Rainbow Rises

by Trinary

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spitfire, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash
Length: 8741

A retelling of the Season 4 episode "Rainbow Falls"

Another way the events of "Rainbow Falls" could've transpired--with two alternate endings for the readers to choose from.

Note: NOT part of Dashverse. This takes place within the show's continuity or Canonverse.

Published 2015-04-02 04:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-02 04:20:02 UTC

Rainbow Rises

RAINBOW RISES

The Equestria Games!

Just thinking about them filled Rainbow Dash with so much energy that she wanted to fly through town cheering. The Games were just amazing. All the sights, all the athletes and the competitions! Twilight Sparkle would probably prefer seeing ponies study stuff and learn, and Applejack would favor farmers at work—but to her, this was how she saw ponies at their best. They put themselves out there through hard work and training, pushing themselves, testing their limits, and exceeding them. They inspired thousands of ponies. Including her.

It was why Rainbow had worked her tail off to be the flag bearer for Cloudsdale back when she was a filly, and why she’d been so heartbroken that Cloudsdale hadn’t been chosen to host the games. Carrying the flag of Cloudsdale in front of the whole city, having everypony know just how hard she worked to get there … it would’ve been perfect. Carrying it in Fillydelphia had been amazing, sure. But still…

She shook her head. That was all in the past. Now she had a chance to qualify to be in the games. To test herself against the best Equestria had to offer. Rainbow sighed. And there was her team: Fluttershy and Derpy Hooves.

Okay, Derpy had been part of the Best Young Flyers competition and Fluttershy had really pulled out all the stops during Tornado duty, but that didn’t make them good enough for the Equestria Games.

That was something that she’d had a lot of time to realize as their training went on.

“Okay ladies, let’s work on our time for the aerial relay!” Rainbow looked to her teammates. “Let’s hit the sky!”

Fluttershy shuffled. “Could we just tap it instead?”

Derpy just smiled, her left eye facing Fluttershy and her other one focused on Rainbow Dash. Slumping slightly in midair, Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, Fluttershy you take the first leg of the relay. Derpy, you have the second. Ready and—GO!”

At her sudden shout, Fluttershy flinched and slowly took to the air. She fluttered slowly upwards. Derpy moved a bit quicker—but that was offset by bumping into Fluttershy, knocking the two into a nearby tree. Derpy’s head popped out of the leaves a moment later. “Oops! My bad!”

Rainbow groaned. “How about we try that again? And this time—” The sound of cart wheels interrupted her.

“Snack break!” Applejack called, hauling a cart of baked apple goods. “Ah got mah goods all ready for Rainbow Falls and the qualifyin’ rounds!”

Derpy practically fell out of the tree and next to the cart. “Do you have any muffins?!” she asked hopefully, her eyes aligning on the cart of goods.

Applejack chuckled as she reached back into the cart. “O’ course! Got plenty of apple muffins, fresh from the stove.”

Derpy cheered as she was given her delicious prize, greedily tearing into her muffins. Fluttershy nodded her agreement as she chose an apple brown betty from the selection. “That does sound good.” Pinkie poured some punch as Rarity neatly set down a blanket on the grass for them to sit on.

Rainbow Dash growled as the rest of her friends soon appeared, having followed Applejack to the field. “AJ! We’re in the middle of practicing!”

“Well, Ah need t’hear some feedback ‘fore we get to the Falls,” Applejack explained. “Need to know what ponies’ll be wanting to snack on after they compete.”

Rarity tsked. “Come come, Rainbow Dash. Surely you can spare a few moments for Applejack’s delightful goods, and for me to get your team’s measurements.”

“Measurements?” Rainbow’s ear flicked as Rarity got out her measuring tape and began examining Fluttershy and Derpy.

“For their uniforms of course. And yours too!” Rarity levitated her tape up to Rainbow, using her magic to tug at Dash’s wing. “I was thinking something saffron. That would make such a bold, yet elegant statement.” Rainbow’s weary sigh spoke volumes.

“Rainbow Dash, relax.” Twilight spoke up as she took a seat on the blanket. “You’ve been practicing for weeks. I’m sure you’ll do fine at the qualifying rounds.”

That prompted a snort from the irate pegasus. “‘Fine’ doesn’t get you into the Equestria Games, much less a shot at winning. Nothing less than ‘awesome’ will do.”

“C’mon Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie cartwheeled around. “You gotta remember to have fun! And we’ll be there to cheer you all the way! Woohoo!”

Fine, fun … right. Rainbow rubbed her face. Sometimes she felt like she and her friends were speaking two completely different languages.

The train ride to Rainbow Falls was a long one. And it wasn’t made any shorter by sitting next to Twilight. “Did you know the Equestria Games were founded almost a thousand years ago as a way to encourage friendship and unity across all of Equestria? The first games were held in Canterlot and had participants from—”

“Yeah, that’s very interesting Twilight,” Rainbow curtly interrupted, watching with a frown as Fluttershy and Derpy were being fussed by her friends. Pinkie showing off a new cheer, Rarity working on a uniform Fluttershy was trying on … nothing that actually prepared any of them for the games themselves, Rainbow noted bitterly.

Even Twilight wasn’t so immersed in her book as to miss her tone. Setting the book aside, she looked at her friend. “Something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Rainbow just stared forlornly at her team. Some team…

Following her gaze, Twilight quickly deduced the problem. “I understand. And I think it was nice of you to be part of the team that doesn't have ... uh ... the strongest flyers.”

Dash gave a faint nod. “Rules‘re rules. Ponies are only supposed to complete in one event.” She rolled her eyes. Of all the dumbest, lamest rules… “Why is that anyway?”

