A breeze floated through the air, gently transporting a lily pad from one part of the pond to another, all while the sounds of frogs and other creatures filled the air with their melodies. The serenity of the scene could calm even the most stressed of souls. The breeze continued, the melodies played, and everything was in its right place. One frog leapt off his lily pad and into the water below, wanting to take a nice refreshing dip. The amphibian remained submerged for a few seconds before rising to the surface. His popped out from the surface, the water rippling around his small body. A piercing sound bombarded his senses, forcing him to frantically locate where it was coming from. Up above, an object was hurling down from the sky. Panicking, the frog submerged himself underwater once more and desperately swam away, hoping to avoid whatever the object was.
Rainbow Dash had an addiction. What she craved was flying; the adrenaline, the rush of bolting ahead at full speed with no intention of stopping; Dash couldn’t get enough of it. Her powerful wings flapped with the force of a thousand hammers, propelling her forward through the sky like a runaway train, a smile was stamped across her face, almost like it was her second signature. In the sky, Dash felt unstoppable, invincible, and alive. She was made for these skies; they were made for her to conquer. Thankfully, she had several weather duties to handle this morning, though Dash always saw those duties as excuses to some hardcore flying for just a little bit longer. For quite some time now, Dash’s weather duties have been put into the done and dusted file. She laughed to herself at how it takes other pegasi what seemed like eons to finish such elementary tasks.
To pass the time, Rainbow Dash practiced some new tricks that would surely get her into the Wonderbolts. First, she started up with her usual warm-up routine, which consisted of basic flips and twirls, simple stuff for a flyer of her quality. Afterwards, she kicked it up a notch and worked on some more advanced skills and techniques. Dash would make the flips smaller, the turns tighter, and the speed faster. Again, they weren’t too difficult for her. For the final third of her routine, she wanted to try something new, something that would look as awesome as her. Rainbow Dash looked below her and the most suitable idea popped into her head. Below her was the swimming hole that she and her friends would use whenever they wanted to beat the heat, which Dash wouldn’t mind doing on a day like today. With a determined look, Dash dove straight towards the water. Her wings flapped quickly, propelling her faster and faster with their swift movements. Dash’s eyes squinted as she looked at her target. Soon, Rainbow Dash was on the edge of smashing the sound barrier and rendering it unfixable. The surface of the pond was inches away. All Dash had to do now was get the timing right. Dive into the water at the exact time she’d achieve her Sonic Rainboom. Hopefully, this would make the water blast up into the air, blending with all the colors that her signature move created. Talk about awesome, right? In seconds, Dash positioned her body so she would lose the least amount of speed possible when she hit the water, not to mention the least amount of pain.
The timing was perfect. Right when Dash hit the water, the sound barrier was destroyed. Water shot into the air, creating what could’ve been a tidal wave. What the blending of the colors and water created was something of exceptional beauty. The colors shined through the clear water, painting them with their respective hues. Rainbow Dash exited out from the water and shot back up into the sky, looking back on the work she had created.
“That is so awesome!” Rainbow Dash laughed at the sight. She had managed to amaze even herself!
The pegasus continued flying upwards, but took a second look back at the pond.
“Eh, what the hay?” Dash said to herself. She slowed down her flight and closed her wings. From this height, she’d be able to do a pretty sweet cannonball. Dash tucked in her legs and wrapped her hooves around them. Without her wings to sustain her flight, Dash went plummeting towards the cool, refreshing water below, yelling with excitement the whole way.
Dash’s cannonball didn’t compare to what she had done seconds earlier, but it was probably the best cannonball she had ever done. Her body went straight to the bottom of the pond. Underwater, Dash opened her eyes and chuckled while she swam back up to the surface. Dash popped out from under the water and gave a great yell of fulfillment.
“Woo! That was so totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash yelled quite loudly. There wasn’t anypony around, so why should she care for volume?
“Rainbow Dash, you are one awesome pony,” she said again while floating on her back, enjoying the rejuvenating feel of the water around her. To the left of her, a frog sitting on a lilly pad looked at Dash with frightened eyes.
“I didn’t scare you now, did I?” Dash asked, not expecting a response back from the mute amphibian. “You gotta admit though, that was pretty awesome.”
The frog jumped off the lilly pad and plopped into the water. Dash, somewhat offended, dipped her head underneath the water to find him. He was nowhere to be seen.
“Whatever,” Dash scoffed when she pulled her wet head from the water, “He probably can’t handle my awesomeness!"
