Six sleek and toned ponies stood on a clean, windswept platform atop the open-roofed Canterlot Arena. Close-fitting royal blue uniforms failed to hide rippling muscles underneath while gold lightning-pattern piping gave the impression that they were more uniformed electricity than merely elite pegasi. A somewhat diminutive mare stood apart from the rest, clipboard in hoof.
“Alright, 'Bolts, this is it. Same routine we practiced this morning, same lineup.”
A white-maned pony coughed roughly. “You mean, same routine we practiced.”
The rainbow-tailed pegasus standing opposite her kept her gaze locked on her clipboard. “Yes, Fleetfoot, the same routine we practiced, as in ‘we the Wonderbolts’. And you’re on left wing. Rapidfire, right wing. Soarin’, you’re flying slot. Misty on lead solo, Blaze on opposing solo. Captain takes lead as usual.”
Snickering and murmurs erupted from the five ponies assembled opposite her. “Did she just say she likes to take the Captain’s slot?”
Rainbow Dash growled audibly. “That’s enough, ponies. We lost a couple of practice sessions already, so just keep it in line with last week’s show in Hoofington and we’ll be golden.”
She turned her head sharply at the sound of a horn from across the arena and let her clipboard clatter noisily to the floor. Cheers boiling up from the stadium below made her raise her voice to be heard over the din. “Thirty seconds, colts and fillies. Places!” She cantered to the edge of the platform, dropping her forequarters and flaring her powerful cyan wings. A glance behind her showed five ponies who hadn’t moved a hoof. The prismatic mare wearing the stripes of a Flight Captain yelled hoarsely, “I said places, Wonderbolts! You got personal problems, we’ll deal with them in debrief. Get on the ready line or get grounded. Now move!”
The five moved forward slowly and begrudgingly. The goggles on her teammates’ faces barely hid stares dripping with contempt and disdain as the massive blue stallion lined up in the rear whispered icily, “Yes ma’am, Captain, ma’am.”
A double horn-blast from across the arena broke the deafening silence and all six pegasi took off in unison, the crowd’s volume doubling instantly as smoke and rainbow contrails sliced apart the evening sky.
**********
A fire-maned yellow mare sat behind a plain grey desk, so intently focused on a mountain of papers that the sound of her office door creaking open and slamming shut merited no visible notice from her. Moments later a small crystal-base statue capped by a tiny golden pegasus slammed down on the desk, sending folders and binders scattering to either side. Spitfire’s head shot up, eyes wide, until a proud smile crossed her muzzle. “Best in show? Dash, you did it! I knew you…”
“Why am I Captain?” demanded the blue pegasus mare standing in front of her desk, forelegs crossed, a scowl marring her face.
“Acting Captain, Dash. You know why.” Spitfire reclined in her chair and ran a hoof over the little statue. “This trophy proves it - I was right to name you Acting Captain. That little paperweight is yours, Dash." She smiled a sly grin, leaned forward, and purred, "Maybe later we can arrange a better reward for you?” She began to stand but a glare from her partner stopped her cold.
Dash remained stock still and repeated, “Why am I, Rainbow Dash, Acting Captain of the Wonderbolts today? Why is a mare who’s been on the roster six months leading the team?" She slammed her hooves into the desk, which echoed and sent more papers flying. “Why not Soarin’, who’s been here years and who every little filly with a Wonderbolts poster in her bedroom knows is second in command here?”
“Dash, it’s my right to name whoever I want as Acting Captain, and it's my duty to pick whoever I think will do the best job, no matter how long they've been on board.”
Rainbow squinted and leveled a hoof at her commanding officer. “You called in sick. You, Spitfire, have never once called in sick, missed a show, or even a single practice or rehearsal. I know, because I had every one of your trading cards. You faked sick this morning and named me Captain on purpose. Why?”
“Dash, I thought this is what you deserved. You took control of the team and did a great job. If I didn’t think you’d bring home the Best in Show, I wouldn’t have done it. This was,” and her voice wavered just a bit, ears sinking and eyes pleading, “kind of a present for you, you know? I thought I’d give you what you wanted, even if it’s just for a day.”
The younger mare grabbed the trophy and slung it against the wall, sending shattered pieces of a golden Pegasus cascading to the floor. “What I wanted? What I wanted was to earn this. To make you, of all ponies, see that I’d earned this. I’m still an alternate, for Celestia’s sake! Before today, the team only resented me. It sucked but I could live with it. Now they absolutely hate my guts. They despise me. Every one of them knows I got the Captain slot because I’m in bed with the boss. Buck the trophy! I just lost every shred of respect I had from them, and I might never get it back because whatever I do, no matter how good I really am, they’ll always think it’s because you and I are together. And maybe they’re right.”
“Dash, I’m sorry, it was my fault, I thought…”
Dash turned and stalked out of the room, and said without looking back, “Spitfire, the only two things I wanted out of life were a job with the Wonderbolts, and… and you. Now, I’m not sure I want either one.”
