Actions Have Consequences
I'm doomed. I'm just straight-up doomed.
This was the only thought on Rainbow Dash's mind as she was led through the Wonderbolt Academy. Her eyes remained glued to the letter she received the other day, telling her to report to the Academy immediately. She understood what it meant, and she didn't like it one bit. With every step she took, she desperately fought the urge to panic.
They were going to find out eventually, she thought. There's no use fighting it. Just take it like a mare and save the crying for when you get home.
She took in a deep breath as one of her escorts knocked on the door.
"It's open," came a sharp voice from inside.
The door opened with a ghastly creek. There was Spitfire, sitting behind her desk with her hooves pressed together. The blinds in the office were drawn, and the lights were dim. The only real source of illumination was Spitfire's desk lamp, which revealed a closed folder sitting on her desk.
"Private Rainbow Dash, come inside," said Spitfire brusquely. "Fast Clip, Whiplash. Some privacy, please."
The two escort ponies saluted and left, closing the door behind them. Rainbow Dash's heart pounded, and she swallowed. For the longest time, the only sound she heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Finally, Spitfire cleared her throat.
"Do you know why you're here, private?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yes, ma'am. You wanted to speak to me about the Weather Factory incident that happened a couple of days ago."
"Correct," said Spitfire, tapping the folder on her desk. "I already got the full report from the engineers, but I was hoping you would shed some light on the subject."
Rainbow Dash sighed deeply. This is it, Rainbow. No turning back.
"It was me, ma'am," she said. "I broke into the Weather Factory."
Spitfire's eyes widened for a split second; too quickly for Rainbow Dash to notice. "Explain yourself, private."
"I-I was trying to stop winter from coming to Ponyville, ma'am."
Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Dare I ask why you thought that was a good idea?"
Rainbow chewed on her lip. Don't cry in front of the captain, don't cry in front of the captain, she chanted mentally. "I-it was for my pet tortoise. H-he has to hibernate, b-but I couldn't accept that. I-I didn't want him to go away, so I thought if I stopped winter, he could stay with me."
Spitfire gave Rainbow Dash a blank stare. "Let me get this straight. You infiltrated the Weather Factory, demolished the Winter Lab, and royally screwed over the entire winter schedule, just for a pet tortoise?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. "I-I didn't want to. I understand how important the weather is to Equestria. B-but I felt like this was the only way to keep Tank from l-leaving me."
"Tank?"
"M-my pet tortoise, ma'am. Look, I know this sounds stupid, and honestly, it is. He's much better off getting the rest he needs. I-I was just too dumb to realize that. Even if it meant ruining winter for everypony, I-I couldn't bear the thought of him going away. H-he's special to me."
Spitfire looked down at Rainbow Dash from her desk. "So basically, what you did was wrong, you knew it was wrong, but you did it anyway."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Spitfire took the folder from her desk and slipped it into the drawer. "I appreciate your honesty, private. It saves me the trouble of dragging the truth out of you. However, I have a few things to add."
"Ma'am?"
Spitfire rose from her desk, glaring at Rainbow Dash. "You are a member of the Wonderbolt Reserves, Rainbow Dash. Do you understand what that means?"
Rainbow Dash gulped, unsure of how to answer the question. "I, um..."
"It means you can't be pulling stunts like this!" Spitfire boomed, slamming her hoof down on her desk. "You have a duty to Equestria and its weather, both as a weatherpony and as a member of the Reserves! You directly and deliberately defied that duty! That right there is grounds for a court martial! Some of Equestria won't be getting their winter for another month because of you! Do you realize that?!"
"Y-yes, ma'am," Rainbow Dash whimpered, averting her eyes from Spitfire's piercing gaze.
"This kind of short-sighted irresponsibility is not tolerated in the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire continued. "You're lucky the damage was only contained to the Winter Lab! Imagine what would've happened if you destroyed the entire factory! Several innocent ponies could've been seriously hurt, or worse! Do you think that would've been worth keeping your pet tortoise awake?!"
"N-no, ma'am," said Rainbow Dash with a sniffle. C'mon, don't cry in front of the captain, don't cry in front of the captain...
Spitfire turned away from Rainbow Dash and walked over to the window, peeling down the blind. "But do you know what really gets to me, private?"
"Wh-what, ma'am?"
