A Dream in the Wind

by Dream Seeker

Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash had been thinking. Ever since Twilight left to complete her dream, she had been considering chasing her own wish she had since she was a filly: she wanted to be a Wonderbolt. No matter what it took. She glanced up at the poster of Spitfire hanging above her bed, and decided to follow Twilight's example. With a quick push of her wings, she quickly shot off to the local track.

---

Rainbow Dash let out a few gasps before returning to flying laps. Training this hard left little time for anything else. Her speed had improved over the last month, but not a much as it could have been if so many ponies didn't interrupt her! She was beginning to understand why Twilight decided to leave to find a better writing environment. With a smirk, Rainbow realized where she should go: Cloudsdale. Nopony knew her well enough to bother her there, and no pony would be surprised to see her training so hard. She quickly wrote letters to her friends, telling them where they could find her if they really needed to. One Sonic Rainboom later, she was closing in on Cloudsdale. Nothing could slow her training now.

---

"Are you okay?" Applejack asked as she trotted along to clouds to where she saw Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rainbow replied, not stopping her stretching. "Why? What's up?

"You haven't returned any of our letters." Applejack stated, slightly angrily. "All of your friends have been trying to contact you for a whole year now."

"You haven't come to me personally about it until just now. Why?" Rainbow replied.

"Because we hadn't found a pony who knows the cloudwalking spell until yesterday!" Applejack retorted. "Fluttershy couldn't come and we couldn't use a balloon because of new laws that have been passed!"

"Well... Maybe you should have tried harder!" Rainbow shot back. "Now excuse me, I need to get back to my practice! I came here so I could work without being interrupted!"

Applejack tried to pull Rainbow's tail with her mouth as she flew overhead, but was too late. She was already in the sky.

---

Two years later, Rainbow grinned as she entered her application for the Wonderbolts. There was no way she could be rejected! She was the best single flyer in all of Equestria! A few minutes later, the rejection was handed back to her. Rainbow gaped in astonishment. How?

"You may be the best single flyer, but you need to learn to work with a team." Spitfire commented as she left the office. "Do that, and we'll let you in."

Rainbow left with a determined grin on her face. A team? She'd spent three years on this endeavor, she wasn't about to be stopped by a silly little thing like needing a team. She resolved to find the best, fastest ponies in Equestria, and learn to work with them in a team. Led by her, of course. With Rainbow Dash as their leader, they would become the best flying team in Equestria! No, the whole world!

---

A whole year had passed, when Rainbow Dash resubmitted her application for the Wonderbolts, alongside Lightning Dust and Cloud Chaser. They sat nervously, waiting for the big news. Were they accepted? Each one was not only thinking about their own acceptance, but each others. Over the year, the three had learned to work together perfectly, instinctively knowing what each other was thinking through months of constant work and practice. Rainbow Dash no longer cared as much that she was the leader and they were wingponies, but more that they were a team.

"You've learned a lot," Spitfire smiled at them. "All of you have come a long way. Rainbow, you were once the most prideful pony in Equestria. Lightning Dust, you were the least responsible. It is my pleasure to welcome you three to the Wonderbolts Rainbow Dash, Lighting Dust and Cloud Chaser, it would be a shame to separate you after all of this, you may keep your team. In addition, I would like to announce that me, Fleetfoot, and Soarin are retiring today. The Wonderbolts are yours, Rainbow Dash."

"Aww, yeah!" Rainbow declared as she hoofbumped with her partners. "We're Wonderbolts!"

---

Rainbow flew into Ponyville with her wingponies, ready to show off to her old friends. Rarity was the first pony she encountered.

"Hey, Rares!" she exclaimed as she approached.

Rarity's mouth dropped in astonishment. "Rainbow Dash? Where have you been for these past years?"

"I'm a Wonderbolt now!" Rainbow announced pridefully.

"Good for you." Rarity replied unenthusiastically.

Rainbow didn't notice her lack of interest in achievement. "I'm now officially the fastest flyer in Equestria, and my team is the best in the whole world!"

"Was it worth it?" Rarity asked softly. Rainbow took note this time.

"What?"

"Was it worth it, to leave your friends behind? To lose everypony you knew for your dream, to ignore life? I no longer know you."

"You still know who I am!"

"I know who you are, but not who you are. I know who you were. Years have passed, and I've changed. You've changed. Back when we were the inseparable Elements, do you think you would have bothered mentioning your wingponies when impressing me?"

"Well... No..." Rainbow shuffled her hooves, looking down. "I probably would have just told you how great i was, without mentioning my wingponies.

"So, ultimately, was your dream worth it? Losing us? Losing your old life?"

Rainbow thought about it, a frown coming across her face as she reviewed her life. After a few minutes, she finally came to a conclusion.

No, it wasn't.

Author's Note:

I think I've done better than this chapter, but I've also done worse.