Heroism

by DiveBomb

Two - Road to the First Mistake

The Cloudiseum was a place Rainbow Dash knew all too well. Aside from providing location to one of her most notable accomplishments, the stadium in the sky housed a number of differing ceremonies and concerts in the world of pegasi, including several performances by the Wonderbolts themselves. The place was a hotspot for sporting events of all kinds, and today it would be the place where the newest member of Equestria’s most elite flying team would be chosen. It was a place merely regarded as a catalyst of entertainment, and nothing more. However, today was a different day, and the Cloudiseum felt like a completely different place.

The once welcoming, pearly white columns now seemed to emulate the divinity of the event, looming over the cyan pegasus like a dark castle in a horror story. The bright yellow and orange flags that flew above the stadium felt like banners celebrating the arduousness of the task ahead, billowing with a sense of intimidation in the wind. If the clouds had darkened and erupted with a bolt of lightning, it would have felt more than fitting. Rainbow Dash stood at the bottom of the long staircase leading to the entrance, staring at a large banner hung over the monolithic doors, reading the words Wonderbolt Tryouts Today in navy blue lettering. All it took was the mere sighting of the stadium to slice her previously unwavering confidence in twine. A dark, foreboding dread spread in the back of her mind, terrified at the possibility of failure.

Losing a friendly hoofball game was nothing to be worried about. It is nothing more than that; a game. One could easily pick it up again and try harder next time, and even practice to better the chances of victory. This, however, was no game. There was no practice and try harder next time, only winning or losing with zero chance of atonement. Losing wasn’t just losing here; losing was failure, a word the aerial daredevil loathed and feared more than most things in the world. It was as if the past three months of rigorous training simply hadn’t occurred. Rainbow Dash stood there, right back in the horseshoes of her past self during the Best Young Flyer Competition. Her forelegs quivered, threatening to buckle underneath the imaginary pressure created in her mind.

The pegasus took in a deep breath through her mouth, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly through her nose. It was a trick she had previously scoffed at, thinking that it was nothing that could help a non-stop athlete like her. But after having Twilight continuously pressing the advice during her training, she finally allowed herself to try it a month ago. Rainbow wished that she had listened to her friends sooner, for the trick seemed to work wonders every time. Her heart ceased its pounding against her chest, her lungs slowing down to take in measured, relaxed breaths. The shaking in her hooves and the spasms in her muscles finally stopped as well, but still the blue mare took a moment to keep her eyes closed in mental preparation.

Despite realizing her humility, Rainbow Dash knew that she had nothing to fear. With her new flight routine, the spot on the Wonderbolts was as good as hers. Even if she took a misstep in the air, the pegasus still had one last-ditch effort to guarantee victory. She opened her eyes again, her brow furrowed with a renewed sense of determination. Without another thought, the pegasus stepped forward, ascending the wide staircase toward the front gates.

---

Sugarcube Corner was still alight with celebration even after the departure of the mare of honor. As everypony that would attend the tryouts prepared to leave, the party turned into more of an excuse for a social get-together than anything, which didn’t seem to bother the ponies staying behind in the slightest. Twilight and Spike had left immediately after Rainbow Dash to collect their mode of transportation to Cloudsdale while Applejack and the others waited. The orange mare had decided to occupy her impatient mind by assisting Pinkie Pie in providing the guests food and beverages while they waited. But to her displeasure, it seemed that simple tasks like preparing plates of snacks and pots of coffee required a very little amount of thought, allowing her restlessness to run free in the back of her head.

Applejack stomped her hindhoof to the floor, hoping that it would somehow cease the relentless tapping she found herself doing. In her distraction, she completely missed the mug she was trying to pour coffee into. Once she noticed herself creating a steaming puddle of liquid on the table, the mare scowled and set the pot down with her teeth. “Dagnabit!”

But before the orange mare could find something to clean up the mess, a couple of folded paper towels floated into her vision, glowing with a pale blue light. Applejack looked to her right to find Rarity cleaning the spilled coffee with her magic, an unimpressed look on her face. “You do know that beverages are traditionally enjoyed from a mug or glass of some sort, right?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Naw, Rare. Ah figured we’d throw a drinkin’ off the table race.”

The white mare cocked her head back, one wide eye twitching in disgust. “E-Excuse me?”

