “But what about these? Sure, they don’t let you fly, but don’t you rely on them for your scooter? What if a new pair of wings didn’t work like the ones you have now? You might be giving up your ability to perform your stunts, something that makes you both unique and awesome, just to fly like any other pegasus.”

“I guess,” Scootaloo muttered.

“Hey,” Dash said, scooting closer to Scootaloo and pulling her into a hug, “you’re plenty awesome just the way you are. Don’t let anypony tell you any different.”

Scootaloo gave a little sigh as she returned the embrace. “I still want to fly.”

“Hey, we don’t have to give up,” Dash said, pulling back to look Scootaloo in the eye. “We can keep practicing here, or maybe you’d rather go back to Ponyville and see if we can’t come up with some awesome new stunts for you and your scooter.”

A small smile touched Scootaloo’s lips. “Let’s go back to Ponyville. I have a great new idea I’ve been wanting to try.”

Dash smirked, flapping her wings. She swooped behind Scootaloo and wrapped her forelegs around her. “Let’s get to it, then!” she said, taking off into the sky.

---

Applejack exited the Apple homestead with a green watering can in her mouth. She immediately took off to the side, trekking through the lawn. The last remnants of dew clung to her hooves as she rounded the house to come upon a single sapling a stone’s throw from the house. Apple Bloom was lying in front of it, giving it a queer look.

Craning her neck, Applejack spilled water from the can over the blue leaves of the sapling. After a few seconds of watering, she set the can aside. She took a few steps over and sat next to Apple Bloom before running a hoof through her sister’s mane. “Shouldn’t you be finishing up your chores before yah need to be gettin’ to school?”

Apple Bloom looked up at her sister. “I finished ‘em already,” Apple Bloom replied, her eyes again falling on the sapling. “Hey, sis, what’s with this tree? It feels… weird.”

Lying down, Applejack crossed her forelegs. “This tree is special,” she said, smiling at Apple Bloom. “You know, all us earth ponies have a special connection to nature. Because of that, you can feel the magic that is in this tree.”

Apple Bloom blinked a couple of times, tilting her head a bit. “This tree is magic?”

Applejack nodded. “It’s the last of its kind. Well, this one and the tree it came from.”

“What kind of magic?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Hmm.” Applejack scratched her head as she stared at the tiny tree before her. “It’s a special sort of magic. This tree is more alive than any other. I know it’s kind of hard to understand, but you’ll see what I mean, someday. Hopefully someday soon.”

Stretching, Applejack stood up. She nudged Apple Bloom’s flank. “Come on, now. You’d better get ready. Don’t wanna be late for school, do yah?”

Apple Bloom groaned. “All right,” she said, rolling her eyes as she trotted off towards the house.

Applejack bent down, securing the watering can in her teeth. A bit of motion caught her eye, urging her to drop the can as she whipped her head to the side. All she saw was the side of the Apple home. Then, she looked up to see Granny Smith waving to her from inside the window. Smiling a bit, Applejack waved back.

She grabbed the can again, throwing it onto her back as she trotted off towards the house. She tried to think of what she saw, and she could have sworn it was of a tiny filly accented with greens and browns. She gave a lighthearted snort, shaking her head a bit. “Naw.”

---

The flickering light of two torches illuminated a brief strip of a stone corridor. Complete darkness swallowed up their feeble light on either side, leaving only a small series of iron bars visible amongst the cold stone. Behind those bars, barely visible in the low light, sat a teal pegasus. She cowered in the far corner atop a small pile of straw. Her auburn and blonde mane hung limply as she stared blankly forward.

Her ear twitched, summoning her attention from the void. It was the unmistakable sound of metal on stone, echoing from far down the corridor. The royal guards always wore those gilded boots, and they always made that annoying sound as they walked down the corridors. But why was a guard coming? She wasn’t all that hungry. It couldn’t be meal time already.

Her ear flicked again. Wait. There was another set of hoofsteps. This one sounded more hollow. No high-pitched metal clang—it could only be the sounds of a natural hoof on the omnipresent stone.

She sat and listened to the steps until they came to a stop just outside her cell. Turning at the sound of a key turning heavily in a lock, she saw a white unicorn in gilded armor. The metal door creaked as he pulled it wide open.

He stepped back. “Lightning Dust, you’re free to go.”

Lightning Dust blinked, staring incredulously at the guard. “Wh-what?”

Without another word, the guard turned and started back down the hall. As he left, Lightning hesitantly got up and walked over to the open cage. She peered down the hall in the direction the guard left and found the last thing she thought she’d ever see. “Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash stepped into the light, both wings erect. “I talked to the princess,” she said, staring Lightning Dust down. “I asked her to let you go, and she said that, since I’m the only one you hurt, it was up to me to forgive you.”

Lightning Dust’s eyes widened as tears gathered at the edges. “Y-you asked her to let me go?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand! After what I did to you…”

“It’s not like I plan on being friends with you,” Dash said, turning and starting down the long corridor. “In fact, I’d be perfectly happy never seeing you again.”

Lightning Dust stumbled forward on shaky legs, shouting after her. “Then why?”

