//------------------------------// // S6 E7: Newbie Dash (What If?) // Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 4 // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// It was a fine Spring day in Ponyville, the perfect kind of day for a Wonderbolts show! A decent sized stadium had been built not too long ago, and on this particular day it was packed to near capacity. Ponies and non-ponies of all ages lined the stands and seats, waiting for the show to begin. But none were more excited than a small group of friends, including seven fully grown mares (one of whom was an alicorn), a baby dragon, three school aged fillies and their families (or at least the families of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom had her big sister but her older brother and grandmother had stayed behind to work the fields and Scootaloo had opted to sit with her friends instead of her family, mostly because she had a reputation to keep up as head of the Rainbow Dash fan club). The reason for this small group to be seated so close to the action and be so excited, was because today was the day when their good friend Rainbow Dash was slated to make her grand debut as the newest member of the Wonderbolts! The news had been all they'd talked about for days leading up to the show! Starlight sat next to Twilight, her teacher, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. It was her first Wonderbolts show, and one of the first big social events she was attending since agreeing to become Twilight's student. "You really sure it's a good idea for me to be out here, especially like this?" Starlight asked, looking around. Twilight smiled and patted Starlight lightly on the head. "I know you're worried, Starlight, but you need to relax. This is Rainbow Dash's big moment, what she's always dreamed of. She'd be crushed if you missed out on it! You can always make up your friendship lessons later on," She then added. "Besides, you need a little fresh air after what happened with Trixie. I think the entire incident proved being cooped up in the castle hasn't done either of us good." Starlight tried her best to smile. "Yeah, I suppose if you put it like that it's not such a bad idea after all," But she still whispered to Twilight. "It's just, I feel like everypony knows the truth about my past. I guess nothing stays secret in this town forever." Twilight just chuckled. "Well, even if they do know they don't seem to be making a big deal out of it. Give it time, Starlight, you'll get used to being a part of Ponyville before long. Trust me, I used to think everypony in this town was crazy, but now I could never imagine living anywhere else," Deciding it best to change the subject she added. "Now come on, keep watching the skies! The show's going to start at any minute!" Pinkie jumped up from her seat! "Which means it's the perfect time to go get some snacks, the lines will be super short!" "Mind if I come with you?" Spike asked Pinkie Pie, hoping the pink party pony would let him ride on his back. "I had a few gemstones earlier, but I didn't imagine they wouldn't tide me over for very long." Pinkie smiled. "Of course, the more the merrier! Come on!" "We'll be back soon, and that's a promise!" Spike called, as he climbed onto Pinkie's back and the two took off for the concession stands. Shortly after Pinkie Pie and Spike had left to get snacks, a booming voice announced through the stadium loudspeakers: "Mare and gentlestallions, colts and fillies of all ages! Look to the skies and prepare to be awestruck by the incredible flying prowess of... the Wonderbolts!" There came a deafening roar, and the elite flyers came soaring in! Everyone cheered, as they watched the Wonderbolts start their impressive feats of aerial acrobatics, some even recognizing such familiar members as Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot. But only a few seemed to take note of the rainbow maned and tailed member of the group, despite the fact that said pony hadn't been seen before. "I sure hope Pinkie Pie and Spike are done getting their snacks, at this rate they're gonna miss Rainbow Dash's big debut!" Fluttershy commented to her friends. "Oh, don't worry, Fluttershy. Nothing would keep Pinkie Pie from missing this!" Rarity reassured her friend. "I'm certain they're on their way right now." As it turned out, Pinkie and Spike were indeed on their way back to the stands. There had been a slight hold-up due to a request from Pinkie. "Sure took that vendor pony long enough," Pinkie slightly scoffed, as she used her tail to hold a gigantic serving of pink cotton candy. "Want some?" She asked Spike, as she took a bite of the tasty treat. Spike shook his head. "I think I'll stick with popcorn," He proceeded to dig his claws into a bag of the aforementioned confection, and pop a few kernels into his mouth. "Now come on, the show's already starting and we're gonna miss Rainbow Dash's debut!" "Just hang on, Spike! We'll get there, somehow!" Pinkie declared, as she took as fast as she could while holding the giant stick of cotton candy with her tail. By the time Pinkie and Spike were able to rejoin their friends, the Wonderbolts were already partway through their routine. "You're just in time, Rainbow Dash has been doing well with the team so far," Twilight mentioned, just as the Wonderbolts zoomed past on another trick. "Everything's looking great! And it's almost time for her official public debut!" The Wonderbolts zipped back up into the sky and began to fan out so they would fly side by side. This routine would end when, on cue from the captain (Spitfire) the new Wonderbolt would break off, perform some tricks of her own, and rejoin the group, at which point the announcer would make public said Wonderbolt's