> A Bully to Remember Me by
>  by Silver Arctic Wolf
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Bully to Remember Me by
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A loud rap of knocking at her door woke Rainbow Dash up from her midafternoon nap. That made her quite irritable and grumpy. “Darn it, why is someone bothering me when I’m trying to take a nap! It better not be Zephyr again! Seriously, if he comes over her one more time, I’m going to move! I can’t believe Fluttershy gave him my address… He’s the last pony I wanted to know where I lived. Grr, she just gives it out to anyone who asks: Twilight, Scootaloo, and even my parents! Don’t they all know I live up here because I don’t want to be disturbed while I’m napping?”
As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and grumbled, she made her way to the door. She revved up for a “For the last time, Zephyr, go away!” but the pony at the door wasn’t Zephyr Breeze. It was the only three ponies worse than Zephyr Breeze. Three classmates from flight camp—Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score—stood in front of Rainbow Dash’s house. All three were bullies who had picked on both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “What do you three want?”
The three donned sheepish looks and scratched their heads. That was a little unusual. The jerks probably wanted some favor or something. That’s the only reason they wouldn’t bust out the insults, and call her Rainbow Crash. Well, whatever it was, Rainbow Dash had no intention of helping them. After their years of abuse, they could just fend for themselves.
“Hey, so…” Hoops stepped forth. He rubbed his hooves together, and still wouldn’t look at Rainbow Dash. 
“Spit it out! You’ve already wasted enough of my time!”
“Right…” Hoops nodded. “So, we sort of realized that… we weren’t very nice to you when we were in flight camp… Or after that… And we came to apologize…” Dumb-Bell and Score solemnly nodded in agreement.
Rainbow Dash gaped. This was probably the biggest shock she’d ever gotten in her life. “Say what?”
“We know we bullied you and Fluttershy in the past, calling you mean names, so we were hoping…” Hoops said.
“Wait a minute, you were mean to Fluttershy and me just a little while ago!” Rainbow Dash made an exasperated face and threw her hooves into the air. “Are you telling me that you just woke up one day and realized you were bullies?”
“Well…” Hoops stared at the ground and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, kind of…” Hoops seemed a bit hesitant to answer. “We were … doing a lot of self-reflection … and stuff.”
Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. “So what, you apologize and I’m just supposed to forgive you?”
“No… We were hoping we could make it up to you somehow,” said Hoops.
“You know, like making amends,” Dumb-Bell added.
“And so… We wanted to know if it was possible…” Hoops put his hooves together and with a pitiful look, raised his head and looked Rainbow Dash square in the face. “…that you and us could be friends.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These boys from flight camp, these bullies, her and Fluttershy’s childhood tormentors, were asking her to make nice and be friends. Her answer was obvious. She didn’t want anything to do with them, so she’d tell them, “No, get lost!” That’s what she wanted to do. But in the back of her head, she heard Twilight saying something like, “Give them a chance. Do you really want to leave things the way they are? Here they are, trying to better themselves, and you can help with that. It’s better for all of Equestria that they learn to be nice instead of letting them stay bullies.” Yeah, Twilight would probably say something like that.
Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth and rubbed the back of her head. “Dang it, Twilight… Now you’re nagging me even when you’re not here…” Sighing, she looked at Hoops and said, “Alright, fine. We can be friends... I guess.”
The three boys brightened. Hoops shook Rainbow Dash’s hoof. “You won’t regret it! We’re going to make things up to you! Promise!” The other two grinned and nodded in agreement.
“Alright.” Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof out of Hoops’s grasp. “So… Is that all? Because I was kind of in the middle of…” She glanced back into her house. She really wanted to get back to her nap.
“Come on, Dash, you should let us treat you to a bite! You know, as part of making it up to you. We took a day off from the weather factory so we could.”
“Well, that’s nice of you, but you really don’t have to—”
At that moment, a newcomer to the scene landed at Rainbow Dash’s door. A tall newcomer with a smug smile and flamboyant bearing.
