Rainbow Dash Wants To Fly

by Scantrel

Ch 4: Nice Moves

The plan seemed to be working…Rainbow Dash hovered over the swirling ball of parasites in over-watch, while Rarity and Applejack stood their ground by the doors of the Band Hall in case any of the odd creatures tried to escape. Pinkie Pie continued to play the freakish array of instruments she had somehow cobbled together to draw the parasites after her; the cacophony was starting to get painful to hear. Principal Celestia would be arriving at any moment and if she found about the experiment gone terribly wrong, then it was all over.

Suddenly, the school bell began to ring, indicating the start of the next period. Rainbow Dash looked up with a shot of panic as she realized that meant other students would be trying to come to the Band Hall for rehearsal and the horrific pests would escape again. She had to get the bell to stop! It was ringing and ringing…

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes groggily and her fingers groped over the nightstand to find the switch on her clock to turn off the alarm. For several moments, she lay there as the last vestiges of sleep drained away and she thought to herself “Where the hell did that dream come from?”

Rolling over slightly, she glanced at the clock, which displayed 9:00 AM with its bright red LEDs. Rainbow Dash rubbed slightly at her eyes and groaned, it was too early to be getting out of bed on a Saturday! But she had promised Scootaloo she would pick her up at 10:00 AM for the car wash, and she didn’t want to be late.

Forcing herself out of bed on sheer willpower, Rainbow Dash stumbled to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She would definitely have to grab a nap later today, five hours of sleep just wasn’t going to cut it. Finishing her necessities, Rainbow walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs towards the kitchen. As she shambled past the dining table, Rainbow Dash had to stop short before colliding into a large figure that blocked her way to the kitchen.

“Whoa there, kiddo! You’re up awfully early.” Rainbow’s father said with a bit of surprise. Glancing down at his daughter’s zombified expression, he handed her the cup of coffee he had poured and said “Here…you need this. I’ll go get another.” He then turned to head back to the kitchen.

Rainbow took the cup gladly, mumbling “Thanks, Dad,” and raised it to her lips to sip the steaming brew as if it were an elixir of life. She walked to the dining table and plopped herself down, content to let the coffee work its magic on her. After a moment, Rainbow’s father joined her with his own cup.

“Big plans today?” he asked.

Rainbow Dash shook her head slightly, starting to feel as if her soul was finally returning to her body. “Nothing big, just going to the car wash thing with Scootaloo this morning, then we were going to hang out after for a bit.” Rainbow said as she finished off her coffee.

Rainbow’s father nodded and set down his cup. “Your mother and I will be away most all day; we have to drive to Cloudsdale to deal with some issues at the construction site. We should be back for dinner if all goes well.”

Rainbow Dash gave her father a little nod of understanding and said “OK Dad, good luck with it. I’ll call if I’m going to be out extra late.” With that, she stood up and went to the kitchen to grab something for breakfast.

By the time she had finished eating and dressing, it was already 9:35 AM and Rainbow Dash found herself in a bit of a rush. She looked over to her desk at the mess of papers scattered on it and then hastily scooped the pile into her backpack so she could review the essay later which she had been working on until the wee hours of the morning. She grabbed her keys and sunglasses and headed out to her car.

The drive to Scootaloo’s house wasn’t terribly far, and Rainbow Dash was able to make up some time since traffic was light. As Rainbow rolled up in front of Scootaloo’s house, she found the teenager was already outside waiting for her. Rainbow rolled down the window and called out “Good morning, Squirt! Hop in and we’ll take off!” Scootaloo gathered up the bucket and rags she was bringing, along with her skateboard and tossed them all onto the floorboard of the backseat of the car before climbing in the passenger seat. Popping the car back into gear, Rainbow took off towards the middle school where the car wash was being held.