“It had to do with concerns about making sure as many ponies as possible could get involved, and not limiting it to only a small hooffull of athletes who could dominate multiple events.” Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash grunted. “Yeah, well, whatever the reason, most of the other Ponyville pegasi had already signed up for other events and working with a team that wouldn’t qualify without me meant more opportunities for Ponyville to qualify. No point stacking all the best flyers on one team and qualifying for only one event, right?”

“Makes sense,” Twilight nodded, smiling. “Ponyville is lucky to have you.”

“I am pretty awesome.” Rainbow winked back. Although if she was completely honest with herself, she’d admit that working with less talented athletes and still pulling off a win would get her more easily noticed than if her teammates’ skills were more comparable to hers. She was trying to get into the Wonderbolts, after all. I told the Crusaders teamwork is important, but the Wonderbolts don’t recruit teams. They recruit individuals, which means I have to put myself out there and get noticed. So she could go to the games, help Ponyville and help make her dreams come true. It all seemed perfect.

The horseshoe dropped onto the train floor with a clatter. “Oops my bad!”

“Oh no, it’s my fault … I should have made sure you were absolutely, positively 100% sure you were ready to give me the horseshoe.” Fluttershy apologized. “Next time I’ll be sure to go even slower for you.”

Twilight set her book down, “I have to say Fluttershy, I’m really impressed that you decided to join the Ponyville team for the Games.”

Fluttershy bashfully hid her face behind her mane. “Oh, well, I-I’m really nervous about having so many ponies watching me—” she eeped and crouched down in her seat. “But after Tornado Duty, I realized that even the tiniest contribution can make a big difference, and I really wanted to help Rainbow Dash and Ponyville qualify for the Games. I just hope I don't let anypony down.”

Pinkie Pie beamed as she suddenly appeared between Derpy and Fluttershy, hugging them both. “Don’t worry! We're gonna be the best fans anypony has ever seen!”

“Ooh. I can't wait to see what everypony else is wearing, even though I am absolutely sure they won't be better than the Ponyville uniforms I'm designing for the Equestria Games,” Rarity announced proudly.

“And we will make it to the Games once everypony carbo-loads on my apple brown bettys.” Applejack chimed in.

Rainbow Dash managed a smile.

Rainbow Falls certainly lived up to its name, Rainbow Dash noted as she looked around. A small grin crossed her face as she thought about her last visit here, with Scootaloo. Shame they couldn’t have brought her and the other Crusaders with them this time. Scoots would’ve loved seeing all this… She looked out at all the teams, each with their own pavilions, flags and colors. She recognized the pennants for Canterlot, Fillydelphia, Manhattan and a hooffull of others she couldn’t instantly place. That made her think back to her own experience as a flag carrier and an idea began to form. She made a note to try to get back in touch with that Harshwhinny pony.

But Rainbow’s reverie was broken by the most awesome of sights—the Wonderbolts! She instantly recognized Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Soarin’ flying in intricate formation overhead, wowing the onlookers below.

“Whoa!” No matter how many times she saw them fly, or how many feats of her own she had performed, each time Rainbow Dash saw the Wonderbolts in action, it was like she was watching them for the very first time all over again.

The trio ended their flight and landed in front of Rainbow Dash. “Hey, it looks like some real competition just arrived!” Spitfire announced with a grin.

“Now the Game is really on!” Soarin’ winked.

The Wonderbolts … think I’m real competition? Rainbow had to fight hard not to squee and start chanting ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!’

“We’re looking forward to seeing what you bring to the qualifying rounds,” Fleetfoot said, looking back to see ponies in Wonderbolt colored gear setting up equipment and supplies. “We better get back to it. See you later, Dash!”

The casual camaraderie her heroes had just shared with her filled Rainbow with a warm glow. So awesome… “All right team!” She turned back to Fluttershy and Derpy. “Let’s show everypony what Ponyville is made of! Let’s hit the practice field!”

“Yaay Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie cheered, suddenly waving around a pair of pink pom-poms and wearing a rainbow wig. “Go Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Derpy Doo! If you can’t do it—uh…” She trailed off, a satisfactory rhyme not coming to her.

Rarity patted Pinkie on the back. “Don’t worry darling, you can keep working on your delightful cheers as we watch the team practice. I have some ideas for team uniforms and we can coordinate your outfit to match theirs!”

Applejack hitched herself up to her snack cart. “Sounds good t’me! Care for another apple brown betty, Twilight?”

The alicorn groaned and patted her stomach. “I couldn’t possibly have another one!”

The farmer shrugged. “Heh, Ah suppose Ah have made a mite few too many … still, training’s mighty hard work. Sure our team’ll put a dent in the lot!”

Shepherding her team to a spare practice area, Rainbow Dash held up a horseshoe. “All right ladies, you know the drill. In order to qualify we need to be one of the first four teams to cross the finish line! That means we need to fly through the obstacles as fast as possible so you can pass the horseshoe to the next pony in the relay. Derpy, you’ll take the first leg and Fluttershy the next. That’ll leave it to me to finish the race.”

“We’ll do our best, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy smiled softly. “I feel so excited!”

“Yeah Rainbow Dash! Woohoo!” Derpy cheered.

“Okay Derpy, show us what you got!” Rainbow called as the two got into position. With a determined nod, Derpy flapped her wings and took to the air. She had a rather distinctive habit of sidestepping mid-flap. It reminded Dash of the winding, somewhat awkward flying of a bumblebee. Neither a particularly fast nor slow flyer, Derpy made her way through the first ring—before awkwardly bumping into the second, which sent her spiraling backwards to the third, which fell over when her rump bumped into it. The ring pole toppled over, forcing the ponies watching below to scatter in a panic. “Sorry!” Derpy called down.

