"What I'm about to tell you... doesn't leave this rooftop, squirt." She looked down at me. "Y'hear?"
"Mmmhmmm." I nodded as I sat beside her on the hotel rooftop in downtown Ponyville. "Although I haven't heard anything yet."
"Smartflank."
"Heehee."
She smiled, but it was a brief thing. She stared off at the setting sun. "I've... been with special someponies before. Er... well... most of them were ponies."
"Huh?"
She waved a hoof. "Never mind. Too technical. Anyways..." She went on. "I've been in relationships and... and while a bunch of them were pretty much stupid and meaningless, there were... at least two that were super huge. And... uhm..." Rainbow Dash winced. "Egads... why am I even telling you this? You're just a kid."
"Nothing leaves this rooftop, remember?" I said. "Besides us, of course."
She looked at me. With a serious breath, she murmured, "They were bad... super sucky... I mean really bad relationships." She slowly shook her head. "Like... no self-respecting pony would ever go through the kind of stuff I did... and for as long as I did."
"But... you are a self-respecting pony, Rainbow Dash!" I blinked. "You're awesome!"
"I like to show off." She squinted. "Demanding respect and praise are two very... very different things." A sigh escaped her lips. "Y'know... you're super awesome, kid."
"Heehee... you think so?"
"But having respect is way cooler. Trust me." Her eyes narrowed. "I want you to promise me that whatever you do in life... whoever you decide to hang out with—special somepony or not—that you make sure they respect you... and that they treat you right."
"Uhhhh..."
"Can you promise me that, kiddo?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. "Furthermore, can you promise yourself that?"
"I... I dunno." I gulped and shrugged. "I guess?"
She sighed. With a tired smile, she ruffled my mane. "Good enough. I'll be looking after you in the meantime, in any case."
"But Rainbow Dash..." I brushed her hoof aside to get a better look at her. "If you care so much about respect... how come you... like... had special someponies who didn't respect you?"
Her ears drooped. "...force of habit, kid."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "...mmmm..." She squinted into the sunset. Her voice took on a dull, muttering tone. "...it means that ponies bred into sadness and pain start looking for it when they get into a relationship." She gnashed her teeth slightly. "Familiarity is a poor substitute for completeness."
"I... I-I don't get it..."
"And you know what? Me neither. At least... not until a long time has passed." She shuddered. "...and you can't tell the wounds from the scabs... but they both hurt all the same... and shame stings the worst."
"But... but you're not with any miserable pony now, are you?"
"Hah!" She snickered suddenly, eyes rolling. "Nope! Thank Celestia..."
"Then why be unhappy, Rainbow Dash?" I asked. "You're surrounded by ponies who love and care about you, aren't you?"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Yeah..." She shuddered. "Fancy that."
I stared at her in confusion.
"I guess..." She fidgeted, brushing her mane back. "...being so close to pure happiness... and knowing you're not a central part of it... is a familiar shade of misery all on its own." She bit her lip.
I blinked. Holding my breath, I scooted over and then hugged her side. Tightly.
She looked down at me. "What gives, kid?"
"I... I think I've been where you are, Rainbow Dash," I said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
I looked up at her, eyes soft. "I've had ponies tell me that I'm 'home'... or that I'm 'in a good place.' But I just couldn't feel it."
Rainbow's eyes darted about. At last, she murmured, "What changed?"
"Nothing," I said. "Except..." A tender smile. "...ponies I cared about made it clear that they'd be there for me, even if my unhappiness didn't make sense. Ponies like Sweetie Belle... Apple Bloom." A deep gulp. "You."
She stared at me. A crooked smile formed. "That simple, huh?"
"I guess..."
"Sure..."
I leaned against her warm coat. My eyes closed. "Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"... ... ...did you really save Apple Bloom?"
"Can you still keep a secret?"
My lips smiled beneath closed eyes. I sniffled. "She's happy for being alive. I'm happy for her being alive." I looked up at her. My vision was foggy. "I'm... pretty sure that Applejack's happy too." I gulped. "Isn't that enough?"
Silence.
She rested a soft wing around my side. In such a sisterly embrace, we stared at the dying day.
"I should hang out with you more often, Scoots," Rainbow breathed.
"Mmmhmmmm..." I nodded. "I love cupcakes too."
We laughed. And somewhere, between blinks, the afternoon ended.