//------------------------------// // Reminiscence // Story: After so long... // by Orfearus //------------------------------// She lay in the field of daffodils once more, her five true friends surrounding her. It was a warm spring day, the kind that makes the world feel perfect and alive. The perfect day for flying, but that was the last thing on Rainbow Dash's mind. "Tell us more Dash. What were the Wonderbolts like?" Twilight asked. There was so much to tell, so many months to fill them in on. But that was something she wished to discuss later. Right now, she just wanted to talk about all of them, together, as friends. Continue where they were, that weekend she never arrived. "Eh, they were fine. What I'm really interested in is what happened around here?" "We've missed you while you were gone." Fluttershy took a few steps closer. Resting on her back was the green turtle. "TANK!" "He missed you most of all. Just moping around all day, even Angel Bunny couldn't cheer him up." "Wow, thanks so much for taking care of him." "You're my friend, it was no trouble." Friend. So much power rested in that one word, yet so much was left unsaid by it. They lay in the silence of the day, under the welcoming warmth of the sun. For once, the world was right. At last, she was back with her friends. If only time could stand still. If only she could remain with them, if only... “Goodbye Rainbow Dash. It’s time to go” Twilight said, getting off the ground. The others followed suit. “No, girls. Can’t you stay a little longer?” They turned around without an answer, and started to walk away “Wait, don’t go!” She cried, running after them. But they kept on going, growing further away “Rainbow Dash.” The words echoed in her mind. “Please, don’t leave me.” She spread her wings wide to chase after her friends. The wind whipped up, threatening to pin her against the ground. Fighting the very air around her, she took to the skies. “I’m not letting you go. Not again” “Rainbow Dash.” Every time the words repeated, it was more powerful. She flapped her wings harder. Every time she flapped, she flew faster But the faster she flew, the further away her friends got Disappearing on the horizon Of the field of daffodils Stretching onwards Forever Forever …...... “Rainbow Dash!” Her eyes shot open. Fleetfoot was standing in front of her bed, impatiently tapping her hoof against the ground. She had been standing there a while. “Rainbow Dash, it’s time to go. Spitfire’s waiting.” “Sorry Fleetfoot. I was having my first good dream in... a long time. Well, it started good. Then it changed.” Fleetfoot was already at the door. “Spitfire. Waiting. Now.” She spread her wings and took to the sky. Rainbow Dash reluctantly followed, her mind still lost in the realm of dreams. Spitfire didn't criticize her too hard for sleeping in. Nor for her lack of focus. It seemed like she was mentally going easy on her. She made up for it by physically pushing her limits. The hard flying was to force her mind clear of distractions, to focus solely on flying. But no matter how hard they trained, there was one thought always on her mind. Her friends. And she pushed herself harder than ever before for them. The day went fast. Or perhaps it just seemed fast, because of what she was anticipating that evening. As soon as training was over, in the setting sun, she flew her tired self down to Ponyville. I'm finally coming back she thought. Back home. After so long... I'm returning. To my friends. Every flap of the wings was filled with exhilaration again. Every breath of air was fresh, taking her closer to that tiny town on the horizon, and to her friends. They didn't know she was coming that night. But there was nothing that could have delayed her. One stop at Sugarcube Corner was all it took to gather the whole town. She smiled to herself as she descended from the sky. ......... "Where were you last night? I was going to bring you to Cloudsdale but you were gone!" Spitfire shouted at Rainbow Dash. The fire-maned pegasus had never been so infuriated with Dash as she was right now. Never before had they argued but she was determined to make that pegasus apologize for her actions, because of how deeply it hurt her. She had given so much to that pegasus; all the extra time and effort that she had put in to make her succeed, all the fancy parties she had taken her to that other ponies could only dream of. Surely Dash knew how much their time together meant. "I went to Ponyville. Besides, you never told me anything, how was I supposed to know?" "I just presumed you would be more interested in learning about what it takes to be a Wonderbolt than flying around Ponyville." Didn’t they know each other better than that? They met after training every day, and spent most of their free time together. They were closer together than she had ever been with another pony, so close that she had even allowed Dash to give her a nickname – something that Nopony else had ever dared to do. No, her oversight was inexcusable. "I'm sorry Spits. I made a promise to my friends that I would be there." "And