“Oh no…” The corners of Rainbow Dash’s lips drooped down.
In a smooth voice he said, “Hey, Rainbow Dash, how’s it going? And who are these fellows? Well, are you going to introduce me to your friends here or what?” Not waiting for a reply, Zephyr Breeze put a hoof around Hoops and Dumb-Bell. “Hey guys, I’m Zephyr Breeze. I’m Rainbow Dash’s soon-to-be special somepony.” In a whisper, he added, “As soon as she works up the courage to ask me. She’s shy, you know. But she’s totally crazy about me.”
Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue. “Ugh. Only in your warped head.” After running her hoof down her face, she pointed to Hoops and the other two. “This is Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score. They’re, uh… my friends. And this—” She pointed to Zephyr. “Is Zephyr Breeze. He’s… my friend’s brother.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine!” Zephyr shook hooves with each of them.
Once Zephyr let go of them, Hoops and the other two took a step back to watch in silence, perhaps not wanting to intrude. It wasn’t their place to interfere. At least, not yet.
“So, Dashie, miss me?” Zephyr asked.
“Zephyr, how many times do I have to tell you to stop coming here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Zephyr chuckled. “Oh, you’re so shy, Rainbow Dash. But I know you love seeing me.”
“No, I really really don’t. You’re annoying and I wish you’d leave me alone. And could you just go already? I’ve got no time for you. I’ve got enough today dealing with these guys.”
Zephyr elbowed Score and winked at him. “She says that, but she doesn’t really mean it. She just has a hard time admitting to her true feelings.”
“Ugh…”
“Say, Rainbow Dash, want to grab a bite to eat?” Zephyr asked. “It’ll be romantic. Just the two of us. Plus my sister, of course. I need to borrow some bits.”
“Uh, no…” Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up when an idea came to her. “Sorry, I can’t, because these guys already said they’d take me out.”
“Oh, well, that’s fine. Some other time then. But of course, I can join all of you—”
“Hey!” Hoops barked. He turned to Rainbow Dash. “Is this guy bothering you?”
Intimidated, Rainbow Dash shrunk a little. Uncertainly, she replied, “Uh… Kind of?”
“I thought so.” Turning to Zephyr, he said, “Didn’t you hear her? She said to get lost.” Backed up by Dumb-Bell and Score, he stepped up to Zephyr and poked him in the chest. Hoops had been listening to the whole conversation, and he now had a good idea of what was going on. And he knew Zephyr had to be put in his place. “Have you been harassing our friend, Rainbow Dash?”
It didn’t take much to intimidate Zephyr, and getting surrounded by three tough-looking pegasi was too much for him. Trembling all over and cowering on the ground as he was, it took a second before he responded. Gulping, he said, “No, I wasn’t! I…”
“Well, you’re bothering her, so get lost and don’t come back!” Hoops yelled.
With a nervous chuckle, Zephyr said, “Alright. That’s fine. Wouldn’t want to impose.” He looked terrified as he backed away, and he flew off faster than Rainbow Dash had ever seen him go before.
As the scene played out, Rainbow Dash could only watch with her mouth agape, uncertain of what to do. She gave a nervous chuckle once Zephyr was gone. “Well, he did kind of deserve that and I’m glad he’s gone, although… that did seem a little harsh. But he wouldn’t listen to anything I said, so maybe it’s okay.” She had to admit that it would be nice if Zephyr left her alone from now on, but she still couldn’t help but feel a guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It was in a state of shock that Rainbow Dash watched the whole scene play out. She hadn’t known what to do. And now that it was over, she wasn’t sure how she felt. “Well… That was a little harsh… but maybe it got through to him? He wouldn’t listen to anything I said.” She had to admit that it would be nice if Zephyr left her alone from now on. But she still couldn’t help but feel bad.
“See, Dash? We’re already helping you out. I’ll bet you have lots of stalkers like that, since you’re so famous. It could really pay to have us around.”
“Well… Maybe,” Rainbow Dash said uncertainly.
