If the Flight Suit Fits

by TheLastBrunnenG

Burden

Gentle breeze ruffled the prismatic mane of a young pegasus as she sat on the narrow ledge of a drifting cloud-house. She stared into the endless blue of the sky, seeming to take no notice of the fiery yellow streak which split the wispy clouds above her. Moments later a yellow pegasus lit next to her, dropping back onto muscular haunches to share the ledge.

“Hey there, Dash,” came the silken sultriness of Spitfire’s voice. “Or should I call you ‘The’ Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria, only pony - ”

Dash’s stare never left the open sky and her words rang hollow and monotone. “Ever to perform a Sonic Rainboom. Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Winner of the Best Young Flyer Competition, pony who rescued you and your teammates from certain doom. Yeah. That’s me.”

Spitfire cocked her head, the cyan pony’s reaction leaving her nonplussed. “So… did you get my letter?”

Rainbow lifted a wing and from underneath brought out a slip of paper, worn and creased and water stained. Holding it at hoof’s length, she mumbled a few lines before clearing her throat and reading aloud. “offer to Rainbow Dash a position in the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s premier aerobatic… all the privileges and responsibilities thereof… to start immediately upon acceptance.”

The yellow mare’s eyes lit up and a giddy enthusiasm filled her voice. “Awesome, right? You made it, Dash! You earned this, you really did. It had," she purred and nuzzled Dash's cheek, "nothing to do with last weekend, I swear. That didn't hurt, of course, but you were guaranteed a spot with us way before - well, before I found out exactly how well you knew your way around a pair of wings. So, when can you start?”

Long moments of silence passed, punctuated only by the rustling of a worn letter in the afternoon breeze. The sky-blue mare took the letter in her hooves and slowly, almost imperceptibly, tore it down the middle before letting the tattered halves float away like leaves in the autumn wind.

The fire-maned Spitfire recoiled a bit and arched an eyebrow. “You’re turning us down? Seriously?”

“Yeah, I know, the un-coolest answer possible, right?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she sighed deeply and finally looked back to the Wonderbolts Captain. “If I join the Wonderbolts full-time, Spitfire, then I leave Ponyville. I leave P-ville, I leave my friends. I ditch my friends, and the whole Elements of Harmony shtick gets flushed. Princess Celestia isn’t going to let that happen to her big guns. And I can’t leave my friends to face every monster from here to Tartarus without me. I used to think I could do the Wonderbolts gig, I really could, if only we could go a few years without some huge crisis. Just my luck, huh? You hand me my dream the day Twilight says we have to pack up and go save the world again.”

“Save the world? Now?” Spitfire’s eyes grew wide and she took an involuntary step back. “As in, Nightmare Moon, Discord, Changeling Invasion – that kind of saving the world?”

“Yeah. That.” Dash's ear twitched involuntarily and she continued, “Twi says the Princess wants us to save a long lost kingdom from this demented evil unicorn-king. We board a train to some frozen hole in the flank end of nowhere in two hours. Fate of Equestria in our hooves, shouts of 'Elements, Assemble!' - you know the drill. Same as usual.”

“Dash, are you kidding? That’s incredible! You’re like Daring Do, except you’re for real!” She laughed and added, “I feel like I should ask for your autograph. Always wanted a hero of my very own, you know.”

A grunt and crossed blue hooves met her. “Daring Do never got an offer to join the Wonderbolts. If she did, she’d lose the pith hat and kiss the ancient temples goodbye in ten seconds flat. I never asked to be Daring Do. And I never asked to be an Element of Harmony, either.”

Spitfire moved to Dash’s side and lay a wing across the cyan mare’s back. “So what will you do now? What will you tell your friends? Will you tell them about my offer?”

“Already told ‘em. So, I’ll do the same thing I always do. I’ll smile like an idiot and feed ‘em some line like, ‘I’m too awesome for the Wonderbolts! I'm waiting for the SuperUltraMegaBolts to make me an offer!’. They'll believe it. They always buy horseapple nonsense like that.”

Author's Note:

TMP Prompt # 162.

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

This could actually happen in the show, Rainbow Dash finally gets the offer she thought she wanted but she realizes now that she can't actually do it and has to reluctantly give up her dream at least for now.

[Captain Lunar]

1906574
That's what I've thought would happen since day one. Actually I think she'd be a reserve member or something. Like if one of them is out sick or injured, Dash gets to fill in. Still living her dream, but not detracting from her availability to her friends.

[Valikdu]

I never asked to be Daring Do. And I never asked to be an Element of Harmony, either.

[foppp]

ELEMENTS ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!

[KibaWR]

Now I know why youre the element of Layalty Dash... Youre about as honest as tirek.