Spitfire turned her head, a dark expression on her face. "That it was you of all ponies that did this," she said, a melancholic undertone seeping into her voice. "You, the one who mastered the Sonic Rainboom. You, one of the most talented flyers ever to grace the Academy. You, the one who taught me a thing or two on how to be a better pony! And then you turn around and do, this!"
She tore open the blinds and pointed out the window. In the distance, Rainbow Dash could see Cloudsdale moored above the Academy. Black smoke and grey clouds billowed from the Weather Factory, darkening the sky above. Rainbow Dash cringed at the sight.
"Words cannot express how disappointed I am in you right now, Rainbow Dash," said Spitfire coldly. "It doesn't matter what your reasons were or what state of mind you were in at the time. This is totally unacceptable."
"I-I know, ma'am," Rainbow Dash mumbled. She scrunched her eyes shut, trying desperately to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. "I-I was being stupid and stubborn. I tried to stop something out of my control, but all I ended up doing was making a big mess."
Spitfire sighed. "You do realize that your actions cannot go unpunished."
"I know, ma'am. And I totally deserve it."
Spitfire nodded. "Good. At least you understand that. Follow me."
"Yes, ma'am."
Spitfire walked out the door, and Rainbow Dash followed. Like a prisoner being led to the gallows, she marched behind Spitfire, her head hanging low.
Way to go, Rainbow Dash, she admonished herself. You blew it. Because you were a stubborn idiot, you just kissed any chance of being a Wonderbolt goodbye. This is the worst winter ever.
These dark thoughts continued to plague her as Spitfire led her outside. Neither of them spoke a word for the longest time. After a few minutes of walking around the tarmac outside, Rainbow Dash noticed something.
Wait, why are we going towards that building? she wondered. That's the mess hall, isn't it?
She opened her mouth to ask Spitfire what was going on, but immediately thought better of it. The two of them made their way inside the building. Just as Rainbow suspected, it was indeed the mess hall. They walked through the empty dining room until they came to a large, metal door. At this point, Spitfire stopped and turned to Rainbow Dash.
"According to your dossier, you can apparently clear the sky in ten seconds flat," she said. "Do you still maintain that to be true, private?"
Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. "Um, yes, ma'am."
Spitfire nodded. "Well then, let's see how fast you can finish these little tasks."
With that, she pushed the door open. Inside was a mountain of potatoes piled all the way up to the ceiling. As Rainbow Dash ventured into the room, she noticed stacks upon stacks of dirty dishes sitting next to a basin filled with soapy water. She tilted her head.
"What's all this about?" she inquired.
Spitfire snorted. "Rainbow Dash, as your commanding officer, I am assigning you to KP. For every day the Winter Lab is out of commission, I expect you to report to this kitchen and help the staff with whatever they need."
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as her mind struggled to process what was going on. "W-wait. Y-you're not kicking me out of the Wonderbolt Reserves?"
A ghost of a smile crossed Spitfire's face. "Why would I do that? Despite all the damage you caused, it really could've been a lot worse. Nopony was seriously injured, winter still came to Ponyville, and it will come to the rest of Equestria eventually. We're just going to be behind schedule, that's all."
"Then, why did you make such a big deal out of it?"
Spitfire's smile disappeared. "Because it is a big deal. Rainbow Dash, just because it's not the end of the world doesn't make your actions any less grievous. You acted irresponsibly, and I'm disciplining you for it. End of story."
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Um, actually, ma'am. I kinda have other stuff to do. Friendship stuff. It's kinda hard to explain."
"I already cleared this with Princess Twilight, private. I will excuse absences as long as you bring in a letter from her," said Spitfire. "Any other questions?"
Rainbow Dash paused for a moment before shrugging. "I guess not, ma'am."
"Good. Then get to work. I expect all of those potatoes to be peeled and all those dishes to be clean by nineteen hundred hours."
"Yes, ma'am," said Rainbow Dash with a salute.
Spitfire nodded and left Rainbow Dash to her work. Rainbow Dash sighed as she started in with the dishes.
Mental note: Never make Captain Spitfire angry ever again, she thought.
Does anyone else notice that all of my mini-epilogues are for Rainbow Dash episodes? 
Before anyone says anything, this isn't simply a reaction to Rainbow Dash not getting punished for sabotaging the Weather Factory. I knew I was going to write this story before the episode even premiered. When I read the description of the episode, I thought "Okay, if the Wonderbolts aren't mentioned in this, I'm writing something where Spitfire weighs in." And, well, that's the story behind this one. Nothing more to it than that, although I do understand why people thought that was a low point of the episode. 
