Rainbow watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders zip off to Rarity's, grinning. Once they were specks in the distance, the pegasus spread her wings and flew up to her cloud house, leaving behind a trail of rainbow.

Her house was quite grand, with rainbow streams and waterfalls and an elegant construction. The walls were made out of the softest cumulus cloud, and the tips of the windows and such had been artistically curled.

Naturally, Rainbow had made this entire structure herself.

Letting herself into her cloud house-slash-castle, Rainbow flopped down onto her couch, letting her body sink a few inches into the soft cumulus, before drawing her favourite blanket up to her neck and shutting her eyes. Right before Dash flew to dreamland, she was awoken by a slow steady tapping on her forehoof.

Grumbling audibly, Rainbow raised her head, and saw Tank the tortoise smiling at her. He had shunned his goggles, but the magical helicopter rotor on his shell still whirred, keeping Tank on Rainbow's cloud floor. Clutched in Tank's mouth was a yellowing parchment, sealed with the royal symbol.

Rainbow sat up, all napping thoughts forgotten. She gently pried the scroll from Tank's mouth, frowning in confusion. "Thanks, Tank. Now, what do we have here...?"

A faint thought flitted into Rainbow's mind, hissing about the Wonderbolts and a special request and a Sonic Rainboom, but it was instantly dismissed. The Wonderbolts sent their applications on white paper, Rainbow had seen at a Wonderbolt exhibition. And besides, the scroll was sealed with the royal symbol, not the Wonderbolt logo.

A rising sense of anticipation bubbled in the rainbow-maned pony. Trying to lock that particular feeling away, Rainbow managed to break the scroll and lifted Tank up on to the couch so they could read it together.

"Princess Celestia... unknown evil... Element of Loyalty... worthy foal... wait, what?!" Rainbow's eyes, so rose-like in colour, zipped back and reread the letter. Her eyes widened, and the Element of Loyalty threw the scroll on the cloud floor, where, light as a feather, it unfurled.

"NO!" yelled Rainbow Dash, jumping up from the couch and startling Tank, who promptly fell on to his shell. "This CAN'T be HAPPENING!"

Dash stamped her hooves in frustration and began pacing furiously, her wings bursting open in her rage. "The Element of Loyalty is MINE! I was given it, I was worthy of it! Nopony else is as loyal as ME!"

Suddenly, Rainbow stopped in mid-pace, her eyes widening, then dilating.

"That..." gasped the pegasus, "that sounded like... like Rarity... when she was... when Discord..."

The memory came flooding back. Discord... Cloudsdale... wings... abandonment...

"NO!" shouted Rainbow, and a few ponies outside actually stopped and looked up to see what the hay was going on in that cloud house. "No, Princess Celestia has to... but the Elements... uugh... if only I had some time to think..."

Rainbow slumped on to her couch, righting Tank and hugging him. "Tank, what do you think I should do? I don't know anypony who could be the Element of Loyalty... and my friends have probably gotten the same letter... and I really, really, really like my Element..."

Tank blinked, slowly. His face broke into a slight smile, slowly. He turned and bent his head to the floor, slowly. He withdrew, the Element of Loyalty clamped gently in his jaws, slowly.

Rainbow stared. Then, getting the message, took the perfect, pristine Element in her hooves. It really was awesome, all shimmering ruby and lightning-bolt shape and gold wing-like clasps. Rainbow smiled, remembering that time she had met Twilight, and when they had defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord, how she had been the first to shoot, and how Queen Chrysalis had been no match for Shining Armour and Princess Cadence's love...

The pegasus's head snapped up. A grin unfurled on her face, and Rainbow immediately knew what she had to do. Who was worthy? Well, that was easy... And as for liking her Element? Well, she was Rainbow Dash! She would always be, or have been, a Spirit of Harmony, a wielder of Harmony, a bearer of Harmony. And there were tons of kind and generous and laughing and magical and honest and loyal ponies.

There weren't enough Elements to go around, Dash realised. So they had to share. They had to take on other Elements. They had to stay together, strong.

And who knows? thought Rainbow Dash, as she patted Tank and uttered a quick and kind goodbye before taking off. Maybe Scoot isn't such a chicken after all.

---

Meanwhile, in the confines of Carousel Boutique, Rarity was busy holding up a beautiful glittering sapphire to a pegasus-designed dress, wondering if it would look better as a brooch or as a necklace. She was still muttering and brooding when an all-too-familiar cry of "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" snaked its way under the door and into the fashionista's ears.

"Oh Celestia no," groaned Rarity.

A split second later, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom had burst indoors, their coats bringing with them dust and debris. Rarity groaned and tried to usher them out of the Boutique, but to no avail.

"Heya, Rarity!" chirped Sweetie.

"We're tryin' to get our Cutie Marks!" grinned Applebloom.

"That's very nice, girls," panted Rarity, who was trying to keep a hold of Scootaloo with her hoof. "What are you trying to earn today? Your dress-making Cutie Marks?"

"Actually, we were just - " began Sweetie, but was cut off by a curious little Scootaloo.

"What's that?" asked Scootaloo, pointing at the graceful dress Rarity had been so carefully considering.

"Careful!" cried Rarity, as she gave up entirely and let the Crusaders free. She cantered towards her latest creation and flung her hooves in front of it protectively.

"What's 'at, Rarity?" questioned Applebloom, trying to peer around the fashionista's legs.

"It's my new pegasus design," replied Rarity proudly. "Designed for the pegasus who wants to look graceful! It's a gift for April Showers."

The Crusaders looked at the dress, Sweetie and Applebloom in awe, Scootaloo evidently bored. The dress was a light blue, with a white trim. Miniature sapphires glittered on the hem of the dress, and there was a light-blue bonnet with the same trim. The earrings were raindrop-shaped sapphires, and a lone sapphire lay on the floor next to Rarity.

"I just simply can't decide whether I should put this sapphire as a brooch or a necklace," mused Rarity, using magic to levitate the gem to the front of the dress. "I just can't think straight today!"

"Sis," interrupted Sweetie Belle, "what do you think I'm good at?"

Rarity froze in the middle of a rant about what she would use for the necklace clasps. She looked at Sweetie Belle as though seeing her for the first time. Then, as though suddenly regaining her composure, Rarity fell back on all four hooves and cleared her throat.

"Why, Sweetie Belle, you're good at many things!" exclaimed Rarity.

"Like?" said Sweetie eagerly.

"Um... like... drawing!" said Rarity, holding up a rough sketch of herself that had come from her sister's hoof.

Applebloom and Scootaloo rolled their eyes as one. "Not like 'at!" said Applebloom.

"Something she's awesomely good at!" added Scootaloo.

Rarity pondered this for a few minutes, visibly thinking hard. At last, she had an answer ready.

"Singing," said the alabaster unicorn in a small voice.