Defiance

by CelestialBrony

Defiance

With an explosion of blind equine fury, Rainbow Dash the filly beat her little wings harder than she ever thought possible, flying at increasingly dangerous speeds through the frost storm. No.

Not even twenty seconds ago, the flight instructor in Cloudsdale had requested that Dashie fly slower, because all of the other pegasi foals were feeling intimidated by her unmatched speed and aerial agility. This was a common pain that befell her almost daily; Everypony wanted her to fly slower and slow down for everypony else. Going slow made her feel like folding her wings and dropping to the ground below, and she refused to do anything but her best. Day after day she refused, and her sharp tongue often got her punished. This happened so many times that she had lost track. The flight instructor suspended her from the flight school this time, and she refused to listen to him.

Rainbow Dash grunted, a vicious, beastly growl erupting from behind her gritted teeth. Her tears and stray saliva mingled with the rain and massive hailstones that pelted her face and chest as she soared through the air, Cloudsdale already a speck in the distance. The sting was almost unbearable, but her anger blocked out all of her senses except for the icy air that surged beneath her deceptively powerful wings. She had to fly, and she had to get higher. No!

Ice began collecting all over her cyan body, but she paid no attention. She didn't care one bit if her eyes were frozen shut, or if she became anchored to Equestria itself; Nopony was going to stop her from flying as fast as she could. NO!

The multicolored filly was flying directly under the cloud layer now. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to find an opening in the storm clouds. Storm clouds were always thicker than white clouds, and only the strongest of pegasi could fly through them. Any attempt at flying through them usually resulted in a broken wing or two, and a nasty fall.

She was given a brief respite from her anger and turned her head. In only a minute of flying, she was already farther from Ponyville and Cloudsdale than she had ever been. When she turned her gaze to the thick layer of black clouds, a look of sheer determination and raw defiance spread itself across her visage. Nothing would stop her from getting higher on this stormy day. Not even the coldest of blizzards.

With a shout whose volume rivaled that of the thunderclaps beneath her, and with one mighty beat of hear wings, Rainbow Dash shattered the ice that clung to her and erupted effortlessly through the cloud layer. It was as dark as night beneath the clouds, but Celestia's ever-burning sun still shone down from above and gave warmth and new strength to her wings.

Above the clouds, Dashie flew in place for a moment, the storm beneath her being like a massive expanse of dark blankets stretching on for forever toward each horizon. She closed her eyes, and the rage left her heart just for a moment. Her anger was replaced with sadness... And misery. Why won't they leave me alone? She descended to the top of a black cloud and lay with her face in her hooves, her body convulsing with each agonized sob. Why can't I shine... Why can't I go fast? Through gritted teeth, she growled again, making a gut wrenching noise like that of an injured animal.

Another thunderclap boomed in the storm beneath her. Why can't I be me? Filly Rainbow Dash pushed herself off of the cloud and into the air once more, hovering in place. I won't let them control who I will be.

Dashie stopped flapping her wings. Very quickly, the sun disappeared as she passed through the storm layer and into the blizzard below.

I won't let them restrain me.

Even with her eagle like vision, Rainbow Dash could not see Equestria beneath the storm of hailstones that fell alongside her. She began falling faster and faster, ice once again collecting on her mane and wings.

I won't let them control me.

Faster, falling through the frost storm.

I won't let them keep pushing me. The melting hailstones washed away the tears that were now coming from her eyes. She folded her arms and her wings inward, accelerating her descent.

I won't... Be. That was it. She was simply not going to stop herself from crashing head first into the land beneath her. I won't hurt anymore.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She was now at a low enough altitude to see the ground. Almost two thousand feet in front of her, she saw a small cottage. In front of that cottage was a small brown pegasus, desperately trying to fly by jumping off of a crate in the grass. He didn't care about the hail storm, either. He just wanted to fly.

Rainbow Dash was falling faster. It would not be long.

The colt jumped off of the crate once more and fell flat on his back.

Dashie was falling faster... Getting closer to the ground.

The colt's mother dashed out onto the lawn to snatch her foal up and take him in from the storm. As she walked away with him on her back, the colt extended one hoof to the crate, wanting to try some more.

The ground was very, very close.

He's just like me... He wants to fly.

Only seconds...

For you, little guy. Only three hundred feet remained between Rainbow Dash and the hail covered earth beneath her. Rainbow Dash shifted her weight and spread her wings, changing direction and averting the impact. She was so close to the grass that it tickled her underside as she shot across the landscape, a wild plethora of colors expanding behind her. In less than a second, Rainbow Dash zipped past the cottage, catching the brown pegasus colt looking out at her with a look of awe. That's what I live for.

Faster than her sonic rainboom, Rainbow Dash zipped between mountains and over forests faster than she had ever flown before. The brilliance of her rainbow colored wake was too bright to turn around and look at. The ice in the hail stones refracted the light in front of her, causing a prismatic effect to scantilate across the mountains and throughout the sky. Dashie turned her wings and began gaining altitude so that she would make have the most dramatic effect on that instructor of hers.

Rainbow Dash flew over Cloudsdale, flaunting her speed, grace, colors, and all to everypony who looked up in time to see her. Her instructor did; He was as mortified as he was taken aback. He should see his face.

Rainbow Dash was no longer angry. She remembered what she lived for, and why she did. Dashie turned her gaze from Cloudsdale and into the sky ahead of her, where the sun shone through a hole in the clouds. The sun shone and warmed her body, gave strength to her limbs, and illuminated her brilliant, purple irises. Rainbow Dash smiled, and a warmth like no other filled her heart.

I won't let them control me... But I won't stop for anything.