Sky's Still Blue

by Arcelia

With a vast emptiness above her, she sat there, watching as the soft layers of colour drifted over the town beneath her. Time crept forward as she shifted about on the patch of cloud beneath her.

She had spent her whole life chasing down a daydream, and her one chance of seizing it was… gone. Now, she was just another pony wandering the endless void of a now pointless existence that seemed to stretch forever.

To come so close, only to fail in the end. Why had she even tried? What had been the point of ever believing she was capable when she clearly wasn’t? To think that she was in anyway special. How ridiculous. She was nothing but a failure, and after all the time spent working toward a singular goal, she had nothing to show for it.

Rainbow Dash sighed as she let her head droop onto the soft, fluffy surface of her cloud. This was where she would remain until she was forgotten entirely. Until the last pony who ever knew her name ceased to exist.

She closed her eyes, letting the soft breeze carry her away, back to the Wonderbolts Academy, where she had completed the entry exam earlier that day.

~ * ~

Rainbow Dash fidgeted about in her seat as she sat in the academy’s auditorium, staring intently at the piece of paper in front of her. It was not a matter of whether she knew the answers or not, but rather if she even wanted to give them.

She glanced up at the clock. It had only been a few minutes since the exam started, but it already felt like she had been sitting there for hours. Looking at her test paper, she realised that the only box she had filled in was her name.

She read through a few of the questions and realised that if she wanted to pass, she could do so easily. But another thought crossed her mind. If she became a Wonderbolt… what would happen to her friends? With all the travelling, performances, training sessions and meets she would be going to, she might hardly ever see them again. Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach as an image of her friends living without her crossed her mind. She watched as their unhappiness grew. Without her, their lives wouldn’t be complete, and they wouldn’t have their element of loyalty to support them.

There was no way she was going to give up on her friends for the sake of becoming a Wonderbolt – they were just too important to her. For the next hour and a half, Rainbow Dash sat there, staring at the exam paper, feeling the minutes pass by as her decision slowly sunk in.

When the exam session was over, she got up and left the auditorium, feeling the weight of her heart rise up through her chest and into her throat. She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Her decision had not been an easy one to make, but if she wanted to remain a significant part of their lives, she would have to give up on one of her lifelong dreams. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

As Rainbow Dash made her way out of the auditorium and into the courtyard, she felt a cool breeze waft over her as she pushed herself off the marble steps and into the boundless sky. As she flew, the Wonderbolts Academy became nothing but a small part of a much bigger whole.

Her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt was officially over.

For years, she had strived to accomplish something truly great, but she had only fallen victim to the weight and sheer amount of pressure that came with such an ambitious goal. Nevertheless, she had carried on, so sure that if she just tried hard enough, she could make it.

So why had she just given it all up?

Because her friends needed her more than the Wonderbolts did. The Wonderbolts would just have to find somepony else to join their ranks, but her friends would never find another element of Loyalty. No matter how hard they tried, there would only ever be one pony just like her.

That didn’t mean that there wasn’t still some small part of her left that wanted to succeed, that wanted to rise triumphant despite all the hardship she had faced. Deep down however, that little light was flickering out, and she wasn’t sure if she could bare to live with the guilt that was replacing it.

Not becoming a Wonderbolt would mean she could never live up to the hopes that her father had when she was just a filly – the hope that she may someday be a Wonderbolt too, a dream not only of hers but of many little foals.

She realised that even if she didn’t succeed in becoming a Wonderbolt, her father would still have been proud of her. She thought back to all the times she had risen a victor despite all the setbacks. Like the day she had won the Best Young Flier’s Competition, even though Rarity had stolen her spotlight and caused the near-death of several members of the Wonderbolts. Or the time she had resigned from the Wonderbolts Academy in order to remain true to not only her friends, but her personal beliefs. In the end, she had been rewarded for her morals and for her bravery.

