//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: To Be a Wonderbolt 
// by Avabrony 
//------------------------------//



Chapter 6
The skyline of Ponyville seemed to sparkle in the setting sun. Rainbow Dash stood on the hill, watching, wondering if she should say what had happened. “No, they’ll never want to talk to me again.” A tear rolled down her cheek, the events of the day tearing at her very soul. She looked in the direction of Canterlot, where she knew that the news of the debacle must be spreading. The sun was almost completely set, and with a start, Rainbow Dash suddenly realized just what she was seeing. ‘The view, the time-it’s going to happen.’ She found herself shaking, and she whispered aloud, “I won’t let my friends down this time.”
The scene was set, and she knew that her nightmare was only just beginning. She looked down at the skyline, waiting for something to happen. After a while, she finally heard the sound she was dreading- a sickening crunch echoed through the valley. Then, through the last tendrils of the sun, Rainbow Dash saw a hump rising above the town. Images of destruction, fire, horror, flickered through her mind. All at once, she felt the humility of running from the race and the anxiety of her dream becoming life, and she felt herself begin to slip. She began to cry again, feeling useless, feeling that she would only serve to mess something else up, feeling that her friends would not care for her. With each subsequent thought, she felt herself falling deeper and deeper into sorrow, and she felt to the ground, ready to give up, to let fate take hold, to watch as everything that she loved was destroyed.
Rainbow Dash looked up again; the shape was moving closer to the town. She felt paralyzed by depression and fear, unable to do anything but cry as Ponyville approached its violent end. Then, a flame lit inside of her. She thought back, ages back, it seemed, back to the day that she had stepped off her train, the day that she made it into the Wonderbolts. Pinkie’s laugh, the celebration, the pure joy of it all began to fill her, and she stood again, a newly found courage coursing through her being. With a shout, she leapt toward the defenseless town, with the intention of saving her friends at all costs.
She sped into Ponyville, accelerating toward the monster as it approached Twilight’s library. “Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow Dash barreled into the beast, kicking and fighting it with everything she was worth. She heard a shout beneath her, and the crackle of magic; something struck her, and the last thing she saw was the ground speeding towards her.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; the light was blinding-she had no idea where she was. A voice was calling her name, but she couldn’t find a way to form the words to reply. She shielded her eyes, trying to discern the blurry shadows that she saw in front of her. After a moment, things began to come into focus, and Rainbow Dash found herself lying in a hospital bed, with Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spitfire all standing around her. They had concerned looks on their faces, and Rainbow Dash, worried about the state of Ponyville, asked, “Did I beat it?”
The other three ponies exchanged glances, and Twilight asked, “Beat what?”
“The monster-the one who was going to destroy Ponyville…didn’t you see it?”
Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash sadly, and whispered, “Rainbow-there was no monster. Spitfire and I were talking; it sounds like you were so worried about leaving us, and even inadvertently hurting us, that you just thought the monster was there. You weren’t attacking anything but the air, and I was lucky enough to knock you out before you could do any damage to yourself or anypony else.”
Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight with disbelief, “But, I could see it-it was just like in my dream! Everything was the same, but…”
Twilight hung her head, her voice barely audible, “Rainbow Dash,we were also talking about…” she trailed off, tears forming in her eyes.
Rainbow Dash looked at each of the ponies anxiously, “What? What did you talk about?”
Twilight tried to answer, but tears choked out any words that she could have been trying to say. Spitfire took a deep breath, and answered in subdued tones, “We’ve decided that you shouldn’t be on the Wonderbolts anymore. It’s caused you this much trouble, and I have to run a team, not a pity squad. I understand that you’ll be upset about this, anypony would be, but you just aren’t ready.” She motioned to the bedside table, which had an unmarked box on it. “It’s your first trophy, and your uniform. I know that you weren’t able to use it much, but I thought that it might mean something to you. I’m  sorry-I really am, but…” she trailed off, searching to find the right words to tell the blue pegasus who lay in the bed before her, “But I just have to let you go.”
With that, Spitfire left, and Rainbow Dash was alone with Twilight and Fluttershy. She choked back her tears, and began, “Twilight, Fluttershy, let me just say-I’m sorry. I have been a terrible friend to you. I chose wrong-very, very wrong, and look where it got me. Yeah, I lived the dream a bit, but it turned into a nightmare so quickly that I guess that I just lost myself. Well now, looking back, I can see every mistake I have made, all the way back to not eating Pinkie’s cake, and not reading your letter, Twilight. But-but that’s not why I am not a good friend; those are only mistakes. I chose fame, racing, the Wonderbolts, all over you, the ones who have been, are now, and will be there for me. I can’t say that it was worth it-just look at me! I’m messed up, seeing monsters, getting kicked out of teams, and neglecting my best friends. Most of all, I’m sorry for letting you down-I wasn’t the Rainbow Dash you all knew, and I don’t think that I am now. I’m not a winner, I’m a loser, and not just because I ran away from a race. I’m a loser because I failed you.” She then began to weep, every sob sending waves of sorrow through her body, each tear carrying the weight of her words, every breath passing through the mouth that had uttered them.
Fluttershy walked over to the head of the bed, comforting her friend, and said with a smile, “Rainbow Dash-you have no idea how wrong you are. You might see this as a bad thing, but I learned something here. I learned that I have a friend who would care for me even if I were miles away and they were doing everything that they had ever wanted. I learned that even the best ponies get scared, and that even whenever you think that you are at your worst, to me, you will always be your best. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for being the best friend that I’ve ever had.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, a small flicker of hope sprung up inside her when she heard Fluttershy’s words. The other two left her, and the sole blue pegasus looked at the ceiling, and whispered, “What’s next? Should I just…give up?” She closed her eyes, and falling asleep, she muttered to herself, “No, I’ll give up the day that I can no longer fly.” She smiled, and drifted into a deep slumber, ready to start a new day.