“So, you ready to go?” Hoops asked, smiling. 
“Oh, yeah, but…” Rainbow Dash glanced at the sun. “Ohhh, is that the time? Wow, we’ve sure been talking for a while. But I’ve got to get to that Wonderbolts training session today.”
“Cool. We’ll come watch. And we can hang out afterwards.”
“Watch?” Rainbow Dash sighed. There was just no shaking them. “Alright, fine.”
With her new friends in tow, Rainbow Dash headed to the Wonderbolts training area. Hoops and the other two sat down in the stands with Rainbow Dash’s parents, as Rainbow Dash met up with the other Wonderbolts in the locker room. They had a pretty ordinary practice, doing flight formation drills and aerial maneuvers. Rainbow Dash did notice her parents were unusually quiet, but she didn’t think much of it. They’d been cheering loudly and obnoxiously at the beginning, but she’d told them to knock it off. They must have decided to listen for a change. Other than that, nothing happened until the end of practice. Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score just watched quietly in the stands as Rainbow Dash did her drills.
“Good work today, everyone,” Spitfire said. “If we keep this up, we’ll be more than ready to show our new moves at the show next week. Alright, dismissed!”
“Hey, Crash, what’s up with your parents?” Soarin’ asked as he flew up alongside Rainbow Dash. “They were quieter than usual.”
“Yeaaaah…” Rainbow Dash glanced over at the stands. Her parents looked a tad anxious, and there was a gleam of fear in their eyes. “Ah, darn it… They’re not upset that I yelled at them, are they? Guess I’ll have to apologize.”
“Well, Spitfire’s has been letting it go, but they are breaking regulation being here and making so much noise. Anyway, see ya later, Rainbow Crash!”
Out of thin air, Hoops appeared to block Soarin’s path to the locker room. With a scowl on his face, he jabbed Soarin’ in the chest and said, “Hey, you do not call Rainbow Dash that!”
“Whoa!” Confused, Soarin’ glanced about at the three ponies who had surrounded him. “Uh… What? But that’s her nickname…”
“We’re not going to let anypony call her that ever again!”
Soarin’ scratched his head. “Uh… Who are you guys?”
Rainbow Dash zipped in and shoved Hoops and his gang away from Soarin’. With a nervous chuckle, she looked back at her fellow Wonderbolt and said, “Would you please excuse us?” She then pushed Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score to the ground so she could give them an upbraiding. “Alright, seriously guys, what are you doing?!”
“We’re just trying to protect you. That guy was calling you Rainbow Crash, just like we used to when we were bullying you.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Crash, did you invite more civilians to our practices?” Spitfire let out a sigh and shook her head.
As beads of sweat dripped down her face, Rainbow Dash forced a grin. “Uh, no, it’s not like that—”
“Hey, don’t call her that!” Hoops got up in Spitfire’s face.
“Don’t call her what?” Spitfire lowered her sunglasses. There was a dangerous look in her eyes. 
“I think you know what! Don’t call her Rainbow Crash!”
“Or what?”
“Okay! That’s enough guys!” Rainbow Dash jumped between the two. She got caught by Spitfire’s killer glare, but she managed to push Hoops away before things got too ugly. She apologized to Spitfire, then turned to Hoops and the other two. “Look, you guys don’t need to worry about them calling me Crash! That’s just what they call me, and I’ve accepted it as part of who I am. They don’t mean anything bad by it.”
Hoops put his hoof to his chin. “I don’t know… Sounds like hazing. You sure?”
“Absolutely sure! The Wonderbolts are all my comrades and I trust them! Now, let’s get out of here! You wanted to grab a bite, right? Then let’s go to Sugar Cube Corner!” Taking flight, Rainbow Dash put her hooves around the three and shoved them away from the training course and back towards Ponyville before they could cause any more trouble.
On the way to Sugar Cube Corner, they bumped into Twilight. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the company Rainbow Dash was keeping.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, uh… Just hanging out with these guys. Old friends from flight school, you know.”
“What? But you said you were going to come over and study Wonderbolt history with me!”