As she left a Wonderbolt Captain’s shoulder patch floated gently to the floor.
SHRIEEEEEEEEEK! YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAY! A NEW ADDICTION FOR ME!
Edit: I knew it. Perfection. Instant fave.
Never been a fan of for a series of one shot romantics, but I love this pairing. I shall read.
Forget twidash, I think im sticking to this. Spitfire is the coolest pony ever.
One thing I did notice though was that Dash showed no inclination whatsoever in any of these chapters to want to be with Spitfire. I just dont feel as involved with these relationship crisis chapters as I normally would because I dont feel like the relationship was established as well as it could have been. Not a big problem though, I'm sure you'll have all kinds of stories in this fic as the prompts allow.
Keep up the great writing, you're quickly becoming my favorite author on here.
wow... good luck on this one spitefire
1905619
Thanks! Read on!
1905891
Glad you're giving it a try! That's all I can ask.
1906333
She'll need all the luck she can get. They both will.
1906209
Thanks for the compliment! I understand completely about Dash's side of the relationship not coming through as strongly. That's one of the drawbacks of building this story out of 30-minute writing prompts. I challenge myself to work with the prompts I'm given but sometimes I can't make it work the way I want. Stick around, we'll definitely see Dash's side of the story. Hero worship + lust + confidence issues + crush = not a recipe for a healthy relationship.
You were right, a much darker and tenser ship you have going here. I actually believe you downplayed the dip in emotion when you first announced this story, because this is notches more conflicting and gritty than, say, "Luna's Librarian, Twilight's Moon."
...And yet I crave it. I love fluff with all my heart, but sometimes dark chocolate is indulgent too, right?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
1906552
It won't all be this dark (which is why I avoided the sad/dark tags), but it's definitely not fluffy bunny time. With luck this'll be one of those wrecks you know will be gruesome but you just can't look away from. Also, dark is best chocolate:
2.bp.blogspot.com/_hPfem8Knc5c/TJ6yAFNFiaI/AAAAAAAAAoY/Aq__48r9c7g/s1600/hersheys_special_dark.jpg
1906601
Here, maybe. But keep your eyes on this.
1906620
Happy to oblige!
1906712
Dash may not be sure, but I have a feeling she and Spitfire will be back for more. This is the kind of relationship they only wish they could tear themselves way from.
Spitfire you've lost your touch.
Man, you keep making up new ways to make me love this story even more!!!!!!!!
It. Is. So. AWESOME!!!!
The hell is up with folks and 'snapshots' of characters these days? No offense to you, but is it that hard to flush out a scenario, add in some support, and turn it into a flowing story? It seems that a lot of folks are simply being lazy when they do these, as it is the easy way out from writing an actual story.
Note, I'm not dissing you here, but merely ranting about something that folks keep doing, and most of them poorly at that.
1906988
Good to see you're hooked!
1907110
No offense taken! It's a fair observation. My own reason is what's in the description - I write all these chapters as submissions for the 30-minute writing prompts at TMP. Instead of writing random submissions each time, I try to keep them on theme, or at least in continuity. That lets me build a larger story one slice at a time. I might write the scenes out of order and I often have to do minor editing before I post them here to keep them connected. In the end I can usually crank out at least a chapter a week for each of my ongoing stories thanks to TMP. For instance, I turned tonight's TMP prompt into a chapter for Egghead and Featherbrain, which I'll edit and post later this weekend. I try to keep the stories fresh and interesting and keep the writing at least readable, and hopefully that'll be enough to keep you coming back for more, despite the episodic format.
I LOVE LUNA'S LIBRAYIAN! I WILL READ THIS TOO!
dtlux1
PS: A featured story and only the 20th comment?
wow.... your argument is totally valid. id hate rainbow dash too. this just like in school.
1906741 So they aren't actually gay... they just really, really like eachother? If they are gay then i'm still saying this,
Rainbow Dash was supposed to be all mine!
1907797 Bisexuality is a common trait in fanfics for ponies. There has not been anything to the contrary in this particular one.
Yes...let the hate flow through you Rainbow. Let it seep into you and consume you!
Holy fuck that was a dark thought of mine. I truly am a sadist when it comes to fimfics...
oooohhhh, EDGY.
1907333>>1907948
Oooh, swerve! I've seen her middle name as Elizabeth and Miriam in other fanfics. Spoiler: this time she's Rainbow Aeryn Dash, named after Aeryn Sun from Farscape. She has no complaints about her initials.
1907486
Hope you like them both!
1907797
She is, she was just super-mad at Spitfire at the end of the "Wings" chapter. I'm sure they'll stick together, though everyone around them wishes they wouldn't.
1908156
Dark thought, but this isn't exactly a happy fluffy fic, so welcome aboard!
1908529
Yeah.
1909002
Only in her own mind. To everyone else, she's Rainbow "Spitfire's personal pet" Dash.