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Nicely done as usual. You did an excellent job with Rainbow's character and her interactions with Spitfire were also well-written. I also like how Spitfire was portrayed with her being forgiving, but tough and having a no-nonsense personality when it comes to certain situations. Rainbow being shown as not being above the rules was also a nice touch, though I was expecting her to get into more trouble. Anyway, I guess Rainbow will learn a thing or two about cooking now.
Good work, and I'm glad I read the story!
is a nice story, but to be honest i was expecting for rainbow dash to be banished from the wonderbolts, after all she confessed to willingly perform a crime for totally selfish reasons
I half expected Lightning Dust to be in there peeling spuds. I do wonder where the peeling potatoes thing came from.
RD makes bad decisions because she hangs out with the Wonderbolts too much. Spitfire would probably praise RD for destroying the Weather Factory.
I may have not watched the episode, but according to this. Equestria was attacked by Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, the vines from Everfree, and Tirek, in just one year!? I have to say, that has to be the worst year for Equestria.
"So basically, what you did was wrong, you knew it was wrong, but you did it anyway."
Why do I get the feeling Metool Bard is a fan of The Mysterious Mr. Enter?
I would have court marshaled her. What Rainbow did equates to the sabotage of a government building, affected the lives of an entire region, caused undue hardship as well as violating countless laws (I'm assuming).
No more Wonderbolt hopeful.
5910932 Well, that was exactly what I was trying to get across. On that end, I'm glad I succeeded.
5911028
5911960 Again, while what Rainbow Dash did was horrendous, it's really not as bad as it could've been. If she succeeded in stopping winter, then yes, that would be worthy of a court martial. The fact that she failed is what saved her from that fate.
5911954 Heh, caught me. He's also the reason I inject G3 characters such as Puzzlement, Tra-La-La, and Tiddlywink into my stories.
This story was rather bland, honestly. Rainbow talks to Spitfire, gets yelled at, then gets assigned kitchen duty. Like, what's the purpose of this story? She already learned her lesson at the end of Tanks for the Memories (and indeed you say as much at the beginning of the story), and this story doesn't really bring anything new to that aspect. The story definitely isn't sad, either. So I don't know what to make of it.
It just doesn't actually seem to do anything at all, in my opinion.
5911954 That was a thing long before Mr. Enter became a reviewer, he was just the first one to call attention to the idea.
my taught were exactly on the episode. I was imagine during aftermath of the episode spitfire would be mad or something.
Kudos. Kudos. I give this two thumbs up.
I feel this story is hit-or-miss. You mention in the author's notes that the story is not, in a way I could describe it, a personal grudge towards the episode and what happened. Because in that sort of scenario, you get those Mare Do Well stories, and we all know how everyone loves those. This is a small epilogue towards the latest episode, and in a way, it does kind of come across as you being unhappy with Rainbow Dash not receiving a kind of punishment. You say you had this planned out before the episode aired, and I'll take your word for it, but to a reader going into it blind, they might not believe that sentiment.
But why do I think it's hit-or-miss? Because, like I said, it can be seen as a short epilogue just to flip the middle finger at Rainbow Dash to get her busted for what she did. Kind of a, "I'm unhappy with X, so I'll make it better!" scenario. Again, I know that's not the intention; it's just an observation. However, it's a hit, because I did like it for what I got. It's short, and it's not exactly revolutionary, but I found it a good, small read. Engaging, and I was a big fan of Spitfire in this. I could always look for ways to write Spitfire, and I found the kind of thing I needed here. And I had a feeling she wouldn't have kicked out Rainbow Dash. It might have been an extreme action, but even kicking Dash out would have been unwise.
All in all, I liked it, so it's got my upvote and bookshelves. Personally, I don't think it needs the Sad tag. It's not exactly something that would bring forth tears.
I'm evil now, because I'd very much like to see how that conversation with Spitfire and Twilight went down. Don't do these things to me, author!
5911670
You're no fun.
*hug*
Wanna see a King of the Hill video?
