My name is Rainbow Dash. The cyan blue pony with a mane of many colours. I'm known all over Equestria. I'm here to tell you a rather spectacular tale of something that very rarely happens in Equestria. You see, you probably know me as the tomboy, competitive pony you often see. I've been like that since I was a filly. I was always trying to impress my parents, and everyone around me. Being the fastest and coolest pony on the block was the old way I could think back then. My mind was full of rainbows, and that was that. There was no thinking before I acted.
I aimed to be the best of best. I'd race every colt and filly in Cloudsdale. I couldn't wait to get my hooves running, my wings pumping, spinning through the air at the speed of light! My desperation to have friends covered everything else. When I completed my first Sonic Rainboom, that was it. It was sealed, for what I thought was life. My cutie mark, a rainbow lightning bold striking from the clouds. It was so cool!
But that was then. Years I was the sportiest, coolest pony, and I never wanted that place to fade. I continued to force myself to be the best, even if it mean't cheating. That's when I discovered my place in the Elements of Harmony. I was loyal through and through, my friends were important, even if sometimes the vision of winning clouded my every thought. Meeting my five great friends was one of the best things to ever happen to me.
Then came the dream of the Wonderbolts. The top of the top, every pegasus looked up to them like overlords. They were Equestria's best fliers! The first time I saw them I was taken back by everything they had to offer. They performed for the Princess herself. How much cooler did it get than that? I instantly wanted to be part of them. I wanted to show off more than I already did. Even to the point when the Shadowbolts looked like a good option, until the calls of my friends summoned me back to using my head.
You guys know the rest. I found my rival, Lightning Dust, too, and that pressured me even further to keep my rank at the top. I was scared that if I slipped I'd never be able to climb back up. I was a coward, I claimed to be scared of nothing. Nothing but failure.
The very thought of being thrown back in the ranks to a pony who was mocked for what she could and could not do was the enough to drive me mad. Being cool was my epitome of awesomeness, and I was convinced then it would be my dream. But every pony grows up, from the strictest of fillies to silly Pinkie Pies, we may hold our personalities through thick and thin, but the outer shell of our fillyhood is slowly stripped away, leaving the talent we prospered and loved the best.
And believe it or not, being sporty and flying was not what was left behind for me. Not at all. Everything alike that was being peeled away from me, to leave behind a fresh Rainbow Dash. A new start. But could I really start my dream over?
It all began on a day I was flying through the topmost areas of Cloudsdale, enjoying the wind in my mane, the ruffling in the feathers of my wings. The sun shone bright across my body, and I couldn't of felt better. The morning was a time to get out and about, see everypony, greet the sky with the biggest of smiles, and I had nothing to feel sad about. I found myself spinning, singing joy straight out of my heart.
"Don't remind me, that some days I'm a windshield, and other days I'm just a lucky bug!" I had exclaimed, soaring through a cloud and landing neatly on the white, rolling ground. A warm light lit up inside of me as my voice struggled to be let out again. "As cold iron rails leave old mossy trails through the country side!"
Then I'd heard a voice behind me. My heart grew cold as a stone, and it weighed me down.
"Nice singing Dash!" That was Soarin, I could tell by the faint huskiness in his stallion tone.
"I never knew you could sing so well!" Spitfire, I knew her voice too well.
I spun around, eyes wide as moons. "Where did you two come from?" I said, looking between them, embarrassment turning my cheeks bright red.
Soarin chuckled and swiped his mane from his face. "We were out stretching our wings when we heard you."
"You have a pretty voice, Rainbow." Spitfire smiled, blinking at me softly with glittering eyes.
I was normally warmed at praise from the Wonderbolts, but this was different. I wasn't a singer! Singing was... totally uncool! I mean... wasn't it? But then I backtracked. Did I care? They said I was good, and I felt good! This is where my stubbornness started to fade, and I saw the light of new hobbies. But it was just a hobby, right? I was still the coolest, fastest pony in Ponyville.
At least I thought that was the case. Because as I said, the stubbornness was only fading. Things were yet to get a lot worse, or better, mind you. But my life has had twists and turns since then. And this is only just the beginning of my life. Whether I have to start it over or not. I'm still Rainbow Dash. And I may not be able to tell you my story in ten seconds flat, but it's worth listening to anyway.
After my bump into Soarin and Spitfire, I got thinking. Did I have any other talents? Cool talents of course. I mean, what pony wanted their best skill to be something totally, like, weird? I mean, that's what I was thinking then. My mind was full of sporty junk that had been forced upon me through years of panic about anything else being the wrong way to go. I had to find a way to clear my head.
The very next day after that shenanigan, I payed a visit to the best homey town in Equestria: Ponyville. It was a rather uneventful day. It was hot and sweaty, and I was bored out of my brains. I'd popped into Twilight's library to get out of the heat, but all she did was droan on about books. I said I had to be somewhere and slipped out, not regretting my little white lie one bit.
So I'd visited each of my close friends through the day; Fluttershy and her chickens, Applejack and her apple-bucking, Pinkie and her cakes, Rarity and her dresses. It was all their dream, doing what they do best, and they loved it. Maybe, yes, what they did bored me down to the marrow in my bones, but to them they were living life to the fullest, even if it mean't pushing themselves the extra distance.
I did that right? I pushed myself? I mean, I raced all the time! I was sporty, and I cleared the clouds for the whole of PonyVille! Yes, sometimes I was lazy, but the other pegasi didn't mind doing my job now and then. It was their job too, though. I mean, was this what I really wanted to do?
To shrug off my boredom that day, I'd slipped down to the lake and taken a quick dip. It was great to get out of the heat, and I was alone with my thoughts. I'd washed my mane, and as I waded through the cool water, I'd closed my eyes and sung.
"This is a world, of dreams, and reverie. Where I felt the stars, explode, around me." I'd splashed around, having the best time of my life, listening to my voice echo off the water and the surrounding rocks.
Could a day racing really compare to this? What was I saying! Being athletic was my life! This was a one time thing for today. But then again, I could remember other times feeling this great. I could recall a million times even!
One in particular, it was a cold spring day, and I was going a bit of cleaning about my house. It was odd for me yes, knowing my lazy self I often let the cloud-bunnies gather in every knook and crannie. But the very thought of the Wonderbolts popping in to say hello, or even Lightning Dust barging in from time to time, to see my clutter was unnerving. So away I went with tail and wing, blowing things about, dusting things off.
I'd recited a rather particular tune as I'd whirled around like Hurricane Dash. "You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep. 'Cause they'd fill the open air, and leave tear drops everywhere, you'd think me rude but I'd just stand and... stare."
The chorus had almost lifted my roof with a melody that played my heart strings like a gently strummed guitar. "I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems." I'd echoed myself as I slowed to a halt, letting out a gusty sigh of content. "When I'm asleep."