name. However, just as Rainbow Dash was getting into position and awaiting her signal from Spitfire, her eyes widened in horror! Somehow, a lone storm cloud had found its way into the airspace, and it was directly in Rainbow's path! To make matters worse, it was closing in so fast that Rainbow knew none of the other Wonderbolts would see it, to say nothing of her chances of successfully flying up or around it. "This can't be happening! This is a nightmare!" Rainbow Dash thought to herself, as she prepared for the worst! Rainbow flew right through the storm cloud, letting out a yelp as electricity began to crackle all around her! At last, with a loud zap, she was shot out of the cloud and flung into a nearby tree! The recoil caused the tree to fling the pegasus back into the air, dislodging some leaves in the process! Rainbow struggled to regain control, an effort that was easier said than done given the wet leaves that clung to her suit and weighed her down! The audience suddenly gasped, as Rainbow Dash sputtered out of control and went into a spiral from which it seemed impossible to recover! She got closer and closer the ground, and by now the other Wonderbolts realized what was happening! But it was too late for them to do anything to stop what happened next! There was a loud thud as Rainbow hit the ground hard, kicking up a thick cloud of dust! Everyone leaped from their seats, as they waited anxiously to see what would happen! It took only a minute or two for the dust cloud to clear, and when it did there lay Rainbow Dash, looking quite beaten up! "Captain, we've got a bolt down!" Soarin shouted to Spitfire! "I can see that!" Spitfire shouted back. "Don't just stand there, get a medic over there, NOW!" "I'm on it!" Fleetfoot replied, zipping away to fetch the nearest doctor or nurse she could find! Meanwhile, Misty Fly and Surprise were quick to fly down to Rainbow Dash's side, by now the show had stopped completely! Spitfire just sighed as she looked at the sorry state Rainbow Dash was in. "Kid, what are you doing?!" She thought to herself. "Please don't make me regret putting you on the squad! You looked so promising, was it really a bad idea to give you a position so soon?" The Wonderbolts weren't the only ones who were concerned about what had happened to Rainbow Dash! Her friends had all come running the second the dust cloud had subsided, and while they were relieved to see that she didn't look too bad considering her impact, they were still quite troubled by the fact that she didn't seem to be moving! Scootaloo was the most frantic of all, she'd heard horror stories of pegasi who crash landed or smashed into something, but this was her first time seeing such a thing up close! The injuries looked horrific in her young mind! "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, get up! Come on, stop fooling around! You're tougher than that!" Dizzy Twister reached out a hoof to Scootaloo and tried her best to comfort her daughter. "Scootaloo, I'm sure Rainbow Dash will be fine. I know her well enough to know she's too stubborn to let something like this keep her down. But you need to let the Wonderbolts and the medics do their job." "But... but..." Scootaloo protested, a few tears forming in her eyes. Dizzy hushed Scootaloo, wrapping her daughter in a wing hug. "There's nothing you can do for her, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want a lot of ponies hovering around her," Just then, Fleetfoot returned with Nurse Redheart and a stretcher. "Come, let's leave Nurse Redheart alone. Why don't you and your friends come back to our house and play there? And when Rainbow Dash is feeling better, we can go see her." Scootaloo sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Come on, girls. Let's at least tell the Rainbow Dash fan club that today's meeting will have to be cancelled." And she, her friends, and her family (along with Sweetie Belle's family) left the stadium. As Rainbow Dash was loaded onto a stretcher and carried off, Twilight spoke up and asked. "Spitfire, is Rainbow Dash gonna be okay?" "I wish I knew, but I'm no doctor," Spitfire somberly replied. "Still, with any luck your friend will be back up and flying within a few weeks. And don't worry, we Wonderbolts have a strict 'no stealing' policy for hospital visits." A few nervous giggles were exchanged, before even Rainbow Dash's closest friends reluctantly left her to the care of her teammates. Now alone in the stadium (some of the Wonderbolts had gone back to headquarters, while others opted to stay either to manage the crowds, or to see how Rainbow Dash was coming along), Spitfire sighed to herself, as she reflected back on her decision to make Rainbow Dash part of the Wonderbolts. And the question she was asking herself was. "Did I really make the right choice? She's only been in the reserves for about two years." About a week ago, Rainbow Dash had still officially been just a reserve. Even after filling in for Wind Ryder in Canterlot when the now ex-Wonderbolt was stripped of his rank and kicked out, she was still just the go to back-up pony in case any sudden vacancies presented themselves. Walking by herself through Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was quite surprised to suddenly see Scootaloo approach her. "Hey! Rainbow Dash!" She called out. Rainbow Dash smiled, seeing her number one fan and honorary little sister was always a treat. "Hiya, Scootaloo! What's up? You need my help with something? Your mom yelling at you again?" She joked, she knew Dizzy Twister was the kind of parent that seldom raised her voice. Scootaloo shook her head. "Nah, I just wanted to let you know, The Rainbow Dash Fan Club just decided – everypony's coming to see you when the