Rainbow Dash grimaced.

Derpy however was unfazed by the accident and resumed her flight towards Fluttershy … only to suddenly lurch to one side as she was suddenly pelted by a flying brown betty and dropped the horseshoe.

“What the—?” Rainbow Dash gaped.

“Sorry!” Applejack called from below, standing by some sort of catapault-like contraption. “Ah saw the Wonderbolts using a contraption like this and, well…” She nodded to where the Wonderbolts’ attendees launched protein bars and small snacks into the air to be neatly snatched up by the flyers. “Ah guess mah aim was a little off.”

Rainbow grumbled to herself as Derpy fetched the horseshoe. “Okay, the passing of the horseshoe needs to be seamless. You shouldn't miss a wing beat or drop a hair in altitude! And whatever you do, don't let go of it!”

Saluting, Derpy flew over to Fluttershy and thrust the horseshoe forward. Fluttershy squeaked with surprise and covered her face. After a moment she worked up the nerve to unhide herself. “Are you really, really, really sure you're ready? I mean, I don't want to take it if you're not super sure.”

Derpy tilted her head and rubbed her chin. Then she nodded. “Ready!”

“Okay…” Fluttershy reached out—and missed. “I’m so sorry! I went too fast!” The horseshoe fell to the ground, and with it, Rainbow could almost feel her dreams and any chance of qualifying to the Equestria Games following suit.

“Come on!” She threw her hooves up. “That was beyond feeble, team. Do it again!”

From the ground, Twilight called up. “It’s all right Rainbow Dash, just relax!”

Rainbow grumbled but took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Okay, let’s try it again. Fluttershy, Derpy, take your positions.” The two of them returned to their places and Twilight used her magic to right the fallen pole.

Rainbow turned back to her team. “Okay, so let’s try again. This time without any interruptions…” she shot Applejack an annoyed scowl, “and then…wait, where’s the horseshoe?”

“Just a moment!” Rarity called as she held the horseshoe in her magical grip. “I just feel that your team would make a greater impact if I cleaned up and redecorated your little horseshoe here so it coordinated with your uniforms!”

“We were using that!” Rainbow protested in frustration.

Twilight, seeing a potential conflict brewing, stepped in to try to defuse things. “Rainbow, this is something that Rarity cares about and it’ll only take her a moment or two. Maybe your team could take a little break while she works, then you could begin again?”

A vein above Rainbow’s eye began to throb as she saw Fluttershy and Derpy already down on the ground and sampling some of Applejack’s wares. “Fine…” she grumbled as she lowered herself to the ground, but not making her way over to where the others were already eating and chatting. “Whatever…”

Twilight bit her lip and made her way over to Rainbow Dash. “I know this is very important to you,” She put a hoof on her shoulder. “But, I think you should remember what you once told Applejack: it doesn’t matter if you come in first place or fiftieth. You’re still number one in our book. And remember, these are called the Equestrian Games because they’re just that: games. You’re meant to enjoy yourself.”

Rainbow’s ear flicked irritably…but then she sighed. “I don’t know … maybe you’re right.”

Twilight nodded. “If you want your team to do better, maybe you can show them something that always inspired you?”

“I guess we could watch the Wonderbolts practice,” Rainbow thought out loud. “Maybe there’s something we could pick up.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Twilight smiled. Her horn lit up and she levitated over a baked good. “So, how about one of Applejack’s brown bettys?”

Rainbow bit in to it and she had to admit, they were pretty good.

After a brief snack break, Rainbow led her teammates and the rest of the her friends over to where the Wonderbolts were practicing. Everything about the Cloudsdale team screamed ‘organized.’ There were plenty of personal coaches and trainers, staff on standby with fresh food, water and towels, as well as cheerleaders and other onlookers.

Rainbow Dash looked around, spotting Spitfire and another Wonderbolt, Fleetfoot, sitting down. Judging by the towels around their necks and the water they were drinking, they had just completed some intense training. She soon spotted their teammate up in the air, still working on his run.

“Come on Soarin’, pick up the pace!” Spitfire called from the ground. “You can make a pass at the cheerleaders later, after we qualify!”

Soarin’ chuckled good-naturedly as he waved back. “Sure, sure … just watch this!” He put on a sudden burst of speed that carried him through the nearest ring and began angling towards the next one. However, he clipped his wing on the rim as he passed through was sent plummeting down in an out of control tailspin. Rainbow reacted automatically, without conscious thought: a pony—one of her heroes—was in trouble and needed help. Before any other pony could even get off the ground, she had already managed to catch Soarin’ and bring him gently down to the ground.

“Awe-some!” Fleetfoot gaped at the pure speed.

“As good as any Wonderbolt!” Was Spitfire’s comment, a touch of pride for one of her Academy cadets having so impressed her fellow ‘bolt. “Soarin’ you featherhead, you all right?”

Soarin’ grunted as he gently patted the wing he had clipped. “Oww…” He winced. The medics arrived and gently guided him onto a gurney. “Sorry chief.” He apologized. “Hopefully it’s just a minor sprain.”

Spitfire ran a hoof through her mane. “Just—focus on getting better, dunderhead. We’ll sort out this mess with the games later.”

Rainbow Dash barely heard her friends congratulations on her quick save. “What?” She asked Spitfire, zipping forward. “Don’t tell me you’ll have to drop out!”

“Hard to say.” Spitfire sighed. “The rest of the team is busy with other events. And you know the rule…”

“‘A pony can only sign up for one event,’” Rainbow responded dully.

