Chapter 6- The Stakes are Heightened
The screams are beating all around me; the screams are burning through my ears.
A constant knocking at the door is the only thing that reminds me of reality, reminds me that there is more than just the screams. But they won’t stop, please make them stop.
My cheek is pressed against the cold marble floor of the bathroom; my breath is hot against the tiles. I cannot escape this labyrinth of torture, it is as if I am trapped forever, suffering for an eternity.
Soarin’s voice fills the bathroom, bringing tears to my eyes. “Dash, come on and let me in.”
Rocking back and forth, I mutter under my breath, “Make it stop, please, leave me alone.”
“Alright, sugar cube, Ah’m gonna kick the door in, make sure ya’ll are back far enough, ya hear?” Applejack’s voice joins Soarin’s calls.
“No, we can’t, she may not move back,” Soarin’ says urgently.
“I agree with Soar on this one, AJ,” Twilight’s voice enters the bathroom.
I continue to lie on the floor, sobbing as I listen to their conversation in attempt to cover the screams.
“Dashie,” Soarin’ says softly. “Please, come out. Listen, I’m scared too. We can help each other out, right? Remember what you said in the hospital, Dashie? We need each other.”
Gasping for air, I look up at the door. “Make it stop, Soar, please!”
Soarin’ is silent for a moment before he speaks, “Make what stop, Dashie?”
“The screams, make them stop, they won’t stop, they never stop,” I sob in fear; my head is pounding from the constant screams echoing through my mind.
Hoofsteps walk away from the door then suddenly I can hear Spitfire yell: “Alright every pony, we’ve all been through very traumatic events the past few days, can you please be kind enough to leave us alone for the next few days?”
After a few moments, they finally begin to dim down slightly, returning to the dull throbbing in the back of my mind.
“Is that better, Dash?” Spitfire asks gently through the door.
Although they are not as loud as they were a few moments ago, they are still there, viciously gnawing at the back of mind. Still, I don’t want them to think any differently of me, so I follow my mother’s advice which was always to put a brave face on, even if I was shivering in my horseshoes.
Slowly, cautiously, I reach up and unlock the door, before sliding back against the wall, shielding myself for what is to come next.
My friends rush in the moment they hear the door unlock, but they keep their space. The only pony that walks towards me is Soarin’, who silently scoops me up under his wing and holds me close.
I push my pain back into its mental bottle and force a smile upon my face. “Sorry every pony, I’m fine now, just a couple of flashbacks.” I laugh uneasily, “But, it’s all okay now!”
Every pony shares worried glances between them before they all nod slightly; partly accepting that what I’m saying is true. Slowly, every pony begins to file out of the small bathroom, back into the main part of the library. I go to follow on, but Soarin’ holds me back.
“Dash, I know you aren’t okay,” Soarin’ states the moment we’re alone.
I’m silent for a few moments, contemplating whether or not to let out all the pain I feel and show him how weak I really am. “I’m fine, just a few flashbacks, you know?” I laugh nervously.
Soarin’ looks at me intently. “Remember, we’ve both been through the same things, Dashie. I know how bad the flashbacks
can be, but I can see that you’re getting them a whole lot worse. Let me help, please.”
Sighing, I look up at the Wonderbolt. “Fine, but can we just make the rest of the day with the others good, I don’t want to ruin your time with your friends anymore than I have already.”
Soarin’ kisses my mane softly. “You haven’t ruined it. But we should get back to them.”
We walk out into the main part of the library together, side by side. Every pony is sat together in a circle around the room, as Pinkie Pie tells some random story.
“... And I said, ‘No way, I can’t eat that tomato, it’s full of onions.’” Pinkie finishes off, leaving the room-including the ponies who were listening from the beginning- sitting in confusion.
Soarin’ and I share a glance before shrugging it off and accepting that it’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.
“So, Rainbow, do you want to have a race with us?” Spitfire says.
Fleetfoot, Wave Chill and Rapidfire all step forward and I look at them in shock. “It’ll be embarrassing when you all lose though, I hope you know that.”
The four challenging Wonderbolts share an amused look before looking at Soarin’, who is chuckling behind me.
“What are you laughing at, dork?” Spitfire shoots a glare at Soarin’.
Soarin’ is now lying on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. “Sorry, but she’s right, she’ll probably kick your flanks.”
Fleetfoot steps forward, her green eyes full of confidence. “Oh really? Well I’m the fastest on the team, so if she won against you it doesn’t mean she’ll beat me.”
“What do I get when I win?” I raise an eyebrow at the Wonderbolt captain.
Around us, my friends have gathered as they listen to the challenge being set forth. Applejack is looking at me with concern, I know she is wondering about my wellbeing, but once I get into the race I can push the screams out of my mind. Anyway, they are only ringing softly in the back of my mind now, so I have gotten used to them pretty quickly.
Spitfire laughs, “If you win, you will get a whole week to hang out with us in Wonderbolts HQ and we will allow you to perform with us in one show in 6 months time-” Spitfire pauses, smiling at the grin which is growing across my face. “-depending on how well you do we may consider allowing you to skip your next training course at the academy and go straight to the entrance exam.”
My eyes widen in excitement. “What about if one of you guys win?”
“You have to wait another year before you return to the Wonderbolts Academy for your second training course, which means you will have to miss this year’s entrance exam to get into the team.” Rapidfire steps forward, a smirk forming across his lips.
Soarin’ suddenly stops laughing. “That’s not fair, we all know that she’s the best Pegasi for the team, the rest of the candidates this year were useless! Excluding Lightening Dust, who was too careless for the team.”