I made a promise that I would have you in Cloudsdale." She glared at Rainbow Dash, clearly disappointed. They stared at each other, unblinking. Spitfire knew that she was too proud to apologize for her actions; however she would not bend for her own. She would simply force Dash to make up for them. For the rest of the day, she pushed Dash hard. She desperately wanted to take out her anger on that pegasus, if simply for that fact that she knew it would not last long. As soon as they met up at their regular bar after training her anger would dissipate. They had been going to that bar afterwards for weeks now and the time they had there was just theirs. It didn't matter what they talked about there, and if there were no big events going on they would spend the entire evening enjoying the night together. Everything would be back to normal when they met again, back to the joy they had for every day of the past weeks. Every day except yesterday. A new rage built up insider her. “Dash, it’s your turn for the vertical drop” she shouted as the rainbow pegasus passed by for another lap around the track. “Let’s see how sharply you can pull out of a dive.” She knew that the drop was most straining part of training, but felt a need to push it upon Rainbow Dash. The pegasus cast a knowing glance her way as she went to the drop without a word, accepting the punishment that was placed upon her. In turn she flew faster and harder than ever before, as if trying to make up for her mistake without having to apologize. By the time the day was coming to a close she could see the strain on Dash's face, but knew the pegasus would keep going until Spitfire called it a day. She actually felt a twinge of guilt for pushing her as hard as she did. "Let’s call it for the week" Spitfire shouted, not wanting to harm the rainbow pegasus. Without saying another word, Spitfire flew off to prepare for the upcoming weekend. She had already made plans; a trip to Cloudsdale with Dash, some R&R after the gala, and perhaps a chance to talk about their future. The only thing left to do was surprise the pegasus when they met up at the bar that night. As she was flying towards the bar, she glimpsed a rainbow blur out of the corner of her eye. Except it was not headed towards their normal meeting place; it was headed off towards Ponyville again. Anger built up in Spitfire, feeling betrayed by the one pegasus she had ever cared for. She knew that something needed to be done, and fast, before Dash completely lost her focus. She would need to hammer down upon that pegasus in order for any sense to make it to her brain. With the workings of a rash plan forming in her mind, she took off after the rainbow blur in the sky. ......... "Dash! Ya ready for an exitin' weekend?" asked Applejack, as the rainbow maned pegasus landed beside her friends on the outskirts of the town. "I've been dreaming about it for such a long time!" she replied, as they started to walk to town. “Trainin’s not too hard?” Dash looked up and down her bruised wings. “It’s pretty hard. Spits is really mad with me for coming to Ponyville yesterday. She pushed me hard today, but the thought of coming here tonight drove me to fly harder than ever.” “Dash, how are things going with Spitfire?” inquired Rarity. “You two seem close.” A slight blush came across Dash’s face. “THAT close?” Rarity asked “We’ve just been going to the bar after training each night. Some casual time as friends.” She didn’t mention they were the only ones at the bar “Well, then why didn’t you bring her with you?” Dash’s glance turned towards Cloudsdale. “Because this is our time to spend together.” She glimpsed an orange blur at the edge of her vision, heading towards the ground. Spits? I guess it’s time to face her now she thought, visibly stiffening her body. But as the orange blur got closer, she let her pose relax. I need to apologize to her she decided, as much as that thought pained her. She had developed a soft spot for the pegasus, and didn’t want to lose her. "Rainbow Dash. Hold up." The shout came from the sky, as Spitfire landed beside them. "Hey Spits. I need –" "We need to talk. About this." she interrupted, gesturing to the scenery around them. "You have a promising future as a Wonderbolt, but you lack focus. I didn't invite you to join, dedicate my every day to you, and take you personally under my wing so you could blow off your responsibilities every week. So come back to Cloudsdale and we'll go get another performance." "Spits, I feel really bad for not coming last night, but these are my friends. They are as much the reasons I'm successful as I am. I’m not going to leave them." "Dash, you need to be dedicated to succeed. Enough fooling around, show some personal restraint and leap for your future." "I'm not fooling around." said Dash, taking a defensive stance in front of her friends. "They're holding you back from success. Think of what you could be, if you just let go of your past and moved forward." "We don't want to hold you back" said Twilight. "They're not holding me back. They're the ones holding me