Twilight Sparkle took in a whiff of the relaxing air of spring; perfect weather for a picnic with all of her friends. As usual, Twilight was worried that the weather wouldn’t cooperate with her plans or something would come up preventing one of her friends from joining in on the day’s event. So far, the day was running smoothly and Twilight’s nerves were forever grateful. Over the hill, Twilight’s best friends appeared, each of them bring something to add to the day’s picnic. Applejack brought her delicious homemade apple pie, Rarity brought along the blanket (she also weaved the baskets that everyone used, but it’s better to say that doesn’t count), Fluttershy brought various vegetables that she grew next to her cottage, and Pinkie, no surprise, brought baked goods. The food would go great with Twilight’s punch. Twilight trotted up over to her friends to greet them.
“Hi everypony! Great day for a picnic, isn’t it?” Twilight asked.
“It sure is! There ain’t a cloud in the sky,” Applejack shielded her eyes with her hoof as she scanned the cloudless sky.
“You betcha,” Pinkie added in, bouncing all around the place yet somehow keeping her picnic contributions balanced on her back, “this is like the most perfectal perfect day!”
“It was quite a lovely day,” Rarity remarked as well, levitating the picnic blanket out from her saddlebag and laying it gently onto the soft grass below. Not a single wrinkle could be found on the blanket, exceptional for Rarity’s standards, perfect for any other pony.
“Hey, isn’t Rainbow Dash supposed to be here?” Fluttershy asked quietly.
All the ponies looked around; only now realizing their pegasus friend wasn’t present.
“Yeah, she is. My list says she was supposed to be brining sandwiches,” Twilight commented as her eyes carefully read her list of the items her friends were bringing.
“Perhaps she’s running late?” Rarity suggested.
“I don’t think late and Rainbow Dash would be mentioned in the same sentence. Dash and lazy might though,” Applejack added, knowing her friend all too well.
“I’m sure she’ll be here shortly,” Twilight mentioned, “it really isn’t like her to be late, especially when it involves her friends.”
“Oh, you don’t think something bad happened to her, do you? She’s always doing some new dangerous stunt, what if she got hurt?” Fluttershy brought up.
“Something bad happening to Rainbow Dash? Dash is one of the toughest ponies I know. She sure as hay can handle herself, no matter what the situation would be,” retorted Applejack.
“Applejack is right,” Rarity added. “Rainbow Dash can handle anything the world throws at her! Not to mention her flying skills are phenomenal!”
“I think we can all agree that Rainbow Dash is a one-of-a-kind pony,” Twilight giggled. “Hopefully she’ll bring some one-of-a-kind sandwiches,” she said under her breath, her stomach growling.
Above the ponies’ heads, nestled high in the tree that would provide their lovely picnic its shade, there was a loud rustling of leaves. A branch snapped like a leg and Rainbow Dash came crashing down like a meteor. She landed right on her rear with a loud thump and grunt. Not the best of introductions.
“Rainbow Dash!?” Twilight gasped. “What were you doing up in that tree?”
“If you say napping, I’m gonna buck you all the way into next week!” Applejack threatened.
Rainbow Dash recovered from her fall, quickly rubbing at her behind to quell the pain. “I wasn’t napping, I was waiting! Well, for like two hours and then I started napping, but I woke up when I heard everypony talking about me,” Rainbow Dash revealed.
“And ya’ll didn’t come down from that tree?” Applejack asked.
“I was going to,” Dash retorted, stepping closer towards Applejack, “but I wanted to hear about all the awesome things you ponies had to say about me, like how I’m crazy good at flying and can handle anything!”
“Maybe you’re big head made you fall from that branch!” Applejack shot back.
“Come on, you were the one who was talking about me!” Dash reasoned.
Applejack pointed her hoof and Rainbow Dash, but slowly brought it back down, seeing the logic in her friend’s argument. “Well, you got me there.”
“Just another success for Rainbow Dash!” the egotistical pony said as she lifted herself a few inches off the ground. Nearby, Twilight could’ve sworn she heard Applejack growl. She needed to calm everybody down before things got out of hoof.
“Well, now that everypony’s here, we can finally have our picnic!” Twilight said with a touch of optimism.
“Finally!” Pinkie exclaimed with relief. “My tummy’s getting all growly!”
“I think we’re all getting rather famished,” Rarity mentioned, flicking her mane slightly.
“Did you at least bring the sandwiches?” Applejack asked Rainbow Dash, raising her eyebrow at her.
