One Wish

by Scribblestick

The Proposal

Rainbow Dash breathed in the early morning air. The training grounds were waking up. Most of the Wonderbolts had just started their warm-ups—wing lifts, stretching, and so on. Rainbow Dash had finished all that before the first cadet rubbed the sleep from their eyes. She coiled her muscles, then leapt into the sky, once again claiming the first flight of the day.

After all, getting old didn’t have to be awful.

Dash had aged out of the Wonderbolts long ago. A lifetime of daring stunts, not to mention saving Equestria from world-ending threats, had taken its slow toll. The joints in her right wing didn’t bend quite right. She had a constant ache in her back left knee. No, she certainly couldn’t keep up with the younger ponies now, but she didn’t care. One advantage of being a living legend was that she didn’t have to try so hard to impress.

She took the course slowly, careful not to overexert herself. She may not have been on any rosters, but these youngsters needed somepony to train them, and Rainbow Dash was the best pony in the business. As she started her second lap, three pegasi rose to join her—Stratus, Skypuff, and Gale. “Morning, coach,” Gale said. He was the largest of the three, and the fastest flier on the Wonderbolts roster. “What’s on the schedule this morning?”

“More flying, less chatting,” Dash answered. “Save your air for your muscles.”

Stratus laughed. He was smaller than Gale, with slightly larger than normal wings—perfect for making quick, acrobatic maneuvers. “Coach means business today.”

“Old mares are never any fun,” said Skypuff with a wink. She was the current record-holder for highest altitude reached without passing out, and Dash suspected she would hold that record for a while. The three collectively formed what Dash called her Rainboom Squad, and she intended to teach them her signature move. She hadn’t performed the Rainboom in years—her body couldn’t handle the stress anymore—but she hoped at least one of them would carry on her legacy.

Of course, she’d have to get their heads out of the clouds first. The ribbing and jabs were all good fun, but jokes wouldn’t get them in top performance.

“The Wonderbolts are serious business,” she barked, “and this old mare doesn’t have time for layabouts. You’d better be ready for drills by the time I finish my laps, or it’ll be fifty wing-ups from each of you!”

Though the young trio smiled at her threat, they knew she meant it. Their wing beats redoubled, and soon they streaked ahead of her, flying in a tight formation around the training grounds. By the time Dash finished her second lap, the three had finished their warm-ups and stood at attention—a slightly winded attention, but she’d take it for now.

“Not bad,” she admitted, careful to descend slowly to avoid unnecessary strain. “Keep that up, and you might have a shot at pulling off a Sonic Rainboom before you join me in the senior discount line.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the three said in unison. Dash smiled. Down to business.

“Now, like I told you yesterday, pulling off the Rainboom is about more than just speed. If you don’t have a good start, you’ll never make it before you smash your face in the dirt, and if you can’t make a quick recovery, you might end up eating grass anyway. Altitude, speed, and agility—mess one of those up, and it’s going to be a painful landing.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said again.

“Now, I’m sure you’ve already worked out why I picked you three for this stunt,” Dash continued. “Skypuff, you’ll help these guys figure out how not to lose their breath up there. Stratus, you’ll run agility drills—focus on high-velocity turns. And Gale, you’re gonna help them boost their wing power. I want maximum speed from all of you.”

The three looked at each other with furrowed brows. “So, you’re not going to train us?” Stratus asked.

“Oh, I will,” she said with a grin, “but it’s important you learn from each other first. I might have experience, but these old wings don’t work like they used to.” She glanced behind them and spotted Fluttershy landing on the runway. Right on time. “I have business to take care of,” she said as she trotted away. “Run those drills!”

The Rainboom Squad nodded and took to the skies. Rainbow Dash watched them for a moment, then turned her attention to Fluttershy, who was walking toward her with a smile. Fluttershy’s wings had more gray in them than Dash remembered, but she had a feeling Fluttershy would say the same about her if she weren’t so polite.

“Glad you made it!” Dash called. “I hope the winds weren’t too rough.”

“They were fine,” Fluttershy answered. Her sleek, black saddlebags were stuffed with papers, and she wore a formal blouse—no doubt a gift from Rarity. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me so early. I hope I’m not interfering with practice.”

“Nah, I’ve got them teaching each other. Magic of teamwork and all that.” Now that they stood beside each other, they shared a quick embrace. “Come on in. Looks like you have a lot to discuss.”

“Oh, this shouldn’t take very long. Most of this is for the presentation in Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy explained.

“Right, the bird sanctuary. Think they’ll go for your cloud-birdhouse idea?”

“I hope so. The cloud engineers say it’s a sound concept, and I have a grant lined up from the Equestrian Audubon Society. All that’s left is to hire a construction team and get the materials.”

The two continued to chat as they made their way to Dash’s office. It wasn’t as big as the one she had when she was the commander of the Wonderbolts, but it was big enough to chew out lazy cadets if she needed to. “Take a seat,” Dash said as she stepped past her cramped trophy cabinet to sit behind her desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Well,” Fluttershy started, “it’s about the One Wish Initiative I told you about last Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“That’s the one for sick kids, right?” Dash sometimes had trouble keeping all of Fluttershy’s projects straight.

