Starswirl Academy - Original Rainbow Dash Route

Getting Ready to Help

Description: You and Rainbow Dash prepare yourself for a long night of work.
Note: This is a long chapter, but I think it’s one of the better ones.

Scene: Girl’s Dorm, Hallway

Floor 3, room F.

Boys were not officially allowed into the girl’s dorm. That rule was seldom obeyed. But I still got many suspicious looks from the other girls on that floor. Those suspicious looks transformed to freaked out ones when they saw me knock on Rainbow’s door.

“It’s open!” I opened the door slowly.

A feminine voice behind me giggled. “I didn’t think she had a boyfriend…”

Her room was as messy as I expected. Tank-tops and sweat pants from the week before were tossed casually on the ground, the bed was unmade with the sheets hanging off the edge. The room smelled like a locker room that had been sprayed with a bottle of perfume in a lazy attempt to hide unpleasant odors.

A Wonderbolt’s poster hung on her wall. Next to that was a bulletin board riddled with hanging papers and an Air Force emblem. The papers looked like registration forms.

A model fighter airplane hung over the center of her room, gently twisting in a half circle. It was one of those old bombers from the black-and-white movies. Somehow it fitted her.

There was a fish tank on her desk. A small pond was in its center and a few ferns decorated the edges. A collection of odd colored rocks were piled up in one corner, but I didn’t see any animals inside. Another oddity.

“Where are you?” I said loudly.

“Hang on!” She yelled from the bathroom. I heard a hacking noise, followed by a spelunking sound as Rainbow spat into the toilet. Charming.

After another moment, Rainbow stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing her wet hair with towel, wearing a thin white tank top and short-shorts. I kept forgetting how incredibly in incredible shape she was and had to force myself not to stare.

“Hey.” She threw the towel over her shoulders.

“Hi. Your place is...nice.” I kicked a dirty hoodie off my foot.

“I gave the maid a day off.” She threw her towel in a nearby hamper. It was overflowing with clothes already.

“Did you find the place okay? Didn’t get mugged or anything? None of the druggies asked you cash?”

“We’re...in the rich suburbs.”

“...maybe one of those rich folks can buy you a sense of humor.” She opened up her dresser and took out a tube of...something. Little brown pellets? She struggled to get the little plastic top open. “I spoke to Applejack. She was pretty mad that I handed out those flyers without asking.”

“…she didn’t know you were helping?”

“She does now.” POP! The tube’s lid came off. “One sec.” Rainbow moved to the fish tank on her desk and tapped the glass a few times. “Wake up Tank! Dinner time!”

One of the rocks started moving. A wrinkly green head poked out of a worn out shell. Its legs eventually flowed.

“You have a pet turtle?”

“Tortoise.”

“Whatever.”

“Not whatever! Tank here is the best pet in the world. He doesn’t need walks, he doesn’t need a litter box, he never scratches up my mattress, and he’s a really good listener.” She poured some of his food in his bowl. The animal moved towards his meal at about an inch a minute.

“Why a tortoise?”

“Why not?”

“Well, it seems a little…slow for you”

“Yeah. He takes his time with stuff.”

“So…why a tortoise?”

“Because. Tank is just like me.”

“Just like you?! I don’t see the connection.”

“No one does. Not at first.”Rainbow scratched the top of his wrinkly head after he took a few bites. I know that frogs and alligators and all others kinds of green smiley creatures are not capable of facial expressions, but I swore it smiled at her.

“Where’d you get it?”

“Fluttershy gave him to me. I didn’t want him at first, but the little guy grew on me.”

“Is it because…he’s thick-skinned?” I asked.

“Huh?” She sounded perplexed.

“I’m trying to figure out what you two have in common.”

Rainbow sighed. She lifted her tortoise out of its tank and held it to me. His stubby legs swayed back and forth, his mouth stuffed with food pellets.

“He has a shell.” She said plainly

“…I still don’t get it.”

Rainbow pouted and put Tank back down. “Hear that Tank, he doesn’t ‘get it’. But it’s alright; you’re still my favorite.” Tank took a bite in slow-motion. “So like I was saying. After Applejack calmed down, she said she could use our help with something else.”

: “...calm down?”

“You know she doesn’t like taking unwanted help.”

“Well, not to put a damper on everything, but if Applejack doesn’t want our help-”

“That’s the problem. She doesn’t want our help, but she needs it. You don’t know her like I do. She’s as stubborn-”

“As you are?”

