Overgrown Rainbow
Quick Quill stared into the distance. Sunset painted the sky in reds and oranges. He could not make heads or tails out of his mood. Material was simply golden. He had spent a few hours to write a glowing article about Rainbow. Rainbow, as in airship. Admiral Rainbow Dash was quite another matter. Journalist did not know what to make out of her. He knew about her history, of course. An avid flier and aerial acrobat, selected at rather young age to be one of the Elements of Harmony. Hero of Equestria even back then. Her reputation only grew stronger when she ended up in military during Minotaur Revolt.
Quick Quill shook his head. It was not quite that common for a mare to volunteer for militia. It was even less common for militia to end up being in the thick of it, getting brevetted first to lieutenant and then to commodore as the combat continued. By the time Revolt was officially over, Rainbow Dash was officially a lieutenant of Equestrian air force - a situation with practically no precedents. Still, for a pony who was capable to hold the line against the overwhelming force for almost two days, there was simply no other possible resolution. As it turned out, Rainbow Dash thrived in army.
Quick Quill thought back to the collection of articles he read in preparation for this assignment. Dash`s career was just as rapid and jagged as her acrobatics. Less then a month after Revolt, she was in Zarhyme, a part of force overseeing peace talks between the Hegemony and Thirteen Tribes. Talks that failed rather explosively, leading to a sudden and harsh offensive from Hegemony. Again, Rainbow Dash proved her capacity as military leader, promoted to captain after successful defence of Jiffur castle. Amusingly enough, this promotion took place during a court martial session dedicated to Rainbow Dash and her alleged dereliction of duty.
That was rather loud case. Commodore Rushing Wind set the court in action, formally accusing Dash of the aforementioned dereliction of duty. However, throughout the session, court established that her actions prevented the fall of castle to Hegemony. Furthermore, it was established that Rainbow Dash had actually followed the orders to the letter, despite Rushing Wind`s rather empathic insistence that the spirit of orders was all but taken out back and dashed open. In the aftermath of court awarding promotion as an appropriate response to Dash`s actions, Rushing Wind rather publicly retired from the service in protest. This protest buried his political career three months later, when his former title and division was passed to nopony else but Rainbow Dash herself.
There were no split hairs over the second promotion - being in command of the first squadron to breach the walls of Yerrihon, Dash`s promotion was all but assured by the fact she personally disabled the gate mechanisms, opening way into the castle for Zarhyme heavy infantry. This victory came at a complete surprise to Hegemony - it was expected that Yerrihon`s siege would last for months. Instead, city had been overrun after just two days of siege, leaving wide open breech in Hegemony`s defences. Pressed hard by griffins advancing from the Rift and Zarhyme forces marching through Yerrihon`s pass freely, Hegemony sued for peace six days later.
Commodore Rainbow Dash returned to Equestria triumphant. And this... this was the moment when something happened. Quick Quill would give much to find out what. Only a scant few days after return, Rainbow Dash very publicly announced her refusal to meet any members of press. Her promotion to admiralty two years later wasn`t the icebreaker everypony hoped it to be - admiral Dash stalwartly refused to converse with representatives of press, resorting to "No comment." every time a public question was poised. Quick Quill also wondered very much what is that about him that prompted admiral to open up at last.
While no reputable sources put forth any information on what prompted Dash`s refusal of press coverage four years ago, yellow press was rife with ideas and suggestions. However, most of it was standard rumor and slander yellow press is fond of - illicit children, illicit affairs, illicit fetishes, embezzlement, scandals, yadda-yadda-yadda. Truth was that anypony with a clue was keeping mum on this one. Still.. Quick Quill collated some data from that time. His efforts turned out a few facts of interest that could be related to Rainbow Dash. First, her childhood friend, Fluttershy, had a wedding only a week after Dash`s triumphant return. Second, a rather insistent rumor of Rainbow Dash being considered for Wonderbolts team cropped up at the same time. Finally, third, official appointment of Twilight Sparkle to the position of court archmage only a few days before the peace talks.
Journalist`s suspicions were rather firmly planted on first fact. A childhood friend would likely know the same colts as Rainbow Dash. Perhaps, it was the case of love triangle. In the absence of one mare, colt`s fancies turned to another, and Dash`s reason for not talking to press was the fact she lost out on marriage. But then again... He shook head firmly. Soon enough, he would be having supper with admiral at her cabin. She promised to consider his personal questions in more candid atmosphere. But for now, he could just appreciate the sublime beauty of sunset.
