An Academy Record
By: Darksonickiller
She didn't hear Soarin as he spoke to her. Her mind kept replaying the accident.
She should have stopped the Dizzitron runs the second she noticed that it was turning sluggishly, but she figured it was fine. She ignored her sense that something was wrong, and because of it, a pony lost her life.
She looked at the stallion sitting in front of her before opening her desk, pulling out a well-aged bottle of cider, pulling the cork off and taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage.
“That’s not gonna help anything.” Soarin’s statement was flat, a disapproving shake of his head evidence of his stance as he stepped closer.
“Not gonna hurt anything either,” she snapped back, taking another swig. Soarin growled and ripped the bottle from of her mouth and dropped it, the fragile glass shattering as the liquid stained the wood floor. “You owe me 30 bits,” she sneered.
“Dammit Spitfire! A pony died! We need to follow protocol, and as captain you need to send a message to her folks and the princesses, not sit here and get trashed!” he shouted, slamming his hoof on the desk to reiterate his point.
In response, Spitfire let out a mix between a manic laugh and a heart-wrenching sob. “I killed her, Soarin. No matter what happens next... I’ll be the pony that killed an Element of Harmony.” She opened her desk again, this time removing a picture of her with Rainbow Dash that had been found among the young pegasus’s belongings. “Remember the Best Young Fliers competition? The kid was so happy just to hang out with us, she played off saving our lives like it was nothing. Then we pulled all those dumb pranks in Cloudsdale, I never thought Rich Breeze could turn so red.” Tears began to fall on the picture as she sniffed. “I was hoping we could have had more fun.” She let out a strangled sob. “Just... more time. That’s all I want.”
Soarin walked next to Spitfire, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “I remember the gala. She was trying so hard to impress us. You remember Rich’s tirade when you told him you wanted her to join us after? ‘That mare caused thousands in damages... and you want her to be a Wonderbolt?!’” Soarin’s impersonation made the two laugh.
Spitfire set the picture down. “I really thought he was gonna have a heart attack or something. And then Princess Celestia came over and agreed with us.” This caused another bout of giggling.
“I thought Rich’s muzzle would hit the ground with how far it fell,” Spitfire agreed, giving another sniffle before her smile fell from her face. “I bet he’s gonna try to get me with a dishonorable discharge. I mean, he’s got the perfect excuse to get rid of me now.” She sighed. “I know I deserve a lot more than that.”
Soarin held onto his friend as she wept, crying into his shoulder as she thought about the tragedy.
Spitfire stood with the group of recruits at the Dizzitron. At first, the machine was working fine, although it seemed to be spinning up slowly. However, as more ponies used the machine, its condition got worse, especially after that pegasus Bulk Biceps tried it. Spitfire wanted to try one more pony before giving the machine to the maintenance ponies to fix whatever the problem was. The machine began to creak with its last turn as Lightning Dust spun at max speed. She was then ejected into the air, better than the others before her she fixed herself in the air and landed with a wide grin.
“All right cadets, that’s all for today. Tomorrow we’ll finish with the rest of you then head to the race track.” Many of the ponies let out a sigh of relief while one pony, most identifiably Rainbow Dash, stepped forward.
“WHAT! But I’m supposed to be next!” she yelled, glaring at Lightning Dust, whose grin seemed far more taunting than good-natured.
“Dash, we need to make sure the machine is safe-” Spitfire began.
“It was safe enough for Lightning Dust! If she can do it, so can I, ma’am!” Dash stated with a salute. Spitfire kept her stone-faced facade well as she grinned internally.
“All right, cadet, since you can’t wait till tomorrow to make a foal of yourself, hop in. Remember, though—if something goes wrong, keep a hold on tight to the hoof bar. Understand?”
“Yes ma’am!” Dash said as she got in the spinning machine. “Let’s do this!” she shouted as the wheel began. The machine turned twice, the efforts of the machine smooth and efficient. On the third rotation, a loud groan came from the gears, followed by the sound of a metallic snap. Rainbow Dash, looking confused, soon had her face blurred as she began to spin faster and faster. Spitfire looked to the mechanics, shock evident as her mind scrambled for a solution.