Spitfire rubbed her muzzle. “These sort of events require teamwork and the ability to anticipate your teammates’ next move. That requires a lot of training and preparation few ponies can match. We might be able to find a third … but it isn’t going to look that good, having a really mismatched team of two strong flyers with a weak third.”

“I know, I know…but this is the Equestrian Games! Cloudsdale can’t just drop out of the aerial relay!” Irrational as it was, Rainbow couldn’t help but feel an ache similar to the one she felt all those years ago when Cloudsdale was passed over as host for the Equestria Games.

Fleetfoot tilted her head at Rainbow. “Well, if you feel that strongly about it … you could always fly with us.”

“Become part of your team?” Rainbow goggled. “But, I’m from Ponyville. Can I even do that?”

“You were from Cloudsdale originally, right?” Spitfire asked, catching on quickly. “Well, under the rules you could register as a contestant for either the Ponyville or Cloudsdale teams.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, idly wondering what could possibly have inspired that rule. She thought about asking Twilight about it, then quashed the idea. “That’s uh … something.” She mumbled, things going a bit too fast—even for her. “Can I think it over for a little bit? I’m gonna need to talk to my teams and stuff.”

Spitfire nodded understandingly. “Sure, go ahead. We still have another two days until the qualifying rounds.”

With a grin that felt more than a bit forced, Rainbow Dash headed over to her friends. What am I going to do? The opportunity to fly with her lifelong heroes, to help them out of a jam that nopony else could—dropped into her lap. On any other day this would’ve been nothing short of a dream come true. And it still was. But she also had her obligations to Ponyville, something she had said she would never leave hanging.

Uncomfortable reminders of Discord’s mind-whammy when he first escape cropped up, where he showed her a future where Cloudsdale would crumble if she wasn’t there to save it … and all it cost was compromising who she was and leaving Ponyville—and her friends—in the lurch.

It hadn’t turned out well.

She looked up to see Fluttershy and Derpy—who were trying so hard for her sake—working on passing the horseshoe, with mixed results. And the rest of her friends were there too, all looking so excited to be doing their part.

How could she ruin all that by telling them she was dropping out? But how could she pass up on a chance to fly with her lifelong heroes in front of all of Equestria?

Rainbow Dash had thought she could carry her team to the Equestria Games. But seeing her teammates be scared by Pinkie Pie’s cheering and distracted by Applejack’s apple brown-bettys made her realize just how deep the hole she was in. She facehooved. Hard. What was I thinking?!

She felt more than a little sympathy now for Rarity’s position, way back when she tried to divide her time between Twilight’s birthday and some garden party for the Canterlot elites. But then, Rainbow thought to herself, Rarity wasn’t me. She couldn’t be fast enough to go from one to the other and back again. I can. And hey, just because I can’t compete with both teams, doesn’t mean I can’t train with them both. Maybe something’ll happen between now and the qualifying rounds—Fluttershy or Derpy could decide they don’t want to deal with the pressure of flying in the games, or Soarin’ could be feeling better by then.

And so it went. Rainbow Dash divided her time between the Ponyville and Cloudsdale teams, darting back from one to the other, with neither the wiser to what she was doing. She would go from practice session to practice session, train with the Wonderbolts and then train with her own team. It was a lot more exhausting than she had figured, not to mention awkward when she constantly had to rationalize her sudden appearances and disappearance.

Thus she wasn’t that surprised when, on the second day, Spitfire approached her. “Hey Dash,” she looked up to see Spitfire hovering overhead. “Can we talk?”

From the serious look on her face, Rainbow could very well guess what it was about. Busted, she winced. “S-sure. No prob.”

Spitfire landed and she tensed, expecting an academy-style bawling out. However, Spitfire just walked with Rainbow until they had some privacy and, without any preamble, asked, “You never told your team you were flying with us, did you?”

Sweat beaded Rainbow Dash’s brow and her mouth suddenly became as dry as a desert. “No…” she choked out. “I—I just couldn’t.”

“And you’ve been splitting your time between them and us?” Spitfire asked, which Rainbow could only confirm with a nod. “About what I figured,” she responded evenly. “I guess I should’ve figured this would be hard for you to do. But the Games’ rules are rules, you can’t fly for Ponyville and Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow Dash’s shoulders slumped. “I know, I know … I just thought that maybe if I waited—”

“Something else would make the decision for you?” Spitfire supplied. “I know it’s really hard to have to make a choice like this … but you have to decide just what it is you want to do.”

“But I don’t know what that is!” Rainbow exploded, whirling on her hero. “Flying for my hometown with the Wonderbolts—it’d be a dream come true! But I’d feel like an absolute jerk for abandoning Ponyville and my friends!”

Spitfire weathered the storm without so much as a blink. “Okay, but why? Why would it be so bad if Ponyville didn’t field a team to the aerial relay?”

Rainbow sighed. “Because I promised I’d never leave Ponyville hanging. And my friends came all the way out here and they’ve been trying so hard—not just my teammates, but all my friends. But…”

“But?” Spitfire prodded.

“They just don’t—they aren’t—I don’t know it is. The Wonderbolts have this, this something about them that my friends just can’t match…”

“Professionalism?” Spitfire suggested.

That caused Rainbow Dash to nod vigorously. “Yeah! It’s like, my friends are doing their best but they’re doing it for me…they’re not doing it because the Equestria Games are a big deal. They’d be just as excited if it was the Junior Speedsters charity hoofball game.”