“Of course I did! I left them back up in the tree! Be back before you can say ‘Wonderbolts’!”
Pinkie only made it through two syllables before Dash was back on the ground with a basket of six delicious looking sandwiches wrapped up in plastic. Everyone looked enticingly at the sandwiches, not wanting to wait another second to take a bite.
“Come on everypony, let’s dig in!” Pinkie said right before she stuffed her face with a cupcake.
The rest of her friends joined in, though not with the enthusiasm that Pinkie showed.
“Wow, Rainbow! These sandwiches are really good!” Twilight commented as she levitated her sandwich towards her mouth to take a bite.
“Thanks, Twi! I spent all last night making them,” Dash replied, rubbing the back of head with her hoof.
“You spent all night making sandwiches?” Applejack inquired curiously.
“Yeah, I mean, I did have to make sure they were perfect and all!”
“Dash, they’re sandwiches, not a fancy painting,” Applejack said with a slight chuckle.
“These sandwiches are superb in deed!” Rarity chimed.
Dash leaned up against the bark of the tree, folding her forelegs behind her head. “Yeah, I did a pretty amazing job on then, didn’t I?”
Pinkie bounced over to Rainbow Dash with a cupcake and shoved it right into her mouth. “How about my cupcakes, Dashie? Aren’t they just the best?” the pink pony said gleefully.
“Pinkie,” Dash coughed, “A little warning next time?”
“Sorry,” Pinkie chuckled.
Eventually, there wasn’t any more food to be eaten as every delectable choice had been devoured. For a little while, the six ponies shared conversations together, talking about several different topics of no real importance. Dash proudly told her friends about the stunt that she had done hours before their picnic. As she describe her stunt in great detail, her friends listened in astonishment, painting the fantastic image in their heads.
“It was basically the coolest thing ever,” Dash said with pride.
“Sounds spectacular,” Twilight reaffirmed.
“Dash is the best flyer in Equestria! Pulling stunts like that is a total breeze for her!” Pinkie proclaimed, bouncing from one place to another.
No surprise, the comment went straight to Rainbow Dash’s head. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wonderbolts came knocking on my doorstep tonight.”
“I think the Wonderbolts would actually want to see the stunt first,” Applejack pointed out.
“Please, I think they already know how great I am with my wings! I’ve saved their lives, like, a bazillion times!”
Applejack rolled her eyes at her friend’s egoism. Like most ponies, Applejack knew that Rainbow Dash was one of the best flyers around and would no doubt become a Wonderbolt, in fact she looked forward to being able to tell other ponies that her best friend was an actual Wonderbolt, but she feared she might not get to do so if Dash’s ego kept on getting larger.
“Now, Dash, maybe you should turn it down a bit. You don’t want to be weighed down by that big head of yours,” Applejack warned.
“Sounds like somepony’s jealous!” accused Rainbow Dash.
“Jealous of what? Having an ego bigger than an Ursa Major? Honestly, Dash, I thought we taught you something with that whole Mare-Do-Well nonsense,” Applejack reminded Dash of a rather embarrassing moment.
“Aw come on, my ego isn’t that big…right guys?” Dash asked her other friends in attendance.
“Well, you can sometimes get, how should I put this, intolerable,” Rarity revealed.
“What!?” Dash shrieked. “What about you Twilight? Do you think I’m ‘intolerable’?”
“No, but-”
“Yes! See Applejack, I don’t have a big ego-” Dash was cut off by Twilight’s loud coughing.
“But you do tend have a rather high opinion of yourself,” Twilight finished.
“Oh, well, what about you Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash said to her friend who was trying to hide behind her tail.
“Um…sometimes I wish you’d realize that you aren’t the best at everything, if it’s not too much trouble,” Fluttershy said softly.
Dash simply stared at her friends, feeling a combination of bewilderment and anger. Honestly, Dash didn’t think she was doing anything by telling her friends how awesome she is.
“But, I thought you guys liked hearing about all that stuff?” Dash said.
“We don’t have a problem when you’re humble about it,” Applejack answered.
“I’m humble!”
“You’re anything but!” Applejack replied.
“My modesty is the best part about me!” Dash said with a wide smile.
“That was the most ironic statement I’ve ever heard,” Twilight mentioned.
“All right, Rainbow Dash, if you really can do everything, I got a challenge for ya!” Applejack said.
“Name it,”
“Let’s see if you can go a whole day without using those wings of yours!” Applejack challenged.