“DO SOMETHING!” she shouted. The mechanics were freed from their shock and ran to the controls.
“DASH, HOLD ON JUST-” What happened next seemed so unreal. It was like time slowed down as Rainbow Dash made the last turn. She watched helplessly as Dash’s grip slipped. She didn’t hear it, but she saw Dash’s mouth form the words.
“Help me.”
Just like that, time returned to its normal speed, a sickening crunch stopping the panicked movement of the other ponies.
No pony moved. They hadn’t even noticed the wheel had stopped, pointing downward. All eyes were on the pegasus on the ground as a red ring began to form.
Moments passed in silence before the shaky voice of Spitfire called out to the mare lying lifelessly on the ground.
“Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire was met by a crushing silence, bringing her to her haunches. “Rainbow Dash?” She repeated, her throat causing her to choke on the familiar name. Again, nothing but an eerie silence. Spitfire stole herself as she called out. “Medic! We need a medic now! HURRY, DAMN IT!” She turned to the shocked ponies, her body trembling. “Cadets, get to the locker room until further notice! Everypony else,” her gaze swept over the Dizzitron technicians, “Go. It better be to pack your bags and leave.” The group quickly darted away as pegasi dressed in white appeared. After the last pony had vanished, Spitfire sat still for several long moments. Her eyes were glued to the crumpled body of the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash’s limbs were sprawled out at unnatural angles. Her wings seemed to have been stuck into a dragon’s mouth, chewed on thoroughly, then spat back out in a ball of blood and feathers. Her back was arched backwards, her tail falling to the side of her face, where several teeth had fallen out of her mouth to the pavement, her nose seemed to have been smushed back into her face, and her eyes fluttered as she tried to open them.
The paramedic ponies rushed over to Rainbow Dash and immediately started to assess the situation, turning the broken pegasus over on her back and making sure her head remained still. The process revealed a huge patch of red that covered most of the right side of her head.
Spitfire quickly rushed over to join the paramedics as they continued to work on Rainbow Dash. One paramedic began chest compressions while another one examined her head and neck. After several long and suspenseful moments, both paramedics stopped what they were doing, leaving Spitfire confused.
“What the hay are you doing!” she screamed, livid. “Can’t you see she needs help!”
“Ma’am,” one of the paramedics said. “Her neck is broken in two. I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do for her.”
Spitfire threw her sunglasses to the ground, causing them to shatter upon impact. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her brain refused to comprehend it. “This is my fault...” she said out loud.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The other paramedic sounded almost apologetic, as if she could have done something more and had forgotten to, as she covered Dash’s body with a white sheet.
All Spitfire could do was walk way with her head hung low. “This is my fault.” She couldn’t believe it as she looked at the covered body. Rainbow Dash, the Best Young Flier... the Element of Loyalty... her friend. She was dead the moment her head hit the ground.
Spitfire had left with the medical ponies and Soarin had filled her in later on the rest of what had happened. The group that had come with Rainbow Dash was devastated. Soarin felt for them; she was their friend and neighbor, and now her happy, smiling face would no longer be there to reassure them in doubt, or laugh at a poorly delivered joke, or stand with them to the ends of the earth, as they were certain she would have done for them.
Now, he found himself in the present, holding his oldest friend as she blamed herself for the accident.
“Spitfire, this is serious. I know that, so don’t take this the wrong way. Do you remember when we were in the Academy? How many friends we almost lost in the gorge! I’m trying to say what happened to Dash was big and it is bad, but after we took over the Academy she’s the only pony that’s died.”
Spitfire looked at Soarin. “What are you trying to say?” she asked with some indigence.
“That you’re a lot better than most of the other captains before you when it comes to the safety of the Academy’s cadets.”