5912514 I see what you're getting at about the tone and how it could be misconstrued. However, I feel that this also speaks out against those who think Rainbow Dash should be severely punished for what she did, in a way. At the end of the day, what exactly did Rainbow Dash accomplish? Nothing, really. She inconvenienced the weather team significantly, but that's about it. And really, that was the point of the episode. Rainbow Dash tried to fight against inevitability and failed miserably.
I really enjoyed the episode and the emotional rollercoaster it put me on. It's just that even if the whole Weather Factory calamity didn't happen, Rainbow Dash can't just attempt to sabotage winter and not have the Wonderbolts find out about it. That's pretty much the thought process that went into writing this one.
Beyond that, I'm glad you enjoyed this little tale, and I thank you for the candid review.
I haven't seen the episode, and from what I have read I can't work it into my headcanon anyway since A) Weather doesn't work that way, B) Rainbow takes her job seriously and would rather not loose her commission.
Still rather well done, and while you didn't throw the book as hard as I would like still having some kind of punishment for her actions is needed.
5912563 What? The Wonderbolts are jerks.
Spitfire has every right to chew out RD for this. This is NOT the grand galloping gala where Celly can just fix the damages out of her own pocket and it being HER home they wrecked.
Spitfire sighed. "You do realize that your actions cannot go unpunished."
THIS is what I disliked about MMMMystery so much is that Pinkie Pie's friends ruined a cake that WASN'T EVEN HERS, and SHE forgave them when she didn't have the AUTHORITY to forgive them! Given they destroyed a project of Pinkie's foster parents that took months of work and was meant for a royal contest for the head of state . . . they seriously owed the cakes.
What's interesting is that Spitfire is choosing to handle all this out of court, apparently wanting to keep the media buzz down and protect the Bolts' reputation.
Spitfire's smile disappeared. "Because it is a big deal. Rainbow Dash, just because it's not the end of the world doesn't make your actions any less grievous.
Agreed!
5913162
Yeah, I know Spitfire and Fleetfoot can be a hardass in that episode.
But so is Hank Hill, Dale Gribble, Cotton Hill, Boomhauer, Kahn Souphanousinphone and even Bill Dauterive. And yet, I hope you want me to show you King of the Hill videos.
So did Spitfire already know, or at least suspect, that Rainbow Dash had something to do with the Weather Factory incident?
5913265 Pretty much, yeah. That's what the folder on her desk was for. It held evidence tying Rainbow Dash to the crime, but she didn't get to use it because Dashie owned up to her mistakes.
5913281 How did the factory engineer tie her to it? Nopony seemed to be around.
5913298 One word: Forensics. With all that wind blowing around, RD had to have lost a feather or two while the place was coming down. Not to mention Spitfire did go to Twilight before issuing Rainbow Dash's punishment, so Twi's testimony would probably be in there, too.
5913317
Oh right, duh. Now I feel like an idiot. Not to mention that it's hard to argue with the testimony of a princess when that same princess knows full well who blew up the winter lab and why.
I must admit, for a fair chunk of the story, I was expecting that Spitfire didn't know who had been behind the weather factory incident, and that she was calling Rainbow in to ask her to investigate it - and then when Rainbow promptly confessed, Spitfire just rolled with it and pretended that she'd known all along.
Okay, this deserves an upvote and fav for that great Mr Enter line alone.
In all seriousness, though, this is indeed a neat story. It does provide a bit of catharsis, providing us a potential take on the punishment RD realistically should face for her actions in the episode. I mean, her actions accounted to vandalism, borderline-terrorism.
Good job.
5913246 I only know Hank Hill, I've never heard of the rest of those guys.
5913844
Blasphemy!!!
Look upon thy playlist of King of the Hill scenes and repent!!!
5914181
What are the two?
5912111 But he doesn't like G3...
5914475 Well, duh. I'm well aware of that. I just like the idea of reimagining previous-gen characters in a current-gen setting.
I would have been fine with an annoyed reaction out of any character during the episode about what Rainbow Dash did but this works too.
Actually, it's "court martial."
Good fic overall, though.
Very impressive piece of work. Although I do have to feel a little sorry for Rainbow Dash.
5915390 Whoops! Thanks for catching that, mate!
The idea of Twilight signing off on "Friendship stuff" is second only to the fact that Rainbow Dash will try forging the signature at some point.
Anyway, nice story.
Oh, since you made this amazing one shot, here's an idea for another related to the same thing.
She said that it was her first winter WITH TANK. But, she got Tank before the Hearth's Warming episode. So, she's had winter after she got him.