“Oh. Was that today?” Rainbow Dash did remember some sort of conversation with Twilight like that. “I mean, do we really have to do that? I passed that test, so what’s the point? I know enough Wonderbolt history, don’t I?”
Twilight sighed. “I know you passed their test, but there’s a lot more to learn. As a Wonderbolt, you should show your pride by learning all of the finer details! And another thing, you should really hone your studying skills, in case you ever need to use them again!”
“Alright, geez! I’ll study after this! Happy, Twilight?”
“Hold on. You don’t have to do that.” Hoops stepped in and cast his shadow over Twilight. “Why are you trying to force her to do something she doesn’t need to do? If Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to study, then she doesn’t have to! Just because you’re the Princess of Friendship, doesn’t mean you can tell Rainbow Dash what to do!”
Twilight balked and took a step back as Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score advanced towards her.
“Hey, it’s cool guys!” Rainbow Dash pulled Hoops and the other two away from Twilight. “That’s just typical Twilight, you know. She’s actually trying to help me out in her in her own bookish way.”
“Is that so?” With his eyes hidden behind his mane, Hoops scrutinized Twilight a moment.
“A word, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight pulled Rainbow Dash aside. “Are those guys really your friends? I didn’t think you had any friends from flight school besides Fluttershy. But you did mention some bullies…”
“Um…” Rainbow Dash grimaced and rubbed the back of her head. “Well, see you later, Twilight!”
“Hey! Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow Dash hurried her friends down the road, away from Twilight and towards Sugar Cube Corner.
“Yoo-hoo! Rainbow Dash! Over here, darling!”
“Oh, what now?!” Rainbow Dash muttered.
With a big grin, Rarity walked up beside Rainbow Dash. “Always lovely to see you, darling, but who are these dashing fellows you’re with? Do introduce me.”
“Oh, hey…” Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a sheepish look. “These are some… friends… from flight school. They were going to treat me to a bite at Sugar Cube Corner.”
“Oooh, indeed? Mind if I tag along? I’m a bit lonely today without Spike.”
“Uh… You sure? My friends are kind of…”
“Nonsense, darling! I’m always glad to make the acquaintance of stallions like these fellows! So big and strong, probably able to carry, say, five bags of gems and cloth each, don’t you think?”
“Uh… I don’t know. I guess so.”
Thus, Rarity invited herself into their group. She chatted with Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score, though they didn’t say anything back to her, so she ended up chattering on and on about gems, her dress-making business, and whatever else. The boys’ silence made Rainbow Dash nervous. Every time they did open their mouths, it was to be mean. She was starting to wonder if it was even possible for the three to be nice. 
Upon reaching Sugar Cube Corner, Rainbow Dash cut Rarity off mid-speech and shoved everyone inside. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she muttered, “Alright, we’re here, so I’ll let them buy me some cake or something, and get out of here, and hopefully never have to hang out with them again!” The three had been following her around all day and making trouble, and as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, their little get-together couldn’t be over with soon enough.
Inside, the Cakes were at the counter, and Pinkie was bouncing around behind them. Mrs. Cake asked what dessert they wanted to buy. Hoops dropped some bits on the counter, then looked to Rainbow Dash, as if to ask her what she wanted. Rainbow Dash, in a hurry, just said, “Whatever you have lying around. A cake or something.”
“Oooh! Oooh!” As Pinkie bounce around, she shouted out suggestions. “You want these cupcakes? Or this meringue cake? Black forest cake? Or maybe—”
“Ugh. That one.” Rainbow Dash pointed to a random cake in the display case. It was plain looking, with white frosting. “Can we have that one?”
“Darling, should you be so rash?” Rarity asked. “Shouldn’t you make sure to get something your friends will enjoy? They are the ones paying, after all.”
“They will like it!” Rainbow Dash insisted.
“We’re fine with whatever Rainbow Dash picks,” Hoops said.
“See?”
Rarity wore a concerned look. “Well, alright…”
“What’s the occasion?” Mrs. Cake asked as she set the cake on the counter.