Spitfire placed her hooves on the table, clearing everything away with one smooth motion. “Was I thinking of Rainbow Dash’s safety when I let her go? I should have just told her to wait till tomorrow, but I didn’t. And now...” she stopped, the words choking her throat, forcing her to stop. She picked up a chair and threw it against the wall, then kicked her desk over.
“You and I both know that Dash wouldn’t have waited,” Soarin said, trying to calm her. “She was more hard-headed than a buffalo. You'd have had a better chance making Discord the god of order than changing her mind.” Spitfire laughed halfheartedly. “Listen, you send the rest of them home until we get the okay to bring them back. I’ll send the letters out.”
Spitfire nodded her head in agreement. She walked outside, performing her duties and pretending she wasn’t on the verge of collapse. Soarin picked up the desk, placing some papers on its surface. He had letters to write.
Spitfire began the trek from the her office to the locker room, glancing at the wheel and where the body had been. A part of a rainbow tail could be noticed by somepony knowing what to look for, while the wheel remained pointing down and smoking slightly. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and continued making her way to the larger building. She opened the door to a somber scene. Thunderlane sat on the bench with his head down while Raindrops wept with Cloud Chaser and Sunblossom. Tailspin sat with Bulk Biceps and Lightning Dust. What she heard him say shocked her. “It wasn’t either of your faults. It was just a crazy, unfortunate accident.”
Bulk Biceps shook his head. “If I wasn’t so fit, my muscles wouldn’t have broken the wheel thing!” he yelled, a tear falling from his eye.
Lightning Dust sighed as her eyes looked to the empty side of the room. “I shouldn’t have thought she could reach my level.” Spitfire was about to shout at the pony when a hoof knocked the cocky pegasus on her haunches. Thunderlane hovered before her, a sneer on his face as swollen eyes delivered a stare that would rival Fluttershy’s.
“Rainbow Dash was leagues better then you could ever hope to be.”
“Oh, really? Then how come I’m still alive?” Lightning Dust retorted. She soon found herself slammed into a locker by Spitfire herself.
“Shut. Your. Mouth.” The fires of Tartarus glowed in her eyes to match the hate she currently felt for the mare. She let Lightning Dust fall to the floor and turned to the others. “Effective immediately, all of you are to return to your respective homes. We will call you when we have reopened the Academy.” She looked back to the frightened pony. “Though some of you shouldn’t hold your breath.” She then left the group alone, a new charge to add to her growing criminal list. She left to return to her office when a voice caught her ear.
“Yoohoo!~ Excuse me darling.” Spitfire turned to the voice, her blood turned cold as Rainbow’s friends were walking to her from a hot air balloon that must have just landed. “We’re looking for a friend of ours, would you please tell us where we may find Rainbow Dash? We are here to give her a care package.”
Spitfire now wished she hadn’t broke her sunglasses. She couldn’t keep her emotions hidden away so easily.
Reapplying her stone-faced facade, she cleared her throat. “Would you all please come with me?”
“Is something wrong?” the other unicorn asked. Spitfire remembered seeing her with the Princess during the gala though hadn’t been able to speak with her.
“Just, please follow me.” Spitfire then led the mares to her office, keeping them unaware of their friend’s body laying only about a hundred yards away.
She opened the door to Soarin hoofing a letter to a mailpony. Much of the mess Spitfire had made had been cleaned. His smile faded when he noticed the others.
“Whad’ Rainbow do this time?” the orange earth pony asked as she and the others sat on their haunches.
“There-” Spitfire’s voice broke as she struggled to force the words out of her mouth without breaking down. “There was an accident.”
Three of Dash’s friends seemed confused. The yellow pegasus was crying, her hooves covering her mouth while the pink pony just began laughing.
“Do you think Dashie is missing? She’s just under that white tarp with the tape around it.” Spitfire’s heart sank as Rainbow Dash’s friend believed she was merely hiding. The others looked horrified at the pink mare’s words, fully understanding what she did not.