But most of all, she thought about how her first sonic rainboom had forever intertwined the destinies of her friends. They were all bound by a singular event that sparked the light inside them all – a light that could never go out, no matter what they might face in their lives.

~ * ~

With a bright flash of light, everything around her went white as the image of the auditorium slowly faded away.

“Rainbow Dash… Rainbow Dash!”

Somepony was calling out her name, but they felt so… far away.

As she opened her eyes, they were met with the concerned pupils of Twilight Sparkle, who she quickly figured was the pony calling her name.

“Oh gosh, I’m just glad you’re alright,” Twilight said as she nestled in beside her friend. “You had me a little worried for a second there.”

“Twilight? What are you doing here?”

“Well, when Pinkie Pie told me you lost your job, I figured I would find you up here,” Twilight replied as she followed her friend’s gaze, which was held over the town.

“Oh yeah? I bet that wasn’t the only thing she told you,” Rainbow Dash replied in a rigid tone.

“You’re right actually, that isn’t the only thing she spoke to me about. She also mentioned that you failed the Wonderbolts entry exam, which is rather odd, considering how far we all went to teach their history,” Twilight said as she glanced at her friend’s solemn expression. “But it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – you can retake the test. It’s not too late to try again, and I’m sure you’ll pass the next time around.”

Twilight waited patiently for Rainbow Dash’s response. But the longer she sat there, the less responsive her friend seemed to become.

Finally, after a few moments, a deep sigh came from the pegasus as she turned to face Twilight, her eyes welled up with hot, wet tears. “Twilight… I… I flunked the test on purpose!” she exclaimed as she sunk her head into the cloud, a muffled howl following soon after.

But Twilight remained silent, shocked by her friend’s words. As the howling quieted down, and she could sense that she was calming down, Twilight pulled Rainbow Dash into a warm embrace. She wrapped her forelimbs around the mare’s torso as she gently rubbed her back, allowing the pegasus’ tears to fall to her shoulder. “Shhh… it’s okay, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight cooed as she held the pegasus tighter. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Releasing her embrace, Twilight placed a comforting hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “Now, why don’t you take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened. Starting from the beginning. Do you think you can handle that?” she asked with a soft tone, meeting Rainbow Dash’s eyes with an even softer smile.

The pegasus gave a single nod in reply, before taking yet another deep breath. “It all started earlier today… I was sitting in Pie in the Sky, right after I—”

“You were sitting in what?” Twilight interrupted, tilting her head curiously.

“Pie in the Sky. It's a diner up in Cloudsdale. I’ll have to take you there for lunch sometime.” Unfazed, she continued. “Anyway, I went there right after the Wonderbolts entry exam. Then, like, literally a minute later, Spitfire and Soarin of all ponies walk in… though I don’t think they saw me.”

“Hang on a sec. Why didn’t you just go up and talk to them? I’m sure they could have helped out! They are your friends after all, not to mention Wonderbolt veterans.”

“Well…” Rainbow Dash shifted in her spot, rubbing a hoof against her foreleg. “I was so embarrassed after the fact that I didn’t want to humiliate myself more by telling them what happened. I mean, what if they laughed at me when I told them I flunked the test?” she asked, before burying her face in her hooves with a groan.

Twilight pulled one of the mare’s hooves away as she caressed Rainbow Dash’s cheek. “What if they didn’t laugh at you? What if one of them had also flunked the entry exam the first time around? It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if at least one of the Wonderbolts didn’t make it on the first try.”

“You may be right Twilight, but I still haven’t finished the story,” she replied, casting her eyes at the ground.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Rainbow nodded. “Anyway… Spitfire and Soarin stayed for awhile, so I just kinda hung around until they left. I was hoping they wouldn’t see me. After they left, Mistral, the barista, told me how she once chased after her dreams and didn’t make it.” Rainbow Dash paused to glance up at Twilight, who looked back at her with warm compassion.