Spitfire sat down. “Rainbow Dash, can I tell you something? You are an outstanding flyer, a great athlete and from what I’ve seen, an all around exceptional pony…” Rainbow Dash felt her eyes’ gleam—praise from one of her heroes! “…But you’re not so special that Ponyville will collapse without you,” Spitfire concluded bluntly, making Rainbow wince. “Your loyalty is extremely admirable but what exactly is your loyalty accomplishing? Even with all your skills, there’s no guarantee that the Ponyville aerial relay team will qualify. If I were a betting mare, I’d say that you probably aren’t going to. And if you fly for Ponyville, Cloudsdale won’t be fielding a strong team either. What sense is there in having neither team in a strong position, and deny yourself the chance to do something that you’ve always dreamed of?”

“I … I don’t know,” Rainbow confessed. “But … I can’t—I can’t decide.” Why was this so difficult? She asked herself. When the Shadowbolts wanted to make me their captain in exchange for ditching my friends, I didn’t have any trouble saying no—and that was the first day I’d ever met the girls! What’s so different?

The difference, Rainbow mused, was that her friends had been counting on her. They needed her then. Here, they kept trying to get her to care less about the Equestria Games. To like Rarity’s awful uniforms or Applejack’s feathering brown bettys even when they kept interfering with practice or were just plain awful. Lousy as it made her feel to think, her friends really didn’t seem to care about what the Equestria Games meant. Even if they don’t really get how big a deal the Games are, that doesn’t mean I can just dump them to go fly with the Wonderbolts. She slumped down. But then I’ll be letting down Cloudsdale and I’d be missing out the chance to fly with the Wonderbolts. No matter how hard she tried to weigh the two against each other and try to pick one or the other, her brain refused to cooperate.

Spitfire stood up. “I can tell you need some time to think. I’ll leave you to it.” She lowered her goggles and took to the air, leaving an agitated and still undecided Rainbow Dash behind.

Twilight Sparkle wasn’t anypony’s fool. She had figured that Rainbow Dash was splitting her time between flying for the Ponyville team and the Wonderbolts. Seeing Fluttershy and Derpy Hooves looking so lost and confused without Rainbow present for practice, made Twilight decide that enough was enough. She had to find Rainbow Dash and—

“Excuse me, Princess Twilight?” Twilight, so enwrapped in thought that she actually let out a surprised yelp, whirled around to see Captain Spitfire had landed besides her. “Sorry about that.”

“No no, no big deal!” Twilight forced herself to grin in an attempt to recover some of her lost dignity. “Can I help you?”

Spitfire raised her goggles up on her head so she could look Twilight in the eyes. “Actually, it’s more about helping your friend.”

“So you know Rainbow Dash is flying for both teams?” Twilight asked. When Spitfire confirmed this, she sighed. “I had figured it was something like that. I was about to go talk to her about it—”

Spitfire forestalled her, holding up a hoof. “I’m afraid I just left her to think things over.”

Twilight hesitated. “You spoke to her already, then?” She fidgeted trying to find a polite way to get across what she was thinking. “That’s … nice of you. Is she going to fly for Cloudsdale?”

“She doesn’t know yet. That’s something I’d actually like to talk to you and the rest of your friends about,” Spitfire responded evenly.

“I can get them,” Twilight shuffled her hooves awkwardly, not wanting to leave just yet.

Spitfire’s ears perked. “There something you wanted to say to me first?”

“Yeah,” Twilight sighed. “I just … I don’t mean to seem rude. It just seems like one of the teams Rainbow’s practicing with needs more help than the other one.”

“Yes and no.” Spitfire shrugged. “It’s true we’re the better flyers, but a weak third could still drag our time down. We both need Rainbow Dash.”

“If Rainbow flies for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for, Rarity's uniforms will never be seen, and Applejack will have slaved over those apple brown bettys for nothing.” Twilight protested.

Spitfire tilted her head. “And you think all of that is more important than Rainbow Dash having the opportunity to do something most ponies only dream of having the chance to do?” She asked incredulously. “With all due respect to your friends’ efforts, there’s nothing you just said that they can’t do at some other time or place. In fact, your friends can still cheer Rainbow on and give her snacks—though frankly hiding those uniforms away would be doing everypony a favor.” She added wryly. Seeing Twilight about to protest further, Spitfire forestalled her by holding up a hoof. “Can you get your friends for a minute? I think we should talk when they’re all here.”

Twilight hesitated, then nodded. “All right. I’ll be right back.” Her horn lit up and she vanished in a magical burst. A few moments later, Twilight was leading the rest of her friends—Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie as well as Fluttershy and Derpy Hooves—back to where Spitfire was waiting.

After briefly filling them in about her offer to Rainbow Dash, and Dash’s indecision, Spitfire watched them for their reactions.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Ah just cain’t believe it … if Dash doesn’t fly with us, then Ponyville won’t be fielding a team for the event.”

“Not to belabor the point,” Spitfire interjected. “But there’s no guarantee that Ponyville will qualify for the event, even if Rainbow Dash flies with you.”

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. “Um, she has a point … but we’re trying our best.”

“I know you are,” Spitfire spared her a small smile, remembering how much Rainbow Dash celebrated Fluttershy’s accomplishments at Tornado Day. “But if I can be blunt, it isn’t going to be the end of the world if Ponyville doesn’t have an aerial relay team at the Equestria Games.”

“Says the pony who’d like Rainbow to fly with her so her team can go.” Rarity commented.

Spitfire’s mouth thinned. “Even so. What does it mean if Ponyville gets into one more event? It’s one more chance to compete and a chance to win a medal. That basically just means bragging rights for your Mayor and something to note in the history books—but for Rainbow Dash and other athletes, it means a lot more than that.” She looked around at the group.