“That was a joke,” Applejack replied flatly, shaking the agitation from her face. “Sorry Rarity, Ah’m just a little antsy, Ah guess.”

“We all are, dear,” Rarity said after a sigh of relief. She then floated the soaked rags over to the wastebasket in the corner, dropping it in. “Forgive me, but... you seem a little more than just impatient.”

Applejack furrowed her brow, glancing down to the floor for a moment. “Maybe Ah’m just a little worried.”

Rarity blinked, surprised. “Worried? About what, darling? You were there when Twilight told us about her new routine! Now how can you worry knowing that?”

“I don’t remember her tellin’ us anything about it, really.”

“Well, no. Her and Rainbow Dash have done well to keep it a secret, but you still saw how positively overjoyed she was about it! I recall her stating quite enthusiastically and I quote, ‘Rainbow Dash didn’t just reinvent her entire routine, but she reinvented the entire art of flying.’”

“Either way, it ain’t her talent Ah’m worried about,” Applejack sighed as she subconsciously grazed a forehoof across the wooden floor, looking down to it. “It’s... it’s nothin’. Don’t let it bother you.”

Rarity gave a slight roll of her eyes as she took another step toward the farmer, lifting her chin upward with a hoof. Applejack focused her eyes, being forced to meet her friend’s gaze. The unicorn had her head tilted at a shallow angle, her eyes soft and understanding with her lips lifted in a coy grin. “Oh Applejack, when are you going to learn to open up and let your friends help you? It’s obviously a concern worth voicing.”

Applejack gave her an emotionless expression, removing Rarity’s hoof from her chin. “It ain’t nothin’,” she repeated flatly. “Look, let’s just forget about it fer now. Ah’m sure it’ll pass once we get to Cloudsdale.”

“But—” Rarity was about to reply, but was cut off as Applejack turned on a hoof and walked away through the small crowd.

“It’ll pass!” she said encouragingly as she left. Once she had crossed the room, Applejack groaned, dipping her head low with immediate guilt. The orange mare weaved through the varying clusters of guests, dodging an overly-enthusiastic Snowflake on the way. She approached the front of the sweet shop where nopony stood, walking over to the window. She sighed heavily as she looked out the window, gazing into the clear blue sky in the direction of Cloudsdale. The city was impossible to see through the buildings and mountains in the distance, but Applejack found a brief sense of solace in the act.

Nopony could have been happier for Equestria’s fastest flier than Applejack, but it didn’t quell the looming dread that had formed in the back of her mind. She knew that she should have focused her thoughts on Rainbow Dash’s accomplishment and happiness, but guilt had plagued the orange mare over her worries. This was the pegasus’ one and only dream, and today was her one and only chance to turn it into a reality. Rainbow lived for flying, and joining the Wonderbolts was the one thing that she had wanted since she was a filly. So what would happen if she didn’t make it? How would anypony cope with having the one thing they lived for taken away? It was a terrible thought, but Applejack couldn’t help but focus on it.

The farmer couldn’t think of a single instance where Rainbow’s reaction to such a thing wouldn’t be anything but catastrophic. The pegasus had indeed been able to drop her hopes of becoming a Wonderbolt during her first week at the Academy, but that was a decision she had made on her own terms, albeit over a misunderstanding. As expected, Rainbow wasn’t exactly joyous over making such a decision, and fortunately, she was never made to dwell over the idea of quitting. If she failed today, it would be a completely different situation. Applejack frowned, scowling inwardly at her own thoughts. Come on, Applejack. Don’t let yerself get all mopey ‘bout this. Rainbow wouldn’t fail; she couldn’t, s’pecially not after all that trainin’ she put herself through. She’ll make it, because… because she’s Rainbow Dash.

---

The tryouts were far from a highly-attended event. In fact, only a hoofful of ponies were scattered around the stands of the Cloudiseum. A few looked to be friends or family of the other two hopeful fliers. As expected, Twilight and the others were not yet seen in the stands, but Rainbow knew that they would arrive shortly.

The cyan pegasus pulled her head back through the entrance curtain of the Cloudiseum, looking back to the familiar waiting room around her. She laughed inwardly, remembering her former self curled in a nervous, quivering ball in the corner the last time she was here. She looked back at that day with a smug grin, wondering how in Equestria she could have been so distressed over something so comparatively trivial. The Best Young Flyer competition may not have been able to hold a candle to today, but the blue mare still looked back on it as one of her biggest accomplishments; a milestone on the road of her flight career.

