The Bonds of Loyalty

Rainbow Dash drifted in the crisp autumn breeze. She slowly drifted from could to cloud working on precision landings now that the day's preparations for the weather services ramp up to winter were complete. She had a moment of inspiration recently while watching Rarity get tangled in some of her spools of dress making thread thanks to Opalescence getting under hoof. Dash was going to land on a single wisp of cloud, and then using her cloud mould skills turn it into a bungee cord. Then on the bounce back she would leap into a sonic rainboom. A perfect combination of precision, speed and power would sure to keep the wonderbolts thinking about her if she performed it at the next flying competition. Maybe they might even ask her to join them after such a feat of aerial skill. She was about to amp up the speed of travel between clouds when she heard shouting from the school yard far below.

"Stop it!" cried the tiny purple grey unicorn filly. "Stop being mean!"

"But how do you even know she's looking at?" Silver Spoon asked with a sneer. "She could be saying I love you to a muffin!"

"She dropped my new dress in the mud," Diamond Tiara growled. "My Daddy had ordered that direct from hoity toity. Being a klutz and a mail mare, no wonder she's so derpy!"

"Don't call her that!" Dinky Doo brayed. It was then that the Cutie Mark Crusaders who had been watching the exchange decided to interject.

"Well what's with her eyes?" Applebloom asked.

"Why can't she fly straight?" Scootaloo inquired.

"What kind of cutie mark is a picture of bubbles?" Sweetie Belle queried.

Dash had heard enough. She leapt from her cloud, folded in her wings and let gravity do the rest. The young fillies failed to see the rainbow streak falling towards them as the continued to pressure Dinky Doo about her mother. About fifty feet up, nopony had any idea why pegasi used a griffin measurement system, Dash flared her wings and halted her descent. She still landed with a load thud. Not that it was heard over the deafening yell of...

"Enough!"

She held her wings high and her head thrust out forward. A traditional dominance posture in a pegasus's body language. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara bolted like race ponies from the gate. The crusaders were awestruck. Dash folded her wings back in and turned to comfort the small unicorn filly.

"You okay dinks?" she asked.

"Auntie Rainbow," she cried. "They were saying mean things about my mommy."

"Don't worry I'll make sure they don't do it again," Dash said. "But what did your mom tell you to do if this happens?"

"That I should tell Miss Cherilee," Dinky replied. "I better go tell her then, I don't want to disappoint mommy, thanks auntie Rainbow.

The tiny unicorn filly trotted off happily.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "That was awesome Rainbow Dash!"
The blue pegasus turned and gave the girls a dirty look.

"I'm disappointed in all you guys," she said in a harsh tone. "Sweetie Belle, Applebloom what would your big sisters think. And you scoots, doing this after Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have teased you about your cutie mark and not being able to fly yet."

Scootaloo was tearing up. Rainbow Dash, her hero, didn't think she was even one percent cool any more.

"Aw, I'm sorry Scoots," Dash said wrapping a wing over the upset filly. "I just thought the three of you would know better than to tease anypony."

"We weren't teasing none, well we didn't mean to," Applebloom said. "We just wanted to know why Dinky's mom is so..."

"Derpy?" Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Don't call her that," Dash said.

"But the mayor called her that," Scootaloo whimpered. "When she went north to get the birds during last winter wrap up."

"Then I'll have to yell at the mayor to," Dash said. "But I understand it's 'casuse you don't know how awesome Ditzy is."

"You think Ditzy Doo is Awesome?" Scootaloo asked in disbelieve.

"Sure she taught me everything about being a weather pony!" Dash said smiling. "And she saved my life, my life!"

"No way!" all the crusaders said at once.

"Yes way!" Dash said. "My second year in pony we got a strong push of wild weather out of the everfree forest, bad enough the mayor evacuated everyone to the town hall. The plan was to divert the system into the mountains and let it play out. Of course, I'm sorry to say, I wasn't the awesome weather team captain I am today."

"What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I dived in too early," Dash explained. "Ditzy dived in after me before she got her googles on right. She shielded me from the buffeting of gale force winds and took most of the impact of our barely landing when she pulled me out."
"Where you hurt Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

"Just a few scratches," the older pony said. "But some debris got in Ditzy's eyes and the our impact on the ground rattled her brain or something."