“You’re treating this like this is just a simple game, and yes, that might be what they’re called—but this isn’t a game for the ponies who spend their whole lives training and competing for the chance to be here. This is the culmination of their work, hopes and dreams. And, if I may be frank…” she regarded the group. “You haven’t been treating it like it was anything other than another day.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Applejack stepped forward. “We’ve been workin’ our tails off to support our team!”

Rarity nodded. “I’ve pricked my hoof many a time stitching the seams of their new uniforms and Pinkie’s been practicing her cheers ever so hard!”

“Ponyville! Yay Ponyville!” Pinkie waved her forelegs about.

“Though they might still need some work,” Rarity added parenthetically.

Spitfire rubbed her face. “I’m not saying you aren’t doing your best—but you’re not letting Rainbow Dash do her best. From what I’ve seen, you’re more focused on making this a fun friendship activity for your group than you are letting Rainbow push her team the way it needs to be if it’s going to have any chance of qualifying.”

“Beggin’ your pardon ma’am,” Applejack spoke up. “But y’all don’t know Rainbow Dash the way we do. She gets a mite … wrapped up when it comes to competition ‘n such. The two of us competed in the Running of the Leaves a while back and, well, it became more about the two of us competing than it did anythin’ else. We might a right mess of is, ended up losing too. Hay, remember that one cadet, Lightning Dust? Rainbow Dash told you ‘bout how important it was to not get so hung up on moving forward that you knock other ponies outta yer way.” She tugged on her hat, almost apologetically. “Seems t’me like you’re asking us to get out of her way for her.”

Spitfire rubbed her muzzle. “You make a good point—but you’re overlooking something: that isn’t the case here. Rainbow Dash isn’t obsessed with wanting to compete to the point that she stopped caring about her fellow competitors or treating them as simple obstacles to get around. She’s got her head, for the most part, on straight here—and I guess we know who we can thank for that,” she nodded to the group. “But she’s bending the stick too far in the other direction now. Dash is so torn up about the idea of not flying for Ponyville and helping you out that she’s considering dropping out all together and not flying for Ponyville or Cloudsdale.”

At that six mouths dropped open in unison. “What?!”

Twilight recovered first. “But that’s—I’ve never seen Rainbow Dash consider dropping out and quitting!”

Fluttershy agreed. “Even at the Best Young Flyer’s Competition, she was so nervous—but she went ahead anyway.”

“And believe me, I’m grateful she did.” Spitfire mused, rubbing her jaw and shooting Rarity a look, one the unicorn returned with a sheepish smile.

“We have to talk to her,” Twilight determined. “Choosing not to choose isn't really a decision.”

Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight. “Uh, isn’t that what you did when you only had two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala and decided to return them instead of bringing only one of us to the Gala and leaving the rest of us alone in Ponyville?”

Spitfire raised a brow at that. “How’d that get sorted, since I saw you all at the Gala?”

“After I told the Princess I couldn’t choose, I returned the tickets and she sent back six tickets for me and my friends.” Twilight admitted sheepishly.

“I doubt that’s going to work this time.” Rarity commented.

Spitfire took a deep breath. “Look, I know this is hard for you. But I’m asking you to try to see things from Rainbow Dash’s perspective. Have you ever put all your energy and hard work into doing something to the very best of your ability—only to be told that it isn’t a big deal if it’s done right or not? That the most important thing is to have ‘fun,’ as opposed to making sure it’s done correctly?”

The group was silent as they mulled Spitfire’s words. For Rarity it conjured up images of her first, disastrous fashion show for Hoity Toity—with dresses designed by her friends. Applejack thought back to apple cider season, and all the hard work she and her kin put into making the very best cider in all of Equestria. Twilight thought about how upset she was that she wasn’t going to have a friendship report to send to Princess Celestia, and how hurt she was when her friends didn’t appreciate how big a deal it was to her.

Spitfire nodded. “I guess so.” She sighed. “Look, I don’t want to tell you how to feel. But I want you to recognize that the Equestria Games just don’t seem to matter for you the way it does for somepony like Rainbow Dash. She’s the only one whose future is going to be affected by whether or not she flies at the Games,” she nodded to Derpy and Fluttershy. “You’re trying hard, and you should be commended for it, but this isn’t something that important to you, now is it?” Spitfire regarded the others. “You’re here to have fun and be with your friends and show your town pride. And that’s fine—but you can do that anytime, anywhere. The Equestria Games aren’t. With all due respect, even if Rainbow does decide to fly with you, there’s no guarantee you’ll place well enough to qualify for the Games anyway. So I’m asking you, not for Cloudsdale, but for Rainbow Dash—if you’re really her friends, the best thing you could do for her—could be to just let her go.”

Rainbow Dash made her way over to the Ponyville tent, hanging down between her wings like a lead weight. She was just going to muster up the courage to tell them that she’d be dropping out of the Games, unable to choose between Ponyville and Cloudsdale—only to find her friends waiting for her outside.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight waved her hooves. “Down here! We need to talk to you!”

Here we go, she sighed as she landed. “Hey guys. Look, I—”

“We found another flyer!” Twilight blurted out, not giving Rainbow a chance to continue. “You know, Cloud Kicker? Well it turns out that she’s not participating in any of the other events and when we spoke to her about joining the aerial relay, she said she’d love to!”

Rainbow was flummoxed. “Uh, okay … yeah Cloud’s a good flyer. But whose place is she going to take on the team?”

Her friends fidgeted, “Well Rainbow,” Rarity began. “We were thinking that it might be a better use of your talents if you were to, hmm, say participate in another event? Or for another team even?”

“What?”

“Only if you want to!” Fluttershy was quick to add. “We’re certainly not kicking you off the team, you’re a really, really, really great flyer—but the rest of us aren’t. And it’d make a lot more sense if you got to show your real potential.”