Wonderbolts' new tour comes through Ponyville!" She buzzed her tiny wings in excitement. Rainbow tried to be modest, as she downplayed Scootaloo's enthusiasm. "Well, it's great that you guys are going to the show, Scoot, but I won't actually be performing in it," She then quickly explained. "Wind Ryder was going to retire for good anyway after that little show in Canterlot, and I already made it clear I'm not taking Spitfire's place without permission. Reservists aren't in the show unless one of the real Wonderbolts can't fly for any reason," She nervously chuckled as she added. "I'll probably just be working crowd control or something, and only for the Ponyville show. Twilight insisted I be on call twenty four/seven as much as possible for any map missions, even though it's been pretty quiet for almost a year now." Scootaloo was not deterred by Rainbow's comment, she just replied. "You're still gonna be wearing a Wonderbolts uniform though, right?" "A Reservist one, but yeah." Rainbow nodded. "That's good enough for me," Scootaloo smiled. "And I think it'll work just fine for the rest of the fan club. We all have to begin somewhere, don't we?" "Yeah, I guess we do. I mean, it's not like an opening's just going to magically present itself," Rainbow chuckled. "I mean, what are the odds of that?" Just then, there was a familiar whooshing sound (almost like the roar of the engines on an airship). Both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked up to see a trio of Wonderbolts flying past, including Spitfire. Suddenly, Spitfire broke off from the other Wonderbolts, hovered close to the ground, then landed in a dramatic pose, kicking up dust in the process! Scootaloo was amazed, she'd never seen such a stunt before! "Whoa! That is so cool!" She exclaimed, before she asked Spitfire. "But isn't that kind of painful on the legs, Miss. Spitfire? I mean, what, were you trying out for a Power Ponies movie or something?" Spitfire chuckled, it always delighted her to see a young fan. It was one of the best perks of being a Wonderbolt in her book. "Heh, don't worry about me, kid. Didn't even break a sweat, and last I checked there weren't any auditions for a part in a movie," She then took off her flight goggles and approached Rainbow Dash as she said to the reserve member. "Rainbow Dash! Glad we found you. We need you in the show when we get to Ponyville. Flying." "But, she's only in the reserves," Scootaloo wondered outloud. "Are you saying there's an opening she needs to fill?" Spitfire shook her head. "She ain't a reserve anymore, kid." She said with a smile. Slowly gasping, Rainbow Dash asked Spitfire. "You mean..." But Scootaloo ended up saying it first! Hugging Rainbow's face, she happily exclaimed! "Rainbow Dash! You're finally a full-fledged Wonderbolt! Woo-hoo!" She started to laugh in excitement, happily dancing around and do a few little poses to show off her delight! "Yeah, Rainbow Dash! Whoo!" All the while, Rainbow just stood there, speechless. Spitfire looked at Rainbow and said to her with a slight laugh. "Heh. What she said. Welcome to the team, newbie!" Rainbow didn't say anything, she just stood there as the smile on her face grew bigger. Rainbow proved to be a very eager new recruit for the team, she quickly impressed Spitfire with her knowledge as she led across the academy grounds to the bunker. "Alright, seems you know quite a bit," Spitfire said to Rainbow Dash. "Just remember team briefings are every morning at—" "-0720, because there were twenty ponies in the original E.U.P. Guard that became the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash replied. "And there have been seven captains since the group was founded by General Firefly, with you being lucky number seven!" Spitfire smiled. "Got that right, nice to see you know the basics of the pecking order. It's good to see a newbie with her head in reality and not in the clouds for a change. Now, I know you've seen the academy bunks, but these are the official Wonderbolts barracks." She pointed a hoof to a set of buildings just across the academy runway. "Built by Admiral Fairweather himself!" Rainbow explained. "At last, I finally get to go inside!" "Just remember one thing, newbie," Spitfire cautioned. "Be careful when crossing the runway, most of the Wonderbolts like to make a flashy entrance, so stay alert. I can't tell you how many close calls I've had because someone forgot to check twice before crossing." "Right, no problem! I'll remember!" Rainbow promised. "See that you do," Spitfire replied. "Now come on, your suit's waiting." Spitfire led Rainbow Dash across the runway (after making sure none of the other Wonderbolts were approaching) and into the official Wonderbolts bunker. There was Rainbow's official Wonderbolts flight suit, along with all sorts of relics from past Wonderbolts generations. "Whoa! Is that General Flash's cap?!" Rainbow asked, eyeing an old, beat up cap that had seen better days. Spitfire nodded. "And the original crest with the Wonderbolts motto on it no less," She and Rainbow Dash then both said at once. "'Altius volantis! Soaring higher!'" "Wow!" Rainbow commented, before she gasped as she realized she probably shouldn't have bothered to reveal she knew about that (she didn't think such a thing would impress anypony). Changing her composure she casually remarked. "I mean, ha, cool." Spitfire smiled, as she unlocked the case displaying the suit and hoofed it to Rainbow Dash. "Here you go, your very own Wonderbolts flight suit! Let us know if it needs adjusting. We contacted Rarity for your measurements but her most recent ones were from months ago." Rainbow blushed. "Sorry, not really one for dresses or anything, except when the situation calls for it." Spitfire