Shattered
“As for the correctives, one last note. Rapidfire, you were still a meter low on the knife edge pass. No sweat today,” shrugged Soarin from his usual seat in the Wonderbolts’ lounge, “but next month in Hoofington a meter low’ll put you through the wall of the concession stand. Clear?”
A nod from the chastised pegasus later, Soarin cleared his throat and stood up. “Okay, good show, everypony! Before we put a wrap on the debrief, one final note. I don’t have to say it, but I will - Rainbow Dash, you flew like a bat outta Tartarus today! No idea how you pulled that off, but I know I speak for all of us - ” He paused, his squint-eyed glare boring holes in a scowling Misty, “I speak for all of us when I say, congratulations! The solo speed record will never be the same.” After the thunder of stomping hooves died, he added, “Any questions?”
Dash’s grin fell away and her ear twitched visibly. “Yeah, where’s Spitfire? She’s had the performance review in hoof for two hours now. Why isn’t she debriefing us?”
Soarin’s smile drew tight and thin-lipped. “Okay, everypony, that’s it for today. Dismissed!” Threading his way through the departing crowd to the newest and youngest Wonderbolt, he leaned in close and said, “Listen, Dash just - just forget it, okay? She’s on the warpath right now and you’re the last pony she wants to see.”
“You gotta be kidding me, Soar!” Rainbow threw her hooves up and rolled her magenta eyes. “We take home a stack of awards, blow the Coliseum attendance figures completely off the charts, and I’m sitting here holding a plaque that certifies me as Equestria’s fastest flyer. Anywhere. Ever! And you’re telling me she can’t even pop her head in to say ‘Hey, good job, guys!’ or maybe ‘You all rocked!’ or even freakin’ ‘Thanks!’?”
The stallion held a hoof to his temple and closed his eyes. “It’s kind of personal, Dash. At least, I think so. When she stormed off the observation deck after the show, she was more concerned about slamming as many doors as possible as loudly as she could than about giving explanations.” Looking up, he sighed, “And if you’re wondering, yeah - you’re the reason she’s not here right now.”
“Buck this, Soarin. She wants to stalk off and stew on something, fine. But Spits doesn’t get to shrug off the team and her duties just ‘cause she’s pissed about something, or even about me. And she doesn’t get to pretend I don’t exist. Not today.” Rainbow shot out of her chair and rounded the corner as Soarin reached a hoof to stop her but found only empty space.
“Dash, back down,” he called down the hall toward the disappearing rainbow-striped tail, “give her time, she’ll … oh, horseapples.”
Locked. Spitfire’s office door was open to the team any time of day, and to Rainbow Dash any time of day or night, and it was locked. Dash rattled the handle furiously as she said, “Come on, Spits, open up. It’s me. I know you’re in there.” Rapping on the door hard enough to jostle its tarnished gold ‘Captain’ nameplate, she continued, “You got a problem, fine. But you’ve gotta talk to me. You want me to camp out here in the hallway all night? I can totally do it! I’m a champion napper, not just Equestria’s fastest …”
As the words left her mouth, something heavy smashed against the door, sending her jumping back a few involuntary paces. The sound of splinters and metal clattering to the floor echoed through the deserted hallway. The blue mare dropped into a fighting stance, wheeled around, and delivered a thunderous buck to the door with both back hooves. It swung open crazily, creaking and dented.
There, opposite her across a plain and aged metal desk, Spitfire sat motionless. Her hooves lay clasped on the desk, muscles taut and legs shaking. Her muzzle was contorted into a snarl but her eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses. Dash strode to the desk and put her front hooves on it, inches from Spitfire’s own.
“What the hay is going on, Spits? First you bail from the observation deck before the show’s even over, then you skip the debrief, which you’ve never once missed since you brought me aboard, and now you give me the silent treatment and lock me out?” Dash was panting, teeth bared, and dropped the plaque to the desk. “I brought us a freakin’ record today, Spits! And you won’t even give me the time of day?”
Spitfire turned slowly, almost imperceptibly, to face the plaque. Dash raised an eyebrow and asked, “What, this? This is what’s got you in a knot? Think I’m just gunning for attention? Maybe you think I’m still trying to prove myself, so all those turkeys in the lounge will see that I really am good enough, and that I’m not just here because I’m your pet?”
Dash waited for a response as long seconds passed in silence. Slicing through the still air with a deft wing, she slapped the sunglasses off the yellow mare, letting them bounce and skid across the floor. Spitfire’s eyes never left the plaque on her desk, stamped with a stylized pegasus in flight and the words ‘Rainbow Dash, Cloudsdale Coliseum, 1006 A.E., World Record for Solo Single-Pass Transit: 699.5 certified speed’. “What, you want me to go slower? No more world records, no more trophies? Want me to play average and dumb? If I honestly believed that,” she spat, “I’d leave you and the ‘Bolts right now and go herd squirrels down on the ground.”
Spitfire remained frozen, stock-still except for a quiver under one eye. The blue mare leaned down and glared at her, muzzles inches apart. “Oh, no. You don’t get to play the stern-and-silent card with me, Spitfire. You and I have made each other cry like fillies and scream like banshees for almost a year now. Spill it, Spits!” Rainbow’s voice dropped to a desperate hiss as her ears drooped a little, “Give me something, here, please.”