“First of all, shut up. Second of all, she’s even more stubborn than me. You saw how tired she was. You know she needs a hand. Or at least a nap and a day off.”

“What happened to that rant last night, about how Applejack can do anything if she is under pressure?”

“...Applejack can do anything...but...a little help, couldn’t hurt?”

“So you’re saying you were wrong?”

“Nope. No, no. No. I didn’t say that. I just said that she needs a teeny bit of backup cause she’s overworked.”

“...so you were wrong.”

“I was not wrong. I just gave Applejack a bit too much credit. If it was me, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“All I’m hearing is ‘I was wrong and yelled at ___for nothing’.”

“...I said I was sorry before, you know?” Her foot tapped up and down as she glared.

“You did. Thanks for that.”

She huffed. “…so this afternoon…Applejack’s gotta make some deliveries. Restaurants, caterers, those places. She could be out for a while. We’re going take care of Winona for her.”

“Who is Winona?”

“Her dog. She lives on the top floor of her shop with Applejack.”

“I can handle that.”

“Even though you like cats?”

“I’ll manage.”

“Good.” Rainbow looked at a nearby mirror. She combed her damp bangs with her fingers, styling it just enough so her split ends were hidden. “Eh, good enough.” She grabbed her long board and threw on her helmet on, defeating the purpose of fixing her hair in the first place.

“I’m set.” She said.

“Me too.”

“I’ll see you later buddy.” Rainbow put her hand back in the fish tank and gave Tank another pat on his head. “Don’t throw any crazy parties again.”

The tortoise nodded. It nodded. The lizard-thing actually nodded!

Rainbow circled around me on her long board as we traveled through town. I followed her closely, not sure which way was Applejack’s shop.

She rode her board as so naturally, like she learned how to ride before she learned how to walk. And she showed off the whole way there. She dragged her hands on the ground, spun around fire hydrants…occasionally she’d disappeared down a random blocks only to reappear seconds later.

“Are you going to join any clubs?” She talked to me while performing these stunts, maybe to show off more.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

She’d briefly say something, then she’d blast off again, to do some move that I couldn’t mimic if I tried.

“Do you want to join any?” And seconds later, she’d come back with more to say.

“Not really. None of the clubs caught my attention.”

“If you ask me really nice, I could put in a good word and make you the track team’s water boy.”

“Yeah? You’d do that for me? Wow, you are such a good friend.”

“If you play your cards right, I could make you towel boy too.” And then ZOOM, off she went down the street. After a few seconds, she glided back of with another question. “What was your old school like?”

“Um...it was kind of upscale. Nothing really happened there. Just the usual and predictable high school stuff.”

“Did you like it?”

“Sometimes. I didn’t relate to a lot of people in my class.”

She zipped away for a few seconds, then zipped back. “Why not?”

“I don’t know. Most of the students were different from me. I liked things they didn’t.”

“I know that feeling.” She moved around but stayed within earshot now. “Do you like this place more?”

“I’m still getting used to it. But it’s more interesting. I haven’t been bored since I got here.”

“Yes! Boredom is the worst thing! I can’t stand it. When you got a lot of energy and you’re ready to do something crazy but no one is around or you ran out of money so you can’t buy anything. So you stay in and do nothing. I hate that!”

“...does that happen to you a lot?”

“Applejack’s been working so hard that I rarely see her anymore. Fluttershy is…well, she’s fine but she’s not that ambitious.”

“Ooooh.”

“Oh what?”

“Is that why you’re so fixated on helping Applejack? Cause you miss her?”

“What?!” Rainbow nearly fell off her board. “No! I’m helping her cause she needs it! She’s my friend and…I…she needs help. I can do anything she can do but better, including working a shop!”

“I was just asking. You know, making conversation.”

Rainbow Dash’s face flushed. She skated away again, this time staying away longer than last time. When she finally glided back, she look annoyed.

“I mean it!” She said stubbornly.

“I believe you.”

“No you don’t. Cut it out!”

“No, I understand. Really.”

“Tch. Whatever.”

‘I enjoy poking at your weak points too Dashie,’ I thought to myself. It was so much fun to watch her squirm away from her feelings.

“Do you like it here?” I asked her when she calmed down.

“No! It’s so bo~ring. This place might be great when you are thirty-two and old and ready to settle down. But I’m light years away from that.”