just smiled and nodded, then she cleared her throat as she said. "Okay, newbie, time to get down to business. We've got a show in two days, which means you gotta hustle your haunches to learn this routine. You got five minutes to get dressed and get outside to meet the rest of the team. Got it?!" Rainbow firmly nodded. "Yes, ma'am! I'll have all of the moves down by the end of the day! I promise!" "Let's hope so," Spitfire replied. "We're all expecting you to make quite an impression." She then zoomed away, but not before she saw Rainbow Dash slip the flight suit on, admire herself in the mirror and say. "Lookin' good!" Had she stuck around, she would've also heard Rainbow Dash say. "Okay, Rainbow Dash, you're about to take your first flight as an actual Wonderbolt," She sighed as she added. "No pressure," Stretching and groaning a little she slipped the flight goggles on over her face before she said. "Just gotta go out there and knock 'em off their hooves. Okay, Wonderbolts, get ready to meet your most awesome member ever!" Rainbow had proved to be a very quick learner, impressing even the most skeptical of Wonderbolts. Surprisingly, she seemed to have no trouble with following orders or obeying commands, something unheard of for almost all new recruits. And she had been perfectly content to wait for her moment in the spotlight, something that even Wonderbolts like Fleetfoot and Misty Fly found rather surprising. They even joked a little. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Rainbow Dash?" It was all in good fun though. But now, here was the newest and youngest member of the Wonderbolts, lying on a stretcher in a medical tent while Nurse Redheart tended to her. Fortunately, not for long. The first thing Rainbow Dash asked upon coming to her senses was the following: "Did anypony get the number of that cloud?" She had to shake her head to clear the cobwebs of confusion, and she found that all of her fellow Wonderbolts (except for Spitfire and a few others) were staring at her. "What? Is there something on my face?" She asked them. "You're pretty luck, kid, you know that?" Soarin said to Rainbow Dash. "A crash like that would've put any other Wonderbolt out of commission for months, maybe even forever." Nurse Redheart smiled as she explained to Rainbow Dash. "It looks like been flung by that tree absorbed some of the impact, to say nothing of that last second crash protection pose you assumed. You'll only be grounded for about a week, and you should be back to full strength within a month. Though I would recommend you avoid any shows until your next check-up at the end of next month, there's no telling what prolonged extreme stunt flying could do to you." Rainbow groaned a little, she was glad to not have permanently damaged her wings or anything, but the idea of being unable to fly in any Wonderbolts shows for at least two months was a huge downer for her. "Well, it could've been worse. I could've lost a wing entirely and needed a fake one made of metal," She laughed, trying to lighten up the mood. When the other Wonderbolts looked at her with odd looks she replied nervously. "It's a long story." Surprisingly, Fleetfoot laughed and said. "Oh, I'm sure we've got time to hear it. Doesn't look like you'll be flying with us anytime soon, huh, Rainbow Crash?" Rainbow couldn't believe it when some of the other Wonderbolts actually started laughing along with that comment. The name "Rainbow Crash" brought back some rather unpleasant memories from her childhood. A young Rainbow Dash was excited, it was her first day of flight school, and she was eager to prove herself! A little too eager, as she being careless and not paying attention. "Okay, flight school! Get ready for Rainbow Dash!" She announced, and without thinking she leapt into the air against the advice of her instructors! Needless to say, this quickly proved to be a bad move on her part, as she lost control and crashed into a trash can that rolled to a stop in front of her classmates (and unfortunately it was not empty). "Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" The main teacher (her name was not yet known to Rainbow Dash or anypony else for that matter) asked, as she pulled Rainbow Dash out of the trash can. "More like Rainbow Crash!" A young Hoops mocked, and it wasn't long before all the colts and fillies at flight school were doing the same (except for a noticeable filly in the back with a yellow coat and pink mane and tail styled into bangs that hid her face). "My name's not Crash!" Rainbow protested, to no avail! The taunts and jeers from her classmates only increased, regardless of what she did! It would ultimately be part of the reason why she would drop out of the school after that fateful summer at flight camp. Though only a few Wonderbolts seemed to repeat Fleetfoot's "Rainbow Crash" comment over the next few days, their words and laughs stung Rainbow far worse than any pain she'd suffered during her crash landing earlier. Rainbow Dash was glad when she was allowed to fly home and rest, she couldn't believe just how quickly things had gone south for her in the span of just a few days (she was firmly convinced that if things went any further south, she'd hit the bottom tip of Equestria). Being more or less grounded from performing (at least for the next two months) was bad enough, but being called a nickname from her childhood that she thought she'd outgrown (and by her idols no less) only made things even worse. After checking up on Tank and making sure her tortoise was okay, Rainbow dragged herself off to bed as she thought. "And to think I started so well too, where did it all go so wrong?" And she recalled the conversation she'd had with her friends just a few days ago, when she