Dancing Through Life
Chapter 17
Reassurance
It had been three days since that whole incident where Rainbow Dash’s pride was shattered. She was in a serious funk, and she hardly made contact with her friends, or Soarin. She could hardly speak a word or even look at her cruel stepsisters without feeling like she could break down and cry. It was hard to keep cool when Adagio and Aria looked at her with cruel victory in their eyes. Sonata felt her heart breaking for her stepsister.
One day, she decided to confront them. “Why did you two do that?” She asked. “Rainbow Dash did nothing to hurt you. All she ever did was try to please you, yet it’s never good enough for you! Why do you torture her?” There was not an answer from either of her older sisters. “Why?” She asked again, raising her voice for the first time at them.
Adagio glared at her. “Why?” She repeated. “Because she is pretty, talented, good, and had everything she could ever have when we came along. And us? We had nothing! Never had, and never will! And you can rot here in this stinking town for all I care, but I won’t let some little orphan miss goody-two-shoes who wasted six years of her life trying to make us happy, take what we deserve away from us!” After her jealous rant, Adagio huffed and left the room, with Aria following her, glaring at Sonata.
The blue Dazzling felt shocked to learn her sister’s reason for hating Rainbow. She looked down, her breath now fast and heavy. “No way I’m letting this happen.” She whispered to herself. With that, she reached for her phone. She scrolled through the numbers in her contacts list until she found the one she was looking for.
The next day, when the Rainbooms had their off period to practice before the school day ended, they all saw that Rainbow didn’t even pick up her guitar and was just sitting on the steps of the little risers, head resting on her arms.
Pinkie gave the others a glance, and then nodded. The other girls returned it. It was time to say what Dash needed to hear. They all set down their instruments and took a spot either beside or behind her.
“Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.
“Do I look okay?” Dash snapped, making her friend flinch at her tone. “Sorry, Flutters.” She apologized.
“It’s fine.” She assured her. “We just want you to know that we are still here for you.”
Dash smiled. “Thank you.” She said.
Sunset then spoke up. “You know that the dance competition is tonight.” She said.
Rainbow nodded. Soarin had tried to tell her about it earlier, but she was still maintaining a distance from him. She wasn’t quite ready to talk to him yet.
“We thought that all of us can enter.” Sunset continued.
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “What?” She asked.
“Actually, we already signed up.” Pinkie piped in.
“WHAT?!” Rainbow squawked, jumping out of her spot.
“Come on, Dash.” Applejack said. “This is most likely your last chance to show everyone here who you really are and what you can do. Don’t let those two low-life witches bring you down. You’re stronger than this.”
“Girls, I appreciate this, but I’m done.” Rainbow said. “I’m done dancing.”
“Well, we know you’re not.” Twilight said. “You can’t give up now when you’re this close.”
“This was your dream, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity added. “This is your dream.”
“Not anymore.” Dash said, turning away from her friends.
The other members of the Rainbooms looked at each other. “Actually, it was Sonata that suggested that we sign up without letting you know.” Pinkie revealed.
Rainbow looked back at the hyperactive pink-haired girl with wide eyes. “She did?” She whispered.
Twilight nodded. “Yup. And she has as much faith in you as we do.” She said. “You have your friends and one of your stepsisters by your side. You can’t give up on them.”
“You also have Soarin by your side as well.” Rarity came in. “He cares very much for you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in love with you.” That comment almost made Rainbow blush bright pink. “You two are perfect for one another. You bring out the best in each other.”
“And don’t forget your parents.” Fluttershy added. Rainbow looked over at her oldest friend when she mentioned her parents. “They were the ones who inspired you to persevere towards your goals, and they were with you every step of the way.”
“And they still are.” Sunset spoke up. “They were, and still are, your rock that keeps you up on your feet. If you won’t do this for us, or for Soarin, or even for showing all of Canterlot who you really are, at least do it for them. I know they would be proud of you for doing this.”
Applejack then came up beside the broken athlete. “What do you say, Dash?” She asked gently.
Rainbow felt so much emotion swirling inside of her that she was silent for a few long moments. But when she opened her mouth to speak, the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. “Give me a minute to think about it.” She said. “I’ll see you girls at AJ’s.” With that, she left the band room.