“One whole day? That’ll be a piece of cake!” Dash said confidently. “I did, almost, win the Iron Pony contest without my wings!”
“Let’s not get into that. Let’s see how egotistical you are after this!” Applejack smirked as she stuck out her hoof.
“You’re on!” Dash responded with a determined smile, her hoof connecting with her friend’s.
After that, the picnic had officially come to an end; the other ponies wanted to get back home before Applejack and Rainbow Dash started a war. Once everybody had left, Dash was alone. She looked at her wings and gulped, knowing full well that tomorrow would be one very difficult day.
Rainbow Dash’s slumber was interrupted by the ringing of her alarm clock, a limited edition Wonderbolts alarm clock that only a few ponies could say they owned. Dash groggily opened her eyes and placed her hoof on top of her Wonderbolts alarm clock, putting an end to the ringing that had ruined her dream: leading the Wonderbolts out as their captain. It wasn’t the first time she had that dream either. In fact, Dash probably had a dream about being a Wonderbolt around three nights a week; not like she was complaining though.
“One of these days, I’m gonna be living that dream!” Dash fantasized as she stretched in bed, her limbs and wings cracking. Leaving her bed, Dash went about her usual morning routine which consisted of eating a nutritious breakfast (Spitfire always says that a winner starts from a good breakfast, well, at least that’s what the Wheaties box says), a refreshing shower, and some stretches to kick of her day.
Today, Dash was dying to build on from yesterday and try some new tricks. Sure, the stunt she pulled yesterday was incredible, but Dash wanted to see what else she could do, find those extra tricks hidden up her sleeve. She began her regular wing stretches to warm up, that is until she realized the challenge she accepted yesterday.
“Oh horseapples, I told Applejack that I wouldn’t use my wings at all today,” Dash gulped.
“Well, okay, that’s not a big deal! I can always do those tricks tomorrow! What else can I do today?” Dash asked herself, pacing back and forth in her home. Without the use of her wings, her regular choices of activities were out of the question.
“Oh, I know! I’ll see what Twilight’s up to! Maybe she even has that new Daring Do book!” Dash beamed.
Dash flung her door open and was about to take off into the skies when she reminded herself that she couldn’t use her wings. Dash’s home was in the air. Her destination was on the ground. She couldn’t fly. This was a problem.
“How the hay am I gonna get down there?” Dash remarked as she looked towards the ground, trying to find a solution to her problem.
“I could just use my wings one little time right?” Dash wondered. The pegasus was about to fall through with that plan but, even if Applejack would never know, Dash would.
“No, I told Applejack I wouldn’t use my wings and I’m not going to! Besides, I’ve been in bigger pickles than this before!” Dash assured herself. Her mind searched for a solution, but kept coming up empty handed. The only real solution she had (and it was a rather painful one as well) was to just walk off the cloud. Again, Dash looked at the ground, trying to calculate exactly how high she was.
“I don’t have time for math problems right now! Come on, Dash, you can do this! Just, take a few steps forward and…close your eyes and hope you don’t break anything,” Dash said nervously as she made her way towards the edge of her cloud. “Here goes nothing.”
Literally, Dash walked off her cloud, fighting the urge to unfurl her wings and shoot off into the distance. She quickly began to fall towards the ground, her eyes clenched tight, her voice screaming as the distance between her and the ground was decreasing quickly. Dash braced herself for impact seconds before she made contact with the ground.
“This was a really bad idea!” Dash realized. The pegasus slammed right into the ground with a grunt.
“Ouch,” Dash groaned, slowly rising up off the ground, rubbing her sore back. “I really hope nopony saw that,” Dash looked around, thanking Celestia when she didn’t see a single soul.
“Okay, well, hopefully the rest of the day isn’t as…painful,” Rainbow Dash said as positively as she could.
For the first time in what had been awhile, Dash actually walked to Ponyville. Seeing as she has an affinity for the skies, Dash never bothered to actually trot to the small town. On the ground, she really got to taste the flavor of the town, see the small businesses that the denizens always flocked to. Dash took in a good whiff of life on the ground, her nostrils being filled with the scent of roses.
“Hi there,” the florist called, “having a pleasant day?”
Dash looked over at the mare, recognizing her as Roseluck, one of Ponyville’s very talented florists. “Hi, those are some really nice flowers you got there!”
“Thank you so much! I spent a lot of time on this bunch in particular,” Roseluck straightened up a row of pansies that she had on display.