“Well,” she continued, “she got me thinking about how I also failed to accomplish my dreams. But then I remembered all the other things I’ve accomplished that I didn’t know I would. There’s some things in life that happen even when we don’t expect them to,” she said, as her eyes fell on the town once more. “But when I went to the Wonderbolts entry exam, I realised just how much I value my friends. I knew that if I had a career as a Wonderbolt, I wouldn’t get to see them anymore. The very ponies who supported me in my hopes, my dreams, even my downfalls… I just couldn’t bare to think that I would have to say goodbye.”

Twilight watched as a single tear fell onto the cloud layer. Unsure of how to respond, she sat there, rubbing nervously against the back of her mane. She shot a quick glance up at the sky. “Rainbow Dash, no matter what happens, no matter how many times you might fail, we’ll always be here to support you. I know right now, the world must seem grey… like there isn’t a single drop of colour left. But you need to remember something… The sky’s still blue.” Unable to figure out anything better to say, she tried to submerge her embarrassment by letting out a light-hearted chuckle, feeling the warmth rise to her cheeks.

A long, introspective silence grew between them as Rainbow Dash followed her line of sight. Not a single word was spoken as they sat there, staring up at the cloudless sky in wonder.

After a moment, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up. “You’re right Twilight. The sky's still blue,” she said as she furrowed her brow in thought. “After I left the diner, I came straight here. Since I was too ashamed to show my face in town, I decided to just hide out here until everypony forgets what happened… I’m probably the laughing stock of Ponyville by now,” she said, hanging her head over the edge.

Twilight looked over at the mare with a soft smile. “Nopony in town knows about what happened, and even if they did, I’m sure that wouldn’t change what anypony thought of you. Just because you failed at something doesn’t make you less a pony, and it certainly doesn’t make you any less valued as a friend. Even if you flunked the test on purpose, you stayed true to your heart in the end – which is more important than any title, trophy, or status you could ever receive,” Twilight said, stroking a hoof through Rainbow Dash’s mane.

“You really think nopony will laugh at me?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning to face her friend.

“I know they won’t, because your friends don’t love you for your possessions or for your social status. They love you and appreciate you for who you are. They don’t care if you become a Wonderbolt or not. They’re still going to love you no matter what path you choose. I know I do,” she said, as she gave the mare a soft, sincere smile.

Rainbow Dash glanced down again before returning the smile. “So…” she began, rubbing the back of her head. “What should I do now? I gave up on my dream of becoming a Wonderbolt, and I’ve just been fired from my job... What’s the next step somepony takes after a bunch of junk like this happens?” she asked, an uneasiness feeling settled in her stomach.

“Well, if you want, you can stay with me in my castle for a while. Since you don’t want to show your face in town, it's the perfect place for somepony to hide out while they try to get back on their hooves.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled, smirking at the pony beside her. “It’s starting to sound a lot like the ‘Uchchaihshravas Bar & Inn.’”

“Th-the what now?” Twilight asked, her eyes widened at the mare’s strange words.

Rainbow giggled at the confused look on Twilight’s face. “Oh don’t worry, it’s just this place in Cloudsdale I used to visit. It’s where I spent most of my time before I moved to Ponyville.”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head with a smile. “Okay then. Well, I’ll be waiting at home for you when you’re ready to come down. I’m pretty sure Pinkie Pie would’ve informed the others by now. Just remember, we’re all here to support you. If you ever need somepony to talk to, we’re always here for you.”

“Thanks Twilight, I really appreciate it.” she said, watching as her friend rose into a hover.

As Twilight motioned to head for town, she hesitated, glancing back at the pegasus. “Oh, um… Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes Twilight?”

“How exactly did you get fired from your job?”

“Oh, well… about that,” she said as a warmth rose to her cheeks. “I may have accidentally created a gigantic storm that destroyed a small town not far from here.”

Twilight blinked. “And what town was that?”

“Dodge City.”

The End