“Reunion,” Rainbow Dash said.
Once they had their cake, they found a bench outside. Rainbow Dash sat down with the cake. Hoops had bought the cake for Rainbow Dash as part of making amends and had no intention of partaking, but Rarity was still under the impression that Rainbow Dash was going to share the cake with her new friends, and thus gave her quite the disdainful look. “W-Well of course they’re going to have some!” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s a cake to celebrate our reunion after all this time!” Since Rainbow Dash insisted that it would help them become friends, Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score agreed to have a slice. 
But Rarity still wasn’t satisfied and had more complaints. She complained how uncouth it was to eat cake on a park bench, and found the whole situation rather lacking in ceremony, and she kept suggesting they change their venue. 
“A sandwich, perhaps. But a whole cake?! This is most unbecoming! One needs a table so the cake can be sliced with proper ceremony!”
“Oh, it’ll be fine! It doesn’t have to be so formal!” Rainbow Dash said. Heedless of Rarity, she took a big bite directly of the cake. She licked frosting from her lips, and wiped some crumbs from her mouth and nose. 
Rarity gasped. “Darling! A lady does not take large bites like that! It is most uncouth! And in front of gentlecolt callers no less!”
Mouth still full of cake, Rainbow Dash said something that sounded like, “What’s the big deal?”
“Don’t tell Rainbow Dash how to eat!” Score yelled at Rarity. Rarity stared back at him, wide-eyed, and shrunk as Hoops pointed his hoof at her. “Just who do you think you are?!”
Rainbow Dash nearly choked on the cake she’d been chewing. Once she’d swallowed it, she cried out, “Stop it! She’s my friend, so don’t yell at her!” This time, she couldn’t hide her annoyance, and her lips curled into a snarl. 
Hoops donned an apologetic look. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash. Got a little carried away, I guess.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes and cast suspicious looks, first at Hoops, then at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash broke out in a nervous sweat. Things were getting tense, when, from behind the bench, Pinkie Pie popped up with a pie in hand.
In a singsong voice, Pinkie said, “Hey, Rainbow Dash! Thought you might want some delicious apple pie to go with that cake!” Pinie took a sniff of the steam rolling off the freshly baked pie and licked her lips.
Rainbow Dash groaned. “We’ve been over this, Pinkie! I don’t like pie, remember?”
Hoops smacked the pie out of Pinkie’s hand; it splattered when it hit the ground. In a low growl, he said, “Rainbow Dash says she doesn’t like pie!”
“Eeek! I’m so sorry! I just forgot! I won’t do it again!” Sobbing loudly, and with tears streaming from her eyes, Pinkie ran back to Sugar Cube Corner. Hoops and his two friends glared at her as she ran.
“Wait just a minute!” Rarity shot a furious look at Rainbow Dash. “I recognize those brutes now! Those beastly fellows are the bullies you and Fluttershy spoke of! Why in Equestria are you acting as though you’re friends?!”
“Uhm…” Rainbow Dash tapped her hooves together. “W-Well, they said they wanted to make amends, so I thought I’d give them a chance.” She shrugged.
With a “Hmph!”, Rarity declared, “They sure don’t seem very sorry to me!” Her mien softened a moment as she looked in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. “Oh, poor Pinkie Pie! I’d best go comfort her. And you’d best get those unruly ruffians in line! Or better yet, send them back where they came from!” With another, “Hmph!” Rarity dashed off to Sugar Cube Corner.
“Not acting very sorry? I was just thinking the same thing…” Rainbow Dash muttered. Gritting her teeth and turning red, Rainbow Dash turned her gaze to Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score. She just couldn’t hold her anger in. “Alright, seriously! Knock it off! Those are my friends, you know, so stop being mean to them! You made Pinkie cry, for crying out loud! Not even ghosts and ghouls can do that!”