“You did an awesome job, that’s for sure! Makes me wonder how good I’d be at gardening, probably not as good as you,” Dash complimented causing Roseluck to blush.
“What a kind thing for you to say. You have a lovely day now,” Roseluck happily waved goodbye to Dash.
Dash trotted away with a smile. A friendly always brightened her day and you didn’t find many of them in Cloudsdale; most of the pegasi were too tired from their weather duties to be cheerful, maybe that’s why Dash preferred Ponyville, that and it’s where all her friends lived. Speaking of friends, Dash had finally arrived at Twilight’s. She extended her hoof and knocked on Twilight’s wooden door. After a few seconds and no answer, Dash knocked a little harder.
“Hello, Twilight? Are you in there?” Dash called, continuing her persistent knocking. Das remained standing, rhythmically tapping her hoof as she waited for an answer.
“Eh, forget it. I’ll just fly up to Twilight’s window and see-” Rainbow cut herself off with a facehoof. “I can’t use my stupid wings, I keep forgetting that!” she groaned. Dash slammed her hoof against the ground in frustration; she was really hoping she could borrow the latest Daring Do book to keep her mind off of her wings.
“You know what? If Daring Do can escape the clutches of Ahuizotl without her wings, than Rainbow Dash can go a whole day without hers!” Dash proclaimed triumphantly.
With no luck at Twilight’s, Dash decided to head over to Sugarcube Corner to see what Pinkie was up to. That pony would definitely get her mind off of flying! Dash trotted through the streets of Ponyville, streets that were beginning to get rather crowded. The market had reached its busiest hour and Dash was finding it hard to cope with so many ponies around all going from one place to another, blabbering on about something that she didn’t care about. One of the best things about flying was that something like this never happened; there was always enough space in the sky. As ponies bumped into her, Dash was trying desperately to take to the sky, but her willpower kept her grounded. In a somewhat panicked state, Dash glanced around to find a way out, a way to escape all of these ponies, a way to freedom. In the distance, she made out the roof of Sugarcube Corner.
“There it is! Now, if some of these ponies could just move!” Dash grunted as she pushed her way past the ones that were in her way, several of them expressing their displeasure towards Dash; that didn’t stop her from pushing on though.
Encouragement filled Rainbow Dash as more of Pinkie’s favorite shop came into view. Each step that Dash took seemed to be more difficult than the last. Rainbow Dash considered herself a claustrophobic more than an agoraphobic. She could handle crowds just find, she dealt with them all time whenever she went and saw the Wonderbolts, but she couldn’t handle being boxed in like a caged animal. She didn’t know if it was being a pegasus or her genes that made her like that, but she also didn’t care that much. Right now, she just wanted to reach Sugarcube Corner, even though all of Ponyville seemed set on preventing that from happening. It had come to the point where Dash had had enough and just wanted to get to Sugarcube Corner.
“Will everypony please move out of my way!” Dash yelled at the top of her lungs, obviously drawing most, if not all, looks towards her. Thankfully, no one felt like being obliterated by a very annoyed pony, so a path was created just for Rainbow Dash. Dash smiled at the outcome of her outburst and trotted happily towards Sugarcube Corner, humming a little tune along the way.
“Hey, Pinkie! What’s happening?” Rainbow Dash asked as she entered into the sweet shop.
“Hiya, Dashie! I’m just looking after Pumpkin and Pound Cake while their parents are out, so I don’t really have that much time to play pranks or anything!” Pinkie explained while she kept the baby twins busy with a rattle.
“Oh, well, I could always keep you company and lend you a hoof if you need it,” Dash suggested.
“Okay!” Pinkie said with a bright smile, grabbing a hold of Dash and placing a rattle right into her hoof. “Just shake your rattle like this!” Pinkie shook her rattle with more zest than the average pony would.
Dash shook the raddle in front of Pound Cake, who responded with an adorable giggle that warmed Dash’s heart.
“Heh, you look that huh little guy?” Dash asked as she continued to shake the rattle. Pound Cake responded with a coo.
“That means he likes you!” Pinkie chimed in.
“Of course he does! Who wouldn’t like an awesome pony like me?” Dash hypothetically asked while she continued playing with the little baby colt.
“These twins sure can be a hoof full sometimes though. Sometimes I’m amazed at how Mr. and Mrs. Cake can handle them so well!” remarked Pinkie, picking up Pumpkin Cake and lifting her into the air. Pumpkin laughed delightedly at Pinkie. Soon, Pound Cake lost interest in Rainbow Dash’s raddle and saw how much fun his sister was having. His tiny wings began to flutter and he floated over to Pumpkin Cake, joyfully watching his sister laugh.
