Rising Doubts

It was an average day at Wonderbolts HQ, and the 'Bolts were hard at work training. They had to prepare for their upcoming Electric Lightning Symphony tour, and they had to be at the top of their game. They were introducing all-new stunts, each more daring and complex than the last, and they needed the extra practice. Spitfire, as always, pushed the team to its limit. She expected nothing less than each Wonderbolt's very best. Perfection was key to mastering each flight technique. If just one teammate, such a a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, got distracted, the entire team would suffer for it. As captain, she couldn't allow that to happen.
Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash's thoughts were elsewhere. And it was very apparent.

"Rainbow Dash!" The captain roared, "My office. Now!"

"What did you do this time, Crash?" Fleetfoot taunted. She took every opportunity she could to annoy Rainbow Dash.

"This time? When was the last time I ever got on Spit's bad side?" Rainbow retorted indignantly. She couldn't believe Fleetfoot sometimes. She was her friend, but she could be such a pain-in-the-flank.

"Last month. The frogs," Surprise helpfully offered.

"S-Shut up, Slowpoke. You dared me to do it, anyway," Rainbow hastily defended herself. She had almost forgotten about that incident. Almost.

"You better get down there. The longer you take, the madder she'll get," said Soarin.

"Yeah, you're right. Catch ya later!" Rainbow called behind her as she glided towards the main building. As she flew, her mind returned to that one very special topic: Twilight Sparkle. More specifically, the thought of finally tying the knot with her.

Rainbow Dash trotted down the hall. Each hoofstep dragged on. Butterflies formed in Rainbow's stomach. Her mind raced this way and that, and she couldn't keep track of her thoughts. She was worried about Spitfire, yes, but the thought of popping the question to Twilight filled her with sheer terror. She wanted to propose tonight, on their one year anniversary, just one week before the Wonderbolts went on tour. Rainbow Dash was extremely worried, though. What if she screwed up? What if she lost the ring? What if Twilight was late? What if she was late? And, Celestia forbid, what if she said no?

She tentatively held up a hoof to the door of Spitfire's office. Three firm knocks later, the door opened to reveal an extremely unamused Spitfire.

"So, Crash? Do you know why I've called you here today?" asked the fiery mare. Her bronze eyes pierced into Rainbow's own, filling her with a sense of uneasy dread.

"U-Um, no, sir-ma'm! No ma'm!" stuttered Rainbow Dash. She was afraid.

"You seem a little off your game today. Care to tell me why?" asked Spitfire calmly.

"W-Well, um... This is a little awkward... Um..." chocked the sky-blue mare.

"You're not leaving this office until you explain. I can't have my best flyer-don't give me that face, you and I both know it's true-off her game. And I'm no therapist, but you clearly need to get this off your chest. So spill," said Spitfire.

"Fine," Rainbow Dash relented, "You know it's me and Twi's one year anniversary tonight, and we go on tour in a week, so I was kinda thinking of, you know... Proposing? Tonight?"

"And you're getting cold hooves," It was all so clear to Spitfire now. "I've never proposed before, but you know, you gotta just go for it. Wing it, you know? You're Rainbow Dash-there's plenty of ponies just dying to get a hoofshake from you. Anypony'd be lucky to be with you."

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You're not the one popping the question. She's an alicorn, Spit. In 200 years I'll just be a memory to her. I mean, she might be immortal, for all I know. And I just... I'm just a pony who can flap her wings good. She's... She's every star in the sky. I'm just a regular old pony, and she's a princess. I'm nothing compared to her." Rainbow felt so, so awkward spilling her guts to her boss like this, but she asked for it.

"Don't say that! You're anything but a regular old pony! You're the Element of Loyalty, an Equestrian hero at least a dozen times over, the only pony who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom, and the best damn flyer in all of Equestria. You are amazing. You taught me to be a better mare. You saved my life. You are awesome. Don't you ever forget it." Spitfire may not be very good at emotional sappy stuff, but she could give one hell of a pep talk.

"Heh, yeah, I am, aren't I? I am pretty awesome."

"See, that's the Rainbow Dash I know. Not that sappy, insecure mare I saw two seconds ago. I normally wouldn't do this, but I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Go get your princess."

"Thanks! I'll send you a wedding invite!" Rainbow Dash sped off. She got her bags, the flew out of the Wonderbolts compound.

"Where's she flying off to? There's still two hours left of practice!" yelled Misty Fly impatiantly. She had zero tolerance for Rainbow's bullshit.

"I dunno. She probably has a good reason," said Soarin, defending Rainbow Dash even when she was not currently present.

"She seemed nervous earlier. Like, really nervous. She was totally out of it," commented Surprise.

"Well, I hope she gets over it. Anyway, we have drills to run!" Fleetfoot reminded her fellow Wonderbolts. The day was still young, after all.

Author's Note:

this sucks, just roll with it

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