The Life and Times of a Bit Monger

by KarmaSentinal

Dreams so high, I ought to sit by.

After the tragic accident that left its former Captain permanently ground bound ( the first major incident in recent memory), the WonderBolt Academy was all but abandoned.

For the first time in over a year, the sky above the WonderBolt Academy was filled with activity and commotion. The clouds temporarily being stored over the massive academy ground had been removed a month prior; new cadets had arrived and were assigned quarters while the reinstated staff moved like a fire was lit behind them.

All of this sudden activity came with the one goal- reopening the academy.

Trepidation hazed the air, many of its occupants eager to see this Pegasus landmark open once again, while a healthy few( 80%) worried whether or not the academy’s reputation could ever recover from this stain.

The biggest surprise to come was the reveal of not only the new WonderBolt Captain, but the former Captain who had come back to act as an advisor and assistant to the training. Many of the cadets cheered at the surprise opportunity to train under their hero, and that idolization only increased as the training began.

The news (and paid advertisements) had painted Rainbow Dash as a mare’s mare capable of near alicorn strengths and a pony of mythic feats, but the Dash they got wasn’t this all.. she was better!

Their Captain had received a prosthetic wing from the Twilight Corporation free of charge, and now didn’t have to actually perform stunts anymore. All she did was act cold, yell borderline profanities and criticize their performances from the sidelines almost like the Guard.

Many found the whole act exhilarating and a much needed change of pace than the standard drill and practice the Wonderbolts had used for years. Her act shook things up and scratched the itch some of the cadets had to join the Guard before settling on the Wonderbolts; at least now they could get the taste of Guard life without having to give three years.

Yep, it was nice of Captain Dash to go out of her way to add to the experience!

---

“No, SideWinder! You’re suppose to wait until Shooting Star has cleared before starting the downward spiral!”

“Yes bossmare!” the tan spotted pegasus shouted.

The rainbow mane pegasus huffed like an agitated bull, before looking behind her to follow the rest of her class, and to her surprise all 5 seemed to be keeping their spacing as they flew by.

After surviving yet another (on the job) accident, the ponies closest to Rainbow Dash had noticed a change in the mare’s behavior. Before, Rainbow Dash would constantly boast about her skill to any that would listen, but now she was more aloof.

There was no boasting, or flaunting of her achievements anymore. The smug playfulness Rainbow Dash wielded like a stick was gone; replaced by an actual stick she swung with a quickness just like her anger.

“Celestia’s burning sun Sidewinder! Pay attention to your teammates’ position, and not Dusty’s flank!”

“Yes, bossamare!”

Rainbow Dash had to fight her tightening forelegs, and wing muscles to keep the urge down to jump into the sky to show those cadets how it was done! And just like that her body slumped over as the willingness to outshine left her thoughts and muscles.

Ever since the accident, her flying career had abruptly ended resulting in a honorable discharge from the Wonderbolts. This early retirement hit the Dash hard to the point she thought about taking Cadence’s offer just to escape from her own failures.

So, Dash was beside herself when The Bolts asked if she would come back as a training advisor. She thought being back in the uniform and surrounded by 'the best’ pegasus kind had to offer would quell her angst of being a grounded pegasus- it had not.

She flexed both of her wings, eyes wavering on the featherless, metallic wing before turning away to watch her cadets.

That insufferable prosthetic wing kept her ambitions grounded for now and the foreseeable future. Unless, The Twilight Corporation could perfect their (rumored) flyable prosthetic wing by next year. Tomorrow. Until that day, Dash had to yell her voice out trying to instruct almost two teams of worthless candidates that flew slightly better than a butterfly in the wind.

“What I wouldn’t give to have Apple Bloom’s Express deliver a case of cider to Cloudsdale.” Dash thought, rubbing her temple with the good wing.

Ignoring the startled cries of her trainees as SideWinder likely cut off another cadet, Rainbow Dash reached into the inner pocket of her officer uniform and pulled out a crystal the size and shape of a common Junior Speedster’s medal.

Sensing her distinct magical signature, the crystal flared to life before diming to expose the scratchy image of a zebra hunched over a desk. The Zebra, with a quill in hoof, desperately fought the Celestial amount of secretarial work; his quill would scribble something down every 43 seconds before moving to the next parchment in the stack.

Rainbow Dash waited another ten seconds after that before making her presence known the only why she knew how.

“TwiCo calls this a spell? I’ve seen Earth Ponies casting better spells than this.” the result was instantaneous.

The neat stack of signed and unsigned parchments fell to the floor as the spruced looking zebra shot up from his deck, the quill snapping in half from the force of his clenching hoof.

“That was a complete fluke and that pony has since been proven a fraud!” he declared as he looked for the critic, before hearing a gruff cough coming from the right corner of his desk.

“Oh, hello Dash.”

“Long time no see stud. How’s the wife and foals?”

“Dash, please.”

“Ok, Maverick.”

“Better.” he sat down once more, moving the crystal closer to see the pegasus’ image better.

“They’re fine. Twilight took them to visit the princesses while I finish up some work.” he bit his bottom lip before resuming. “How’s the new batch?”

“They’re no me that’s for sure.” The image flickered once to show ten pegasi flying in two groups of five before flicking to Rainbow Dash.“ Some problems, but nothing I can’t beat out of them. I tell them it's my contractual obligation.”

Maverick stifled a laugh at the thought of his wife saying something similar, wondering if he should mentioned it at all.

Actually, no he shouldn’t.

“It works sometimes, but I think they’re catching on I can’t catch them and that’s the problem Maverick. I need to fly again.”

The zebra went quite, Dash could barely hear him humming as he debated himself, what it was she hadn’t the faintest idea. She was going to give him another 20 seconds before trying for his attention, but like the gentlestallion he was, Maverick didn’t keep her waiting.

“Sweeite Bot isn’t ready to start flight trials just yet Rainbow Dash. We’re still in the Alpha stages of testing the enchantments for the wings.”

“Sweeite Bot?”

His eyes widen slightly for some reason before looking his bare foreleg.

“Oh Celestia, look at the time! My afternoon meeting is about to start, and I must get ready. Nice talking to you Dash, I'll tell the family you called, goodbye.” and like the zebra faded from the crystal, leaving Rainbow Dash confused and more upset than before.

But Maverick is Twilight’s husband and so far he’s living up to that title.

Returning the crystal back to its pocket, Dash resumed her duty of managing the recruits by threatening to use her ‘contractual obligation’ if they continued messing up. Needless to say, they still continued to mess up.

Author's Note:

Wow. This sure is a surprise.

My plan is to start finishing all of my currently published stories by the end of the year before posting new ones. Life and Times will be the first on this list with chapters focusing on the rest of the Main 6 and some other characters before wrapping up. Cheers!

Comments

[Vaguely Demented]

Dash is likely doomed now. The S 1000 will come after her at the behest of CMCnet.