//------------------------------// // 9: The Alley Titanic // Story: Obsolution // by not plu //------------------------------// It definitely takes a lot of hard work to be a Wonderbolt, so keep flying, but most importantly, never stop dreaming, squirt, never stop dreaming... Click. Flash. Blink. “So Rainbow Dash, what’s being in the spotlight like?” “Well, I’m glad I’m not epileptic.” The crowd chuckled and, like clockwork, a few more bulb flashes blinded Dash momentarily. Another question was prompted. “Why was Dash admitted now? Why wait so long?” Dash opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Spitfire, her smile gleaming. “We’ve wanted her for a long time really, but she’s had other commitments until now.” The smile was redirected to Dash’s direction, prompting her. Just like they’d practiced. “I joined as soon as I possibly could.” The organizer, or whatever they were actually called, signaled for the last question. Rainbow internally breathed a sigh of relief. “Rainbow, how long do you plan to stay with the Wonderbolts? Do you have any plans to move back to Ponyville?” She paused, thinking for a moment. “While I have always dreamt of being a real Wonderbolt, and it’s been amazing so far, I can’t forget all the wonderful friends I have in Ponyville. I’d really like to go back someday, but I’m not sure how soon that’ll be.” But she didn’t say that. Of course she didn’t say that. She said she wasn’t sure yet, and then they were all out of time, and somepony was handing her a water bottle and ushering her away and those seizure-inducing flashes were still in her face even when she closed her eyes. Especially when she closed her eyes. And then it was all over and she was alone in her private locker room. Except she wasn’t. She was never alone. Her assistant, whatever her name was, was ever-present it seemed. If she’d been a pegasus, she would be one the ones who are always hovering one or two feet off the ground, treading air. But she wasn’t, so instead Dash was annoyed by the clipboard encased in lime glow, the one with all the checkmarks and even more empty boxes. She forced a smile onto her face to match the unicorn’s radiating sunshine. “How’d you think it went?” She took a nonchalant sip out of the plastic water bottle that had been uncapped for her. “Well, it was your first press conference, so I don’t think anypony was expecting you to be flawless or anything.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” She reveled in the hint of malice in her words. As her assistant stumbled over her words, trying to save herself, Dash turned her attention to the stack of fan mail on her vanity. She shuffled through it unenthusiastically. That is, until she stumbled upon a small, square envelope. The address was hand-written in careful script. Intrigued, she opened it. Ms. Rainbow Dash- We would like to invite you to celebrate the life of the beloved Pinkamena Diane Pie. Join us for a memorial service, to be followed by treats from Sugarcube Corner. Hope to see you there, The Pie Family There was also a time and a date. The date was about two weeks ago. She turned around. “The hell is this?” The color drained from her assistant’s face. “It’s, uh, well, you couldn’t go, because we had that performance... the one at the foal’s hospital in Manehatten? You couldn’t’ve missed it, Miss Dash.” Couldn’t have missed doing dumb loop-de-loops to go to my best friend’s funeral. “You still should’ve told me about it.” “I... thought you knew. You’re supposed- you told me you like to go through your mail by yourself.” “Oh, so it’s my fault?” Dash took a step towards her, and she cringed in response. “No, of course not-” “No, I know what you’re saying. Obviously if I wasn’t such a dumb bitch, I’d have seen the invitation. Obviously if I wasn’t so stupid and worthless and disorganized, I could have said goodbye to her.” “That isn’t what I said!” The assistant’s voice was shaking. “I don’t give a shit. You meant it, I know you meant it, because everypony means it. They all hate me here, just like you, and I don’t deserve it!” She flung the invitation and closed her eyes as it sliced past the unicorn’s face, leaving a pinkish streak that quickly turned red with blood. She shrieked and ran off, her tears tinted red as they fell to the ground in a trail. Well they would have, if Dash had been watching. Or cared. She deserved it. To clear her mind, Rainbow Dash has always taken to the skies. Maybe it reminded her of her childhood, spent peeking down at the tiny, picturesque Ponyville below. Those days when everything was so much simpler. But she’s never been one for nostalgia. So as her wings spread and lifted her until the air felt thin and cool, memories were not resurfaced. That wasn’t the point. After all, she didn’t want to cry. So it was easier to shut down, to shut off, to avoid everything problematic. She was waiting until the day, until the press conference where somepony asked her what she thinks about when she flies. And she’ll be completely honest when she answers “Nothing.” They think it makes her better in competitions: her ability to tune everything out, to focus. It’s a skill she’s developed. And maybe, just maybe, from her teetering vantage point in the sky, it didn’t matter that she missed the funeral of one of her best friends. She would’ve felt so out of place, so awkward. She could picture her technicolor mane as the subject of the glares peeking out from underneath After all, she didn’t like to cry. Instead, maybe it was best to stick to her comfort zone, with the white noise of the wind rushing past her ears. Maybe she’d land and go apologize to her assistant, or at least find out her name. Maybe she’d go to training tonight and joke around like usual. Maybe she’d be be okay. Maybe she deserved it.