//------------------------------// // Rainbow Dash // Story: Journals of the Council of Friendship // by AleximusPrime //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash here: fastest flyer in Equestria. My friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle decided to write in this journal after she became the new leader of Equestria, and said the rest of us can join in. We started this a few months after the coronation, and there’s already quite a lot of awesome stuff for me to talk about, so let’s jump right into it! ~Entry 1~ Okay, so first of all: things didn’t go quite as swimmingly as we planned for Twilight’s coronation. Discord was just being Discord again and tried to set up some big final battle with some villains to try and get us to win so it would boost Twilight’s confidence or something, but it kinda backfired. Lord Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis just turned on him and absorbed his magic, and then they absorbed Celestia and Luna’s magic, which pretty much left us defenseless. Well, we eventually escaped and, found Twilight and took on all of them with the help of practically everyone else available in Equestria. They all came along and distracted them and that gave us enough time to use the power of the Elements along with the Pillars of Equestria and the six students from the School of Friendship. We did the whole epic rainbow beam and took their powers they got from Grogar’s crazy old bell and then Discord and the princesses turned them into stone. I gotta say, it was pretty insane! Well we eventually got to Twi’s coronation and we messed up quite a lot of things, but she handled it surprisingly well. I guess she wasn’t doing to hot though during the first few weeks and I could tell by her letters she had sent that things were rough. I actually had the pleasure of seeing her before our first “Council of Friendship” meeting when Spitfire needed to go meet with her about some important matters involving the Wonderbolts. When I finally got to speak alone with Twilight, she tried her best to be positive in front of me, but I knew right away that she was hiding her emotions, so I looked her right in the eyes and told her to be honest. Her lip started quivering and before you knew it, she was huddled up right next to me and kept going on and on about how rough it was. I felt so bad for her. I put my wing around her and told her how I’ve been a nervous wreck with some things before and was a little scared back when I was getting started being a Wonderbolt. It seemed to make things a lot better, but I knew it was going to take some time for her to get used to all these big changes. I left for home that night feeling pretty down and decided to call an emergency meeting with the others about Twilight. We all decided to give Twilight a little surprise party at Sugarcube Corner for the first council meeting and that really made her day. The next few months did get better for her. She seems to be adjusting to all the big changes despite still missing us. That’s what’s been going on with Twilight, but now I’ve got some really big, life-changing, super awesome news: I might kinda sorta have a boyfriend now. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m surprised it happened too. I never thought I’d find a stallion this soon, but I did and he’s actually pretty cool! Let me tell you how I met him. So I was flying around one day outside of the Academy, just practicing my moves and testing some new goggles, when suddenly I saw this other pegasus flying to my left not too far from me. I was flying pretty fast and he was catching up so I figured it was Soarin or somepony, but I slowed down to get a better look and he didn’t have on a uniform or any goggles. His coat was a shade of greyish blue with darker blue hair and a yellow streak going through it that was shaped like a lightning bolt. I was surprised at how fast he was despite not being part of the Wonderbolts or being in training. I followed him to see what he would do and sure enough he started doing some amazing tricks around some of the clouds much like I would do back when I was younger and trying to impress the Wonderbolts. I eventually caught up to him and told him he had some slick moves. He said he was happy to get such a compliment from one of the Wonderbolts. Before I could even introduce myself, he already knew who I was. He said he was a big fan of the Wonderbolts and knew us all by name. He then introduced himself as Thunderhead. We sat down on a nearby cloud and talked a bit. I was getting a little nervous cuz I could already tell he was my type, but I just listened and did my best to talk like he was a close friend, the same way I do with Twilight and the others. He told me he was always a thrill-seeker and very athletic (wow, just like me), but surprisingly he was never really that interested in being part of the Wonderbolts. It was confusing to hear this, but I guess he wasn’t really the type to devote himself to such a team. I asked him what he was interested in doing and he just looked up to the sky and said he wants to “live my life and be happy.