Harsh laughter split her ears. She struggled to escape the binds, but they clung to her body. She furiously met the cold gaze of her former friend as she laughed and laughed. She desperately tried to suck in air through the tight mask, but the frigid air pierced her lungs. She attempted to yell something at the cruel pegasus before her, but nothing came out besides angry muffled sounds. Her foe continued to giggle, her golden eyes flashing. "Looks like someone needs a nap."
She removed her gag, but before she could cry out for help, a new gag was shoved in. She choked on it, her lungs rupturing. The scent of the new gag reeled her into seeing dark spots dance in front of her eyes, and the last thing she saw was the turquoise mare laughing. As she descended into darkness, whispers filled her ears. A light broke out, a phrase that has been branded into her mind forever. The shadows will prevail.
She ripped off the sheets, gasping. Though she had been breathing properly whilst dreaming, Rainbow Dash felt as if she was depraved of air. She gulped in the cold, night air and remembered vaguely that she left the window of her bedroom open. She turned to the window and saw Luna's stars glimmering down on her. What am I supposed to do, Luna? You didn't give me enough help!
With a sudden surge of frustration, she slammed the window closed. She climbed into the cool bed, thinking of her nightmare. She thought of how cruelly Lightning Dust treated her. How she got nothing but glee from her pain. How she got her revenge.
She clutched at the navy blue covers. She knew, as she felt determination rise up in her, that she could not let Lightning Dust get her revenge.
The next morning she arose. Though her nights were often plagued of nightmares, she held her determined look well past the night. With a sigh, she pulled off the sheets and went into the bathroom to wash herself. She cleaned her body until it thoroughly felt like her own, instead of a pale imitation. She dried off and slipped on a clean Wonderbolts suit, ready for Fleetfoot's cold glares and Wave Chill's cruel snickering.
With that Rainbow Dash trotted through the hall and down the stairs until she reached the mess hall. Her eyes immediately flicked over to Soarin', who was eating a pie alone in the corner. He deliberately avoided her gaze, turning slightly in his seat so as not to accidentaly make eye-contact. She felt sadness and regret wash over, so she turned away and faced her other teammates.
Fleetfoot gave her her signature sneer, her pale violet eyes flashing reproachfully. Next to her, Wave Chill greeted, "Great job on the gig, Rainbow Dash. We probably shouldn't have lived in the first place. Maybe we'll die properly in Ponyville."
Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes flashed angrily. "Keep talking, Wave Chill, and I'll make sure you get hurt sooner." she snarled.
Lightning Streak and Fire Streak sat next to each other on the bench behind Wave Chill. Lightning Streak nudged his brother, who was savagely eating a bowl of cereal. The two brothers watched intently, and Blaze, who sat across from them, casted a stern glance in the direction of Rainbow Dash and Wave Chill. "Calm down, guys. This isn't the time to fight."
Fleetfoot rolled her eyes, and Wave Chill whipped around to face the yellow mare. "Who're you to say anything? Just because your sister is captain doesn't mean you get to tell us what to do!"
Blaze's eyes flashed, and Rainbow Dash was reminded strongly of Spitfire. Blaze opened her mouth to say something, but a high pitched voice flitted from across the mess hall. "Stop fighting!" Breeze cried, her bright purple eyes gleaming with worry. "We're a team, we're not supposed to-"
"Oh be quiet, Breeze." snapped High Winds. "Nothing you say can change things."
Rainbow Dash turned to the normally laid back mare, and noticed for the first time High Winds seemed tense, her eyes tired. Breeze looked hurt, and fell silent, her golden mane drooping slightly. Misty Fly glared at High Winds. "And I suppose you can do any better?" she challenged.
"Lay off her!" cried Rapidfire defensively.
"Guys, I think we should-" Silver Lining started, eyes darting about.
Rainbow Dash watched, open mouthed, as Lighting Streak shouted, "You old git, you never do anything!"
Fire Streak seemed to agree with his brother, because soon he was yelling crude insults to Silver Lining, who responded by equally crude gestures. Misty seemed at wit's end and looked as if she could strangle High Winds. Blaze was arguing furiously with Wave Chill, and just as he raised a hoof- BANG!