“Woah! He can already fly? That’s crazy awesome!” Dash exclaimed.
“Oh yeah, he was flying the first time I ever had to watch the twins. Boy, was that a handful!” Pinkie said, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you; I know I caused a bunch of ruckus when I first used my wings!” Dash reminisced on her fillyhood and her personal flying lessons with her dad. She always looked forward to the latest lesson the two shared. Suddenly, Dash didn’t really feel like keeping Pinkie company, seeing as little Pound Cake had the blessing of being allowed to use his wings.
“Hey, um, Pinkie?”
“Yeah, Dashie?”
“I actually have some errands that I gotta take care of. I’d love to stay and hang out, but, you know how it goes,” Dash told her friend, gently putting down the raddle.
“Don’t worry about it, Dashie! Pinkie Pie’s got everything under control here!”
Dash nodded and left Sugarcube Corner, but not before saying goodbye to Pinkie and the adorable Cake twins. When Dash entered out into the streets of Ponyville, she immediately noticed that it wasn’t nearly as packed as it was earlier.
“Huh, I guess the rush is over, not that I don’t mind or anything,” Dash mumbled to herself. The crowded streets and popular businesses wasn’t what had Dash feeling down, it was her wings. All she wanted to do was fly; if only for two seconds, it would make her feel worlds better. Dash continued to mope around, hoping something would come around and cheer her up.
“Maybe Applejack was right. Maybe I can’t always do everything,” Dash whispered to herself, looking back at her wings that were crying out to be used.
All Rainbow had to do was go to Applejack and say that she lost that challenge, that she can’t do everything and anything, that her ego can sometimes get rather large, but that’d be too easy. Dash shook off her down in the dumps mood and focused herself on the task at hand.
“Well, let’s look at the positives,” Dash talked to herself, “at least we don’t have to worry about weather duty…even though weather duty’s pretty fun. Oh, I don’t have to worry about flying in the rain!” Dash looked up into the cloudless sky optimistically; her facial expression changed to one of displeasure. “Figures it’s a beautiful day too.” Dash sighed and sat on the ground, frustrated and annoyed. “There’s gotta be something I can do!”
“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity greeted as she walked past her friend.
“Rarity! That’s it! You can help me out!”
“Help you with what, darling?” Rarity questioned, always eager to help out a friend.
“Just keep me busy. I’m sure you got something to do today, right?” Dash was desperate to find a way to not think about flying.
“Well, I was looking for somepony to help model some dresses I made.”
“This is so uncomfortable!” Dash grunted in frustration. Rainbow Dash despised modeling fashions for Rarity, even if it did keep her occupied.
“Oh, hush for a minute, Rainbow. You make that outfit look rather…dashing!” Rarity chuckled to herself, believing her pun was clever. Dash, however, was not amused.
“Yeah, whatever. How many more dresses do you need modeled anyway?”
Rarity’s horn glowed while her magic pulled over a rack with several dresses hanging on it, most of them of different styles.
“We just need to get through all of these!”
“And exactly how many are there?”
“About 10 of them.”
Dash grumbled loudly, but at least it was only 10 dresses and not 20. Reluctantly and with much complaining, Rainbow Dash battled her way through Rarity’s creations. Every time that Dash complained, she could’ve sworn that Rarity would tie the next dress just a little bit tighter; Dash didn’t know if she was doing it to spite her or not even doing it at all.
“And that is the last one! Thank you so much for your help, Rainbow Dash. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a few minutes, I’ll make the necessary adjustments and then we’ll see if they look any better,” Rarity explained.
Dash’s jaw dropped, mostly in aggravation. Dash could tolerate modeling 10 dresses, as difficult as it was, but doing it all over again was way out of the question.
“You know, on second thought Rarity, I actually got some other things that I gotta take care off. I’ll help you some other time,” lied Rainbow Dash.
“I completely understand. I’ll just use one of my mannequins,” Rarity levitated one of her fake ponies to the center of her boutique.
Dash’s eye twitched slightly, very much angry that Rarity could’ve just used one of her mannequins instead of herself, even though Dash was the one that volunteered. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around then!” Dash said to Rarity as she began walking out of the boutique. Rarity waved goodbye and Dash was free from any more modeling.