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that. I thought he would just tell me what kind of job he wanted, but that was a pretty vague answer. After a long pause I just said how we’re in the same boat then cuz I’m living my life and am happy being a Wonderbolt and all. For a moment I thought I might’ve insulted him, but he didn’t seem offended by it. Well we said our goodbyes, but not before I decided to invite him to a Wonderbolts air show happening in Canterlot, which he gladly accepted. A few days later after the show had ended, I met up with him and then introduced him to some of the other Wonderbolts. He seemed a bit star-struck, though not nearly as much as I was when I first met them. We hung out later and chatted a bit and got to know each other. He apparently is also a fan of Daring Do, and unlike Quibble Pants, he actually appreciates the new books. This made me feel a lot more connected to him, but I still couldn’t really decide if I liked him or not. The next time I met Thunder was actually during the battle against the Trio right before Twilight’s coronation. When everyone came in to help us fight, he was one of the ones who decided to join in with the pegasi. He flew in and helped a few others distract Tirek by flying around him. He nearly got blasted a few times, but he dodged it like a pro. After we all settled down and those three were taken care of, he gave me a big hug and said how glad he was that I was alright. I thanked him a ton for helping us out along with the others. After the battle, I finally introduced him to my friends later that night at Donut Joe’s. Probably not the smartest idea since Pinkie couldn’t go on about how I liked him and should totally get married and have kids (thankfully she said that after he left). I was pretty bashful but everyone else was supportive and thought he was handsome. I was hiding it at the time, but it was true I was already starting to crush pretty hard. Well, long story short: one thing lead to another and after a lot of hanging around and talking about Daring Do and the Wonderbolts and stuff, Thunder finally asked me if I would be his special somepony. I’ve never felt like such a dweeb before, being the silly fan-girl I am, but I was so happy he finally asked. We’ve been dating since then and I really feel like this is something I’ve been missing out on for a while. I always thought relationships were just not my thing and I’d just end up being single but still happy to be a Wonderbolt, but I guess I found the right guy. Being in this relationship has really caused me to see the world a bit differently. Throughout my life, it’s always been about me; about going out there and being the best I can be and being a wild free spirit, but being with Thunder has made me feel a lot more down-to-Earth. I admit I’ve been pretty self-centered most of the time and I brag a lot about how awesome I am, but I’ve eased off on that. I haven’t felt quite this different since Twilight came to Ponyville and the six of us all became heroes after stopping Nightmare Moon. After Twilight went back to Canterlot to start leading a country, I’ve felt a little sad that those days are gone now and we all have to move on, but I think this has opened up a new chapter in my life. We’ll see where it all goes from here. I really want to be around Thunder more and see if he’s the guy for me. One thing I can say is he’s made me feel a lot more awesome than I ever have in a while. I’m rambling now, aren’t I? Yeah, sorry, I’m a love-struck weirdo. Well I hope this first entry wasn’t too mushy, but the next one probably will be too at this rate. Well I hope Twilight does an awesome job with the crown and here’s to me and Thunderhead! Oh hi, it’s me, Pinkie Pie! Shhhhh, don’t say a word! Dashie doesn’t know I secretly hid this little message in her entry! Just letting everypony know I toooootally ship “ThunderDash!” Or does “RainbowHead” sound better? RainbowHead kinda sounds like a crazy metal band that sings about rainbows and stuff. Eh, I’ll go with ThunderDash. That sounds way more awesome! Anyway, these two are adorable and I love them so super much and I’m gonna do the best I can to make sure they have the most super coolest, awesomest, radicalest, amazingest (these are all words, I’m adding them to the dictionary!) times together! Okay, gotta go! TOODLES! ~Entry 2~ PINKIE PIE!!! Sorry about her, guys. I told Twilight we should all write in our own separate journals, but oh well. That crazy party pony just has no shame. Well I owe her in a way cuz guess where I am right now? I’m sitting in my new home just outside of Ponyville with my son on the floor playing with some little Wonderbolt plushies as I write this. Yup, that’s right: Thunder and I got hitched and we had a kid! Not long after I wrote the last entry, things got kinda serious between us, and just about a year later, he proposed and we were married! I wasn’t planning on having kids immediately after getting married, but I figured what the hay. The kid’s name is Storm Streak (Stormy for short), and he’s an adorable little ball of energy! He’s got a darker shade of blue in his coat like his father, and he has my eyes some of my mane colors, so he’s a good cross between the two of us. He’s already learned to say his first word: “Awesome!” I taught him how to say it obviously. I never thought I was going to enjoy being a mother so much but I love being with the little guy. I can already tell he loves the Wonderbolts, and he loves when I read him the kid’s book versions of Daring Do. I’m still on maternity leave from the Wonderbolts, but I’ll be heading back soon. I’m going to miss getting to chill at home with Stormy, but I found the perfect babysitter: Scootaloo! Scoot is really happy for me finding a husband and having a kid. She loves spending time with Stormy, and I’m happy to pay her to watch my kid when Thunder and I are busy at our jobs. Oh and by the way, Scoot finally learned to fly! She did it some time after I wrote my first entry in this journal. She said she was hanging out with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle one day and she started flapping her wings really fast while she was air born on her scooter and just managed to stay afloat. She had a little trouble with direction and could only stay in the air for a minute or two before her wings got tired. Her wings have gotten much