was busy packing up for the Wonderbolts Academy (while she wouldn't be living there full time, she still wanted to have a room in the barracks for the times when she would need to stay on academy grounds). Just over a week earlier, Rainbow Dash had been busy zooming around, packing up the last of her stuff to take to the academy. "Uh, anypony seen my wing balm?" She asked her friends. "I don't want to be stiff when I show up at Wonderbolt headquarters." "Got it, right here!" Spike called, tossing a tube of the balm to Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash quickly placed in with everything else in her suitcase, and forced it shut with a click! Starlight was still a little bit confused by everything that was going on. "So, exactly how did you graduate from just being a reserve member? Do you have time to tell us what happened?" "Oh, yes, we must know every detail if possible." Rarity encouraged. Rainbow just chuckled, as she told Starlight. "Well, if you want the whole story, just ask Scootaloo and she'll tell you. But there's really not much to say. Spitfire told me the Wonderbolts want me to go on tour with them, and I couldn't say no to that." Fluttershy smiled, she was delighted to see her childhood friend achieve the dream she'd long dreamt of. "That's really great. I know how long you've been waiting for a spot to open up." She said kindly. "That still doesn't explain how you got promoted to be part of the team though." Starlight spoke up. "And does this mean you're going to be leaving already?" Pinkie asked Rainbow Dash. "If so that doesn't give me much time to throw a 'Going Away' party, or give any of us the chance to say goodbye. Had I known a party problem was going to show up, I'd have brought my party cannon." Rainbow replied and explained. "Don't any of you worry, I'm not leaving Ponyville forever. I just have to train for this show, then I'll come back here. But I do have to report to Wonderbolts headquarters this afternoon. It's only two days 'til tour starts, and I need to learn the routine. And to answer your question, Starlight, it's simple. Fire Streak decided to retire and teach full-time. Cloudsdale Flight School will probably be churning out Wonderbolts with him there. But guess who was at the top of the Reserve list, and your first two guesses don't count." "Let me guess, that was you." Starlight concluded. "Oh no, it was another pony entirely," Rainbow jokingly replied. "Her name was Duh, first name No." Starlight rolled her eyes. "Oh hardy har har, you're even less clever than Spike and I thought he'd never shut up about Sunburst." "Are you still mad about that? I said I was sorry," Spike apologized. "Can't you take a joke?" "Oh I can, that joke was so funny I forgot to laugh." Starlight replied, seemingly casting daggers at Spike with her eyes. Fluttershy quickly defused the tension by clearing her throat and saying to Rainbow Dash. "I hope everything goes well. Sounds like an awful lot of pressure having to learn everything so quickly." "Yeah. Good luck, Dash," Applejack encouraged. "And send us a post card whenever you're stuck at the academy, we'll do our best to keep ya posted." "Will do," Rainbow agreed. "I can't believe it's taken this long for the Wonderbolts to recognize my awesomeness, but better late than never." Twilight quickly warned Rainbow Dash. "Everypony knows you're a great flyer, Rainbow Dash, but so are the rest of the Wonderbolts. It might be more challenging than you think." "Aw, you're right," Rainbow replied. "I'm the new recruit, which means I'm just gonna have to work even harder than usual to make sure they notice me. But I'll bet it won't be long before I'm among the true elites, the best of the best! Who knows, I might even work my up to second in command alongside Fleetfoot and Soarin!" And with that, she took off, her suitcase in tow! Rainbow's thoughts turned to her friends as she tried to fall asleep and forget about the day's events. "Maybe I should tell them what happened in the medic's tent," She thought to herself for a moment, before she shook her head. "They've all got their own lives to lead, and their own problems to tend to. Twilight's busy with her new student. Starlight's got those friendship lessons to work on, along with whatever it is Twilight keeps pulling her away for. Rarity has her boutiques to manage, including that one she's going to open in Manehattan in the near future. Pinkie Pie has The Cakes and Sugarcube Corner, plus she's always busy either planning and throwing parties, or babysitting. Applejack's always either got farm related issues to work on or her own rodeo interests to keep her tied up, in more ways than one," She giggled at the idea of Applejack tying herself up in a knot by mistake, before her thoughts drifted to Fluttershy, her first and quite frankly closest friend. "And Fluttershy, well when she's not busy entertaining Discord, she's got her animals to keep her busy." Rainbow also considered talking to Scootaloo or any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she shook her head and rejected that idea too. "Nopony can help me on this issue, not my friends and not my fans. This is a problem between the Wonderbolts and I, and it's going to stay between us! I'm sure by tomorrow the whole thing will be a fond memory and they'll have forgotten all about it." And with that, the badly battered (physically and emotionally) young Wonderbolt drifted off to sleep, in the hopes that tomorrow would be much better. One thing was sure, tomorrow certainly couldn't be any worse than what had happened since the day of her debut. Although the Wonderbolts were slated to tour all over Equestria, Rainbow Dash knew they had at least a few more days before they would need to