Rainbow Dash was gobsmacked. She tried to think of something—anything!—to say, but her mind came up empty. After shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs, she tried again. “I—are you guys sure?”

“We’re sure we want the best for you,” Twilight replied. “You’ve always been there for us, through thick and thin: it’s no wonder the Element of Loyalty chose you. But loyalty goes two ways.” She gave her friend an encouraging smile. “And it’d be wrong of us to keep you from doing what you love, what you’ve always wanted to do.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s ‘xactly right. We’ll always be here for you, ya don’t have to hover over us like a fruit bat looking at mah apple harvest.”

“We want what’ll make you happy,” Rarity insisted. “Friendship means putting other ponies’ needs before your own wants.

“I…” Rainbow Dash felt distinctly uncool tears welling up in her eyes as surged forward and wrapped her wings around as many of her friends as she could manage. “You guys are the best. Friends. EVER!”

It was early morning on the day of the qualifying rounds. Rainbow Dash found Spitfire limbering up for some morning exercises. She decided to join her, “Hey Spitfire. How’s Soarin’ doing?”

“Making eyes at the nurses and begging for outside food. He’s fine.” Spitfire adjusted her goggles. “You ready to fly?”

“You know it.” Rainbow stretched her wings. “I can hardly believe it!”

Spitfire chuckled. “Believe it. You’ve got some great moves…and some really great friends.”

Rainbow blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I spoke to them. Told them about the situation you were in.”

“You did what?” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “You spoke to them behind my back?”

Spitfire frowned. “You weren’t able or willing to make a decision. You were waiting for something to come along and take it out of your hooves. All your friends did was decide to step up and do it for you.”

“But—they never…” Rainbow trailed off as it sank in. They knew the Wonderbolts had asked her to fly for them and that she’d been flying with them already. “They knew? And they still wanted me to fly with you guys?”

“That’s about the size of it.” Spitfire flexed her wings. “You’ve got some really great friends behind you.”

Why didn’t they say anything? The answer came to her a moment later. They didn’t want to make me choose either. They wanted to make it easier on me … even if it meant that they came all the way out here for nothing. Rainbow Dash nodded to herself. That sounded like something her friends would do. The lengths they would go to for her--like coming all the way up to Cloudsdale for the Best Young Flyers competition--always blew her away. She squirmed guiltily as she realized that her friends seemed to be making more of a sacrifice than she was willing to make here. But weren’t they encouraging her to fly to Cloudsdale now? So who should I fly for: Ponyville or Cloudsdale?

Ponyville

PONYVILLE

Rainbow Dash tried to convince herself of what she’d spoken to Spitfire about--that this didn’t matter to her friends the way it did to her. But then she thought of something else. She recalled back when she was a little filly, hearing the news about the Games. Then she pictured Scootaloo in her place, waving a little Ponyville flag--only to have Rainbow Dash flying for Cloudsdale. What would that say, to a filly, about her? That her hometown wasn’t good enough for Rainbow--Scoot’s hero--that she had to fly for another town? One Scootaloo couldn’t even reach on her own?

Spitfire seemed to pick up on Rainbow’s inner turmoil. “Something up, Dash?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow exhaled. “I’m going to fly for Ponyville.”

“What? Why?” Spitfire looked confused. “Your friends are fine with you flying with us.”

Rainbow Dash just nodded “I know they are. They’re awesome like that,” she pushed her goggles up on her forehead. “But it’s about more than that.”

Spitfire adjusted her own goggles to look Rainbow squarely in the eyes. “So you’re not doing this to make your friends happy?”

Dash shook her head. “It’s not that … okay, yeah being with my friends is a big deal to me. It makes everything seem … I don’t know. Flying with you and the Wonderbolts would be awesome. You guys are my heroes--but it’s just another day for you guys. I’d have nopony to share the experience with. My friends would be happy for me, sure, but it’d better if they were happy with me.” She ran a hoof through her mane. “But that’s just part of it. The Equestria Games is the chance to show all of Equestria not just how awesome we are--but a chance to show how great the hometowns that raised us are.”

She looked over, spotting the Ponyville flag fluttering in the breeze. “I love Cloudsdale, and I always will. But Ponyville’s my home now.” She looked back to Spitfire. “Ponyville is the place that brought the most amazing ponies together--earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi. I can’t think of any other place where I would’ve met the best friends a pony could ever have. That’s what makes it special. And after everything Ponyville’s done for me flying for them would be the least I could do to pay them back. I’d get to represent Ponyville and show all of Equestria just how amazing it is. And the only thing that could make that better would be having my friends there to chip in and help.” She regarded Spitfire. “My friends said that part of friendship is putting your friends’ needs ahead of your own wants, and they were right. I can make the most difference flying for Ponyville. You can find another pony to fill my spot and still qualify easy. But Ponyville won’t. I’m needed there. This is what I have to do and what I want to do: celebrate my home and the ponies who got me this far. Because without them … I’d be nothing.”

“But—who’ll fill your spot then?” Spitfire asked, looking around. “The other Wonderbolts are still signed up for other events.”

Rainbow had half an idea forming--which more than she usually had. “Well, seems to me that what you need is another Academy flyer…and I think I know just the one.”

She told Spitfire her idea. The look on Spitfire’s face was incredulous. “Her? Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded with a grin. “I’m sure.”

Rainbow dabbed the sweat from her beaming face, flush with victory. She hugged Fluttershy and Derpy close as they celebrated. “We did it! WOW!” Fluttershy cheered with abandon.