Rainbow Dash looked around the room, casting a brief but studious glance toward the two other pegasi. They both wore navy blue and yellow cadet uniforms just as Rainbow did, but they were ponies she had failed to recognize. The first was a charcoal-gray stallion, his long golden mane feathered back on either side of his head, streaked with a vibrant shade of orange. To Rainbow’s confusion, he was laying down in the corner on his side, his eyes shut peacefully as if he were sleeping. Adorning his flank was what looked like an orange spark erupting from a flint. She cocked a brow at him, yearning to know just how anypony in their position could be sleeping at such a time.

Dash settled with rolling her eyes instead of entertaining the thought, moving on to her other opponent. This one seemed to grasp the paramount nature of the event more so than the stallion, but in a way that confused Rainbow in a small way. The mare flew in a myriad of loops and corkscrews near the ceiling, humming jubilantly to herself. She had a coat of the faintest shade of pinks, nearly fading into a light violet. Her flight goggles rested on her forehead, pressing her careless auburn bangs across her brow. She wore the most satisfied of expressions as she circled the ceiling, back-stroking through the air as if she were swimming. It was beyond difficult for Rainbow to take the happy mare seriously, let alone as a pony that could possibly stand in her way. While she had frowned at the stallion, the blue mare couldn’t help but crack a smile at the flying pegasus. Her blissful demeanor would have suggested that she had already become a Wonderbolt, different from what anypony would have expected.

The pink mare peaked a large, crystal blue eye out, glancing down to notice Rainbow Dash absentmindedly staring at her. “Hey there! Why so glum?”

Rainbow blinked in confusion before displaying a confident grin. “Glum? Are you kidding me? I’m ready to take my spot on the Wonderbolts! How could I be glum?”

“Well, you’ve just been standing there with your head through that curtain since we got here. You look tense,” said the pegasus above, her quirky voice lower than most mares’, although not lacking in the enthusiasm department. “You should loosen up! Get in the air and stretch your wings, warm up before your performance! You don’t want to go out there with stiff joints, do you?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head, tracing the circling mare with her eyes in suspicion. “Uhm... you do realize that we’re opponents here, right? Why are you trying to give me advice?”

“Would you rather I was mean?” asked the pink mare, ending her back stroke with a flip, landing delicately on her hooves in front of Rainbow. The cyan mare was surprised at her height, for it wasn’t often that Rainbow Dash was taller than another pony her age. The blue-eyed pegasus held out her hoof, wearing a kind smile. “Name’s Airheart. Good to meet ya’!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of suspicion rise in the back of her head, but found no harm in a friendly greeting. She allowed Airheart to shake her hoof, to which she seemed a little too enthusiastic about. “Um, you too. I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, I know that,” Airheart smiled, twirling around a forehoof. “I mean, who doesn’t know who you are? I would’ve been shocked if I didn’t see the only pony able to do a Sonic Rainboom here! Seriously, you’re like a legend.”

Now the blue mare was nothing short of clueless. “Heh, well, I guess you could say that,” she replied smugly, brushing a proud hoof against her chest. “But lemme ask you something: you are here to try out for the Wonderbolts, right?”

“Of course!”

“And you want to make it, right?”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Then what’s with the flattery and helpfulness? Are you trying to psyche me out or something?” Rainbow demanded, the theory coming to her as she spoke. She pointed an accusing hoof, to which the pink mare’s eyebrows shot up.

“Wh-What? Oh no, of course not,” Airheart laughed. “I just wanna make sure everypony does their best! Wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

Rainbow stared at the mare, whom offered nothing but an innocent smile in return. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with a pang of guilt. “Alright, sorry. I’m just not used to opponents being nice, I guess.”

“Well, if I said that I was your opponent, that would suggest that I thought I had a chance against you in the first place,” the other pegasus said, throwing Rainbow off guard once again. She cocked her head back, her face contorted with confusion.

“Then what are you even doing here?” she asked cautiously. “I mean, you said that you knew I’d be here, so why even come if you didn’t think you could get the spot on the team?”

“Then that would be giving up, now wouldn’t it?” Airheart asked, her smile unwavering. “Okay, so the odds are stacked against me, but what kind of pony would I be if I just walked away at the mere sight of you? Nah, I’m still gonna go out there and do my best. I mean really, it’s an honor in itself just to be here and to fly against you.”