As Dash was putting her stuff away in her locker, the words of her friends were echoing in her head. All of them made valid points as to why she should compete in the dance competition. But there was still something that was holding her back from making that decision.
She slammed her locker shut after she grabbed her backpack and started walking down the hall. As she did, it seemed like everything was moving in slowly and she was the only one moving at a normal pace. Then, she started to sing.
Rainbow Dash: I have so much more to say.
But I live in slow motion,
From moment to moment, hey.
While moving past the slow moving students, memories of the past week came rushing into her mind. Starting from when this whole thing began, at the announcement of the dance competition, herself and her friends practicing in secret at the dance studio, her running into Soarin, and then them dancing at the Spring Fling, and then when he came over to help clean up the house.
Holding back from day to day.
The clock's ticking slowly,
But time cannot hold me down.
A smile slowly came on Rainbow’s face as she pushed open the main doors of the school and recalled those moments when she felt like she can do whatever she can set her mind to.
I find myself in the rhythm of my feet.
Feel it in my heartbeat.
The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back.
Starting to feel like she was becoming her normal confident self again, she took off towards where her motorcycle was parked, her feet guiding her into a rhythm as if she was dancing, got on it, and began revving away from the school and onto the street.
Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'!
Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin'!
I let go in this moment, all roads open.
Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'!
I was born to break free!
When she came to a red light, she stopped and looked around her. She recognized this area. On one side of the street, there was a little ice cream stall. When she was little, her parents would take her there to get ice cream and she would dance along the sidewalk with her cone of Neapolitan ice cream in her hand, her parents watching her with smiles on their faces.
I choose my path, I choose my dreams.
My spirit's a fighter,
A passion igniter, yeah.
When she and Soarin were exploring the city after her work shift a few days before, she had introduced the Wonderbolt to that very same ice cream stall. Dash had ordered her usual, and Soarin had a normal French Vanilla. She smiled at the memory when Soarin had a dollop of ice cream on his nose, and she had to flick it off. He tried to put one on her, but she gracefully dodged it while laughing, and the two continued that before they realized that their cones were melting.
All I need's inside of me.
A light shining brighter,
A spark to a fire now.
Rainbow felt her smile growing fonder the more she thought of Soarin and the way he makes her feel all floaty and giddy whenever they would dance or just hang out and talk. And the way that he looks at her made her feel like she was worth something, almost similar to how her parents grinned and cheered her on towards her dream. She guessed that what Rarity had said was true. She was in love with the Wonderbolt, and maybe he did feel the same way about her, after that passionate dance they did last night. To her, it spoke words that they couldn’t say to the other right then.
I find myself in the rhythm of my feet.
Feel it in my heartbeat.
The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back.
(Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh-oh)
Her soft grin turned into her normal confident one that she would wear when she was at the top of her game as she came to a final decision and the stoplight in front of her turned from red at the top to green at the bottom.
Her friends were right. She can’t give up now, not when she had so many supporters rooting for her, and who love her for who she truly is. Not a broken shell of an orphan turned into basically a slave by her older stepsisters; but a confident, talented, beautiful girl who deserves a chance in the spotlight, who can make her own choices in her life, and who won’t ever stop believing in herself as she gets a chance to live her dreams.
She revved her motorcycle like she was about to race someone and then continued driving it as she came closer and closer to her destination. And it wasn’t her stepsisters’ house.
Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'! (Yeah-yeah!)
Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin'! (I'm runnin', runnin' wild!)
I let go in this moment, all roads open.
Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'!
I was born to break free!
A few minutes later, she arrived at Applejack’s farmhouse, and her friends were starting to get warmed up for their practice in the barn, putting their instruments off to the side and making sure they had enough room to dance and move around. They stopped what they were doing when they saw Rainbow Dash parking her motorcycle on the curb in front of the barn, and then getting off it.
“So, girls.” She called out to them, her arms crossed confidently and her hip slightly jutted out in a familiar pose to the members of the Rainbooms. “Anyone ready to win a dance competition?” She asked with a cocky smirk.
The other girls returned her grin with either confident smiles of their own, or proud and cheesy ones because of Rainbow’s choice. But they all had answered her question. “Did ya even have to ask?” AJ asked in a similar cocky tone.