Readings on Dashing, Literature, Mom

by Stellafera

"I Wasn't Kicked Out"

He weaved through the clouds, invisible yet deadly as they were. The blue giant had him in its grasp now, but Silent Knight knew how to escape, his open lock cutie mark gleaming in the hot sun. The option was going to be a tough one, but also the only one.

Straight into the trashcan.

“I’m gonna miss that,” Rainbow Dash remarked to herself. Silent Knight fell on a pile of his fallen companions and the crunch echoed around the empty walls.

Junior Speedsters, MVP. The year she got that was her favorite. It was a nice, solid trophy, made of real metal rather than compressed cloud like most things on the cheap in Cloudsdale. On the ground, not so valuable, though, and what kind of weirdo keeps around awards from high school? Rainbow Dash made repeated motions to the bin, but, but, but… that was a good story, wasn’t it, the crazy metal mania in Cloudsdale? ‘‘Oh, that thing? Yeah, back in Cloudsdale it was expensive! Can you believe that? If I brought this to Cloudsdale right now, I’d make a million bits, easy…’

Oh, she could just picture it! No wonder why she couldn’t seem to let the darn thing go.. Rainbow Dash knew it definitely had to stay -- for the story. Not like she was keeping more than one, or that she had more than one. Only one trophy and the most valuable member of her team. Dash rested on her haunches.

“What a productive cutie mark,” she snarked.

Maybe it wouldn’t have had to turn out like this if everything didn’t happen at once. It was ridiculous how Dad worked almost all day and they weren’t raking in bits. Her mom went back to working full time in storm control now that Rainbow Dash could technically be left alone at the house. She saw her mom coming in every day with her gear on and a wild look in her eyes; she knew that this sort of thing was Firefly’s dream, that she loved the thrill and thunder and missed it a little, that they were running low on money and it was a great job. Rainbow Dash was very keenly aware of how much it made her mother happy, and whenever Firefly gushed about the lightning bolt she barely missed, the happiness was contagious.

--Dash knew how it felt to walk into the house after your teacher told you that you’re failing so badly that you can’t be in the Junior Speedsters anymore. The ponies on the team tried to encourage her, of course, but they’re all terrible liars.

--Dash knew how it felt to have the teacher pull you aside and ask you about taking summer school. And of course she said yes, because that’s what they mean when they ask you.

--Dash knew what that day was like when she was told she’d probably have to repeat the grade. Her thoughts just kept swimming when she came into Equestrian with no homework and Swift Story shook her head at her like she expected something. The principal, somehow the principal cared after Dash fed her a piece of her mind, like somehow the threat of not passing was an issue anymore. Gilda never asked her about it because what kinds of friends blab about their problems to each other? Cool ponies aren’t desperate. They never are.

It could’ve been different if Firefly was at the house, but nopony was, and there was so much pointless work. Lonely chairs, gaping rooms, and an abyss of homework entranced her. It was time where Rainbow Dash went home and collapsed in her room, unable to think or do anything but watch the vacant ceiling towering about her because anything else was impossible, that a question presented itself.

“You’re going through with dropping out of flight school?”

Rainbow Dash’s mind jumped back into today and she reflexively kicked the Junior Speedsters award aside. “You’re HOME, Mom?”

“Yep, but the tale’s a lot less interesting than you’d expect.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head patiently.

“Fine, fine, I got promoted to manager and so I can work regular hours instead of emergency clinic shifts.”

“Promote you? That’s terrible! Those higher ups have no idea what they’re doing and I’ll go to town right now with you and-”

Firefly had to push her daughter of of her. “Relax dear, I’ll still be seeing some action, just from a longer distance.” She switched gears with her eyes on the boxes. “Have you found a place?”

Nod nod. Instead of doing her work for school, she’d been working out her living situation. “I’ve got it alll figured out. There’s this small town called Ponyville that needs ponies on their weather team and isn’t too far from a real city. Even a flight school dropout like me could land a job there. Ah, no pun intended.”

Firefly tried to figure out whether it was a well-hidden joke or just a flat out terrible one and came up at a loss. “Why is this clock in the ‘throw away’ bin?”

“Don’t try to make me into a hoarder like you.”

“Whatever, I’ll keep it. You’re not taking your Junior Speedsters MVP award? Lots of ponies like to keep stuff from when they were younger for good luck.”

“Woah woah woah,” Dash shouted, blue wings flourishing around the object, “Who said I wasn’t taking it?”

Firefly chuckled. They quietly sorted through the rest of her room while Rainbow Dash chewed some words around her mouth.

Despite everything...

“Thanks,” she said. “For helping.”

It was going to be better. It was all going to be better. Maybe even for real this time.