"Well that kinda explains a lot," Applebloom said.

"Once we realised she couldn't do weather stuff quite right any more the mayor offered her the mail pony job," Dash explained. "That way Ditzy could continue raising dinky here and we could still get packages after the old mail mare retired back to Cloudsdale."

"Also so the entire town, her friends could make sure she was doing okay after her accident, could make sure she was still doing okay everyday," Sweetie Belle stated with conviction. "But what about her cutie mark?"

"It always comes back to cutie marks for you guys," Dash sighed. "Before she had Dinky Ditzy Doo used to be in weather R and D, the incident she had in science class as a filly lead to the bubble rain showers you get on last chance to go to the beach day."

"That holiday ain't called that Rainbow Dash," Applebloom said

"Well it should be."

"That's sad," Sweetie Belle said. "She gave up what she's good at to move her for Dinky's sake and now she...well after the accident..."

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash told them. "Her mark fits the mail pony job to, Nopony else can resist the urge to pop bubble wrap, but Ditzy can."

"That kinda makes sense ah'suppose," Applebloom said. "But next you'll be telling use she invented the stuff."

"Oh the story is hilarious," Dash said chuckling. "Who knew one muffin could be the cause of so much trouble."

"Ah don't believe you Rainbow Dash."

"Whatever."

"Hey Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said. "Why does Miss Doo call that one pony earth professor when everypony else calls him doctor?"

"Same reason he calls her ace I guess," Dash replied. "Now lets find your teacher, I'm sure Dinky has explained what happened by now."

"I am very disappointed in the three of you," Miss Cherilee said. "Your just luck Rainbow Dash here explained it was out of unconsidered curiosity rather than malicious intent."

"What's malicious mean?" Scootaloo asked.

"Bad," Sweetie Belle said.

"However I still have to do something to curb such behaviour," their teacher continued.

"I have an idea," Dash said. "Ditzy Doo is going to have a lot of packages to deliver, like a real lot, the closer winter's feast gets. Scootaloo here has a scooter and wagon that could help deliver a few. The other two can help with loading and unloading. I"ll supervise them if you want."

Somehow Scootaloo's face had a beaming smile plastered across it. Her hero knew about her scooter and was going to supervise the punishment to make her a better pony. Her hero, the Rainbow Dash, was going to make her twenty percent cooler.

"Umm it's called Luna's Night now Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle said. "Princess Celestia changed it during her royal message last year."

"Oh yeah," Dash said completely forgetting she had been with Twilight and Spike when Celestia had sent a letter asking for gift advice. It was Twilight who had suggested the name change as a present.

"What a wonderful idea," Cherilee said. "Who knows you might even get your cutie marks while helping Miss Doo."

"Cutie Mark Couriers!" All three crusaders yelled and ran out to find Dinky to see if she wanted a ride home in the wagon. (They would offer her the extra helmet they seemed to have had ever since Pinkie Pie somehow...well it was there now and its best not to think to hard when Pinkie was concerned.)

"Thanks for stepping in on Dinky's behalf Miss Dash," Cherilee said. "I shouldn't condone your actions but I'm at my wits end with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."

"Hmm..." Dash pondered. "I have to see their parents to explain why I scared the saddles off them, but they moved here because they believe small town living builds character right?"

"I believe so."

"So I say we build some character," Dash said. "Two days at the post office during Luna's night card season, a week helping Twilight Sparkle at the library while Spike takes a vacation and finally they should help Pinkie Pie at sugar cube corner making holiday treats for the various parties I know she has planned."

"I must say I'm quite surprised Rainbow Dash," Cherilee said. "I never thought you cared so much for the future of these young fillies as you do."

"Hey I'm just trying to be the awesome role model Scoots and Dinks think I am," Rainbow Dash explained. "Besides I know Pinkie will be able set those two snooty silly fillies right about one or two things."

As the Rainbow mane pegasus left Cheerilee to considered whether inflicting Pinkie Pie on anyone was a good idea. But she couldn't help but feel some of her charges deserved it and would benifit from the experience.