Melodic chimes announced eight in the evening. Time to attend that supper. Quick Quill pushed away from the railing and trotted into gondola. He arrived without incident to admiral`s cabin a few moments later, knocking on the door gingerly. "That you, kid? Come on in, it`s open." - came the voice from inside. Sliding the door open, he stepped into the cabin with, - "Good evening, admiral." He took a seat across the table from Rainbow Dash, checking the meal appreciatively. It was exactly what he asked for - oats with raisins and clover. Admiral`s bowl apparently held a hefty helping of apple salad.
- Ahem... Well, admiral, I must admit that I am simply burning up with curiosity. Why did you decide to give me an interview? And what was that about my colleagues being tactless?
- Heh. First of all, kid, this is informal supper. And informally, I prefer to be called just Dash. Second... call me nosy, but I`m curious - what did you folks think about my decisions? What did you folks write about me, and what do you personally think about my reasons to shut the press out until now?
- Um.. Alright then, Dash. I was not employed back when this... well, was an issue, so I don`t rightly know what had happened back then among journalists. I`ve gathered everything that made to press, of course, but that`s as far as I got.
- Fair enough. So what do you think it was? Speak candidly, I`m just curious. Not going to cancel this if I won`t like your answers, I promise.
- Hrm... Well, this is what I`ve got. One of your friends, Twilight Sparkle, was officially employed as court`s archmage just before your comeback from Zarhyme. One of my theories is that as a new archmage, she had to share some of the state secrets with you, thus making you shun press to keep secrets secret.
- ...A bit far-fetched, don`t you think?
- Yes, but I couldn`t think of anything else that would apply, if her new post was the cause.
- Oh. So it was your last ditch theory? Come on, let`s skip ahead to the theory you put most of stock in.
- Um... Well, your other friend, Fluttershy, got married just a few days after your return. I thought that maybe it was a case of love triangle, and you were the one who ended up being the third wheel.
- Har, now that`s more like it. Of course, this is dead wrong. While she is my dear friend, I`ve got no romantic feelings for Fluttershy.
Quick Quill blinked, shaking his head. He couldn`t tell if admiral was serious or just messing with him. Taking refuge in audacity, he heaved a sigh and plunged in with the truth - "Actually, my theory was that both you and Fluttershy were interested in same colt, and... his fancies turned to Fluttershy in your absence." Rainbow Dash guffawed unceremoniously.
- BWaha!.... Me and Big Mac... Oh, that`s rich...! Hah. Naw, kid, that`s bollocks. I like the big lug, but fancying him? Heavens forefend. Between the two of them, I`d think Fluttershy had better chances of catching my eye. Neigh, I was happy for them. In fact, they delayed their wedding by a week just so I could attend. Got anymore theories?
- Well... there was a rumor of you and Wonderbolts...
- ...Oh?
- Well, factually, there were many rumors about you and Wonderbolts. I mean, it`s publicly known your life ambition was to be Wonderbolt before military... I`m not sure what exactly could have happened, but I think it`s possible that something did. Something that wouldn`t let you be Wonderbolt.
- ...Huh. Well, I got to hand it to you, kid. That one... it`s rather close to the spot.
- It is? Well, uh... I don`t really want to dredge the unpleasant memories, but... pretty much whole of Equestria would like to know what happened, at last.
- Hah. You know what, a couple years back I would`ve even believed you. Whole of Equestria.. heh. Truth is, I would have loved for all of Equestria to know about me back then. Nowadays?... Let`s just say it ain`t the first thing I`m after.
- So, what happened?
- Well... As you know, being a Wonderbolt had been my ambition ever since I was a foal. In a way, that was also the reason why I decided to sign up in army. When I got a hoof in, as an officer to boot? I thought my dreams are coming true.
- Wait, wait a second. That would be just after the Minotaur Revolt, yes?
- Yep. Princess Celestia was... ahem, pretty surprised when she found out who was in charge of the line in the end. She insisted on making me an honorary officer just to commemorate that, but I got thinking - hey, fame is fame, but Wonderbolts are kind of a part of army. Sure, they accept particularly gifted civilians, but most of them were in army before being hoof-picked for Wonderbolts. So I asked Celestia - "Princess, can I join the army for real, instead?" And she said - "Sure!" So there I was, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, just waiting for my invitation.
- Oh. And the invitation never came?
- Got that right, kid. I mean, I knew what I wanted, heck, everyone knew what I was after. I`ve been bumping into Wonderbolts more often then I`ve seen my friends. And nope. Nothing. Nada. So... I went and wrote an official request to be considered for Wonderbolt team. There was an opening on the team, too. This is the letter I got back from Spitfire.
Rainbow Dash looked aside, frowning. It was obvious even now she`s still less then pleased with what happened back then. She trotted over to the bureau, opened it and pulled out a letter from it, handing it to Quick Quill. Journalist skimmed through it quickly. It was full of officially-sounding phrases, but the meaning of message was rather clear. Summed up, it sounded like - "Your application is rejected, as Wonderbolts are looking for genuine flying talents, not for celebrities." He returned the letter, frowning.