Dash stopped, letting out a heavy breath through her nose. “What you did to me was unforgivable. At least, that’s what I first thought. But as time passed, I didn’t even care about you anymore. Especially after my friends gave me this,” she said, running a hoof over her fiery, artificial wing. “I had the ability to set you free, so I did. Besides, I have a friend that probably wouldn’t forgive me if I’d left you to rot.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Lightning Dust said, trying to catch up as Dash started off just shy of a trot.

“Let’s make one thing clear; I can forgive what you did to me, but I can’t stand somepony like you,” Dash said, cutting her off. “I forgave you, so just go live out your life and leave me be.”

“I-I’m sorry, okay?” Lightning said. “I’m so, so sorry! I never meant for you to get hurt like that! I just… I just wanted to win…” Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. She just took wing, heading up a spiral staircase at the end of the corridor. Lightning tried to follow suit, but her wings felt heavy and clumsy. She nearly crashed, forcing herself to land on the stairs and hoof it.

Trailing behind Dash, Lightning Dust ran into a dead end when she found herself out on one of the lower balconies jutting from the Canterlot castle. With her atrophied wings, she couldn’t hope to keep up with Rainbow Dash in the open skies. She stopped, raising her forehooves onto the balcony’s railing as she watched the ember-laden rainbow trail fade away into a scarlet sky.

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Lightning Dust spoke to the wind. With a sigh, she let herself down off of the railing.

“It makes no sense at all, does it?”

Lightning Dust whipped around to find herself before the Princess of the Night. “P-Princess Luna!” She knelt down, bowing before Luna.

Princess Luna walked past her and up to the railing as she raised her head. Her horn glowed a brilliant azure. The sun disappeared behind the horizon as the moon rose. In just a few moments, evening was gone, leaving nothing but the beautiful cosmos of the night sky.

After staring in awe for several seconds, it finally occurred to Lightning Dust that she should say something. “Um, I’m not sure what you mean, Princess.”

“I stood in your shoes, once,” Luna replied, turning her head to cast her gaze upon the disheveled pegasus. “I had committed something unspeakable against my own sister. Even now, it is hard for me to fully understand how she could see past all the wrong I had done and forgive me, just like that. I stand here now only because of her forgiveness.”

Lightning Dust clenched her jaw, shaking her head. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Perhaps not,” Luna replied, “but that does not change the fact that it has already been given. If you wish to earn the forgiveness you have been given, then you should strive to be the good in the world. Make her decision matter, and do not make her regret it.”

“But I… I can’t even forgive myself. Even now…” Lightning Dust said, barely keeping her tears from escaping. “I just reacted, and because of that I hurt her. I nearly killed her, just because I was selfish. And now, now she just says she forgives me and flies off?”

Luna nodded. “She saw something in you. Something even you cannot find within yourself.” She turned her gaze back upon the dazzling night sky. “The stars are beautiful, are they not?”

A bit hesitantly, Lightning Dust looked to the sky to see bands of stars across the sky and pinpoints of light breaking up the darkness. She sniffled a bit, wiping at her eyes. “It is.”

“We all have darkness within us, lurking in every thought and feeling,” Luna said, never taking her eyes off of the sky. “Sometimes it seems to swallow us up, but you must remember that there is always light. Do not lose yourself in the black void. Instead cast your gaze upon the stars, no matter how dim, and strive to be that light.”

Luna turned, heading back into the castle. “Rainbow Dash saw that light in you. Find it. Nurture it. And become a beacon of hope to outshine the darkness.”

Lightning Dust watched Luna disappear back into the castle before turning again to the sky. Immediately her eyes were drawn to the brightest light—the moon. “I will,” she said, a smile appearing on her lips.

Comments

[Zodiacspear]

Just beautiful. The phoenix feathers and the talk with Scootaloo were both excellent twists in the story. It really showed how much Dash's character had grown since the story started. Sad to see the story end, but happy for its conclusion.

Also, glad to have helped.

[DemonBrightSpirit]

5544137
I'm pretty happy about finally finishing it. It took forever, and now it feels like I've accomplished something new. This is the longest completed story I've written to date.

[The Sexy Assistant]

80,000 words well spent in my opinion.

[jxj]

The bits with Scootaloo in the epilogue and the last chapter where pretty good. I originally found this story on fanfiction, but i lost track of it when i switched to fimfiction. I managed to find it again a couple of chapters ago, and i'm glad i found it again.

[Crom251]

Hmmm.

I was hoping to see Spitfires reaction to Rainbow Dash flying around with a new wing.

[DemonBrightSpirit]

6441083
I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

In regards to your comment, Kevlar is actually a synthetic fiber, like nylon or polyester. Although spider silk is stronger than steel, it is only about half as strong as Kevlar.

[Hestia]

I've spent most of today frantically reading this story. I promised myself I would stop at around chapter five but it was just too good to put down. This was beautiful and amazing. I love it.

[Z0MG H4X]

I have read many stories, but this is probably the best I have read.

[PaulAsaran]

You can has review!

[PonyofEntropy]

Great story!