Stymied, Hoops took a step back. “Oh, uh, sorry… I guess we’re still not used to being… uh, you know…” Hoops cringed and stuck his tongue out. “…nice…”
“I can see that,” Rainbow Dash muttered. Feeling stressed out, she curled up on the bench and took another bite out of her cake. And another. In spite of what she’d said earlier, she didn’t share any of the cake. Hoops and the other two didn’t deserve any after all the intimidating and threatening they’d done. They just watched in silence as Rainbow Dash ate half a cake. Muttering with her mouth full of cake, Rainbow Dash said, “Celestia! I wish they’d just go away already!”
“Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Upon spotting Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo came running. When she got close, she started hopping around like Pinkie Pie. “Ooh, ooh! Can we hang out?! Can we?! Can we?!”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up, and she tried to say Scootaloo’s name, but her mouth was full of cake, so it came out muffled. But her elation soon turned to horror.
Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score formed a wall in front of Rainbow Dash and barred Scootaloo’s way. Hoops looked back and asked, “Who’s this foal? She bothering you?”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash said. She peeked over the three’s shoulders and got a glimpse of Scootaloo cowering.
“I-I just wanted to hang out with Rainbow Dash!”
“Wait, I know who she is!” said Dumb-Bell. “She’s that pegasus who can’t even fly!”
“Are you kidding me? At her age?” Hoops burst out laughing. “You can’t even fly yet? Why would Rainbow Dash want to hang out with you?”
After glancing at her wings, tears dripped from Scootaloo’s eyes and her lip quivered. “B-But she always hangs out with me!”
“She probably just felt sorry for you because you can’t fly.” Hoops said. “Doesn’t mean she likes you!”
“Hey! Stop it!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Oops… Hey…” Hoops turned back to Rainbow Dash and whispered, “You don’t have to take on charity cases like this handicapped foal. Let us deal with her. We can help her so you don’t have to. We can even help her learn to fly, if that’s what you—”
“No, no, no!” Enough was enough; Rainbow Dash’s rage erupted forth, and snarling and fuming, she came down upon the three, causing Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score to cower and quake like little foals. “I’ve had it with you three! Don’t you say another word! I like hanging out with Scootaloo! I like Scootaloo! She’s like a sister to me, and she’s awesome! So stop picking on her! You said you’ve changed, but now I can see you’re still the same bullies you were back in flight school!”
Scootaloo wiped away her tears and smiled. But now it was Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score’s turn to cry.
“B-But we were just trying to make amends!” Dumb-Bell said.
“How?! By bullying all my friends?! Enough is enough! Stop following me! Just leave me alone!”
“If that’s what you want…” With a sad look, Hoops nodded at Score and Dumb-Bell. “Come on, guys. Let’s go.” The three of them slinked away with their heads hanging. “We really haven’t changed. Maybe we don’t deserve to ever be forgiven…” The other two nodded. None of them looked back.
Rainbow Dash snorted as she watched them go. Then she took a deep breath. She looked at the little filly whose eyes were still red from crying. Scootaloo was watching the three as they departed. Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo into a hug. “I am so sorry, Scootaloo. Everything those three jerks said was totally wrong. But don’t worry: I’ll make sure they never bother you again.”
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo cast a sad look at the ground. “I’m okay now, but… you know, those guys looked sad too.”
“Yeah, so what? Who cares about them?”
“I don’t know. This is probably stupid, but I think… Well… maybe they just don’t know how to be nice? Like, maybe they just need some help? It’s just that they remind me a little of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon…”
Rainbow Dash set Scootaloo down. Could it be true? Could it be that the three bullies didn’t know how to be anything but bullies? Had they actually been trying their best? Thinking back, Rainbow Dash realized they had been making an effort to be nice to her, if not to everypony else. After coming to a decision, Rainbow Dash grimaced and scratched the back of her head. “Darn it! Fluttershy would be better at this kind of stuff!” 
“Yeah! You get ‘em, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cheered her on as she dashed after the boys. Being such a fast flier, Rainbow Dash caught up to them in no time.
“Hey, guys, so…” Rainbow Dash donned a sheepish look as she tried to figure out what to say.
