Chapter 8: The Aftermath

In the week that followed the battle many things happened. Grayback and his team had been taken into custody. Shining Armor managed to get the location of their hideout from the thieves and he investigated it. He and his team of ponies found all of the belongings that the foursome had stolen and all of them were used as evidence in their trial. Each member had been found guilty of theft and assault and they were all sent to prison for five years. The owners of the stolen goods had been overjoyed to see their belongings returned. Lightning Dust had been given a free cannon as compensation for her loss as well as a reward for assisting in capturing the thieves. Gilda, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy were given awards for outstanding heroic efforts by Shining Armor at a formal ceremony.

Lightning Dust may have been released from the hospital but she was still grounded for another week. However the daredevil refused to let that get to her. She used her newly acquired cannon to try and perfect her stunt. If she wasn't launching herself from it she was sprinting through the streets of Ponyville. Lightning Dust still pushed herself to the limit. She did not want to be out of shape when her wing healed up. She felt that it would be harder for her to fly if she wound up gaining weight from two weeks of inactivity. Lightning Dust was determined to make up for the week that she had spent lying in a hospital bed. She pushed herself as much as she could. While her wing was still healing, the rest of her body was fine so she saw no reason to stop with her stunts.

Applejack had managed to get Sweet Apple Acres running again. The apples that had been recovered were used to make some of the finest cider, pies, fritters, and other foods and drinks around. Sweet Apple Acres had also gotten its share of publicity so they had more business than usual. Rarity meanwhile had been working overtime to fill out all of her massive orders of clothing. Many ponies had been ordering from her boutique since the attack and she was busier and happier than ever before. Fluttershy's life had gone largely unchanged since the events. She had earned her fair share of praise but that was about it. The only important change was that she had gained a little bit of confidence. It wasn't a lot but it was better than nothing.

Pinkie Pie had used the frosting that had been recovered to make up a batch of cupcakes. They were a huge success in Ponyville and other towns. SugarCube Corner's business boomed as orders piled in. Though almost all of the sweet cupcakes were sold, Pinkie Pie saved nine of them for herself and her friends. The group of nine went on a picnic and they all enjoyed the cupcakes that Pinkie Pie provided. Spike meanwhile had gotten some sincere praise from the local townsponies. He was confused since he didn't really do anything but he appreciated the compliments all the same. They meant a lot to him. Twilight Sparkle had been asked to tell the story of the battle by many ponies. She had never seen any fillies be so interested in a story that wasn't fiction so she gladly obliged. The ponies had been in awe of her bravery and fighting prowess. Some fillies wished that they would be like her. Twilight Sparkle had never ever blushed a heavier shade of red before in her life than she did on that day.

Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and Gilda were sitting on a cloud by themselves. They had gotten extraordinary amounts of praise from the townsponies for how they fought the thieves. However right now they wanted to be alone. Gilda had a lot on her mind and Rainbow Dash wanted to be with her.

"You okay G?" the pegasus asked her friend.

"Yeah." Gilda replied though Rainbow Dash knew that the griffon wasn't being honest.

"You're thinking about them aren't you?" she asked.

Gilda sighed as she responded. She knew what Rainbow Dash meant by that question.

"Yeah." she said. "I feel like its my fault that they became thieves. I attacked all of them and now this happens."

"Gilda this is not your fault." Rainbow Dash said firmly. "You did hurt them but they chose to be thieves. They made their own mess. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"I just wish that I could of controlled myself." Gilda said somberly.

"Gilda." Rainbow Dash said quietly. "We all do things we're not proud of. I've made my share of mistakes. But I put all of them behind me. You can't blame yourself for this. They pushed you to your limit. You couldn't just walk away from them." Rainbow Dash's sympathetic expression changed to a mischievous look as she continued her speech. "Don't beat yourself up G. That's my job."

Gilda gave her friend a mischievous grin as she replied.

"Oh really?" she asked. Then she tackled Rainbow Dash and the two of them got into a playful fight. They wrestled with each other and laughed the whole time. Things were finally back to normal for the two friends.

The End!

Author's Note:

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story. I'd like to thank all of you for reading it. Reviews are appreciated as always.