1908309
I don't even remember which series it's from
This is just like my clopfic centring around Sparity. :o
Hmmm. I liked the early stages of Luna's Librarian and didn't really get into the Rustic and the Romantic, but I am digging this a lot.
Will watch for more conflicted angst ridden Dashfire.
1908309 Join me Link and I will make your face the greatest in Koridai. Or else you will die!
1910060 Fixed thanks for noticing.
Also NO! NOT INTO THE PIT! IT BURNS!
1910081 Only Link can defeat Ganon.
1909910
Oh, there's definitely more angsty DashFire upcoming! If I may ask, which parts of Luna's & Rustic did you like, and which were you not into? Some parts of those are more angst-ridden than others. And if broken-hearted Dash is what you're looking for, you'll dig my next story Velocity.
1909674
What, what?
1910236 Are you sure it's not lots of spaghetti?
1910124 I have a clopfic that is romantic, slice-of-life, and is very similar to this. :o
1905619 Ah, your highness, may I say snap.
1910241 hmm spaghetti does sound nice :D
1910298 And what about toast?
1910321 I just had some toast with my omelette, not really something you have as dinner, more something to have with dinner
1910334 Did you make that omelette out of cookoos?
1910359 ERR, UM, WHAT?
i don't.... i can't...
1910060
Well, I've never heard of that series, so I guess that Miriam is just a popular middle name for Rainbow Dash
1910294 Ah, humble peasant, do not refer to me as your Highness... Call me Her Royal Highness The Almighty Princess of all Equestria, Miss Rarity.
(Just kidding. )
1910817 hahaha totally just made me giggle :D
I always saw Spitfire as being smarter than this...
1911146
She is, but she's not thinking straight - no pun intended. This will come out more in future chapters: she sees this young hotshot flier, drop dead sexy and with boatloads of talent, and all sense goes out the window. Maybe it's a crush, maybe it's an obsession, or maybe she really is head over hooves in love but has no clue how to show it or deal with it.
1911384
Corrected - thanks!!! I was thinking of Thunderlane. When you're writing a 30-minute prompt, there isn't always time to do the research.
Ack, stop beating my feels!
But in seriousness, I like how unsteady Spitfire seems. Like Rainbow Dash, the reader goes into this expecting the captain of the famed Wonderbolts to be a suitably calm, cool, and collected pony, only to find that her judgement has been seriously impaired by her peculiar infatuation with Rainbow. I have a feeling that this is going to crash and burn spectacularly.
1912421
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4684-shrugdash.jpg
(To answer any unasked questions, no I don't usually post human- to- pony memes, but this one was too epic to pass up)
Okay then... Hang on, let me think a sec here... I GOT IT!!! Okay, I just remembered there's a fanfic where RD's biological parents come to visit her (strangely they're both mares, but, magic) I think that's the fic anyway... all I remember on the specifics is that one of her moms apparently acts and talks like G3 Rainbow Dash.
It's like watching the most beautiful train wreck ever!
I love it.
1911733
I know the saying that Love makes one do crazy things, and I can understand her giving Dash favours and making it easy for her, but I still think this is a little overboard.
I just hope she gets her shit together and fix things quite soon. :3
(Joke) Alt. Title: One Size Fits All! Clopfree Romance!
1906731
i.imgur.com/1NCv2.jpg
Best chocolate, right here.
1915808
Y u think I disliked and left a hate comment?
Edit: Checked the story you showed me, neva seen it.
1912524
Howdy, fellow TMP'er! You have 100% completely nailed it. Spitfire is as cool and collected as everypony thinks, and that's the problem. She's got it bad for RD, something that's never happened to her before, and all the icy professionalism in the world isn't helping her get past this. So she does what she always does when she can't outfly a problem: confront it head on at full speed. I have a feeling the final chapter of this fic will be titled "Terminal Velocity".
1913736
Same here. Thanks!
1914120
She'll figure out soon enough that there are some things you can't outfly and can't bark orders at to fix. Hopefully it'll still be in time to share the sky with her very own Best Young Flier.
1914768
Doomed to crash spectacularly doesn't necessarily mean "can't be rebuilt". There's always hope, but sifting through the wreckage might be more than either of them can handle alone. Oooh, that sounds like a chapter description! {Squee moment: I just drew a comment from the Twilightclopple! Should have known that DashFire bait would have that effect. If I ever decide to write a clop side story, you get one guess where I'm going for inspiration.}
1915875
You buying? Share!
Oh, I see what the problem was... I was following your stories, but not you. So I never realized you uploaded this... Not one of my top shippings either but, coming from you? Who cares.
Admittedly, this is not the same rosy lovey-dovey stuff you got going on in your other stories, but I feel this gives it a... touch of reality, I guess? Well, whatever it is, you are now tracked (seriously, no idea how I forgot for so long) and so is this story.
Just had to say that your latest prompt-chapter-thingy (#222) is excellent. Rainbow's voice is absolutely spot-on. You've got one deliciously stormy pairing here.