The brilliant Sunset Shimmer had done it again. She’d let her inner demons take a hold of her, spark that fire within her, and she’d gotten someone burned. This world’s Twilight was no magical princess, she was just an ordinary girl, now running scared and crying because of the flames Sunset spewed.

“Great. Just great,” she said, covering her face, then gripping it. “Can’t I do anything right without messing up?”

Rainbow Dash, holding onto her friend’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze while silently motion for the others to give them some privacy. “So what? You had a slip, blew up a little. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” Sunset said, glowering at Dash. “You say what happened. I was screaming at her. [i]Shrieking[/i] at her like some raging she-demon—” She blinked, seeing Dash flinch just a little. “And I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

“Just simmer down a little. Deep breaths, just like gym warm up, y’know?” Rainbow gave Sunset a little smirk, as she went through the calming rhythms. “Guess I should say ‘Shimmer down’ instead.”

It was enough to bring a flash of a smile across Sunset. “Heh.”

“You good?”

Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “Better.”

“Sweet,” Rainbow replied, giving her a thumbs up. “Look, maybe you said things a little badly. But that happens, it was a mistake. And we just did go through the most dangerous bike race of all time.”

Sunset hummed in response, then gave Rainbow a stronger smile. “Thanks for saving my life, back there.”

Dash grinned, scuffing her chest casually. “Think nothing of it. It’s just what I do.”
“Now you do, I guess.” A pause. “Question?”

“Shoot,” Rainbow said, pointing a finger gun at her.

“Out of everyone in our group, you took to me the quickest.” A curious frown and she asked, “Why?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I see myself in you, kinda.”

Sunset did a double take. “Really?”

“Hey, I wasn’t always as awesome as I am now. I’ve made some pretty bad mistakes too,” Dash said.

Glancing towards the school she almost destroyed, Sunset could only sigh. “Bet you never turned into a demon.”

“Nah. But still, I hurt people.” That brought Sunset’s interest back around. “When I was young, I wanted to be the best athlete ever. I still do but back then, it was just about the only thing I cared about. And I didn’t care about how I got it either.” Sunset perked a brow, prompting Rainbow to continue. 

“I’d do some pretty lousy things,” Rainbow said, rubbing at her arm. “Cheating, mostly. But sometimes, especially during football, I’d just push other kids down so I could get a shot at glory.”

“You were just a kid,” Sunset replied. “You didn’t know any better.”

“Did you?” Rainbow asked, her question the perfect parry. 

Sunset paused momentarily before answering. “I should have.”

“Me too,” Rainbow agreed. “But I didn’t. I just didn’t know how my actions were affecting everyone, and how everyone saw me. I wasn’t some hero or someone awesome to them. I was just a rotten bully.”

Smiling, Rainbow gazed towards her friends, gathered in a circle nearby. “Fluttershy was the first to forgive me. She made me see what the end of the road would be like, if I kept being a bully. Then the others quickly followed suit. I owe them a lot, really.”

Turning back to Sunset, Dash held out her hand. “So I’ve been there, sorta. Maybe not on the same level as you but definitely a similar principle, or something. But whenever you stumble, or fall down, I’ll be there to pick you back up again.”

Sunset eagerly took Rainbow’s hand, feeling a warm glow inside her. “I appreciate it, Dash. And if you’re ever down, I’ll give you some lift, okay?”

Rainbow squeezed Sunset’s hand, then let go, patting her shoulder. “Alright, that’s a deal. I mean, it shouldn’t happen much, but if I’m ever not feeling too awesome one day, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so sincere,” Sunset remarked, smirking.

Rainbow forced out a laugh, nudging Sunset aside. “Yeah, well, guess I’m just feeling like it after saving your life.”

“We’ll go with that, sure,” Sunset replied, looking over to the rest of the group with a smile. “Let’s get ready for the next event.”

“Totally,” Rainbow replied, then immediately ran towards the group, pumping a fist into the air and shouting, “Let’s win this thing!”