leave for the rest of Equestria (the first stop was all the way out in Appleloosa, and the last stop was scheduled to be the Crystal Empire). Even so, she was hoping that they'd be too busy preparing for the tour to keep calling her Crash. She'd expected a little bit of a rough reception at first, but nothing along the lines of name calling. "If I speak up about how much hurts, they'll just think I'm being a big baby and tell me to get over it," Rainbow thought to herself, touching down on the grounds of Wonderbolt headquarters at the edge of the academy. "I'll just have to try and blend in until they leave for the tour, then I can spend time getting back into shape and impressing them with my speedy recovery when they come back!" At first, it seemed like the Wonderbolts were indeed too busy to really pay attention to Rainbow. Spitfire was the noticeable exception, but as captain of the team it wasn't too big of a surprise to Rainbow. "Ah, good to see you out and about again, newbie," Spitfire greeted in a somewhat warm tone. "Glad to see you're not calling it quits just 'cause the going's getting tough." Rainbow did her best to casually play it off. "It's no big deal, I've been in far worse scrapes then that. And hey, you gotta be tough to be a Wonderbolt, right?" Spitfire nodded. "Just don't expect any favorable treatment from me, or anypony else. We're still your superiors, and you're still fresh meat. With your injury, we may not be able to work you 'til you drop and then some, but that doesn't mean we're going to let you slack off. We don't want your skills getting rusty just because you're not gonna be flying with us. So you'd better be ready, we're gonna whip you back into shape as best we can! That way, when you're ready to start flying alongside us again, it'll be like second nature to you! Do I make myself clear, Rainbow Dash?!" "Yes ma'am!" Rainbow firmly replied. "I won't let you down!" "See that you don't," Spitfire commented, and blew her whistle. "Okay, everypony, start lining up for flight practice! From now until it's tour time we're gonna push ourselves as hard as our wings will let us, and I don't wanna hear any complaining about it! So finish whatever you're doing, suit up, and meet me on the runway in five minutes! No ifs, ands, or buts!" And with that, she flew off. Soarin immediately took charge in Spitfire's absence. "You heard the mare, let's move it! Single file please, let's do this like civilized ponies!" He ordered, and all the Wonderbolts started scrambling to get in line and head outside. While standing next to Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot whispered. "You've got a lot of guts, I'll give you that. Hope you're ready to get back to boot camp, Crash." Rainbow growled, and pretended she hadn't heard. She hoped that Fleetfoot would be the only one who would make such a remark about her. Unfortunately, throughout the rest of the day, Rainbow was quickly proven wrong. It seemed like every single Wonderbolt (except for Spitfire) was repeating the nickname of Crash. Whether it was Fleetfoot calling out, "Higher, Crash! You're breaking formation! Come on, shape up there!" when Rainbow struggled to lift herself up to the same altitude as the rest of her fellow Wonderbolts, Soarin shouting, "Check your nine, Crash! You've gotta pay attention to your surroundings!" when Rainbow appeared to veer off course, or Misty Fly barking out the command, "Tighter, Crash, get in there! What's the matter, you asleep or something?!" when Rainbow wasn't flying close enough to either of her partners. Each time, Rainbow would growl, "My name's not Crash!" or occasionally mutter it under her breath. But each time it seemed like her complaint went unaddressed. It didn't help that when Misty Fly said it, she ended up smacking into Surprise and sending them both spiraling into a cloud. "Your name's not Crash, huh?" Surprise asked Rainbow afterwards. "Well, you could've fooled me. Just what's going on, your flying's starting to stink worse than the Wonderbolts locker rooms after a long day of practice. I'm starting to wonder if Spitfire was wrong about you, you're not living up to all that potential she seemed to see in you." The day seemed to stretch on forever for Rainbow Dash, and she was glad when at last the sun started to set and the day's flying routines were over. However, upon entering the locker rooms and changing out of her flight suit, Rainbow was more than a little confused when she was given a mop and bucket, along with some cleaning supplies. "Hey's, what the big idea?! Is this some kind of joke or something?!" She complained loudly. "Sorry, Crash, it's the rules around here," Fleetfoot explained. "Tell 'em, Soarin." Soarin sighed as he said to Rainbow Dash. "I know you've been a Reservist for quite a while, but the 'Bolts have a few of their own rules you might not know about. Like worst flyer of the day has to clean up the whole compound. Better get to it, Crash, Spitfire's gonna want this place clean as a whistle." Rainbow growled and her eyes narrowed in frustration, as she loudly proclaimed! "For the last time, my name's NOT Crash! It's Rainbow Dash!" "Call down, Crash," High Winds replied. "I know you're probably upset about your rough day of performance, but you'll get better. Besides, cleaning the compound isn't all bad. Be thankful you're not on mess hall duty, that's a job you really don't wanna get stuck with." "Perhaps you need some motivation," Blaze suggested to Rainbow, and opened her locker. "Here, maybe this will help motivate you." She stepped aside, as Rainbow's eyes fell upon an official Wonderbolts jacket. But when Rainbow looked at the jacket more closely, she noticed that among the badges stitched onto it was the nickname