Rainbow Dash felt the knot of suspicion loosen in her chest, her hardened expression lightening into a small smile. For a moment, she had the urge to scold the mare for taking her spot from somepony that truly honored it. But after hearing Airheart’s reasoning, Rainbow’s feelings changed. “Well, that’s pretty cool, I guess. So hey...” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper and moving her head toward the pink mare. She pointed a covert hoof toward the slumbering stallion. “Who’s that guy?”

“Oh, that’s Flintlock,” Airheart whispered back. “He only told me his name, nothing else. Not the talkative type, I guess.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow, turning her head away from the other mare to cast a sidelong glance toward Flintlock. “Kind of a bad time to be sleeping.”

“I’m not sleeping,” grumbled the stallion, the sudden sound of his deep, rumbling voice causing Rainbow and Airheart to flinch. He kept his eyes closed as he continued. “We all have our own ways to prepare for a performance. I, for one, choose to rest and save my energy. Is that a sufficient enough answer for you?”

“Hmph, somepony doesn’t sound too happy to be here,” Rainbow chided, scowling out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, I’m overjoyed to be here,” Flintlock said as he slowly rose to his hooves, opening his blazing orange eyes. He looked Rainbow Dash over with an emotionless face, his demeanor completely apathetic. He took a brief moment to stretch his limbs, groaning with satisfaction. “I’m just not one to treat opponents with any sort of care. Considering your previous conversation, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you, Miss Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow smirked, glaring into the tall stallion’s fiery orange eyes. “Good, then it’s gonna be much more satisfying when I blow you away.”

“Hehe, guys, maybe we should just get along and wish each other luck instead,” said Airheart nervously, trotting to the sidelines of their back and forth.

Flintlock ignored her, slowly approaching the cyan mare with a challenging look on his face. Rainbow Dash gave him her most smug grin, tilting her head condescendingly. He stopped once only a hoof or so separated them, looking down to the mare in front of him. “You probably think your little Sonic Rainboom will simply guarantee you a spot on the team, don’t you?”

“If I depended on just one little trick to get on the Wonderbolts, then I wouldn’t be ready to fly here today,” Rainbow countered. The dark gray stallion’s steely eyes flickered at the word she emphasized, only broadening Dash’s cocky grin. She had already dealt with her share of nerves in the past, and she wasn’t about to allow some cocky stallion to shake her confidence.

The gray pegasus snorted, wearing a self-assured grin of his own. “Well then, I do hope that you can back that smug grin of yours up. Wouldn’t want the Academy favorite embarrassing herself too badly, now would we?”

“Are you two fillies done yet?” came a raspy, familiar voice. Rainbow and Flintlock turned their heads to find a bright yellow pegasus mare, glaring at them through a pair of tinted aviator sunglasses. She stood tall near the door, emanating a sense of unquestionable dominance in the room. The mare wore a dark blue buttoned shirt over a white collared one with a black tie. Her uniform was highly-decorated, bearing a slew of medals and patches. Her mane and tail were two shades of burning orange, blown back as if her scalp had caught flame. She approached the three pegasi, who turned on quick hooves to stand straight. They saluted her on instinct, having done so for the better part of a year under her supervision.

Spitfire stood in front of them, raising a hoof to slide her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. She stared daggers at Flintlock and Rainbow Dash, acting as if Airheart simply didn’t exist. “A veteran Wonderbolt is turning in her flight suit after a twelve-year career and one of you three will be lucky enough to take her place! Now do her and yourselves a favor and show some respect!”

“Yes, Ma’am! Sorry Ma’am!” Rainbow and Flintlock replied loudly. Dash berated herself for being so impulsive with her confidence, for this wasn’t the best way to begin the tryouts.

The captain of the Wonderbolts looked between the three of them, pushing her glasses back up to veil her piercing eyes. “I hope that you’re all ready for this. Getting you that three month notice wasn’t exactly a popular idea amongst the team. We had to go without a Wonderbolt for two performances because of that. However, I felt it necessary to make sure that you three could bring your A-game today. I better not be disappointed when I see your performances out there.”

“You won’t be, Ma’am!” the three recited without a trace of doubt. Rainbow Dash made sure that her voice carried over Airheart and Flintlock’s, thankfully without an embarrassing crack.