“You did it! You’re going to the Equestria Games!” Rainbow turned just in time to be hugged by Twilight--who was showing her support by wearing a rainbow wig and wearing one of Pinkie’s cheerleading outfits. I have the best friends EVER. Her smile only got wider as Applejack trotted over bearing a cart of apple muffins (for Derpy) and sweet apple cider (for her. All for her).

She watched Pinkie setting up a “Ponyville Qualified for the Equestria Games!” party and Rarity sketching out a few new designs for their uniforms--grateful that Rarity had managed to crash out a better design than the ‘white dress and flowers’ thing she had first came up with.

Rainbow’s happiness reached Sonic Rainboom-levels when she spotted Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Soarin’ (his wing still in a cast) looking her way. Spitfire nodded and the trio gave her a crisp wing salute. She returned it, her heart almost bursting with pride.

“Rainbow Dash?” She then turned around to see the Wonderbolt’s replacement flyer standing awkwardly behind her.

Dash noded slowly. “Hey Lightning Dust.”

The normally brash flyer seemed tentative, almost furtive in talking to her. “I—I just wanted to say thank you,” Lightning rubbed her hooves together. “For talking to Spitfire. I don’t know what else to say—”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Rainbow extended her hoof. “We both got to fly and do what we love to do. And we’ll get to do it again in front of all of Equestria. The important thing to remember is that it isn’t just about us. It’s about being part of something greater: a team, a town…” she looked over to see Fluttershy and Derpy being raised up by the others. “Or a group of friends.”

After a brief hesitation, Lightning nodded and reached out with her own hoof. The two athletes shook, understanding flashing between them.

I used to think that being the Element of Loyalty meant that I had to always be there for my friends. And while that’s a big part of it, it’s more about being true to who you are. I was frustrated that my friends didn’t get how big a deal the Equestria Games are to athletes like me. But I forgot that the Games aren’t just about the athletes either—it’s about the places they came from, the homes they represent and the values they taught us. Flying in the Games wasn’t enough—it was being a representative of the place that made me who I am. Not to brag or to boast, but to share what made Ponyville special. Because if it wasn’t for Ponyville, I wouldn’t have my friends with me and I wouldn’t where I am today.

-Rainbow Dash

THE END

Cloudsdale

CLOUDSDALE

“Maybe I should I fly for Ponyville,” Rainbow mused.

Spitfire regarded her with a frown. “Is that what you want or what you think you’re supposed to want?”

“But—”

Spitfire raised her hoof and cut her off, an edge of her drill sergeant voice creeping in. “No, you need to hear this. They did it for you because that’s loyalty. You think you’re the only pony in Equestria who knows what that is?”

“Well, no but—”

“But nothing. They saw that the only thing really at stake in all of this was your success and your happiness. In the end, they decided that they couldn’t be happy for your team or for Ponyville if you weren’t happy. So the whole thing became pointless for them.” Spitfire tossed her mane. “You can go back and say you want to fly for Ponyville—but if you’re just doing it because you think you have to prove your loyalty again then it won’t mean anything—to them or to you.” She paused to let Rainbow Dash digest this. “I’m not gonna tell you what to do or think any differently of you regardless. But it seems to me that the best thing you can do to show your friends how appreciate of them you are—is to trust them enough to act in your best interest, and wow them by getting your rainbow-colored tail to the Equestria Games.”

Rainbow nodded slowly, a determined look in her eyes.

Spitfire gave her a nudge. “Ready to make them proud, then?”

“Always.” Rainbow Dash readjusted her goggles. “Let’s show them how we fly in Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow dabbed the sweat from her beaming face, flush with victory. Fluttershy sped over almost as soon as she had landed. “You did it! WOW!” Fluttershy cheered with abandon.

“You did it! You’re going to the Equestria Games!” Rainbow turned just in time to be hugged by Twilight--who was showing her support by wearing a rainbow wig and wearing one of Pinkie’s cheerleading outfits. I have the best friends EVER. Her smile only got wider as Applejack trotted over bearing a cart of apple muffins (for Derpy) and sweet apple cider (for her. All for her).

She watched Pinkie setting up a “Rainbow Dash Qualified for the Equestria Games!” party and Rarity was looking over the Cloudsdale team uniforms, offering some critiques.

Rainbow’s happiness reached Sonic Rainboom-levels when she looked over to see Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Soarin’ (his wing still in a cast) looking her way. Spitfire nodded and the trio gave her a crisp wing salute. She returned it, her heart almost bursting with pride. Turning back to her friends, she felt her eyes moistening with liquid pride. “Thanks you guys for … for being so awesome.”

“After all the times you’ve been there for us, this is the least we could do,” Twilight smiled. “It doesn’t matter to us if you fly for Ponyville, Cloudsdale or even the Moon. Just so long as you’re putting your heart into doing what you love, we’ll be there to support you all the way.”

“Congratulations sugarcube. You more than earned this.” Applejack nudged her, pouring a mug of apple cider. “Here’s to you bringing home the gold!”

“Cheers!” The group exclaimed as they tapped their mugs together.

Dear Diary,

I used to think that my friends were the sole embodiment of the Elements of Harmony. I had forgotten that those virtues: magic, honesty, kindness, generosity, laughter and loyalty—mean nothing even they aren’t shared and reciprocated. Just because Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, that doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t loyal. If loyalty isn’t a two-way street, then it just becomes servitude, not friendship. We had become so used to thinking of Rainbow as ‘the loyal one’ that we put her into a position where she felt obligated to do what we wanted her to—regardless of what she really wanted. But friendship means sometimes letting your friends do something on their own--but always being near to cheer them on. If that’s what makes them happy, then it’s what’ll make you happy and make your friendship even stronger.

-Twilight Sparkle

THE END