The orange-haired Pegasus slammed her mug on the counter. “Another!” she barked at the bartender.
The stallion behind the bar sighed. “Spitfire,” he began, “You’ve been drinkin’ all night. Don’t you think you should call it a night?”
Spitfire glared at the bartender, preparing to scream at him. Instead, she sagged her shoulders, the fight vanishing from her. “Just…just pour the damn drink,” she said tiredly.
The stallion shook his head at the Pegasus and turned to get the drink.
Spitfire shut her eyes with a sigh. Memories of the meeting the week before came rushing to her mind:
“This is an absolute disgrace!” yelled the mare, slamming the newspaper down on the desk. The headline read, “Wonderbolt Academy Disaster”.
“Ma’am,” began Spitfire, who was dressed in her Academy uniform, “If I can explain-”
“Quiet!” yelled the other mare. “If I want to hear your excuses, I would ask for them.” She sighed and gestured at the paper. “Do you know what this little incident has done? Ponies trust us to train potential recruits the proper way and let them learn. Your failure has made ponies start to doubt not only how we train potential Wonderbolts, but the character and abilities of the Wonderbolts we have.”
“This wasn’t my failure!” Spitfire burst out. “That cadet broke ranks and caused that tornado! If I had known what she would do, I would have-”
“Stop.” The mare held up her hoof and, almost like magic, Spitfire fell silent. “Spitfire, I know that you would have stopped that mare if you knew. But do you honestly think that matters? That cadet didn’t just put any regular ponies in danger; she put the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony in danger. One of which was the Princess’s own student!” She sighed, looking at the headline again. “In all my years as the owner of the Wonderbolts, I have never seen this big of media frenzy. Every pony with clout wants someone to be punished.”
“The cadet was dismissed,” said Spitfire. “She-”
The owner shook her head. “They don’t care about some nobody cadet. And, to be frank, neither do I. It was your responsibility to make sure nothing went wrong. You were supposed to stop the cadet from going that far.” She sighed. “I don’t want to do this, but I have to. You’re dismissed from the Wonderbolts. Immediately.”
Spitfire’s eyes went wide. There was a long stretch of silence before Spitfire spoke in a shaky voice. “W-what?”
“You heard me.” The owner looked at Spitfire with her cold steel-colored eyes. “You’re done.”
Shock gave way to anger as Spitfire narrowed her eyes at the older mare. “So that’s it?” she asked indignantly. “One mistake and I’m out? Do I have to remind you that my other recruits saved the Bearers? That I’ve led and trained Wonderbolts with no problems for years? That-”
“None of that matters!” yelled the owner. “For Celestia’s sake, Spitfire, think! We’re lucky we managed to convince the Princesses to let us even keep the team itself! We have to be seen doing something!”
Both mares stared at each other for a long time.
Spitfire closed her eyes, refusing to let her tears fall. “This isn’t fair.”
The owner shot a sympathetic look at the former captain. “No. No it isn’t.”
The bartender cleared his throat, making Spitfire open her eyes. A new mug was in front of her, filled full. “Thanks,” she said as she grabbed it.
“This is the last one, Spitfire,” warned the stallion, walking away to help his other customers.
Spitfire grabbed the mug and took a long drink of it.
“Spitfire?” asked a voice.
Spitfire swallowed and looked around. “Hey Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash walked up to the bar and sat next to the other Pegasus. “I haven’t seen you since…well…”
“Yeah…” said Spitfire. She fell silent for a moment, before forcing a smile on her face. “So…how’s the new Captain?”
“Oh, um, Fleetfoot’s okay,” said Rainbow. “She’s really focused on discipline and control.”
Spitfire snorted. “Glad one captain is.” She took another drink.
“Yeah…” said Rainbow slowly. “I mean…it just doesn’t seem as fun as it used to be, you know? She really doesn’t give us any slack. Bulk was sent home today for not keeping up.”
“She always was a perfectionist,” said Spitfire. “But she’s good. She’ll get you ready to be a Wonderbolt in no time.”
Rainbow didn’t respond. She simply stared at the counter like it was the most interesting thing in Equestria.
The bartender walked up. “Can I get you somethin’?” he asked Rainbow.
Rainbow jumped, startled. “Uh…do you have cider?”
“Fresh out.”
Rainbow sighed. “Figures.” She shook her head. “I’m good.”
“Fine,” said the bartender. He looked over at Spitfire. “Almost done?”
“Yeah…just…just give me a few minutes,” she answered.
He grunted and walked away.
Spitfire sighed and asked, “So what’s on your mind, Rainbow?”
Rainbow jumped again. “W-what do you mean?”
Spitfire turned to look at the other Pegasus. “You’ve been trying to work up the nerve to say something, right? What is it?” She grabbed her mug, about to take another drink.
“Well…” began Rainbow Dash. “I…I don’t think I want to be a Wonderbolt anymore.”
Spitfire paused and put her mug back down. “Really? That doesn’t sound like the Rainbow I know.”
“Yeah?” asked Rainbow. “Well the Wonderbolts I thought I knew wouldn’t have cut off one of their own just to save face.”
Spitfire stared at Dash. “…Yeah,” she said sadly, looking back at her mug. “I thought so too.”
Rainbow glared at the counter. “It’s stupid. You couldn’t have known what me and Lightning were going to do. Why should you get the blame for that?”
Spitfire sighed. “You don’t understand. It’s all about showing that no one is exempt from blame. Everyone has to answer for their negligence. Even me.”
“Do you really believe that?” asked Rainbow.
Spitfire didn’t answer. She only finished what remained of her drink.
“Do you know what my Element is?” asked Rainbow. “It’s Loyalty. I know I don’t live up to it sometimes, but I really do value ponies that stick to their friends.” She sighed. “How can I join a team that would abandon one of their own in a heartbeat?”
Spitfire finished her drink. She threw some bits on the counter and stood up. As she was about to walk away, she paused.
“…Maybe that’s why you’re there,” she said. Rainbow Dash turned to look at her. “The Wonderbolts are a team, but sometimes we let our pride or egos get the better of us. They need someone like you…someone that values loyalty and shows that loyalty to those precious to them…they need you to show them that. They need someone like you.” She turned and walked to the bar’s exit. “I know that I did,” she muttered.
Rainbow Dash watched her leave, not saying a word.