she'd been given by the Wonderbolts that she still hated! "Crash?! Couldn't you just put my regular name on it?!" She demanded. Fleetfoot laughed as she replied. "That's not how it works around here, Crash. We all have our nicknames on our jackets. Right, Clipper?" "Clipper?" Rainbow asked. "Right, Flatfoot," Soarin responded. "And Hoof in Mouth has a point, they don't call it mess hall for nothing." "Hoof in Mouth?" Rainbow asked again, wondering who could be called that. High Winds spoke up as she said. "Yeah, just ask Dizzy or Slowpoke." "Dizzy? Slowpoke?" Rainbow asked once more. Misty Fly spoke up as she said to High Winds. "You just got lucky because Clipper happens to be your cousin." Surprise then added. "You really need to watch what you say, Hoof in Mouth. Unless you wanna end up like Flatfoot and have to fly five hundred laps around the academy." Rainbow could hardly believe her ears, all her fellow Wonderbolts were not only calling her a nickname she despised, but they were tossing around insulting nicknames for each other as if it were part of their alphabet. Rainbow could contain her anger no longer, at the top of her lungs she screamed as she threw down her jacket! "That is ENOUGH! I can't believe you, all of you! I looked up to you guys, idolized since my fillyhood, and all my life I've been working my way up to joining you! I tried to let myself think you guys were still okay after what happened with Lightning Dust and Wind Ryder, but now I see I was just kidding myself! You're all nothing but a bunch of bullies and stuck up jerks who'd turn on each other the first chance you get! You claim you're all about pushing yourselves in the right direction, but really you only care about being the best by punishing anyone who can't keep up! I can't believe I ever wanted to be like you!" As tears started to form in her eyes, she turned around and said. "That does it, I'm out of here!" "Wait! Crash!" Soarin shouted, but it was too late! Buzzing her wings, Rainbow zoomed away, generating a small sonic boom that knocked all of the Wonderbolts down like bowling pins! As the Wonderbolts picked themselves up and looked at the discarded jacket Rainbow had left behind, Spitfire came on the scene. She had overheard the sonic boom from her office and had come running. "Just what happened here?!" She demanded of the Wonderbolts. "I want answers!" "We told Crash that the worst flyer of the day has to clean up the entire compound, and she completely flipped out," Soarin explained to Spitfire. "She said stuff about how her name wasn't Crash and that she didn't want to be a part of us if we were gonna be mean to each other, and she flew off before any of us could explain what was really happening." "Did any of you actually tell her why we really call each other by those names, or did you all just assume she'd be okay with it?" Spitfire asked, glaring at her fellow Wonderbolts. "You guys do remember what happened the last time you started calling a newbie a nickname without telling her how things work, right?" Each of the Wonderbolts hung their heads in shame. Spitfire sighed. "I thought so, guess it's up to me to do some damage control yet again. I'm getting too old for this, and I haven't even been captain for that long." "We're really sorry, Spitfire. It was just supposed to be in good fun," Fleetfoot apologized. "We didn't think she'd take it so personally. I guess we just sort of got used to wearing those embarrassing nicknames as a symbol of honor and playful teasing, that we forgot how hurtful they were to us the first time we heard them." "You think?" Spitfire commented, and then without waiting for a reply she added. "Look, I'm gonna go catch up to the newbie and try to straighten things out. And next time, at least hold off on the nicknaming until I have a chance to explain how we do things around here." She exited the compound without wearing either her instructor's suit or her flight suit, and as she zoomed out onto the academy grounds she thought to herself. "You were right, Mom. Sometimes The Wonderbolts can really lose sight of what's important, and being the captain just means it falls to you far more often to clear things up." It didn't take too long for Spitfire to find Rainbow Dash, luckily for the captain Rainbow had yet to leave the academy grounds, but the fact that she was at the very edge of them indicated just how serious she was about leaving the Wonderbolts. "Rainbow Dash, wait!" Spitfire called out. Rainbow spun around, surprised to see Spitfire without any sort of clothing on for what had to be the first time in her life. "What do you want?!" She demanded. "Don't tell me you're here to talk me out of leaving the Wonderbolts, I've made up my mind!" "Just hear me out!" Spitfire pleaded. "You must understand, we Wonderbolts have something of a tradition. Our own little culture if you will. The embarrassing nicknames a part of it." "Oh, you mean like Flatfoot, Dizzy, and Hoof in Mouth?!" Rainbow remarked. "Really, the only nickname that doesn't sound insulting is Clipper, and I'm betting that's because Soarin joined before any of you guys started that stupid tradition!" Spitfire shook her head. "Look, don't tell Soarin I told you this, 'cause I kind of made a promise not to tell anyone. But you wanna know how he really got his nickname?" She asked Rainbow, after looking around to make sure nopony was around to hear them. "What difference does it make?" Rainbow asked. "Well, I'll tell you anyway," Spitfire replied and said in a soft voice. "At the end of his first week with the Wonderbolts, he clipped one of his wings on a flagpole. He was actually in the hospital for a month, and it took him three more months before he could fly at one hundred percent