Hoops waved her away. “No, no, you were right about us, Rainbow Dash. Our whole lives, we were afraid of not being tough enough, so we put down everyone around us instead. We really don’t know how to be anything but bullies. Don’t waste any more of your time on us.”
“Are you guys crying?” Rainbow Dash had to lift up their manes to check their eyes, but each of them was definitely crying. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash said, “Look, I know what I said, but… I think you guys just need some help to be nice. You’ve been mean your whole life, so it won’t just come naturally. But I think it’s great you’re trying to change, and I want to help you however I can.”
Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score all sobbed.
“We’re sorry, Rainbow Dash. After reading your friendship journal, we realized how awful we were and we just wanted to make amends, but it turns out we can’t even do that right!” said Dumb-Bell.
“Don’t tell her that, stupid!” Hoops gave Dumb-Bell a smack on the head.
Rainbow Dash smiled. “You read our friendship journal? I guess that would make you think, huh?”
Hoops crossed his hooves in front of himself. “Yeah, but it’s totally embarrassing to admit to reading that sissy thing, so…”
“I won’t tell a soul,” Rainbow Dash said. She extended her hoof. “So what do you say? Want to try the whole friendship thing again?”
“Seriously? You mean it?”
“Yeah! Let me help you be less mean.”
With tears of joy, Dumb-Bell and Score hugged Rainbow Dash. Hoops looked at the two with a look of embarrassment. “You guys…”
“Come on, Hoops! Bring it in!” Rainbow Dash said, waving her hoof at him.
“Ugh…” With great reluctance, Hoops got close so Rainbow Dash and the other two could pull him into their hug. He made a face and rolled his eyes, but when nopony was looking, a small smile crept across his lips.
Rainbow Dash spied a little purple dragon heading for the spa. “Spike! Great timing! Take a letter!”
“Ugh. Are you kidding me?” Spike said. He rolled his eyes as he got out some parchment and a quill. “Alright, but make it quick. I’ve got a facial treatment scheduled in ten minutes.”
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Celestia: today I met up with some ponies from my past who used to bully me. They wanted to make amends, and I learned a lot from them. Like how everypony has things in her past she might regret, and times when she hurt others, and that it’s important to try and make up for that. But sometimes you can go about making it up to others in the wrong way, and if we fall back into old habits, we might just do even more wrong. That’s why we need friends to help us out, and help us become better ponies. And if your childhood bullies come to you asking for forgiveness and trying to improve themselves, then you should lend a hoof. Even if they stumble along the way, you can’t just turn your back on them. Sure, you have to keep them from hurting your friends again, but as long as they’re earnestly trying to become better ponies, then we should help them, because in the end, if you can reform somepony, even if just a little, Equestria’s a better place. Sincerely, The Most Awesome Flier in Equestria, Rainbow Dash.”
“Alright, got it.” With a grumpy look on his face, Spike used his flame breath to send the letter to Celestia, then headed into the spa.
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “That dragon. He can be so fussy sometimes.”
Hoops pursed his lips. “Yeah, but that’s… alright. Right? We shouldn’t make fun of him or laugh, because we have to be nicer.”
“Now you’re getting it! See, you guys can do it. It can be alright to pull pranks and poke fun at your friends sometimes, but you guys have to focus on being nice. Stick with me, and I’ll teach you how to do it. You don’t have to be all flowery and huggy all the time to be nice. I think the Rainbow Dash way of being nice will be compatible with you guys.”
“Really? I was kind of scared to be honest, but ‘the Rainbow Dash way’ does sound doable…”
“Hey, by the way, we have to make amends to Fluttershy too!” Dumb-Bell said. “Know where she is?”
Rainbow Dash chuckled, but then she turned serious and put Dumb-Bell and Hoops in a choker hold. “I am not letting you three anywhere near Fluttershy. No offense, but you’re not ready for that. You can make your amends to her only when you have my say-so. Got it?”
“Got it,” Dumb-Bell and Hoops said.