“W-what did you say, Pinkie?” the purple unicorn stammered.
“No, no, no. Pinkie Pie, dear, you must be mistaken,” the white mare said. She was looking around the room and noticed the rug bearing indentions as if the desk was moved. On the left was a small shine of glass that must have been missed, a stain of liquid resting underneath.
“Miss Spitfire, where is Rainbow Dash?” the orange earth pony questioned, her eyes filled with fear. The yellow pegasus either said something quietly or mumbled. Spitfire took a deep breath, as if saying it in one breath would somehow help by making what she had to say easier.
“There was an accident with one of the machines outside, it-” Spitfire paused, a hiccup escaping her throat. She forced herself to tell them everything. As she gave them more details, each mare began to cry until all six were in tears. “It’s my fault!” she shouted, hugging herself as her body was racked with shuddering. “If I had just told her to wait... if I had just let the maintenance ponies check the stupid thing before I let her go.... ” Spitfire’s head fell to her desk, her anguished cries etching themselves into the other ponies’ hearts.
Weeks later, Spitfire and Soarin sat with many other ponies. The weather pegasi had made it clear with a few clouds for cover, just how Dash would have wanted it. An orange pegasus filly walked up to the podium and introduced herself as Scootaloo, then gave her prepared speech.
“Rainbow Dash was the greatest. She was always fun to be around. You just felt special around her because you knew even if it didn’t look like it, you had all of her attention. If she found you when you were at your lowest, she always tried to raise you up.” She looked to the open casket, walking over to it slowly. She placed her most treasured item, her trusty scooter, beside her idol and kissed the still form on the cheek before stepping down.
The next pony to speak was Fluttershy. Spitfire had taken the time to get to know Rainbow’s five closest friends. The timid mare seemed considerably more distressed than usual, needing encouragement from her friends to approach the podium. She opened her mouth, first letting out a squeak of sadness, than words began to form.
“Rainbow Dash... grew up with me... she always stood up for me. She never let ponies walk all over me. She was my best and closest friend. I try not to think about her... but I always do. I miss her, more than I ever thought I could miss anypony.”
With that, she walked abruptly off the stage, tears streaming down her cheeks as her friends embraced her and thanked her for speaking.
“I always thought I was a better flier.” All eyes quickly turned toward the podium once more, where Lightning Dust stood. Immediately, everypony who recognized her was on edge. Spitfire half-rose out of her chair, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice, as did nearly everypony from the Academy.
Lightning Dust continued, oblivious of the hostilities in the crowd. “I thought, if I could prove myself to somepony, then maybe I could be more than who I am. I’m not. I’ve always had an ego. I’ve always thought I was the best.
“Rainbow Dash... wasn’t afraid to say she was the best, but she wasn’t stupid. I was. If anypony should have been flung from the Dizzitron like she did, it should have been me. I deserve it.” She tried to fight back the tears creeping out of her eyes, to no avail.
“I’m weak, and she was strong. I shouldn’t be here now. I don’t deserve to talk at her funeral. I don’t deserve anything. I wish I could switch places with her. It’s what would be fair.” She sniffed mournfully, her words spent as she returned to her seat.
More ponies walked up to speak about their times with Rainbow. Some, Spitfire recognized as the cadets at the Academy; others, she had never seen before. All the good times they shared, all the items placed with her inside the casket, put another weight on Spitfire’s conscience.
Spitfire believed for a moment that the ceremony was now over, that all the speaking had been done... then she realized there was one pony who hadn’t spoken yet. She acknowledged the expectant glances of the ponies and walked to the podium.
“Rainbow Dash....” She struggled, her breathing becoming labored. “She had what it takes to be a true Wonderbolt. Just hearing the stories from those closest to her, I know it now far more than ever. She saved my life, not just when she helped save the world, but also personally. But when she needed somepony to save her... all I could do was scream for her to hold on.”
Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash. She seemed so peaceful, almost like she was just napping. “As of this moment, I want everypony to know that Rainbow Dash achieved her goal long ago of becoming a Wonderbolt, and her name joins those of Wonderbolts before.” She left to a solemn silence. Nopony thinks you made a good speech at a funeral, anyway.
A year had passed since Dash was buried. Spitfire moved anything related to a spare room so as not to be reminded of her mistake. She sat at her hoof table, drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. She was interrupted by a knock at the door. She opened it to find her old friends, Soarin and Fleetfoot.
“Hey Spitfire.” Soarin smiled, walking in. Fleetfoot said nothing, but offered a smile as she followed.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, leaning back and setting down her paper. Soarin went in the kitchen to fix him and Fleetfoot something to drink while Fleetfoot spoke.
“Spitfire, I’m gonna be straight with you. We NEEDyou to come back, we need to reopen the academy.”
Spitfire calmly put her cup down as she looked the mare dead in the eye. “Fleet, you better change the subject, because nothing you can say will change my mind.”
“But Spitfire, nothing is the same without you. Let’s face it: Soarin and I are just treated like jokes. Please, Spitfire, we need you to come back to the Academy.” Fleetfoot tried to look her old friend in the eyes; however, Spitfire kept them closed to hide her thoughts.
“I guess....” She rubbed her eyes.
“This wasn’t the best day to come, being the anniversary and all,” Soarin stated as he placed a cup before Fleetfoot. “How do you think it would be, though? If the roles were reversed? What would be happening right now if you had died, and Rainbow Dash had lived?”
Spitfire opened her eyes as tears fell freely. “I don’t have the right to honor her memory, Soarin.”
“If you don’t... who does?” Soarin’s words hung in the air, increasing the tension with every passing second of silence.
Finally, unable to bear it no longer, Spitfire stood up and walked down the hall. “When you're done with your drinks, you can see yourselves out.” She then walked away from them, a door slamming echoing in the silence.
That night, Spitfire sat alone in a room, surrounded by memories.
There was no Rainbow Dash. Not anymore. She was gone, lost like so many cadets had lost their lives before she took over. Spitfire felt like she hadn’t made a difference. Nothing had changed.
What was going back going to do for her? She still performed at the Wonderbolts shows. She still kept herself in peak flying condition. She still had to fight the urge every day to retire. Maybe she could have found peace teaching at the Wonderbolts Academy when the orange in her mane was replaced by gray. There was no solace at the Academy for her now, though.
What would Rainbow Dash think of her if she could see her now? A quitter, probably. A washed-up athletic superstar, so consumed by her own depression that she could barely even lift a hoof to help herself. She would be right about all of it.
Did she want Rainbow Dash to be right about it?
She saw the picture that she’d found in Rainbow Dash’s locker, the one of her at the Best Young Flyers Competition. The stains from her tears that day would never leave, her own face smudged as she attempted to remember a time when her memories didn’t cause her so much pain.
This was a pegasus with ambition in the photo. A young mare doing everything that she could to make something of herself. She wanted to stand out, to have ponies notice her and say, “Wow, she is amazing!”
And she was.
She always had been. It just seemed wrong that she only became a Wonderbolt when it was too late for her to know about it.
A sour smile adorned Spitfire’s face as she imagined Rainbow Dash being told she would be a Wonderbolt. Her eyes lighting up, a cute smile spreading its way across her face as she, for lack of tact, would just repeat, “Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh!” She was still a young filly, and a rookie as far as Wonderbolts are concerned, but she had more potential in her left wing than the entire rest of the group combined.
A wing that would never feel the air lifting it anymore. A mane that would no longer blow in the breeze. A brash attitude that would no longer give her friends their endearing smiles.
And who was she to say that she deserved to teach more cadets? She’d killed one of them, after all... the best one, both in performance and promise. She was a natural leader.
If there’s one thing that teaching at the Academy had done for Spitfire, it was that not everypony is perfect. Rainbow Dash was as close as she’d ever seen to that perfection, but even she was just a pony. And her life ended, just like any other pony’s eventually would.
