//------------------------------// // Rainbow Dash // Story: Let Them Wonder // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Diana's eyes slowly opened as she heard the door to her classroom be kicked open, eyes glancing at the rainbow haired girl that burst through the open door and skidded to a stop right in front of Diana's desk. Rainbow Dash gazed up at the clock behind Diana to see that she was only five minutes late, which made her fist pump before she swung out the chair before her and sat down. "You're late," Diana informed Rainbow Dash. "Eh, it's only a few minutes. Not that big a deal," Rainbow Dash shrugged before dismissively waving her hand. Diana saw Athena puff up with rage at the girl's flippancy, but Diana placed a hand on her owl's shoulder before pulling up a stack of papers. "Do you know why I've called you here today, Rainbow Dash?" Diana asked the girl, who seemed too busy staring out the window at the leaves that were beginning to change color. "Because of your grades. They are atrocious, to say the least. And this is not only my class, but I have heard other teachers complain about your grades as well. What do you have to say about yourself?" "Hey, don't blame the student, blame the teacher," Rainbow replied with a laugh that only made Diana's eyes narrow in response. "Come on, class is a total bore. I'd rather be out on the field, kicking around a ball, than stuck in a stuffy room having to take a boring test." "And speaking of tests," Diana began as she held up the numerous papers in both of her hands, "I have a list of tests that you've taken in my class and in others. Care to hear how you did on them?" Diana had to fight her rage back down when all Dash did in response was roll her eyes. "Here's your first one. F. Your second. F. F. F. Another F. Huh, a D. Didn't expect to see that in here." "You got a point to make or are you just going to tell me what I already know?" 'You insufferable child, I will teach you-' "What I am trying to tell you is that you do not seem to be taking your studies seriously," Diana interjected, cutting Athena off. Rainbow Dash only gave Diana a "no duh" look that made the Amazon's blood boil. But then a cold smile spread across Diana's face. "Well maybe you'll care about this. Until you get your grades back up...you're off the soccer team. For good." "WHAT?!" Dash bellowed as she sprang out of her seat, but all it took was a stare as cold as the underworld from Diana to sit the girl back down. "You...you can't do this! You can't just-" "I can and I have," Diana corrected Dash while she held out a slip of paper for Rainbow Dash to read, a note that came straight from the coach of the soccer team himself. "I brought up your grades to him and we both agreed that it would be best for you to focus on your studies more than it would be to kick a ball around, as you put it." "But this is me we're talking about! If I'm not on that team, then we're going to get ruined by the other schools!" Dash tried to reason with Diana, but all the teacher did was raise an eyebrow at her words. "Glad to see that you have so much faith in your team." Diana then pulled out another slip of paper and handed it to Dash, who glanced down at it with a look of loathing. "Yes, I also talked with Celestia and we both agreed that it would be best if you worked with a teacher to help improve your grades. Since I am a nice person, however, I decided that I would let you pick the teacher that you want help from." "But all that's on this list is you and Sombra!" Dash pointed out. "And the both of you are crazy! It'll be a miracle if I survive either of you!" 'It's more of a miracle that she can read, with how low her grades are,' Athena added, gaining her a look from Diana. "That is because Sombra was the only other teacher who volunteered to tutor you," Diana informed Rainbow Dash. "He said something like, he wished to thank you for that time you let loose all of the frogs in his class. And then he laughed at the ceiling for a good minute. So if you would Rainbow, please make your choice." Rainbow writhed in agony for a long minute before she sighed and slammed her head down on Diana's desk in defeat. "Fine, I'll take your stupid tutoring. When do I have to show up?" "Every morning, an hour before school starts," Diana said. Dash's head shot up with disbelief written clear on her face. "I have to come here BEFORE school?! Why can't I just come get tutored after school?!" "Because after school I'm working with another student, one that seems to understand the value of hard work and knowledge," Diana said, brushing all of the papers together once again. "Unless of course, you want to go with Sombra. I believe his tutoring runs till around eight in the evening. Now then, you're free to go." Dash stood up and stalked towards the door with both hands in her pockets, but when she reached the door Diana cleared her throat to stop the girl once more. "Some advice, Rainbow Dash. I have found that having a little more information in my corner was far more valuable then all the strength I had in my body." "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" "It means that you have a lot to learn. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning." Rainbow Dash grumbled under her breath as she walked out of the room, leaving Diana alone to shake her head as she packed up her things. "That was quite the quote. Almost as if it came from the Goddess of Intelligence herself," Athena praised as she fluttered onto Diana's shoulder. "I spoke the truth. Knowledge has saved my life far more often than my power ever has," Diana said as she gazed out the window to see Dash joining her friends. "I just pray that it will not take an event like that for Dash to see that as well." -wWw- "And here I thought that you were just going to get detention for your bad grades," Twilight said as she pushed her glasses up. "But to have to be tutored by Diana before school...that actually sounds pretty cool! Do you know if she will teach me as well?" "I can't believe that she got me benched! Doesn't she know that I'm the only chance my team has of beating the Crystal Preppies?!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the sky as she walked alongside the rest of her friends. "No, because ya only think that yer the only chance our team has of winning," Applejack clarified for Dash, but her words were lost on the rainbow haired girl. "I have an idea! Why don't you challenge Diana to a game of soccer? Then you can show her how good you are and how much the team needs you," Pinkie suggested. "You know, that's not actually a bad idea," Rainbow Dash muttered while rubbing her chin. "Actually Pinkie, I think I might just...what, what was that laugh?" Rainbow asked when she turned on Sunset, who had accidentally let a laugh slip out when Pinkie mentioned the challenge. "Sorry, but...the idea of you facing a teacher in soccer just seems silly to me," she laughed once more with an apologetic look, but from the snarl Dash gave her it was clear the student wasn't happy. "Yeah, right. Do you really think I can't beat that world trotting fruit at my game?" Rainbow Dash asked Sunset point blank. "No. I don't." Rainbow's eyes widened while Sunset glanced down at the rope around her waist before slapping her palm to her forehead. "Dash, I didn't mean it like-" "Yeah, I know what you meant. Just drop it." "Again, sorry...look, I need to leave. I have studies I need to go work on and-" "Wait a moment, you're the second student that Diana is teaching?" Rainbow asked Sunset, who couldn't do anything aside from nod with a sigh. "Why is everyone so fascinated with that teacher?!" "Maybe if you actually took the time to know her, you would figure out why." Sunset then ran off with her hands clamped over her mouth to make sure she didn't blurt anything else out, leaving a fuming Rainbow Dash next to Applejack and Twilight. The trio then headed off to the mall, with AJ and Twilight talking while Rainbow Dash stared at the sky "So when did Sunset get so snarky all of a sudden?" Dash grumbled after twenty minutes of silence on her part. "She was just being honest. And to continue the trend, Diana is right," Applejack agreed. "Ya haven't been focusing on yer studies and instead spend all of yer time goofing off or wasting time. Yer lucky that getting ya pulled from the team was all she did." "Seriously?! Even you are on her side?" "Everyone else seems to be," Twilight muttered as she pulled out a calculator and punched a few figures into it. "Actually, from the data I've gathered on her, she currently seems to be the most respected teacher at Canterlot High. Well, that and feared." "Wait, why feared?" Applejack and Twilight both shared a glance before turning their focus to Rainbow. "Dash, haven't you been paying any attention all year? Diana can stop troublemakers with just a glare. Even Sombra takes orders from her, and we all know he doesn't listen to anyone." "Then, there's also the time she used a food tray to deflect every morsel of food that was thrown her way. That was before she destroyed a light with a single punch," Applejack added on. "So she works out and can do a few fancy things. Big deal. We got magic! We can fly, shoot magical lasers and lay the smack down on any evil that we come across. We're the heroes of this world, not her! And I dare any evil that thinks otherwise to-" "Solomon Grundy." Dash's words died a horrible death when she and the other two girls turned around to find themselves staring up at a massive, gray colossus that towered over them. It glared down at the three with yellow eyes, eyes that were able to see the magical energies radiating off of their bodies. "Give Grundy magic. Grundy need magic!" "Ya just had to ask fer it, didn't ya?" Applejack snarked as