Spitfire stood, walked around the desk with slow and deliberate steps, and retrieved a metal plate from the pile of debris resting against the door. Returning to her chair, she dropped the shard on top of the plaque and lay her head on the desk, running her hooves through her blaze-orange mane. Dash looked down and read, ‘Spitfire, Trottingham Arena, 997 A.E., World Record for Solo Single-Pass Transit: 679.5 certified speed’.
From under her hooves Spitfire muttered, “I trained for two years to make that attempt, Dash. I even had a tailwind! And you not only broke it, you demolished it like it was nothing. You’re better than I was at your age, and a damn sight better than I am now." She swallowed hard and whispered, "I don’t deserve to be mad at you. I don’t deserve …”
Minutes passed in silence before a blue wing fell over her. “Spits… I’ve never flown Trottingham Arena. I knew about the record, but I heard it was a headwind. Must be more to it than that. Maybe … maybe you could tell me the story?”
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"to jostle its tarnished gold"
Gold doesn't tarnish. That's why it's used for currency.
Giving dates AE seems kinda cruel to Luna, if you think about it. "Hey little sis, remember that time you went nuts and had to have you a time-out? Guess what, ponies get reminded of it every time they look at a calendar! And they'll continue to be reminded for the foreseeable future!"
Aw Spitfire. I know how that feels. I'm reminded of the day my little brother beat my high score on my old Ms. Pac Man machine I found at the city dump. I was never hurt worse(Until a couple years later, but that's a different story)
. I SPENT MONTHS TO GET THAT SCORE! 
I hate it when I want to thumb-up stories I've already thumbs-upped.
Titan A.E. reference. Instant win.
2028419
A wizard did it.
Just when I had forgoten about this story. It gets better every chapter.
Can't wait to see what the next chapter is like.
I love these so much!
It's hard to see yourself transcended by the next generation. It's harder still when it's someone you love because then you can't even really get mad about it. It's harder still when, deep inside, you believe that you're unworthy of her and that this just goes to prove it.
Well Spitfire looks like Dash can read you better than you thought.
1959989
Yep, the TMP mods are like that.
1960031
Thanks! I try to vary what I write for the prompts, and 1st person is a welcome change. Dash and Spitfire had little to say in this one so I thought Soarin might be a better narrator.
1960089
Yes. Yes it is! Question remains - should they catch each other?
1960594>>1960628
For putting up with these two, Soarin deserves a lot more than a drink. Maybe a medal and a drink.
1960691>>1963976>>1961308
Glad you enjoyed it!
1969311
You just nailed it. Give yourself a round of applause!
1964004
SoarinSparkle? TwiSoar? SoarLight? TwiRin?
1969487>>2030497
Definitely!
1969494
Spitfire's been avoiding this for many, many years. Now that a relationship landed in her lap (uh huh!), she's lost and frustrated and terrified that she'll screw it up and have to go back to being all business and very, very alone. Dash's problem is different: she's got her dream job and her dream mare all in one, and she's having trouble separating real romantic feelings from fangirl adoration. What happens when you meet your idol and they're not as flawless and perfect as they seemed in the poster on your bedroom wall?
1970443
Hehehehe.
1970710
He might just be the real hero here.
2028419>>2029244
Pure gold, no. But alloyed gold will show tarnish depending on the type and content of the alloyed metal. Rose Gold (copper/gold alloy) will develop a copper-like patina, for example. Of course, I could have made things simpler by calling it "brass" instead.
2028431
In other stories I've called the dates "ALR" = After Lunar Return, so that 1006 AE (After Exile) would be 6 ALR. I'm guessing that some ponies just find old habits hard to break.
2028463>>2030438
You're right on target! Watching your records fall can be traumatic, especially if they're to someone you love, because then you don't want to be mad about it. But you can't help it, so you take it out on them (even if it's just passively and subconsciously), which makes you feel guilty, and it's just a bad downward spiral from there. Luckily Dash is understanding enough to help Spits work through it.
2028528>>2030144>>2030153
Happy you enjoyed it!
2028888
There's almost always one or two shout-outs in my stories to songs, movies, books, other fanfics, etc.
2036137
But what's the fun in that?
cool chapter, little short but I'm not complaining with pacing like that, the story reads like their relationship XD
keep it cool, keep it epic
peace.
Is TMP Prompt 229 (Sigh and Smile) in continuity with this?
2037485
I hear ya.
2043714
No joke, right? He's the kind of officer that makes things run so smoothly from behind the scenes that he stays happily invisible. But when everything's falling apart, that's when you realize just how crucial he really is.
2045039
Officially no, but I haven't made up my mind on what to do with Fluttershy yet. I also wrote a ZecoraShy piece for her recently, so that's a possibility too. So the real answer is "not yet, but keep your eyes open."
2045107
7
*edit* meant to look kinda like o7 or
th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/167/6/0/rainbow_dash_salute_by_atomicgreymon-d3bo0dx.png
wow, im surprised... actual developement here. *sits straight and listens... err reads*