bigger though and I’m pretty certain she might be as good of a flyer as I am one day! She broke the news to me by surprising me while I was practicing outside of the Academy. I couldn’t believe I was seeing her flying right next to me at that moment! I’m just so proud of the little squirt for finally learning to fly, and she didn’t even need my help to start doing it! Now as for Thunder: back when we first met, he was working two part time jobs at a restaurant and a weather factory in Cloudsdale. Now he’s working full time at the factory, but he’s sometimes able to get time off to stay with Stormy while I do some Wonderbolts work. If we’re both booked, we call in Scoot or anypony else available. My schedule is usually freer than his unless I’m prepping for a show or if we’re called in to help with some weather-related disaster. Thunder doesn’t have the best job, but we’re both making enough to support us and he’s just happy that we have a good living situation and a great kid. I’m so proud of him for everything he’s done for me. Oh and while I’m at it, can you believe that Applejack also got married?! She was dating a guy called Tex for a while. He’s the son of Burnt Oak. They were pretty close and they actually beat me and Thunder to tying the knot as well as having kids. As if one wasn’t enough, AJ had twins named Apple Chip and Annie Smith! I can already tell Stormy loves hanging around the two of them. They’re gonna be good friends as they all grow up. Well aside from that huge change in my life, there’s not much else to say that Twilight and the others haven’t already mentioned in their entries if you wanna go check them out. A lot sure is changing. Even without Twilight in Ponyville, we’re all moving on well without her, and we’re really growing up. Can’t wait for the next entry! Alright, I gotta go. Stormy’s getting into the cookie jar again. That naughty little pipsqueak! ~Entry 3~ Okay, so how long as it been now since I started this journal? Four years I think? Eh, I’ll figure it out another time. Anyway, Thunder and I had another kid! We named this one Lightning Flash! He looks a bit more like me only with blue eyes and some red, yellow and bright blue in his mane. He’s pretty energetic like Stormy but he’s not quite as naughty. Stormy’s gotten a bit feistier at this age and he’s a bit of a troublemaker, but I handle him pretty well. It’s hard to get mad at him sometimes cuz he reminds me so much of myself when I was his age, but Thunder and I still keep him in line when I need to. You should see Thunder with the boys. He loves wrestling, tickling, and rough-housing with them in the living room every night before we put the kids down for bed. It helps tire them out so they sleep like rocks. And of course I still hire Scoot to come by and watch after them. They both love her obviously. Lightning hasn’t started flying just yet and she’s trying to teach him to do it. Well that was several months ago. Lightning is just starting to learn to walk and talk while I’m back doing some Wonderbolts work. Thunder actually got a better-paying job with weather control in the Ponyville/Canterlot area, which means we could finally move back down to Ponyville in a house. When we were married, I moved in with him in his apartment in Cloudsdale, but it feels a lot better to have a house with way more space for the kids. He’s been doing great, but I do worry about the kids a bit. I feel like there’s not enough time to spend with them and whenever I’m busy with the Wonderbolts, I get this feeling coming over me like I should be with the kids. I trust Scoot with them of course, but I always feel bad when I have to leave and I look back to see Stormy, waving goodbye to me and looking all sad. He’s toughened up a bit now, but he used to cry sometimes when I was gone. Lightning hasn’t really reached that age yet, but it’s going to be harder when he starts using those puppy-dog eyes on me to try and get me to stay home. Some great news is that Mom and Dad are being suuuuuper supportive of me in all this. I forgot to say in the last few entries, but sweet mother of Twilight Sparkle (hehe, I love that I can say that now), they were so happy when I started dating Thunder and then married him! Mom taught me all about feeding foals and changing their diapers and so on. Dad calls like practically every single day to see how we’re doing and he loves playing with the kids. I used to be embarrassed by their support and would get angry with them, but now I’m really happy I’ve had supportive parents that could be there for me in times like this. All this mom-work got me pretty good, so I decided to cut my mane and tail like how Mom wears hers. Looks pretty nice on me. Thunder, on the other hoof, has been growing his hair out. He used to have a sort of Trojan-horse manecut, but now he’s looking a little more like I used to. Well apart from that, I’ve started taking the kids to some places that mom and dad used to take me. Stormy’s old enough to go on some kiddie rides at the Ponyville Fair and he loves the Cloudsdale Aeronautics Museum too which is right around where Thunder and I used to live. He keeps asking if he can go on one of the roller coasters over in Las Pegasus, but there’s no way he’d be allowed on one of those yet. When he gets tall enough, he might be able to get on the more exciting rides. He really loves moving around a lot and keeps himself busy, which is why I helped Thunder put together a little jungle gym out in the back yard. Lightning’s usually just playing in the sandbox, but Stormy can’t get enough out of the gym or the trampoline. It only becomes an issue when he gets a bit rambunctious and flies out to play on some low-hanging clouds. Ever since he started flying (yes, that early, can you