The whole team turned towards the sound. Spitfire stood there in the doorway, anger burning her large, furious looking eyes. Her jugular stood out in her neck, and her tail twitched with impatience. "Stop. it. Right NOW!"
The team fell silent as they watched their leader intently. She gasped for air for a bit, and then seemed to realize she was being too harsh. She sighed, and ran her hoof through her tangerine colored hair. "I know it has been stressful lately. And I know we're not exactly relaxed right now. But..." her gaze hardened. "But when they attacked the arena, they didn't just send a message. They declared war with us. They fought against what we know is right. If we constantly fight with each other, how will we win this war? How would we stay together? We have to." Her eyes were set in their usual blazoned expression, and her voice was strong and confident. The Wonderbolts looked around at each other, apologetic looks flashing about in the mess hall. High Winds seemed to relax and gave Breeze a smirk from across the room. Wave Chill gave a hasty apology to Blaze, and even Fleetfoot, who usually remained stoic and cold, looked regretful. Spitfire looked proudly at her teammates. "Because we're a team."
*
*
The reporter in front of her gave her a dashing smile, making Rainbow Dash feel uncomfortable. He held a pen up to her face, practically poking her in the face with his red aura. The unicorn's unnaturally white smile glowed in the dim light of the ballroom as he signaled for the photographer behind him to take a picture. "So, Miss Dash," he began. "Have you found anything about the attack on the arena?" He held up his notepad in anticipation.
She shuffled her hooves uncertainly, thinking of what Luna told her that night about a week ago. "Not a thing." She answered.
The reporter and photographer exchanged a glance, making her angry. The reporter smiled once more, though this smile felt more exceedingly fake then the last, and quickly scribbled down something on his small notepad. "Are you sure you haven't found any... inside news?"
Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. She saw the wariness in the reporter's gaze and the sharp glare the photographer had been giving her. She felt her tail twitch in irritability. "What do you mean?"
"I was wondering if..." The unicorn's gaze flickered across the ballroom before speaking in a low whisper. "If your Sonic Rainboom had anything to do with the attack on Amber Flash Arena..."
The rainbow pegasus blinked in surprise. Then, she suddenly felt the urge to punch the reporter. She dug her hooves into the satin rug, as to not do so, and struggled to find a reasonable response. Instead, her bubble of anger burst. "Why would I do that? What would my motive be? Finally achieving my dream of becoming a Wonderbolt and then blowing up my fans? That makes no sense! You... you make no sense!"
The reporter stood there silently for a moment, then his fake smile stretched across his face again. "I think that will be all I need." The photographer scoffed and took another picture of the angry pegasus.
Rainbow Dash watched in boiling anger as the reporter silently traipsed away, scribbling on his notepad. She knew the reporter was going to say something extremely negative, but she didn't care. She knew what was right, so it really didn't matter what the reporter said. Did it? She glanced around the secluded part of the ballroom, catching the sight of the fans of the Wonderbolts. Some gave her wary glances, and rushed to return to their conversations. Others occasionally gave her a dirty glare, making no attempt to hide their disgust. She met their glares with her own, knowing that she was right. She kept looking around the room, trying to gauge the reaction of the fans as she traveled about the room. Her eyes, however, fell on Soarin' who was staring at Rainbow Dash already. She felt herself go slightly red as Soarin' quickly looked away, and turned back to her thoughts.
What if she inadvertently had caused those bombs to go off? With a trickle of fear, she realized that those bombs could have been triggered by her Sonic Rainboom. She knew full well that her Sonic Rainboom had always caused some kind of shift. If somepony was near, the blast of the Rainboom could have caused their ground to shake slightly. Maybe her Sonic Rainboom had disrupted the bombs, so carefully hidden, ready to explode the minute the Sonic Rainboom erupted?
She thought of the cries of the ponies as they struggled to escape the arena. She remembered the small filly she saved, and wondered if whether she ever saw her parents again. All the cries she heard. All the moans of pain. All the lives she could have saved. Did she cause their deaths?
She snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she heard glass shatter. She whipped around, finding the source of the noise. She saw a waitress quickly apologizing to a portly stallion who sat at the bar. He quickly waved her off and continued with his drink. Suddenly craving a strong drink, she waltzed up to the bar and ordered a whiskey.
She did her best to ignore the accusing glances of the Wonderbolts' fans and continued to chug down her drink. All she wanted to focus on was drinking. An hour passed, but she lost count of her drinks. Her thoughts soon became muddled. The world around her seemed a blur, and she dropped her glass on the bar. She nearly fell off the stool at the bar and stumbled around the large ballroom. She saw a purple mare deep in discussion with a snooty unicorn and stumbled over to them. She giggled at their reactions as she approached, ignoring their revolted looks and swinging her forelegs around their necks. "You guys... Don't I know you from som'where...?"
The mare gave her a sneer.
"Yeah, las' time 'm was here. I- uh... I tried to impress the Wondabolts." She chuckled to herself. "I tried to carry that big ol' statue over thare." She pointed with her hoof to the elegant statue of Celestia, whose ivory wings shadowed the crowd gathered beneath it. "Damn, that princess is full o' herself." she sniffed.
Suddenly she felt somepony dragging her away by wing, and she caught a glimpse of the astonished duo before disappearing behind a crowd of ponies. She cried out, desperately trying to free herself from her kidnapper before she was thrown out on a cold balcony.
She stumbled for a minute, and then glared at her captor, who released her. She expected Lightning Dust, but instead Spitfire stood there, glaring so fiercely she immediately closed her mouth, which was about to let loose a string of curses. "I think it's best you stay here for the rest of the night, Dash. You need to cool down."
She then slammed the door behind her, leaving a shamefaced Rainbow Dash to stare at the brilliant view of the valley below. She shivered at the chilly winter air, and closed her eyes. Her thoughts, though muddled, quickly reverted back to the arena. I couldn't have done it, I couldn't have done it, I couldn't have done it... She repeated this in her head, but saying it over and over made her feel worse.
There was still Ponyville, one clear thought rang through tangled mess of a brain. She sighed with relief. She could still prove herself. She could still save lives. As she comforted herself with this thought, she still couldn't help but revert back to her previous thoughts. She could've saved more lives. She could have helped them. She was guilty, and she knew it.
She heard the slight creaking of a door and looked up, expecting to see Spitfire. Delightfully, Soarin' stood there. "Hey, Soarin'!" she smiled brightly, ignoring her clear voice that told her they weren't on speaking terms.
His lips twitched upwards, but then immediately fell back in a straight line. "Hey," he said quietly.
She patted the spot next to her with vigor, inviting him to sit beside her. He slowly walked down to Rainbow Dash, giving her a hesitant glance, and seeing that she wasn't mad, sat down next to his slightly swaying friend. She, in response, sighed peacefully, despite her guilt-ridden thoughts.
They stayed silent for a while, gazing at the black night sky that completely blanketed the surrounding valley. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash giggled. "I am soooo drunk."
Soarin' looked at her slightly flushed face and began to chuckle. Soon, the two began laughing so hard, they clutched each other for support. Tears running down her face, her laughter died down. The tears did not stop.
Soarin' looked back at the view, not noticing Rainbow Dash's change of demeanor. "Yeah, well. Spitfire was mad because of that. She said getting drunk around fans isn't Wonderbolts behavior."
Rainbow Dash snorted in laughter, tears running down her face. "Yeah, well screw Spitfire." she said quietly. "And screw the fans."
Soarin' looked around and saw her flushed face with tears running down her cheeks. "Rainbow Dash-" He began uncertainly, but was quickly interrupted.
"I mean, I didn't do shit to them, ya know?" She laughed heartily. "But did you notice, nobody in that stupid ballroom even congratulated me, ya know?" She continued laughing.
Soarin' did not join in.