Was it Spitfire’s fault? Was it really? She knew in her heart that she could never admit it wasn’t. Rainbow Dash was truly somepony special, but now that she was gone, life had still gone on.
Her friends were still making their way through the world without her. Spitfire hadn’t checked up on them lately, but about a month ago, she saw the five of them in the newspaper for some award or another. They hadn’t let their friend’s death end their lives as well.
Spitfire hadn’t let it end her life, either. She was still a Wonderbolt. Why did they still need her to teach at the damned Academy?
She knew why. Nopony could whip ponies into shape like her. Nopony else had seen the best and the worst that Equestria had to offer to the skies like she had. She had an eagle eye for talent and the knowledge of how to draw that talent out of a promising pegasus. She was the best-suited for the position.
Rainbow Dash’s ghost would always haunt her... but maybe that was a good thing. She’d always be there to remind Spitfire that not everypony is perfect. Not even Dash herself. Or Spitfire, for that matter.
Could she face all those bright young recruits with the same drive and ambition that she once held for a pony whose life had been lost in just a few brief moments of poor decisions?
Well, she was about to find out.
“All right everypony, line up!” Soarin called to the new batch of cadets. None of them acted like they heard him or even seemed to care. Fleetfoot looked helplessly to Soarin as the cadets snickered and made jokes at their expense.
“You were told to line up, now get your flanks moving!” a voice shouted authoritatively behind the two, the cadets tripping over themselves to rush into position. Spitfire walked past her fellow Wonderbolts, inspecting each of the ponies. “You sorry excuses for fliers were given the chance of a lifetime, and here you are, making complete and total foals of yourselves! Well, we have you ponies for four more weeks... That means for four weeks I’m gonna fly your miserable plots ragged until we can make something out of a few of you!” Spitfire led the group to the Rainbow-tron, the newly renamed and now much safer Dizzitron, its old green and purple color scheme replaced with a new rainbow color scheme in honor of the mare who lost her life to the machine.
“Now, whose sorry flank is first to ride the Rainbow-tron!” she shouted. The first pony was a smart-mouthed stallion whose periwinkle flank couldn’t handle all he said he could, landing on three other ponies. The second the machine stopped, Spitfire had a crew of mechanic ponies working on it.
While the Rainbow-tron was being inspected, Fleetfoot and Soarin came up to Spitfire. “Glad to have you back, boss,” Fleetfoot said, hugging the other mare with a smile.
“Not gonna lie, I thought we were gonna have to drag you kicking and screaming.” Soarin joked, bumping his flank playfully against Spitfire’s.
“Well, when I heard how hopeless you two were without me, I cut my vacation short and came back.” She then smacked the two upside the head, both looking at her shocked. “If either of you ever spoil them like that again I’ll kick your flanks all the way back to Flight School!”
Both ponies let out a nervous laugh. “We’re glad we brought her back, right?” Fleetfoot whispered, looking desperately to Soarin.
“I hope so,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head as Spitfire ordered another pony to get in the machine. That day, six ponies limped back to the barracks, the other four getting a cab to return home.
The six remaining ponies became stronger and faster fliers than they were. Before she knew it, there were only two weeks left of training. She stood at the window of her office, watching as the last two ponies finished their last laps around the island.
“Here’s to your return, Spit,” Soarin said, handing her a glass of the new cider he bought her.
“I hear that! Three cheers for the flank buster!” Fleetfoot said, slightly tipsy.
Spitfire laughed as she took the glass. “You know, I realized something,” she began, Soarin looking with a smile as Fleetfoot’s mouth hung slightly open. “The fastest record for a pony becoming a Wonderbolt was a year.” She then looked to the framed image of Rainbow Dash, tipping her glass respectfully. “Yet Rainbow Dash pulled it off in just two weeks. Now that, is an academy record.”
Author's Note
Special thanks to Joshwolf999 and Scootareader for all there help with this!