believe it?!), he’s been doing that a lot. I keep telling him to stay close to the house but he still has a hard time listening. Oh well. A colt after my own heart I guess. Oh and while I’m at it, Stormy looooves Daring Do! I’ve recently started reading him the original books written by AK Yearling, and he never dozes off when listening to me. While on topic, I also heard they’re trying to make a film adaptation of the books. I was a little scared that Hinnywood would screw it up like they did what that one lousy Power Ponies reboot a while ago, but AK said she’s not going to let it happen unless they allow her to be involved with the production, so if it happens, it’s gonna be good. I don’t know if the films are going to be appropriate enough for Stormy to watch, but maybe if they take a while to do them, they’ll come out when he turns 13. Eh, who am I kidding. I’ll wait for the video release and just show it to him at home, and nopony can stop me! Mom and Dad let me see a few PG-13 films when I was like 9! Well that’s all the time I have for now. Tomorrow Thunder and I are gonna take the kids on a trip to the beach and Stormy’s super-excited! ~Entry 4~ Eight years ago, my friends and I stood up against all odds and saved all of Equestria. A few days after that, Twilight became our leader. We weren’t able to spend as much time with her anymore, but I met a stallion who understood and brought out the best in me. I married him and we had wonderful kids. For the next few years, I tackled my job as a Wonderbolt and my family, but as time went on, it became increasingly difficult. I had accomplished my dream, but I started to realize I was living another one. No, I didn’t plan on getting married quite this soon and starting a family. I think at one point I probably didn’t like the idea of it, but it just happened anyway. I went with it and haven’t regretted it to this day. Not too long ago, I signed the papers, finished up my remaining duties for a few more weeks, and then finally, I left the Wonderbolts. They threw a huge party for me on the last day and I went into the office before leaving and had a long talk with Spitfire. She was sad that I had to leave, but she knew I had to quit this dream in order to stay true to another one. She wished me luck and gave me a special pass to get into Wonderbolts shows free with any of my family and friends. I went home to Thunder who had already put the kids down for bed. It was rough expressing my feelings to him. I started crying at one point, but he was there for me. Even if I’m no longer a Wonderbolt, I’m still so happy I have him and the kids. Years ago, if you were to tell me this would all happen, I probably would have just laughed it off or denied it. I feel like my younger self would have been angry to hear that I would join the Wonderbolts but then find love and quit to take care of a family. I was immature and selfish back then. I was an Element of Harmony, but I still made lots of mistakes and usually thought only of myself. Over time I started to realize this and I wised up, but I still continuously fell short. Getting into the Wonderbolts forced me to be more responsible and ready for anything. Meeting Thunderhead humbled me and taught me how important family is. I now know what he meant when he said he wanted to “live life and be happy” because that’s what I’m doing. I set out with the goal of becoming a Wonderbolt and I did it, but in time, something else came up that I didn’t expect and I had to roll with that instead. Quitting the Wonderbolts was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but it was also the best one I’ve made. Thunder got promoted at his job so we’re doing alright financially, and I saved up a lot from my Wonderbolts career. The kids are going to do fine with us and Stormy is already becoming just like me. He got his cutie mark a few months ago and he’s able to zoom around as fast as I could as a kid, only younger. I think he’ll make a fine Wonderbolt someday. As I write this, I’m sitting here in our nursery room right next to a crib with our newest addition to the family: Misty Blitz. I gave birth to her not long after quitting the Wonderbolts. She’s been around for just a few weeks and needs lots of attention, but I manage just fine every day, even through the stress. I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom now; I have all the time in the world. Being a Wonderbolt helped me to deal with the toughest of situations and was a great way to introduce me to motherhood now that I think about it, so there was no mistake doing either one. I love being with these little ones and I love my husband. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I don’t know if me and Twilight and the others will ever be chosen to wield the power of the Elements of Harmony again, but I’m still the Element of Loyalty through and through and that’s why I stuck with them. To whoever reads this: it’s never bad to follow your dreams, but also don’t be afraid to settle down or quit your dream in order to be happy. Family is still important too. Be as loyal as you can to those who mean something to you. Whether I live on as Equestria’s fastest flier or Equestria’s best mom, I hope my experience taught you all something. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a big day tomorrow. I’m taking Mom and Dad to a Wonderbolts show in Canterlot and Spike is bringing Flurry Heart over to be introduced to my kids. She was hanging out with the Cakes the other day and Twilight says she’s going to be spending some time in Ponyville to learn about friendship. I have a feeling Stormy will get along with her; I just hope he’s not too mischievous around the princess of the Crystal Empire. Take care, everyone, and stay awesome!