"I really tried." She continued. "I really tried. I thought I did good. I thought I did fantastic! I am fucking fantastic! But apparently not, cause they think I caused the arena attack with my Sonic Rainboom. They think I deliberately did that. That I did the Sonic Rainboom simply so they could... so they could die!" Her laughter became mad cackling.
Soarin' tried to speak again. "Rainbow Dash-"
"And you know what?" She struggled for breath, laughing and gasping at the same time. "They may be right! I probably did cause it! I did my Sonic Rainboom and then I fucking blew that shit up! I don'... I don't know! I must've had like this shockwave thingy pass through those stupid bombs-"
"Rainbow Dash-"
"And my Sonic Rainboom might've, like, erupted the bombs and whatnot. Might've caused thousands of casualties. Might've made a lot of funerals. Might've killed thousands of husbands and wives and kids. I've caused families to be torn apart, ya know? I caused their screams of pains. I caused their injuries. I caused their hatred. I caused their deaths. So yeah, I might not be fucking Wonderbolts material! I might just be the worst, fucking thing to hit this fucking planet! Maybe they do deserve to hate me!" she shrieked. Rainbow Dash stopped laughing, but the tears still ran down her face. "I killed them all." her voice came out a hoarse whisper as she felt her throat swell.
Soarin' watched as she suddenly broke into sobs. She never really broke down in front of anybody, but her mind was wracked with so much grief and guilt, she didn't care. She welcomed the hysterical sobs. They ripped her body, making her muddled mind numb as she felt tears drop down her wet face. Her chest heaved as she covered her face in her hooves, trying to desperately wake up in world where none of this happened. She heard Soarin' say something, but she was in her own world.
"For Celestia's sake Rainbow Dash!" His yell roused her.
She looked, blinking tears out of her eyes. She clenched her jaw, and tried to tune out Soarin' as he began to speak. "You're being so... so thick!" Rainbow Dash gaped at him. Soarin' even looked surprised by his own words, but continued. "How could've that been you setting off the bombs, when it exploded minutes after you were done with your Sonic Rainboom? Personally, i-it just doesn't make any sense!" She stared as he ruffled his mane in anger. "Of course they- whoever they are- want you to think that you set them off. I- I mean isn't it obvious? They'll do anything just to mess with your mind! You just can't do that! It's impossible for you to let them. You're Rainbow freaking Dash! You did the first ever Sonic Rainboom! You were one of the Elements of Harmony. You were one of the youngest cadets to get on the Wonderbolts! Well, not as young as I was, but you were still really young-"
Rainbow Dash now reflected on his words, feeling her sadness completely vanish. She suddenly felt something click in her mind as she watched Soarin' rant about how amazing she was.
"Shut up." She said firmly.
Soarin' lost his stern composure and now gaped at her. "What?" He stared at the strange expression on her face.
Rainbow Dash stared at him, her lips pressed together firmly. Then, with a unknown burst of speed, she crashed her lips against his. He felt him stiffen, making her wonder if she should pull apart, but then he relaxed and leaned in. She felt a thrill run through her body. It was so sudden, she didn't have one thought cross her mind besides how warm his lips were compared to the cold night. She rather enjoyed this. She smiled as she deepened the kiss, and she thought she heard a slight groan come from him. No, she really enjoyed this. Warmth spread from mane to the tip of her tail, and she felt a sudden giddiness rise inside her. She giggled against his lips.
What am I doing?
The clear thought burst through her muddled mind, causing her to snap her head back from Soarin'. He looked dumbfounded as their lips pulled apart. She backed away quickly, tumbling over a potted plant. Dirt scattered everywhere. "I-I um..." She stammered, unable to process what she just did. Soarin' remained dumbfounded for a moment, before looking at her in concern.
"Did I-"
"No! It's f-fine! I gotta... gotta go anyway!" She quickly dusted off the dirt the plant had sprayed all over her body.
"But do you-" Soarin' began, his face turning slightly red.
"No." She snapped. She tried to ignore the hurt expression on his face. "I have to leave. Now."
Without a second glance, she snapped open her wings and disappeared into the blackness of the night, an image of a hurt Soarin' burned into her mind.