So, here's an explanation. What if, due to having to both perform and practice the play, she had to leave him behind in the care of another during that winter, while spending the rest of said winter with her parents? If that were true, it'd explain her desperation to make up for lost time with Tank, eh? Having to leave him behind during the last winter or winters due to family reunions or something along those lines during the last winter or winters.
I like this story, it fits with how I think Spitfire would react. Even if I think Rainbow Dash may deserve to be drummed out of the Wonderbolts for this, I doubt they really want to do that to a national hero. If Lightning Dust was given another chance after unleashing that tornado, it makes sense to me that RD would get a second chance as well.
Does anyone else notice how RD seems to be a karma-houdini? Doesn't study for the Wonderbolts test, her friends save her bacon and she aces it anyway. Nearly dumps her friends to fly with Cloudsdale on at Rainbow Falls, everyone else falls over themselves to excuse her, even though Fluttershy and Bulk are clearly only doing this at all because Rainbow put them up to it in the first place and promised to help them compete. I'm not saying Rainbow Dash is a jerk or more selfish than other ponies, it just seems like when she is selfish, she pays less of a price than others.
5913197 Oh man, I never even really thought about that with the MMMM cake. Though at the time I remember thinking that it was wrong for Pinkie's friends to take a bite, I kind of understood, since Pinkie had been unwittingly tempting them with that thing all day. I guess she's used to convincing ponies to eat delicious pastries, not not eat them. But didn't the friends (other than the token responsible ponies AJ and Twilight) only take like one tiny bite each? Yes, Pinkie's surrogate parents did spend months on that cake, but Pinkie could easily have chopped a bit of cake off and covered them up with some frosting. It was only after she incited her fellow bakers into a food-orgy that the MMMM was destroyed.
5917405
It still wouldn't have been right.
Great job with the story. It didn't really bother me that much that RD escaped punishment (Mainly because she's my second favorite pony.), but I can see why it would irritate other viewers.
And now, I shall make a comment that will get me tons of hate:
Yeah! What would they do with all those pegasi failures then? Rainbows have to be made someh-
I'll be leaving now...
5917465 True. And can you imagine if they had gotten the cake up there intact but with a couple of bites in it, and Celestia had taken a bite of the same area? Rarity would have fainted on the spot, and then they'd have had to confess to the Cakes how they cost those poor bakers the championship.
5918183
And yet no one writes a story where they have to pay back the cakes for the wrong. CONSEQUENCE is something WORTH teaching to kids!
5916902 It's tempting, I'm not gonna lie. The problem with that is there's a bit of controversy with the timeline. Some people say that the first three seasons took place over the course of one year, while others claim that the episodes are chronological. As for me, I'm not sure what to think anymore. As such, I don't think I'm qualified to write such a story.
5917993 I honestly agree with you. The destruction of the Weather Factory didn't bother me as much as other people, although I do see where they're coming from. The thing is that even if the Weather Factory didn't get demolished, I still would've written this story. Because if Spitfire found out that one of the best flyers in the Wonderbolt Reserves was trying to stop winter, she would probably hit the roof.
5918316 I think you could, considering how well you did on this, but your call, eh?
Why is everybody thinking rainbow did not get punished? It's left ambiguous whether she did or didn't. The episode ended before it even got to that point. If you want to believe she got punished like the author did, go ahead and do that. There is nothing in the canon to stop you from doing so. Use your imagination.
5911134 Peeling potatoes during Kitchen Patrol (KP) duty is because Potatoes are part of standard military food fare in MRE Rations (Meals ready to eat). Peeling potatoes teaches the recruits responsibility (your fellow military mates will not get their food if you don't prepare it).
5918623
I saw it already.
Who else thinks Rainbow Dash's behaviour indicates a significant need to get laid?
I was sorely disappointed when Rainbow did not get punished in the episode. Like, what the hell, man?
When I read this, I was completely expecting Rainbow Dash to be kicked out of the Wonderbolts Reserves. Then I read that she was only going to be on KP duty, and I was like, '...What the what?
'. The strangest thing is that before I read this, I was totally going to write a story about Rainbow Dash being kicked out of the Wonderbolts Reserves and herblife just going down the drain. But I never even considered using the whole Weather Factory incident from Tanks for the Memories. If I had, your story would still be better.