“Good,” said Spitfire with a satisfied smirk. “This is the first time in six years that we’ve held tryouts for our ranks, so make sure you bring your all. We’ll be starting in a few minutes. Get yourselves ready.”

Without another word, the captain exited the room, closing the door behind her. Rainbow Dash covertly exhaled the breath that she had been holding, careful not to let the stoic Flintlock notice. To her relief, the gray stallion turned to his right and walked over to the other side of the room, not giving her another glance. To her left, Airheart didn’t seem to mind anypony hearing her sigh of relief. The pale pink mare wiped her brow with a hoof, her previous smile returning.

“Boy, I’m sure glad that’s over,” she said. “I know I shouldn’t be, but that mare has always kinda scared me a little. But I guess being that way only lets the bravest of ponies become Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered, barely able to acknowledge Airheart’s words. She stared at the door Spitfire had left through, her mind focused on one thing and one thing only: winning. “Let’s get out there.”

“Alright! That’s the spirit, let’s go and show them what we’ve got!” Airheart cheered, pumping a cheerful hoof into the air. Flintlock merely nodded stoically, walking in Rainbow Dash’s wake toward the entrance curtain. Airheart hovered beside her, humming jubilantly to herself and bobbing her head to the tune. As if to harmonize with her song, drums had started to beat within Rainbow’s heart, thudding against her chest with such prominence that she could have sworn it was real. She cast no thought toward the prowess of her opponents, but focused on the skill she had finely tuned over the past three months. With that thought alone, Rainbow Dash was able to approach the curtain and throw it open with a hoof, grinning like mad at the sight before her.

Author's Note:

Airheart is actually the placeholder name for a background pony that appeared in two episodes of the show. I liked her design enough to write a story starring her. She was simple but still adorable in her own little way. But unfortunately due to time constraints, I decided to dump the project and have her make a cameo appearance in Heroism instead.

Comments

[RTStephens]

The chapter title is... ominous...

Cool setup. Rainbow Dash at her best and worst here when dealing with the competition. Let's see just how this all unfolds.

Applejack the worry-wort. I get the feeling she's going to be the only thing keeping Rainbow from doing something she'll really regret.

See ya, next time!

[Pontiac56]

Wow, you can really feel the importance of the moment, and the impact it's having on Rainbow Dash, and even Applejack. I can just feel the ominous vibes from what is to come

great work as always, you have a real talent for writing. I can't wait for more on this story, and your other works

[Shadow Wind]

Am I sensing some AppleDash?

[dancing mop]

Which episodes does Airheart appear in?

Haha, I just caught what her name is. Earhardt.

There's no way this can end well. I mean, I remember the first chapter, and...hoo boy. Next chapter should be really good.

[q97randomguy]

Let me congratulate you on something, namely your characterization of Rainbow Dash. It is spot-on. I had to take a second and admire how well you wrote her. Kudos to you.
Also, the tension you're building is so... so... tense.

“That was a joke,” Applejack replied flatly,

Applejack is best EDI.

----------

unwavering confidence in twine

"twain" Twine is string.

It is nothing more than that; a game.

Semicolon should be a comma.

One could easily pick it up again and try harder next time, and even practice to better the chances of victory.

I'd recommend cutting the "and". Right now, with the comma, it's not correct. Removing the comma would look sort of weird, and adding "one could" would too. It seems that removing the "and" is the simplest way to go.

her hindhoof

"hind hoof" However, "forehoof" is one word. Yay, English.

one of her biggest accomplishments; a milestone on the road of her flight career.

Semicolon should be a comma.

blazing orange eyes.

Comma.

Eagerly awaiting the next update.

[MellowMabari]

You're killing me here, author. So. Much. Tension. And I'm already resigned to the fact that Dash is gonna screw up somehow (or something less than fortuitous is gonna mess up her routine) yet you keep me hoping that maybe it'll all work out. Which it won't, because the synopsis for this thing isn't: "Rainbow Dash has a wonderful time becoming a Wonderbolt and flying around doing awesome stunts, while making out with Applejack after shows." (But if it were to turn into that, I totally wouldn't complain )

Alright, lets do this thing, then...onward!

slice her previously unwavering confidence in twine.

Oh, one more thing. I think you meant "twain" as twine is like rope or string or something.