It has been ten years since the industrial revolution changed Equestria forever, a decade of prosperity for some, but a decade of torture for Rainbow Dash, whose desk job has slowly been draining the life from her body. Every day, she moves further away from other ponies, and the memories of her days of friendship and comraderie, when she could fly high and free, are little more than a fading memory. There's no use for the wings of a pegasus anymore, and flying has been banned in between the smokestacks and skyscrapers which make up the cities of Equestria. After so many years, she can barely even remember the feel of the wind beneath her wings.
Twilight Sparkle, the revolutionary genius who changed Equestria forever, was to blame. But not as much as herself.
Art and story idea from Queue, and big thanks to my editors Flint Sparks, Golden Vision, and Titanium Dragon.
Typical unicorn supremacists. Love how Twilight was practically oblivious to her supposed friends pain, good job Bob.
Uh what you know...it's out
Bob... Bob, I'm in love with you.
I'm suddenly depressed for Dash.
Nice work on this, as always.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Upon reading it, I have this to say.
The first half sucked. It was stupid, hard to follow, and there was too much intrigue to be realistic. The second half, though, was great. It showed how run-down Dash has become. I think this could have been a really amazing story if you had written it with an atmosphere in mind--by showing every painfully boring step of Dash's work as a paper pusher. Then, after having that for so long, you bring in the part with her friends, and it would just be devastating.
All in all, it's a great idea (examining a world where Dash is not allowed to fly, rather than able or unable) and it has some good elements (the second half), but it's just too all over the place for me. I'm going to withhold my vote and stay neutral.
All of a sudden you're making me sad, Bob.
Goddamit, you're supposed to provide the lulz!
Now I'm going to be depressed for the rest of the night. You fucker.
Also, this story was ... interesting. Not sure what to think honestly. I feel like it should've been longer.
Huh good story but I want to know one thing.
Why is this a one-shot?
One-Shot? Aww.
Sounds so sad...hey listen to this why you read a sad story.
Did she die or not?
3877487 <---I agree. I mean, unicorns are the most powerful tribe, but HTH do you discriminate against a group like pegasi in Equestia? Where a earth pony and a unicorn can have a pegasus foal?
This could be made into a series, or at least the events leading up to this point in time.
C'mon continue this story
I... need.... t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiYO3T-tGQHqa8LxjEM2a-Kd-BVTbGmUeOU1b42vqKo6_DGuMP
3877487
It's not like Dash is doing anything to help her figure it out, though.
Tears avoided, just barely. I've got to stop reading sadfics.
I really want to see a sequel to this! The concept is so full of potential
Damn Bob too much feels almost made me cry
anyways this is a great fic and could definitely spawn a good sequel if you ever cared to write one
The solution to prevent this problem?
Energy from Cupcakes
I disliked it; everything was going great (i.e. me appreciating the bleakness) until the end, when Twilight mentioned she could get Dash a permanent flying license. And that on skyships it's normal to just go out and fly.
The fact that Dash wouldn't just jump at the chance....okay, I can buy that a whole frigging city (cloudsdale) now doesn't exist because of reasons, I can buy that with so many no fly zones there hasn't yet been a business pony who decided to make a stadium or something where pegasi could fly in peace (maybe by paying a ticket, but still).
But I can't buy that Dash would choose not to indulge in what she's defined by. Even if she had to suffer tremendous amounts of guilt.
Or, for that matter, that she'd decide NOT to emigrate to countries without such draconian flying laws.
Or that she wouldn't try to fight and change things for pegasi and for herself.
viva la revolution! Burn it all down!
Wipe it all out in Rainbooms! Show the well meaning despot what gave her and all her friends their cutie marks!
3878458 in all likelihood, Twilight DOES know. They just don't talk about it openly. Like passive aggressiveness without the aggressiveness.
3881426 its too little too late, her soul is practically dead inside. Her race is still useless and subjugated. And she can't fly and do tricks like she used to.
i.imgur.com/DlZPNgZ.gif
-Lumino
Should really take out the twilight tag, since the story focuses on rainbow dash and rumble, just my little nitpick.
SEQUEL PLZ!
Hey Bob, you or someone else here should write a sequel in which Rainbow leads the pegasi in a rebellion against the new government , to return their race to their former glory. It can end one of two ways, one, they are successful, or two, it fails horribly and Rainbow is charged with treason and banished from Equestria.
This needs a sequel!
Rainbowdash is best pony, why do you torture her like this!?
I will sell you my soul and a grilledcheese for a sequel
Pretty swell stuff.