again." "So he got his nickname because he clipped his wing? That just further proves how mean you guys are!" Rainbow snapped. "I mean really, even if Soarin used to be an ego-maniac that's hardly an excuse to make fun of him for something as painful as clipping his wing!" "I didn't really like it either," Spitfire said to Rainbow. "Honestly, I wanted to have it stricken down. But Soarin wouldn't let me, he decided to take the nickname and use it as a motivation to do better. That's what we've all done. Whether it was Fleetfoot misjudging a landing and coming down right on my front right hoof, or High Winds causing an entire formation to fall from the sky because she was too busy making funny faces, we Wonderbolts have more or less regarded the embarrassing nickname thing as something of a little initiation ritual. And as much as I hate it, I can't deny that it has worked for us. But can I ask you why the nickname Crash seems to make you so upset?" Rainbow looked around before she asked Spitfire. "You promise not to tell?" Spitfire nodded, and Rainbow took that as her cue to explain with a sigh. "Look, it's a nickname I got when I was a filly. I crashed into a trash can on my first day of flight school, and a couple of bullies starting calling me that everytime they saw me. I tried my best to ignore them, but when the entire school started chanting it and teasing me with it, it was hard to ignore. After I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom at the Best Young Flyers Competition, I thought I'd managed to put that name and its meaning behind me for good. I felt like being called Crash again, just served as a reminder that I couldn't escape that past no matter how I tried to leave it in its rightful place." "I see," Spitfire commented. "Well, if it's any consolation, it's hardly the worst nickname they could've invented. Though perhaps if we'd called you Rainbow Trash or Rainbow Smash, that wouldn't have been as personal?" Rainbow nodded, and then Spitfire looked at the pegasus as she added. "And you're not the only one who has a nickname they'd rather forget about it. You don't wanna know what they call me." She whispered it to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow could hardly believe such a harsh nickname would exist, and decided it was best not to ask Spitfire how she'd gotten such an "unfortunate" nickname. Instead, all she said was. "Whoa! That is so much worse than Crash. It sounds nasty." "I know, right?" Spitfire asked. "So, if I get the other Wonderbolts to apologize for taking things so far with the nicknames, do you still wanna be part of the team? We've been waiting for a spot to open up ever since you joined the Reserves! And you've saved all of Equestria at least half a dozen times or so. I can't exactly give you favorable treatment and change your nickname, but at least if we keep it confined to what it was originally supposed to be used for, can you be part of this team and not try to showboat like you have a tendency to do sometimes?" Rainbow was silent for several minutes, as she pondered her decision quite carefully. She'd truly longed for a chance to fly with her idols, but she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with the idea of calling her teammates by embarrassing nicknames (or letting them do it to her). At last, however, she sighed and said to Spitfire. "I suppose so. I've spent my whole life trying to be a standout flyer, but now that I'm finally a Wonderbolt, it's time to be okay with fitting in!" "Good," Spitfire smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief. "But you're still gonna have to be on probation for a month, I'm afraid. Flying off on your superiors the way you did is a violation of Wonderbolts code. Rules are rules, newbie, and I can't change them. Who knows though, maybe someday, you'll become captain and you'll get to decide what rules to keep and what rules to throw out?" Now it was Rainbow's turn to smile. "That would be lovely, and when I'm captain that silly nickname rule is going to be the first thing to go!" Just then, a familiar masculine voice chuckled and said in a teasing voice. "Well, just make sure the current captain's looking to retire first. And don't expect to be the only one who wants the job either." Said voice revealed itself as belonging to Soarin. "There's always a few Wonderbolts eager for a chance to move up, myself included," Fleetfoot added, as she and Soarin emerged from where they'd been hiding. "We're sorry about what happened at the compound earlier, we got a little carried away." "It's okay," Rainbow replied with a smile. "You guys had good intentions, you were trying to help me out all day long but all I could think about was that nickname you kept calling me by. Maybe if I'd paid more attention to your advice and not the name you used, I wouldn't have gotten stuck with cleaning duty, or probation for a month." "Man, you're getting off easy! The first time I broke a rule, I was on probation for half a year!" Soarin commented, then he noticed the look on Rainbow's face and asked her. "Hey, if you're stuck with cleaning the compound all month long, why are you in such a good mood?" "Duh! Because I'm a Wonderbolt!" Rainbow happily replied. "I'm finally going to live the dream! But now I see that it's not the end of my story, but rather a new beginning, a new chapter! I know I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm not gonna stay a newbie forever! So you all better watch out, because once my probation is over and I'm back in flying shape, you guys will have to work extra hard to keep up with me!" "That's a challenge we're all looking forward to, Crash!" Spitfire happily expressed, and then all four Wonderbolts flew back to the compound.