Once again, a very bored and restless Rainbow Dash wandered through the streets of Ponyville. She was quickly beginning to run out of options to keep herself occupied. She thought about helping Fluttershy, but she’d most likely be much too jealous and envious of her flying friends.
“Why’d I even agree to this stupid challenge anyway?” Dash wondered as her hoof kicked aside some litter in the street. “It’s not like I had anything to gain anyways!”
Dash sat solemnly on a bench, trying to waste away the day. “Guess I’ll just sit here until the day’s over, it’s not like I can go back home,” Dash realized that her home was near impossible to get to without her wings. As Dash sat, she daydreamed about tomorrow. She wasn’t going to touch the ground once tomorrow; she had to make up for lost time! But the daydream just upset the gifted pegasus even more. The corners of eyes began to water, but the tears were halted by the ringing of the local schoolhouse’s bell. Her head turned around to watch all the fillies and colts leave school for the day. Every student sprinted out of the school house, Cheerilee waving goodbye to each of them. Amongst the crowd, Rainbow spotted a very familiar face: Scootaloo.
“Hey, maybe little Scoots can cheer me up!” Dash proposed. She sprung off the best and trotted over to the schoolhouse, several of the students rushing past her as if she had disappeared completely.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said surprisingly.
“Hiya Scoots. How’s it going?” Dash asked in her usual cool tone.
“I was telling Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon about how awesome of a flyer you are and how you’re gonna be a future Wonderbolt!”
“Yeah, that sounds a lot like me,” Dash said proudly. “I bet they were mesmerized huh?”
“No! They didn’t believe me! They said that there’s plenty of pegasi that are better flyers than you! I told them you’d prove them wrong yourself!” Scootaloo told Dash while she bounced with excitement on the ground.
“Prove them wrong? Like, by flying?” Dash’s tone changed from coolness to worry.
“Well, duh! How else you would you do it, Dash?” Scootaloo said in a manner much like how Dash would.
“Heh, yeah, that’s true. So, when am I, uh, showing them my stuff?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously. She hoped to Celestia that it wouldn’t be today.
“Today!” Scootaloo revealed as she nearly pounced onto her idol.
Dash rolled her eyes. Of course she’d have to do it today, the only day where she actually couldn’t fly. “Sorry, Scoots, but I don’t think today’s gonna work out. I got a lot of…things I gotta do,” Dash hated lying to her favorite filly, but what else could she do?
“But if you don’t show them how awesome you are, they’re gonna think they’re right about everything! They’re always saying how much better they are than everyone else when they really aren’t! It gets so annoying!” Scootaloo told Dash, her story sounding very familiar to one of her own, the story of course being about herself.
“I’m sorry, but today’s just not a good day,” Dash explained, rather truthfully this time.
“But…Dash?” Scootaloo questioned, a large look of disappointment on her face. The look seemed to stab Dash right in the heart. It wasn’t a mystery that Scootaloo looked up to Rainbow Dash and wanted to be like her in basically every way. Dash could never disappoint her, what kind of pony would that make her? She looked back down at the sadness on Scootaloo’s face; Dash hated it. With a deep breath, Dash was about to admit defeat.
“Gather up Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and any other pony you can think off and meet me at the lake. I think it’s time that I prove some ponies wrong!” Dash said, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane with her hoof. Instantaneously, Scootaloo’s face lit up with excitement. The filly thanked and hugged Rainbow Dash, then raced off to gather an audience.
About an hour later, a large group of ponies were gathered around the lake. Among them being the two fillies that Rainbow Dash was going to prove wrong, along with Scootaloo and her friends. Dash continued to scan the crowd until she came across her own best friends. She waved her hoof at them, but really only noticed Applejack tip her hat in a way that said it all: Dash needed her wings.
“Some things are more important than others, Dash,” the pegasus told herself, unfurling her wings, preparing them for the first time today.
“Come on, Rainbow Dash! You can do it!” Scootaloo hollered from across the lake. Dash winked over at her, finding it easier to communicate with a facial expression than words.
“Yeah, Dash! Show them what you got!” Applejack added in, as if to rub it in.
Dash stretched out her wings, preparing to take off into the sky. Once more, she looked over at Scootaloo, who could barely contain her excitement, then back at Applejack, who was about to enjoy the feeling of triumph. Dash was about too as well.
“You win, Applejack,” Dash mumbled, as she crouched, bending her legs enough to propel her like a rocket into the atmosphere. Taking in one last deep breath, Dash shot upwards, experiencing an orgastic sensation as she was able to fly, able to be free in the air, able to show some ponies what she was made off. Her powerful wings flapped as she soared higher and higher, only looking down once to soak it all in.