---

True to Rainbow’s prediction, the weather held, and even though it was cloudy, no rain seemed to be threatening. The car wash had gotten off to a surprisingly good start and Rainbow grinned with pride at the fact that even on short sleep she had won the first water-hose fight that had broken out. As the girls waited for the next car to arrive, Rainbow Dash pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes and kicked back against a wall, figuring she could catch a few winks.

Her plans quickly faded however as she heard the sound of a familiar truck pulling up into the lot. Pulling down her glasses over her nose, Rainbow saw Applejack getting out of the truck and handing the cashier some money.

“Howdy, y’all, give ‘er the works!” Applejack called out, way too energetically for Rainbow’s taste. How anyone could function so easily in the morning on a weekend was beyond her.

As she started to force herself up to help, she heard another one of the girls ask someone, “Would you like to buy a box of cookies?” The answer was kind, but brief, and Rainbow Dash recognized the “Nnnope!”

Standing up and smoothing out her T-shirt, Rainbow propped the sunglasses up in her multi-hued hair and walked over towards the truck. As she got close, she waved and called out “Hey AJ, Big Mac!”

Applejack turned her head at the sound of Rainbow’s voice, and said with a playful grin, “There you are! I should’a figgered you’d be hidin’ somewhere away from the work.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Applejack and said “Oh please…someone’s got to supervise, after all!”

“Uh huh,” Applejack deadpanned.

Grabbing a bucket and sponge, Rainbow walked over to the tailgate of the truck, flicking the sponge at Applejack as she passed, drawing a “Hey now!” from her friend as Applejack jumped back to avoid the sudden splash.

As Rainbow Dash scrubbed the caked-on dirt from the rear bumper, she stole a glance over at Big Mcintosh, who was standing around with his hands in his pockets, looking at his feet as if he wasn’t entirely comfortable being surrounded by all the people. Rainbow wasn’t aware that she had been washing the same spot over and over until she felt a little nudge and Scootaloo asked “Whatcha staring at, Rainbow?”

Tearing her gaze from Big Mcintosh, Rainbow turned her head answered hastily “Oh, err…nothing, Scoots. Just a little out of it, stayed up too late last night.”

Scootaloo looked past Rainbow Dash to where she had been focused, and then “Oooh”ed with a giggle. Rainbow sighed and chased Scootaloo away with a slosh of her sponge, and then turned back to finish washing the tailgate.

When the work was done, Applejack gave an approving smile and said “Y’all done a right nice job here. I reckon that truck hasn’t been that clean in ages.” Big Mac nodded in agreement with his sister, and added “Eeyup.” Climbing into the driver’s seat, he said to Applejack “We’d best get back to chores, sis.” Applejack nodded, and then walked over to Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow, Dash. I ain’t forgot we’re goin’ to make you fly!” Applejack said with a conspiratorial look on her face. Before Rainbow could reply, Applejack then turned and walked over and climbed into the truck. Big Mac kicked the engine to life and the truck rumbled out of the parking lot.

Scootaloo had walked back over to Rainbow Dash, and asked with a puzzled expression, “Make you fly? What was that about?”

Rainbow Dash looked down at Scootaloo and said “Oh that…It’s just something that AJ and I had been talking about at lunch yesterday.” Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly, then said “I’ll tell you later, Squirt,” not wanting to get into anything serious in front of the others.

Scootaloo smiled up at Rainbow Dash and nodded. “OK, but I’ll hold you to that promise,” Scootaloo vowed. She giggled a little more and said playfully “And Big Mac’s gone, you can stop staring now.”

Rainbow Dash did a slight double-take, and said “Staring? No way…I wasn’t!”

“Was too!” Scootaloo snapped back.

“Was not!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Was toooooo!” Scootloo teased.

“Was n….oooh, come here you!” Rainbow growled, brandishing her water bucket menacingly at the younger girl. Scootaloo squealed and ran off, and Rainbow Dash gave chase, ultimately catching and dousing her companion, and the two shared a laugh before heading back to the others.

