//------------------------------//
// Supermarine Spitfire 
// Story: Friendship is Equal to or Greater than Magic 
// by Fanon Canon 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash was halfway to Cloudsdale in short space of time when she left the library. In her old self this would have been a simple test of her exceptional flying skills, but in her current state it was merely a means of getting to her workplace as fast as her Pegasus form would take her. Unlike her more wide minded friends, there was little pause in her head as she raced through the skies, not out of a lack of knowledge but rather because of a lack of obligation, already the events of the meeting in the library were soundly fading from her mind as the thought of all that workload that awaited her back at base resonated within her head.


Never before had Rainbow Dash been so concerned with thoughts of work, and neither did she care that she was thinking these thoughts all of a sudden. All that she knew was that she was really looking forward to all those rainbows that had yet to be formed.


"Sorry Rainbow Dash no more." The work Pegasus informed her when she showed up again at the productions facility.


"What!" The multi-coloured Pegasus exclaimed in disbelief. "Why?"


"That's it for today." The work Pegasus affirmed themselves. "You've done so much, go home."


"But what am I supposed to do in the meanwhile?" Rainbow Dash pleaded.


"I don't know, go fly or something." The Pegasus suggested.


She would have attempted to plead some more, but the work Pegasus was having no of it, and thus sent her on her way.


Now without any incentive to continue the day, Rainbow Dash quickly succumbed to boredom within mere seconds. She was suddenly remembering a strange fondness for flying but when she took to the skies again in an attempt to enjoy it in a leisurely fashion; she found that there was very little fun to get out of it. So she landed once again, deciding to set off for home and hope that a good book was all she needed right now when she suddenly ran into the familiar faces of Soarin' and Spitfire.


"Well if it isn't the superior specimen." Spitfire noted when the Pegasus of her insult was mere inches away.


Instead of getting all riled up as she most likely would have done in the past, Rainbow Dash simply collected her thoughts and countered almost immediately.


"Please." She began in mock politeness. "It's not a question of whether I'm superior or not. It's just that my actions and feast have clearly spoken for themselves."


"Oh, care to enlighten us?" Spitfire asked eagerly.


"Well. When did you last preform a Sonic Rainboom, huh?" She inquired. "And when were you last referred to as the fastest flyer in all of Equestria."


Spitfire didn't have time to respond over the fury building in her.


"Y'know something." Rainbow Dash continued. "When Princess Celestia herself says you're the fastest flyer, then you probably don't need to join a club."


"So if you're such a crack flyer." Spitfire countered. "Why is it so unappealing anymore, huh?"


Rainbow Dash was suddenly taken aback by her retort, but soon managed to form a response.


"I don't know." She replied with some hint of despair to her voice.


"Is there something wrong?" Soarin' decided to make his entrance into the conversation.


"I don't know." Rainbow Dash repeated, not sure of how honest she wanted to be with the pair she had just insulted.


"Maybe." Spitfire began again. "Maybe you're old. All that flying had lost it appeal and now you want to settle down."


Suddenly those words triggered some kind of fire within Rainbow Dash's heart.


"I am not growing old and I will prove it to you!" She exclaimed and in a few brief seconds, raised her wings and shot off, heedless of any discomfort she may have been feeling but simply possessed to put on a good show to prove Spitfire wrong.


Seeing the small trace that was Rainbow Dash disappear into the distance, the pair of Wonderbolts were left in some measure of shock.


"Well that escalated quickly." Soarin' noted.