“This is so awesome,” remarked a very relieved and happy Rainbow Dash. The feeling of the wind against her face, moving through her mane, was overwhelming and she adored it. Dash knew exactly what she was going to show those two fillies and smirked at the idea.
Once she was high enough, Dash took a minute to enjoy the freedom. She glanced back down towards the ground, only making out very tiny images of her friends. Adjusting herself, Dash’s wings flapped with power, giving her the boost to plummet towards the lake. The pegasus squinted her eyes as she advanced towards the water at indescribable speeds. She knew she was close to achieving the Sonic Rainboom, but it was too early. At this rate, the timing would be off and the effect would be nothing like yesterday. However, Dash remained calm like she always did when flying and let off the gas just a tad. The cheers of the crowd grew in volume. The lake became larger and larger. Dash accelerated so she’d hit the water at the right exact moment. Right before she hit the water, Dash closed her eyes, imagining herself in a Wonderbolts outfit, performing this stunt in front of thousands, leaving every single one speechless in amazement. Dash’s signature Sonic Rainboom drove her straight into the water, the colors mixing with the water, creating a natural kaleidoscope of light. After remaining submerged for a few seconds, Dash returned to the surface, being greeted with the sounds of her very mesmerized audience.
“That was…so awesome,” Scootaloo commented, a single tear escaping her. To her left, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were equally as stunned, both having a difficult time comprehending the sheer amount of awesomeness they had witnessed; it was unreal.
Dash steadied her speed to come in for a landing. Softly, she lowered herself to the ground, planting her hoofs perfectly on the ground below, straightening out her mane and feathers as she did.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, Dash!” Scootaloo said once again as she raced up to her friend. She extended her hoof for a hoofbump, which Dash obliged.
“Yeah, it was pretty awesome, wasn’t it?” Dash replied, much more subtle than usual though.
“Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara began, “you were right. Rainbow Dash is…amazing.”
“Told you! Dash is the best pony ever! There’s not one thing she can’t do!”
Upon hearing this, Dash placed a hoof on Scootaloo’s head. “Hold up there kiddo, sure, that was a pretty awesome stunt and everything but, as shocking as it is, I’m just like everypony else. You can’t be amazing at everything, it’s just not possible. Instead, pride yourself on what you’re good at and what makes you special,” Dash advised. Scootaloo nodded, taking Dash’s advice closer to her heart like she always does.
“Now that’s the Rainbow Dash I wanna hear!” Applejack said behind Dash.
“You run along now, Scootaloo. Don’t do anything to crazy!” Dash hoofbumped her admirer once more before the little filly scampered off with her friends.
“Guess you couldn’t go a whole day without using those wings of yours, huh?” Applejack asked.
Dash nodded with a smile. “Guess I couldn’t. You were right, Applejack. I may be a super awesome flyer, but maybe I can’t do everything. I tell ya, I was about to lose it today without my wings.”
“So, you’re gonna be more modest for now on?” Applejack questioned playfully.
“I promise!” Dash said with a wink and a smile.
Twilight and the rest of Dash’s friends gathered around to compliment their close friend. “I think Rainbow Dash learned a valuable lesson today,” Twilight spoke; levitating her handy quill and scroll, always ready to write a letter to the princess. Dash nodded and began writing her letter to Princess Celestia.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, I learned that, while you should be proud of your abilities and the talents you have, you shouldn’t try and be the best at every single thing. Everypony has something they’re talented at, whether it is singing, painting, or even flying and they should be happy about those talents. Most of all, it’s important to remain humble and modest over your abilities, and not overly boast them, no matter how awesome they are.
Your loyal subject,
Rainbow Dash
After the letter was finished, Dash handed it back to Twilight, who then gave it to Spike so it could be sent to the princess via the usual way.
“You know, Dash, you probably could’ve made it through the whole day without using your wings. I was actually betting on you making it!” Applejack said to the surprise of her friend.
“Really?” Dash asked back.
“Of course! You’re such a determined pony, I was sure you were gonna prove me wrong!”
“Aw shucks, Applejack,” Dash smiled at the cowpony’s compliment.
“I think you got some lost time to make up for,” Applejack hinted. Dash knew exactly what her friend was talking about. With a quick goodbye to her friends, Dash took off into the skies. She planned on being up there for the rest of the day.