//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Secret War of Rainbow Dash // Story: The Rainbow Connection // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Soarin turned out to be something of a Sergeant Wilson to Spitfire's Captain Mainwaring during the training regimes. Even though he pushed the new recruits almost as hard as her, he was far more encouraging by comparison, even whenever any of them failed to achieve the targets that had been set by the Academy. Nevertheless, he always made sure to maintain discipline, especially when Spitfire came out to inspect the cadets. But this did little to reassure Rainbow Dash. Somehow, she felt as though she had to do far better than her best no matter what it took, and over time, she became almost as reckless as Lightning Dust; she didn't go as far as endangering anypony else's lives, but Soarin soon began to worry that, soon enough, she might well endanger her own. Finally, about three weeks later, it all came to a head. The cadets had been given another cloud-clearing session, and Rainbow Dash was determined to clear her area of cloud faster than the others could manage. Her wing-pony, a cautious young mare named Swallowtail, seemed rather nervous as they climbed towards their clouds. “Are you sure about this, Rainbow Dash?” she asked uneasily. “With the number of twists and turns you're planning on making, you could hurt yourself.” “Ah, give it a rest, Swallowtail!” snorted Rainbow Dash. “I know what I'm doing. Just you stand back and watch me!” and before Swallowtail could object, she charged towards the clouds and began punching and kicking them violently. Her wing-pony could only watch anxiously, hoping to goodness that she wouldn't overexert herself. Their area of sky rapidly became clearer and clearer, and for a moment, Swallowtail thought she could finally relax. But then, suddenly... “AAAAHH!” “What the...!?” Swallowtail looked up again in horror. In trying to break up her last cloud, Rainbow Dash had turned so sharply that she had pulled a muscle in her left wing, and was now plummeting towards the ground. She was doing her best to level out, but her wings kept faltering each time. Swallowtail dived towards her in a bid to break her fall. But just as she was within range, there was a flash of blue right in front of her, and Rainbow Dash seemed to vanish into thin air. By the time Swallowtail had gathered her awareness, much to her relief, her lead pony was safely back on the runway with Soarin standing next to her. “Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” he asked anxiously. “I guess so,” groaned Rainbow Dash, clutching her wing. “Thanks, Soarin.” “What the hay were you trying to do up there anyway?” went on Soarin, a slight sternness in his voice. “Didn't you realise you could have killed yourself?” The rainbow-maned mare looked deeply ashamed of herself. “I'm sorry, sir,” she said sadly. “I didn't mean to. I was just scared that......that you might throw me out of the Academy if I didn't do any better.” “What?!” Soarin was taken aback. “Why would I do something like that just for setting a reasonable clearing time?” But Rainbow Dash couldn't answer. Somehow, she felt as though any answer she gave him would make her look silly in front of both her trainer and the rest of the cadets, particularly on account of the embarrassed tears she could feel building up in her eyes. If anypony on the Academy saw anything of the sort, they would probably see her as little more than a wimp, and then her chances of becoming a Wonderbolt would definitely be dead. Soarin did, but far from thinking of her as a coward, it merely served to soften his demeanour. His heart went out to Rainbow Dash, and he rested a gentle, reassuring hoof against the distressed mare's back. “Rainbow Dash, I know you're anxious to become one of us someday,” he said softly, “but just because you don't get the best time in just one simple training exercise doesn't mean you never will be. Wonderbolt training isn't just about getting it right the first time; it's about improving yourself until you're at your physical best, so you don't need to worry about being thrown out of the Academy just because you weren't quite so far ahead of the others as you thought you might be.” “Don't I?” stammered Rainbow Dash. “Heck, no,” reassured Soarin. “What you do need to worry about is your own safety, as well as that of others – I mean, not much point in being a Wonderbolt if you're not alive to enjoy it, eh?” Rainbow Dash gave an awkward smile in reply. “Nah, I guess not.” “Nope – you're absolutely right,” agreed Soarin. “Come on now; let's get that wing seen to.” But before he and Rainbow Dash went to see the Academy medic, he turned and addressed the other cadets; “The rest of you, stay put while I deal with Rainbow Dash. If I catch any of you in the air when I get back, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the Academy pronto. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes, sir,” replied the cadets, and all saluted smartly as Soarin escorted the injured mare to the hospital wing. “It wasn't too serious, was it?” “No, Mom,” replied Rainbow Dash. “It was pretty much healed up after a couple of days, so I was soon up and about again. Spitfire wasn't too happy about it, but Soarin managed to persuade her to let it slide, and so she agreed not to say anything else about my mishap. All the same, she insisted on grounding me until she was sure I'd fully recovered.” “Well, after an accident like that, who wouldn't?” quipped Firefly. “It was a further two or three days before she deemed me fit to fly again, and during that time, I grew incredibly bored,” Rainbow Dash continued. “Still, it gave me plenty of time to figure a few things out, particularly with regards to Soarin; not only had that pony understood what I was going through at that moment, but he had returned the favour for me saving his life at the Best Young Flyers' Competition...” “...which pretty much made you quits, I take it?” Solar Blitz presumed. “Well...kinda, but I felt I owed him a lot more, and that made me begin to realise that my feelings for him ran far deeper than mere friendship and idolisation. I wasn't sure how to feel about it, but no way did I want to tell him immediately; I mean, this is the second-in-command of the Wonderbolts we're talking about. You don't just walk up to the second-in-command of...well, any organisation and say, 'Hey, babe, I just found out the other day, I'm starting to get a crush on you!' If I'd said that, I'd probably have fallen from his favour.” Scootaloo couldn't help laughing at such a notion. “Right on, Dash!” she giggled heartily, but quickly subsided when Firefly gave her a slightly reproving glance. “But you did tell him in the end, didn't you?” “I sure did. As our training continued, I began to feel a lot stronger and more confident under his tuition, and while I was careful never to put...well, anypony's lives at risk, I continued to push myself as far as I could go, to the point where Spitfire promoted me to Cadet Leader. Soarin was so impressed with how much I had improved that he started hanging out with me most evenings after training; sometimes we would race each other, but at other times, we would just sit near the barracks and gaze up at the stars. But one evening, about four months later, he started coughing badly, and when I came for training the following morning...” Rainbow Dash was horrified. “What do you mean Soarin's not gonna be training us?!” “I was just coming to that, Cadet,” replied Spitfire in a harsh whisper. “Now keep your voice down and pay attention!” She then turned and addressed the whole group; “As I was saying, Soarin has gone down with the feather flu, and won't be available for a further three days at least. As of now, you will be under the tutelage of Squadron Leader Fire Streak until further notice.” Though she tried not to show it, the revelation that Soarin had been taken ill had left Rainbow Dash utterly distraught. Her chest began to feel rather sore, and everything seemed to fade out from existence, as if she was trapped in a deep pit with only a dim shaft of sunlight from above to illuminate the darkness. Even with the vast number of cadets either side of her, she had never felt so alone in all her life. Things were no better when it came to the training exercise. Not only did Rainbow Dash feel empty without Soarin, but she couldn't stop worrying about his condition, and far from the expertise and agility she had displayed thus far, her flying became increasingly sloppy, and at one point she nearly ended up knocking herself out of the air towards the end of the exercise. To add insult to injury, some of the other cadets didn't seem very impressed with how she had performed. “Cripes!” remarked one of them as they lined up on the runway. “Maybe there was a reason that so-called 'Cadet Leader' of ours gained the nickname of Rainbow Crash.” “Yeah, how's that kind of performance supposed to get somepony like her into the Wonderbolts?” added another. “Besides, I thought she was supposed to be the best flyer in Equestria.” “Shut up, you guys!” bellowed Thunderlane