Spitfire is now frowning as she realise what the stakes of this race is. “I agree with Soar, but...” She trails off, leaving the ‘but’ hanging in the air.
Wave Chill steps forward, speaking for the first time. “But, we all know how deals work in the Wonderbolts, once it’s put forward there is no taking it back, no matter what the consequence is. It’s been tradition long before even we were around and you know it Soarin’.”
Soarin' begins to argue back, begging Spitfire to change the rules just this once.
"I can't, Soar, I may be the Captain, but it's tradition," Spitfire says sadly.
I stand frozen between the bickering Wonderbolts; my whole dream has been put on the line here. If I lose this race I will have to wait a whole year until I can continue my Wonderbolts training, which means that there is a chance there will be an even better pony for the job next time round. However, if I win this race, I can perform with them and learn some trademark ‘Bolts tricks. I can show them what I’m really made of and skip my next week of training at the Academy which means that I can possibly be in the Wonderbolts by the end of this year.
Stepping forward, I take in a deep breath and yell, “Quiet!” The whole room stops and stares at me. “I’ll do the race, but I have one rule. Just because you don’t like the stakes that have been put up. You will not cheat; you will all perform to the best of your ability. I want a fair race, and if I do win I want to know that I won fair and square. Deal?”
The four Wonderbolts nod in unison, agreeing to the rules that I have just put forward.
“Okay, deal. Let’s take this outside then,” Spitfire says as she walks forward, obviously annoyed at Rapidfire.
Slowly, I follow every pony outside. I can’t let my fears stop me. If the screams get too much for me to handle then I’ve blown my dream. One traumatic event can’t stop me from achieving my greatest dreams, can it?
I sure hope not.
Sorry, but I hope Spitfire wins.
But at least it'll give you something to work with in your next story!
2642536 I'm not sure which way this is gonna go, but I don't think Spitfire wants to win because she may lose the only good candidate for the Bolts she has
But either way it does give me an option for my next story
rainbow dash! rainbow dash!
2643325 We'll see
2643391 Ah, well I don't even know how this is going to go myself, I'm still indecisive.
Damn, the throwdown! CAN DASH DEFEAT THE WONDERBOLTS? Sure, but she ain't beatin' Fleet!
2643618 Well it all depends whether or not so can pull off the second Rainboom of the day Or Fleet breaks the agreement and slows down I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do so we'll have to see!
2643665
I look forward!
Also, really glad you're using Rapidfire. I like seeing different imaginings of him, since he's the ONE Wonderbolt that hasn't been shown yet.
Speaking of, here's my headcanon Rapidfire.
i.imgur.com/iIihv9n.png
Badass old guy! *swoon*
2643679 Indeed, I never Imagined him as an old guy though, I see all the Wonderbolts in their 20's, possibly early 30's since those are the normal peaks for sports and shizzle XD
But, that does look really good though, I like how his cutie mark is different to the other Bolts regular lightning bolt thing
And I think I kind of wanted to portray him as a bit of a knob But when you get used to him, he can be nice
Really looking forward to writing the next chapter though! It's going to be really fun!
2643715
He might not be the most athletic of them, but that geezer can fight!
Not sure if all male Bolts have that winged lightning cutie mark, though. We've only got to see Soarin pantsless. That's funnier than it has to be.
2643727 I like to think they do, because then that foreshadows Dash's joining the 'Bolts...
But I mean, they aren't all winged, they just have some sort of Bolt in it, like Spitfires is slightly different to the one on the suit (I'm pretty sure?) But yeah...
Aw, Soarin's the only exposed one
2643739
Forgot Spitfire! Her cutie mark isn't even remotely related to the Wonderbolts.
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/6/69/Spitfire_yelling_at_a_stallion_S3E7.png
2643763 Ah, disappointment, the foreshadowing is no longer valid!
I thought it was like the one on her suit, I kinda merged it all together Failness!
Ah well... Still, I do think Rapid is one of the strongest of the group, that's kind of why I made him a cocky knobhead
Loads of people seem to make him speak in cockney though, which really confuses me and I feel as if I'm portraying him wrong
(I don't know why, but Spitfire is adorbs in that picture... XD)
Here's hoping she doesn't get another paralyzing flashback before winning this race!
2643836 Ah! I honestly can't decide! Gosh, I could be a right bitch and cause her to fail, or I could be really boring and let her win? We'll all have to wait and see
You're beutiful...
No but great story!!! I LOVE WHERE THIS IS GOING!!!
DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?
2643784
Cockney? Pssh. I prefer my Boston Italian-American Rapidfire.
Da quicka we get dis over wid, da betta.
Funnier when you make him like 60 years old.
I seriously hope we see Rapidfire in Season 4, though. He was included in that Elements of Harmony Pony Bible!
2647309 Ahh, I like the way you portray him I kinda just do him normally though because, well, I suck at using colloquial language
Oh, I hope so too, it would be really nice to see him actually. Overall, I want more 'Bolts episodes TBH... Like, we haven't really learnt how they work yet. People seem to say they're military based, but I want to find out who powers over them, was there 'Bolts beforehand? Or did Spitfire and Soarin' and whoever else create it recently? Do they have a boss? What are the actual rules of being in the 'Bolts? They're one of the things that they haven't gone into detail about in the past 3 seasons and I'm not really happy about it!
2646430 Stay tuned, I think I've figured out whats going to happen now!
O.O
intense chapter I like it
I cant wait to read the next chapter
Um, Fleetfoot has the same color eyes as Dash.