---

The remaining time at the car wash passed quickly, and Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo opted for a quick lunch afterwards on the way to the skate park. The clouds had finally given way to the sun, and the afternoon quickly became warm and sultry. The two girls welcomed the chance, however, to get dry from the remnants of the water bucket battles that had erupted. Rainbow Dash, naturally, considered herself the victor of the contests.

The skate park seemed to be mostly abandoned, most likely from the earlier threat of rain, and Scootaloo led Rainbow Dash down to the area where she had done her practicing. If the younger girl was nervous in anticipation of showing off her “signature moves” as she had called them to her idol, she kept the fear off her face as she started to warm up and put on her pads.

As Scootaloo rummaged around in her pack, she looked back up at Rainbow Dash and asked “Hey, Rainbow…did you bring any sunscreen? I forgot.”

Rainbow Dash dropped her own backpack down at Scootaloo’s feet and said “Oh…yeah, I did. Should be some in there, Squirt, help yourself. I’m going to run to the restroom real quick.” With that, Rainbow looked until she saw the little building not far away and then jogged over to it.

Scootaloo undid the fasteners and peeked inside Rainbow’s pack. As she pawed past the loose papers inside to find the tube of sunscreen, she couldn’t help but read the titles. The first couple of pages looked to be some homework or something, but the next stack caught her attention and she started reading more earnestly.

Hearing Rainbow’s footsteps returning, Scootaloo quickly fished around until she found the tube and grabbed it from the backpack. As Rainbow Dash sat down beside her, Scootaloo squeezed a bit of the protective lotion onto her fingers and started to rub it onto her arms and face. Rainbow Dash pulled her shades down over her eyes and kicked back to lean on the concrete steps, taking the opportunity to relax.

Scootaloo finished her preparations and putting on her gear and rolled her skateboard onto the paved walkway. But rather than heading off to start her show for Rainbow Dash, she paused and asked “Hey Rainbow. What’s ROTC?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t stir at the question at first, but then off-handedly she replied, “Oh…that stands for Reserve Officer…” Rainbow’s voice trailed off and then she sat up suddenly and turned to look at Scootaloo. “Where did that question come from?” she asked in surprise.

Scootaloo stepped on the skateboard, adjusting her balance and replied, “Oh...it was on the papers in your backpack. Along with the ones on the Air Force Academy and the Thunderbirds.” As a realization dawned on her, Scootaloo stepped off the skateboard and asked in a curious tone, “Rainbow Dash, are you…are you going to join the Air Force?”

Rainbow Dash growled inwardly, she hadn’t realized she had included those printouts along with her essay. After a moment’s pause, she said uncertainly, “Yeah…maybe. I dunno, Scoots. It’s something I’m thinking about.”

Scootaloo gaped a bit at Rainbow Dash, and then suddenly broke out in a fit of giggles.

“Hey!!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “What’s so funny about that?!?”

Scootaloo almost had tears running from her eyes in mirth but said, “Just…you…in the military. Following orders, having to get up at the crack of dawn…” Scootaloo burst into another fit of giggling as she finished.

Rainbow Dash only glared at Scootaloo, an expression of anger building on her face. “It’s not funny!” she growled, “I’m serious!” Rainbow Dash stood up, her sudden temper spiking. “If I want to fly, then by God, I’ll fly and nothing’s going to stop me!”

Rainbow’s voice had built to shout by the end of her outburst, and Scootaloo’s humor quickly darkened and she shrunk back from Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, Rainbow!” Scootaloo said with a slight quiver in her voice. “I...I just can’t see you enjoying a career in the Air Force. Why do you want to fly so badly?”

Rainbow Dash was about to fire off another angry retort, when she suddenly stopped short, the sudden gale of anger replaced by an underlying sense of loss. She sat back down, heavily, and ran her fingers through her prismatic hair.

“Because I got to fly once. For real, I mean. And I’d do anything…anything…to get to do it again.” Rainbow Dash said, her voice sounding very dejected. She looked up at Scootaloo, who was now regarding her with an uncertain look. “You remember the Fall Formal. What happened that night.” Scootaloo gave a little nod in remembrance. “I don’t really know if I want to be a pilot, not even one of the Thunderbirds, but without Twilight’s magic, it’s the only way I could think of to fly again.”