Grundy lifted its hands over its head and let out a bellow. "Well girls, any ideas?" "Yeah. Run!" -wWw- Sunset yelled with power as she hurled her leg at Diana's head. Her blow was interrupted by a forearm that absorbed the blow from the kick with little effort, leaving Sunset free to a palm strike to the gut that sent her flying across the field. The red haired student managed to roll when she hit the ground and sprang back up to her feet, but she then gritted her teeth while holding a hand to her stomach. "Are you alright? We can take a break if you need to," Diana asked out of concern, but Sunset's response was to smirk at her teacher before spitting off to the side. "Tell me, Diana, would that nightmare you fought give me a break after a blow like that?" Sunset asked in wheezy voice, her answer gaining her a smile from her teacher. "Trust me, I can handle getting hit a few times just fine." "Because I'm holding back," Diana reminded her student before leaping forward and driving her palm towards Sunset. Sunset registered the attack and rolled behind Diana, but the moment the student was back on her feet she felt arms wrap themselves around her neck. "And also because you still rely on rolling too much in combat. If used right, it can catch your opponent off guard, but if used too often..." "I get it. Now let go before you take my head off!" Sunset grunted as she struggled to break free of Diana's grip. Diana released her student a moment later, allowing Sunset to regain her breath. "Ugh, that didn't go as well as I wanted it to. You're just so darn fast and powerful." "If you were able to beat me at this stage, then I would be very concerned with what power lay within you," Diana replied as she reached down and picked up two bottles of water, one of which she tossed to Sunset. "But you show great potential and you learn quick. You're a good student who actually listens to what I have to say." "Yeah, if only I had realized that back in Equestria," Sunset said with a sad smile when she sat down on the grass, Diana joining her a moment later. A glance at the teacher showed that she was curious, so after taking a swig of her water Sunset explained herself. "I told you about Celestia, how I failed to heed her warnings and sought too much power. And it's been the greatest regret in my life. She believed in me, saw the potential within me...and I threw it all away for power. I let her down. You ever have that, Diana? Something you wish you could take back or do over?" "You have no idea," Diana responded. "But in a way, I am grateful for those events. For without them I would not be the person I am today. And neither would you. So instead of focusing on what we did wrong, we should focus more on what we can make right." "Heh, is that the wisdom of Athena talking?" Sunset asked before pulling at the rope that was wrapped around her waist. "Speaking of gods, do you think I still need this? I might have ruined my friendship with Rainbow Dash earlier by being a bit too truthful." "Until I know for certain that you are safe from that nightmare creature, I would rather..." In a flash Diana had taken the lasso from Sunset's waist and twirled it around herself, changing from her workout clothing to her Wonder Woman attire. "Stay here. I'm sensing a very powerful magic and something else along with it." Before Sunset could get even one of her questions out, Wonder Woman had already taken to the sky and was flying off towards the source of the magic. Her journey came to a stop above a nearby mall, where she narrowed her eyes when she saw three students of hers running from a gray beast that seemed awfully familiar. 'Is that who I think it is? Well if it is, they need my help. But since I don't want to be recognized...' Another twirl of her lasso summoned forth a black helmet with two large ram horns, which she slid over her head to conceal her identity. Wonder Woman tucked her hair into the helmet before diving down towards the gray beast, which had cornered the girls in the parking lot. It let out a snarl as it raised its fists over them, but before it could strike Diana slammed into its back and hurled both of them into the sky. "You wish to fight, creature? Then you fight me!" Diana bellowed as she slammed a fist into the back of the beast, sending it hurtling down into an empty parking lot away from the mall. The creature shattered through the concrete as it impacted the ground, while Wonder Woman floated down to see that the creature was indeed who she had believed it to be. "So why are you chasing after those kids, Grundy? I thought you didn't like to hurt children?" Diana asked the creature as it pulled itself out of the crater. Grundy said nothing in reply, only let out a yell before hurling itself at the wonder. "Alright then, we can just skip talking," Diana began as she cocked a fist back. "And get to the part where I send you back to Hades!"