- That seems rather strange to me. I`ve been but a schoolcolt back then, but even I remember hearing about Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria. But this letter, it looks like as if you were a total nopony before getting honors for Minotaur Revolt deeds. Surely, Spitfire would have had some idea about how good of a flier you are.
- Bingo, kid. By the book, I should have been invited to the tests, at least. Instead, I got this letter. At first, I didn`t know what to think, then I started noticing Spitfire started to avoid me like plague. So a week later, I`ve cornered her at the ladies room and demanded to know what`s going on.
- So what did she say?
- That I`ve been passed over. That, "for political reasons", a son of count of Hoofington had been given the spot.
- Oh. But wait... You have a direct line to royal ear. Wouldn`t Princess Celestia have something to say about this?
- Oh, yes. Yes, she had much to say. The problem, kid, was that this other kid was unaware of it. His dad pulled the strings, greased some hooves, twisted some ears. In short, Spitfire was ordered by a superior officer to give a slip to anypony who stood a chance of testing out better then count`s son. That kid genuinely believed he beat all the other applicants. Only Spitfire knew that he got the spot only because I got bumped off the track before the starting line.
- I see... But still, didn`t you deserve that spot?
- I did, kiddo, I sure did. The thing is, the count`s son also deserved it. I`ve seen him at the practice, and I can honestly say he wouldn`t shame the name of Wonderbolts. He`s a good kid, and it was not his fault his dad played dirty. So I asked princess to let it be. But I wasn`t happy about it, not the slightest. And so, I volunteered to go to Zarhyme, to get away from it all for a while. Imagine my joy when I discovered that my commanding officer is the jerk who ordered Spitfire to bump me off the list.
- Rushing Wind? He gave that order?
- Yep. He was a smug bastard about it too. Went out of his way to stiff me in Zarhyme as well.
- Why did he have such a vendetta against you?
- Two reasons. First - he knew I knew that he gave the order, and he was afraid I have a vendetta against him. Second - princess reassigned him to Zarhyme for that order. She wanted to drum him out of service, but that would become a public scandal - and a public scandal would kill the kid`s chances at Wonderbolts. So, yeah, he had plenty of reason to have a grudge. Besides, I had a grudge as well.
- I can`t imagine that went well.
- Oh, it didn`t. Especially once the fighting broke out. He bent over backwards to put me and my squad into the shittiest positions, then blamed me for not making a candy out of shit he shoveled my way. Things really got to head in Jiffur. Bucker`s orders were pretty much a death sentence for all of the squad, including me. So when I got creative with it and ended up not only saving my colts but also sabotaging the siege itself, he saw red. I don`t think I need to tell you about that court martial session, it`s been all over the newspapers.
- Yes. It was a sensation. Court martialed to promotion. You have to agree, it`s pretty much unheard of.
- Heh. But anyway, bucker resigned after that. I think he was afraid I might retaliate.
- Were you planning to?
- ...Maybe. I can`t say for sure now. I had some plans to make sure I don`t answer to him no more, of course, but how far would I go to get rid of him? I don`t know, and it a way, I`m glad I don`t have to find out. It`s revenge enough I got his whole division after Yerrihon. Speaking of sourface, whatever happened to him? I was too busy after the war to pay much attention to news.
- Rushing Wind? Well, after he resigned in protest, he tried to get elected as Hoofington mayor, but... er, elections were held three days after the triumph you`ve been given in Canterlot. He lost by the landslide and, according to experts, bankrupted his credibility. After that, he`s done nothing newsworthy, I believe.
- Heh. I`d be lying if I said I feel sorry for him. Nah, he deserved every bit of it.
- Well, this is certainly riveting story, but what does it have to do with your refusal to speak with press after you`ve been promoted to commodore?
- Getting to that, kid. See, before Zarhyme, I was not in position to do something about Wonderbolts. Since the things back then were handled quietly, general public was not aware I applied and got bumped off. So now as I returned from Zarhyme with all the accolade, most of the reporters put together two and two, got five and went on to pester me with quiestion - when I will be joining Wonderbolts?
- Well, that makes sense. Even if one knows the story... Since you got Rushing Wind`s division and his title, wouldn`t it give you the authority over Wonderbolts? You could`ve simply ordered Spitfire to write you into the roster, and she`s have to say "Ma`am, yes ma`am!".
Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh and stood up. She was silent for a few moments, looking out of the illuminator at the starry sky. Then, she spoke, without turning back - "Yes. I could. And no, I couldn`t." She turned to the bureau again and pulled out an old dog-eared book. Quick Quill stole a glance on the title as Dash opened it. The book was called - "Wonderbolts: History and Traditions" She put the book down on the floor and pointed out one passage with the hoof.
- This. This is why I couldn`t do it.
- ...There were, traditionally, twelve Wonderbolts?...
- There was NO spot now. The team had all twelve members. I couldn`t just order myself to be written in as the thirteenth - it would be a spit in the face to all that Wonderbolts are. If I did that, then every Tap, Buck and Berry with an ounce of clout would write themselves in as "extra" Wonderbolts.
- ...Ah. I see where you`re coming from.
- Having a spot on the team is actually rather rare thing for Wonderbolts. Being best out of best means that spots usually open up only when somepony retires. So in order to make a spot for myself, I would have had to order somepony to retire.
- The count`s son?
- Well, if I had the heart to crush his dream like that, do you think I would`ve gone to Zarhyme? I would have simply asked princess Celestia to overturn the order given to Spitfire. The public outcry from that alone would`ve made it impossible for the kid to show up in Wonderbolt uniform without being booed out of the sky. No, if I wanted the spot he stole from me, I wouldn`t need to wait to take it back. The correct answer is that I could NOT join Wonderbolts.
- So, let me get this straight. Journalists keep pestering you about joining Wonderbolts - and you are aware you can not join Wonderbolts at the time because there`s no fair way to do this, right?
- Pretty much. I tried to shrug off some of your colleagues at first, kid. But they kept getting more and more ludicrous with their questions and theories. Finally, I`ve tried to explain to a pair of journalists exactly the same thing I`m explaining to you now - that Wonderbolts already have all twelve spots filled, and I wouldn`t be able to join without bumping someone out of the team. Can you guess the spin they put on that story?
Quick Quill facehoofed. He had pretty good idea what kind of headline would likely be concocted out of this explanation. Rubbing his nose with the hoof, he paused for a second, getting his thoughts together, while Rainbow Dash closed the book and put it back into bureau. "I`m guessing they did something like "Look out Wonderbolts! Rainbow Dash is after you all! Who`s spot the fastest mare in Equestria is going to take?" kind of article?" - he ventured, shaking his head.
- Got it on the first try, kid. Yes, that`s exactly the kind of article that started cropping up in papers. Wasn`t long before the word got to Wonderbolts as well. I didn`t know what happened, since pretty much the whole team started avoiding me. Then Spitfire came over one evening.
- Were she angry with you?
- MMmm? No. She wasn`t. I suppose some other members of Wonderbolts were, but she knew better. After all, she of all ponies knew I had a good reason to be gunning for a specific somepony on the team. And so, she assumed that this is exactly what is happening. That I am going to kick out count`s son and take "my" spot back. She came to me hoping to talk me out of it.
- Really? Why would she want that?
- Because it was a sordid affair, and it would have soiled the honor of Wonderbolts for decades. There`s no question about it - if I used my clout to oust count`s son out of the team, his dad would certainly retaliate somehow. It would`ve ended up being exposed to public sooner or later.
- And she hoped you`d see the things this way?
- Actually... no. She also felt guilty about the whole affair, you see. And so, she offered me her spot on the team, if I leave the kid alone.
- Her spot?... As in, Spitfire offered to leave Wonderbolts so you could join?
- Yep. As you can obviously see, I wasn`t fine with the idea. So I told her that I wouldn`t be joining Wonderbolts. That the time for that had come and gone, and I missed the brass ring. I told her to go back to the team and assure them I have no designs on any of them. Next morning, I announced my seclusion from press. So there you have it, kid. The story of why.
- ...I see. And this whole seclusion from press was caused by a few bad apples playing fast and loose with your words? ...I`ve got to hand it to you, adm... Dash. That was pretty abrupt way to snag all the credibility from the rumors from then on. One last question remains, however.
- Really? So what is that question?
- As I remember, a year ago, there was another opening in the team. By all the facts, you should have had the dibs on it. So why didn`t you took it then?
She shrugged, leaning back on the pillow - "It was a case of "too little, too late". I`ve overgrown that dream, kid. When the opening finally came, I was an admiral. Look around yourself. There`s almost three hundred ponies on this ship alone that trust their lives and well-being to me. They trust me to make the right call, to win the fight and keep them alive through it. They`re giving their all. Would I dare to let them down? Would I throw away their trust to fly stunts? ...No. Never. Above all else, I am loyal. Loyal to my crew, to my division, to my ponies. After all that I`ve seen, all that I`ve done... I coudln`t really make peace with being just an entertainer no more. I`ve moved on to things that are bigger than me and bigger than Wonderbolts. I`d never dare to turn my back on this, now."