Fluttershy nodded. “The idea is to help them get one thing they really want—a trip or meeting a celebrity, for example. One wish, as the name implies,” she said. “Thanks to Twilight, I’ve gotten a lot of support, but some ponies are worried it won’t be able to fulfill its promise. That makes it hard to get the kind of funding we need.”

“Hmm. I can see that,” Dash said. “Wouldn’t want to get a kid’s hopes up and not be able to deliver. I’m guessing you think I can help with that?”

“Exactly.” Fluttershy reached into her bag and placed a thick folder on Dash’s desk. “Twilight has agreed to fund the first one herself, as a trial run. Go ahead and take a look.”

Dash flipped open the folder. A photo of a smiling pegasus filly looked up at her. She looked a little frail for her age. Of course she does. She’s sick. She glanced at the filly’s information. Cloudwing, from Cloudsdale. The name gave her pause.

“I feel like I’ve see this kid before,” she said. Then, it clicked. “Wait! Is this the same kid who won the Best Young Flyer competition three years ago?” Fluttershy nodded. “Wow! She was so young, too. I always wondered what happened to her.” One look at Fluttershy’s solemn expression, and the pieces clicked again. “Oh.”

“She was diagnosed with witherwing a few months after she won,” Fluttershy explained. “Her family has been seeking treatment, but the best anypony can do is slow the symptoms. She’s a fighter, but… well, by this time next year, the doctors say she’ll likely never fly again.”

Dash sat back in her chair. Never fly again... The mere thought was enough to make her spine tingle. That would have been devastating news for any pegasus. For a flier as talented as Cloudwing, for her flying career to be over before it could begin…

Dash shook off her chills. “So, she’s getting her wish. Let me guess: Flying with the Wonderbolts? I bet I can make that happen.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I wish it were that simple. No. Her wish is to see a Sonic Rainboom.”

Dash let out a slow whistle. “Man, you picked a tough one.”

“The toughest Twilight could find,” Fluttershy agreed. “She says if we can somehow make this happen, it’ll prove we can do anything.”

“I mean, yeah, that’s probably true.” Dash collected her thoughts. “All right. That’s a tall order, but lucky for you, I have a team working on the Sonic Rainboom right now. If you can give me, say, a month, I bet one of them will have it figured out.”

“Oh. Um.” Fluttershy looked down.

“Too long? Would three weeks do it?”

“It’s not that,” Fluttershy said. “It’s… Well, I’ll just come out and say it. Cloudwing wants you to do it.”

For a moment, Dash’s mind froze. She only remembered to close her mouth after taking a few deep breaths. “Look, Fluttershy, you know I want this to work, but I’m way past my prime. I haven’t come close to pulling off a Rainboom in years.”

Fluttershy looked down and sighed. “Yeah. I know.” She flipped the folder closed.

“Wait. Hold on.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof on the folder before Fluttershy could tuck it away. “You know I’d do it in a heartbeat if I could. I’d fly there and do it right now.”

Fluttershy gave her a smile. “Oh, of course I know that. Twilight does, too. We know some wishes just won’t be possible. I just thought I’d ask before… well, before we have to tell her no.”

Rainbow Dash pulled the folder closer and opened it again. Staring at Cloudwing’s face, she tried to remember her performance from three years ago. She couldn’t remember the exact routine, but she clearly recalled her final maneuver—an impressive wing flare that threw water droplets around her, creating a multicolored halo of refracted light. And the look on her face, the sheer exhilaration of a performance gone just right…

It was a feeling Dash knew well. It was a feeling Cloudwing would never experience again.

Rainbow Dash sighed, then steeled her determination. “Look, I can’t promise anything,” she said, “but this kid deserves the best I’ve got. Give me one month. Let’s see if these old wings have one more Rainboom left.”

Fluttershy smiled and put the folder back in her bag. “Don’t hurt yourself,” she said.

“Psh. Me, hurt myself doing the craziest stunt anypony’s ever tried?” She waved a hoof dismissively.

“Rainbow Dash, I am being completely serious,” Fluttershy said sternly. Dash burst out laughing, and Fluttershy’s frown turned into a rueful grin. “Good luck. I hope it all works out.”

Dash collected herself as Fluttershy left, being careful to shut the door on her way out. Dash’s grin slowly faded. Her gaze drifted to her trophy case, a lifetime of accolades celebrating her aerial skill. Somehow, they all paled compared to the task before her now.

She stretched her wings. The right one still didn’t bend quite like it should. I can work with that. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. It’s just one more Rainboom. I can do it, for her.

Author's Note:

The One Wish Initiative is based on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which fulfils the dreams of children with life-threatening medical conditions. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

Comments

[Flora Blossom]

Seems good so far.

[KeeganFirecloak]

I am invested in this story and am eager for more

[Scribblestick]

11088986
Awesome! I hope it lives up to your expectations.

11089408
Excellent! I'll be posting more chapters this week.