“Thirty-two is not that old.”

“It might as well be. I’m getting out of here the second I can. Getting on in a plane, getting on the Wonderbolts and never looking back!” She grinded her wheels on the ground, finally stopping. “Did you know Soarin broke the altitude record for the team two years ago AND he has the best recovery time from spin-outs than anyone else has in the past twenty years.”

“I didn’t.”

Her ability to gear the conversation in another direction, just to avoid talking about her feelings, was a skill itself. She was open with all of her thoughts but rarely was she open with her emotions.

I didn’t understand why she was so hesitant to show that side of her, but it was nice to know there was a sensitive girl underneath that…hard shell…

…oh, now I get it!

“I bet you know everything about the Wonderbolts.” I said to keep the conversation going.

“Almost. I know Fleetfoot used to be an Olympic runner, but gave that up cause she wanted to be on the team. And Spitfire, man, she’s incredible. She’s moving away from the main team so she can focus more on recruiting and training cadets. She likes working with young people a lot.

“You sound like you met her.”

“I did. I have. I –I mean, I know her.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. Spitfire is my sponsor.”

“Your what?”

My sponsor for the Air Force Academy. You need to have one to help you through the recruitment process, and they do letters of rec, legal processing, all that lame stuff.”

“You have a Wonderbolt for your academy sponsor?!”

“Dude, I’m getting in! I told you, I know what I am doing.”

“How did you manage to get a Wonderbolt as your academy sponsor?!”

“Dumb luck. She was on campus last year and saw me run, and she liked me. I just played it cool and worked it! She liked me and next thing you know she was my sponsor. I just need to plow through this school year and I am set for life!”

“That sounds pretty awesome.”

“Awesome is the only way I know how to be.” Rainbow pulled her gloves off with her teeth and tucked them in her back pocket. “Here we are.”

Her board clicked up as we stopped in front of a small two level house. It looked like a cottage with a bad paint job and large lower floor. A huge garage was sloppily attached to it with a few crooked nails. The windows inside betrayed the cheap exterior. I saw a much cleaner inside.

Applejack’s beaten up truck was parked by the side of the big garage, with several crates of supplies and deliveries tied down, ready to be shipped off to where they needed to go.

Rainbow put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

“ARFF! ARFF!” A brown and white dog jumped up and down at the nearest window.

“Winona! Hey girl.” Rainbow rushed up the small stoop and shimmied the door knob. “Come on, it’s unlocked.” The door opened maybe four inches before an energetic collie ran between Rainbow’s legs. Hey Winona, miss me?”

The dog rubbed her head into Dashie’s calf, demanding she pet her. But Winona forgot all about Rainbow when I stepped closer. She sniffed my leg, barked twice, then jumped up to my waist a few times.

Dogs never respect personal space.

“Say hi to her before she goes crazy.” Dash told me.

“...uh, hi. Winona.”

“Not like that. Pet her, show her you’re happy to see her.”

“ARRF!” I patted her head gently. She whimpered, so I did it more. And more. Eventually, she licked my hand and ran back inside.

“She’s fun to walk. Loves to run after people, cars, cats.”

“Great.”

“Ugggh. Be quiet Winona.” Applejack limped to the front door. Dark rings had grown under her eyes and her hair, which normally was straight and healthy, had twists and splits in it.

“Sup?!”

“H-howdy Rainbow. Howdy___.” She coughed and put her hat back on.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, you don’t look so good.”

“Ah don’t?”

“I mean, you’ve looked better.”

“Gee, thanks Dashie!” She threw a leash to the tomboy. “If ya’ll could just walk Winona for me, ah’d appreciate it. Poor girl’s been going stir crazy lately.”

Winona pressed her paws on Rainbow’s leg. She whimpered again.

“No problem.” Rainbow Dash saluted AJ. “If you want, Newbie could walk Winona and I could help you with-”

“Ah tolds ya’s a hundred times…ah don’t needs your help with nuthing but walkin’ mah dog!” Her accent flared up as she got angrier.

Applejack stumbled inside, forgetting to close to door. Rainbow rolled her eyes and closed it for her.

“She’s gonna pass out at this rate.” Dash said, then chuckled.“Timber, falling tree. Haha.”

“She looks terrible. I’ve never seen her like that before.”

You should have seen her in sophomore year when she had braces.”

“Applejack had braces?”

“Ah can still hears ya!” Applejack shouted through her window.