angrily. “Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in Equestria! I should know – I came from the same town as her!” “So?” scoffed another cadet. “Just because you...” “That's enough, cadets!” ordered Fire Streak. “I know Rainbow Dash's performance today was......less than average for whatever reason, but that doesn't give anypony the right to put her down so strongly. Now if I hear any further insults directed towards your Cadet Leader, the ones responsible will be hearing from the Captain about it!” “Yes, sir,” said the cadets ruefully. But even though the remainder of the cadets remained respectfully quiet on the subject of Soarin, Rainbow Dash still found it difficult to concentrate on her training, and by the time she returned to the mess hall at the end of the day, she was so stiff and sore from all her bumps and spin-outs that she could barely hide her discomfort. Spitfire, who happened to be nearby, happened to notice how bruised she was – both physically and emotionally – and instructed the rainbow-maned mare to come to her office after she had eaten. As Rainbow Dash approached the office door, she was secretly a little scared of what Spitfire might have to say. What if Soarin had been wrong about her being kicked out just for falling short of her own target? What if the next few minutes at the Academy were to be her last? Nervously, she tried to push those thoughts aside as she knocked at the door and entered the room. Much to the rainbow-maned mare's surprise, Spitfire had a look of concern plastered on her face as she entered, something that she hadn't shown for one second during Rainbow Dash's time at the Academy thus far. “You wanted to see me, Captain?” “Yes, Cadet Rainbow Dash, I did,” affirmed Spitfire. “Fire Streak had been telling me that your performance today had left a fair bit to be desired, and to be quite frank, I'd been rather worried about you myself. You've never been this sloppy under me or Soarin, so why our head choreographer?” Rainbow Dash paused, hanging her head slightly. She was secretly relieved that Spitfire was showing concern for her top cadet, but couldn't bring herself to explain what had caused her to mess up her training routines that day. “It wouldn't have anything to do with Soarin, would it?” This took Rainbow Dash even further aback than before. “H-h-how did you find out about me and Soarin?!” she spluttered, flabbergasted. “Oh...lots of reasons,” replied Spitfire. “Your outburst when I informed you of Soarin's absence this morning was quite a give-away for a start, and besides, having spent so much time with Fire Streak...” She paused, and gave a coy wink. “...I know what it's like to have a crush on somepony and not know how to admit it to them.” “You mean...you knew the whole time? But why didn't you say anything?” “And embarrass you in front of the other cadets?” retorted Spitfire. “No way would I want to do that; but before you ask, neither do I have a problem with you two being together as long as you don't let it interfere with your training.” Rainbow Dash looked away sheepishly as she remembered why Spitfire had been so worried earlier. “Sorry about that, ma'am,” she apologised meekly. “I didn't mean for that to happen – I just couldn't stop worrying over Soarin's illness.” Spitfire gave her top cadet a soft, understanding smile. “You really do care for him, don't you?” The only reply she elicited from the rainbow-maned mare was a solemn nod. “Alright then, Cadet,” conceded Spitfire gravely, “I don't wish to make a habit of this, but if you're really so upset about my second-in-command, you'd better take tomorrow off.” “What?! But ma'am...” “No, Rainbow Dash,” insisted Spitfire defiantly. “I can't have my cadets pushing themselves too hard. I'd already told you before, being a Wonderbolt isn't just about pushing ponies to their limits – it's about pushing them in the right direction. Besides, you don't want a repeat of what happened during that cloud-clearing exercise, do you?” With a defeated sigh, Rainbow Dash finally relented. “No, I guess not,” she agreed, remembering how her recklessness could nearly have resulted in her losing her life were it not for Soarin. “Okay, Captain – if you really think so.” “Try not to beat yourself up about it, though,” added Spitfire, softening again. “You've done really well so far, and we're all pleased with you, so don't let anypony or anything persuade you otherwise. Now you go and rest yourself – and try not to lose sleep over Soarin; the medic says he'll be fit and well again by Thursday.” “I'll try not to,” promised Rainbow Dash as she left the office.