Rainbow Dash took a couple of breaths, her emotions a little raw from the confession. Her anger flared again, and Rainbow Dash kicked at her backpack, sending it tumbling. “I’d do anything to fly again, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash hollered. "And nobody gets it. Nobody!!”

Scootaloo just stood numbly, until Rainbow Dash had regained some control of her temper. Finally she said, “Rainbow…that night…what happened...it was a once in a lifetime thing. And not all of it was good.” Seeing Rainbow’s expression turn a bit confused, she pressed on. “You got to fly, but the rest of us…it didn’t feel very good having someone else control your mind, your actions. But that’s what Sunset Shimmer did, until you all freed us.”

Scootaloo’s voice hardened some as well. “The only thing that kept me from freaking out about it is that it wasn’t going to ever happen again. Rather than only think about what happened, I’m thinking about what I can make happen. And you know who taught me to stay cool no matter what? YOU did!” Scootaloo almost spat out the last words as her own temper flared.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She realized Scootaloo was right. It was a once in a lifetime thing. And no, feeling sorry for herself wasn’t cool. Worse yet, she’d allowed herself to become obsessed with a fleeting fantasy.

Rainbow Dash leaned back on the steps, and blew a stream of air between her lips as she started to let it go.

Looking back up at Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash said, “Thanks, ‘Lil Sis’. I guess I needed to say all that and someone needed to tell me how dumb it was.” Rainbow gave Scootaloo a hint of a smile and said “I still want to see your signature moves, if you’re still willing to give me a show.”

Scootaloo smiled back, her anger gone as quick as it had come. “You know it, ‘Sis’!" she exclaimed. The younger girl hopped back on her skateboard, but before she darted off, she looked Rainbow Dash right in the eye and said, “I can’t make you fly, Rainbow…but I can fly for you!” With that, she sped off into the start of her routine.

Rainbow Dash watched with a sense of awe as Scootaloo performed trick after trick, each one more daring and executed more precisely than the last. By the time Scootaloo reached her finale and stuck the landing, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but give a large, proud grin. “Nice moves, Squirt!” Rainbow called out, causing Scootaloo to beam happily as she skated back to her idol.

Comments

[nullaccount]

Haha! I like Rainbow and Scoot's relationship. This was a cute chapter

[Randomreader-001]

Awesome.

[HopeFox]

Aww, nice moves! Those two are adorable in any universe. And she has some really good advice for Dashie, too.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Hmm. While Scootaloo's shot of perspective was nice, that dream seems to imply there's something weird approaching. We'll just have to see...

[Scantrel]

3159617

Sometimes you just have to tell someone you really admire "Get over yourself!"

And I have to admit, I wanted to feature these two in an Equestria Girls story, mainly because in the movie Rainbow Dash's dialogue was basically very flat, mostly just "I'm awesome" or "This is awesome" and they didn't give anything to the CMC. So this is my (selfish) way of letting those two characters have a bit more of a voice then they had in the film.

3159920

To misquote Freud, sometimes a dream is just a dream
Though this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about...who knows? I would guess that Vice-Principal Luna is lucky she can't peek in this universe.

[FanOfMostEverything]

3160135
Or can she?

[The Watcher 509]

Well that was cute

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Ooh, we've got some foreshadowing here, maybe? Or you're just doing a fantastic job of pulling everyone's legs; either way, it's very interesting...

The argument at the skate park was quick but impactful, and may just be the best scene in this whole story yet.

[Lt Rainbow Slash]

Yeah...I Figure that pony Dash loves flying, so human Dash would too, but seeing as how she doesn't have wings and considering her age, she'd probably be trying to get her pilots licence or something like that.

[MarchPony]

And then Rainbow creates a potion that allows her to fly. THE END