up, the only reason I'm still flying." "Dash, look at the paths in front of you." said Spitfire. "There are the Wonderbolts, and there are your friends. You can't have both." It was at this point that Dash realized this was less about putting the Wonderbolts over her friends, but putting them over Spitfire. "You don't want to force me to choose" she said, her resolve almost breaking at such an idea. "Being a Wonderbolt demands everything. EVERYTHING. We’ve known each other so long, yet have you ever wondered why I never talked about my past? Because every memory brings back a pain sharper than yours, every regret as fresh as the day I left my life. But the world needs the Wonderbolts. They need ponies they can look up to, and dream about, ponies they know have dedicated their entire life to helping Equestria. So yes, I'm forcing you to choose. If you want to be a Wonderbolt, than it requires you to give up your past, and move on. For good." Two images flashed before Dash’s eyes. The first was of Ponyville during a mid-summer day. Her friends were all gathered in the center of town looking upwards with joy and admiration in their eyes, as she flew over them showing off her latest trick. The exhilaration of flying pulsed through her veins, mixed the joy of seeing her friends. Moments later the Cloudsdale arena flashed before her eyes. The stadium was full, thousands more ponies than the six she had just thought about, all staring skyward as she and Spits dove towards the ground. Her and Spits. The future possibilities stretched outwards forever. Everything she dreamed of in life seemed to be there. Everything except her friends. It was the first time she did not see them in her future Why did she need to choose between her friends and the Wonderbolts? Between them and Spits? Why could the world not give her both? She glanced between her friends and Spitfire, not able to give either of them up. She looked at her friends, and knew what her life would be without them. She looked at the pegasus she had idolized for so long, and wondered. “Did you really give up your friends to be a Wonderbolt?” she asked. Spitfire lowered her head to the ground, accepting that painful fact. She had been living that life for so long she had forgotten the value of friendship. “Then I feel sorry for you Spits, because nothing is worth giving up these friends for.” She pulled the flight goggles of her head, and dropped them on the ground. She then turned her back on the one pony she had always looked up to, out of fear that the tear in her eye would destroy her fragile emotional state. “You were going to be the next captain!” Spitfire shouted towards Rainbow Dash. Those words stopped in her tracks. “Without these friends, I wouldn’t have made a very good captain.” She continued on her way, but halted one last time “Spits. If ever you need a friend to talk to, you know where to find me.” She walked off, followed by the friends she had just defended. "Dear Celestia, Rainbow Dash. I can't believe you just did that!" shouted Rarity, astounded. "You just turned down fame and fortune for friends." "You can't put a price on friendship. You five should know that the best." She stared up at the sun, the full situation settling in her mind. "But Dash, you just gave up your dream for us!" said Fluttershy. "I dreamed I could be in the Wonderbolts, to fly among their ranks. I dreamed of the fame, of the popularity, of all the ponies that looked up to me. But in every one of those dreams, you were all there. If my friends are the cost of being a Wonderbolt, than I would rather stay here in Ponyville. I can still become the fastest flier in all of Equestria, just in between the time I spend with my friends." A faint smile appeared on her face, wiping away all signs of sorrow. "Ah'm astonished, Dash. Overwhelmed. But ah'm sure glad to 'ave you back!" Applejack gave her friend a quick pat on the back. "So what are we gonna do now?" Asked Pinkie, already hoping the answer involved a party. "I've been dreaming of a weekend back here for a while, and I know just how to spend it." ......... Dear Princess Celestia, I'm writing this letter while lying in a field of daffodils, surrounded by my friends. And there is no place in the world I would rather be. It takes years of work to accomplish your dreams; it takes much less time to lose them. After working so hard to become a Wonderbolt, I let my true dream, my life with my friends, slip away. Our friendship itself was still alive, for there's a type of magic in that friendship. It fills your soul up in ways that nothing else can and without it you just feel … incomplete. It wasn’t until the moment I set eyes on my friends again, that I knew they were what was missing from my life. I was Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt. But I prefer Rainbow Dash, the loyal friend, the one you can always trust to be there for you. I will still become the greatest flier in all of Equestria, but not at the cost of my friendships. Because you can’t put a price on friendship. Yours Truly - Rainbow Dash Loyal Friend.