The Light Behind the Darkness

As the letter said, I had a month before leaving, and what a month it was. Everyday I was either with one of the girls or all of the girls. I spent some time with some of Ponyville’s residents, since I know everypony in town. I wanted to spend as much time as I could before I left for Cloudsdale since I wouldn’t be seeing them in so long. I would miss everypony and of course Ponyville, it would always be home.

I did various activities with my friends during my last 31 days. Some were normal, some were different than usual, and we did go on a few adventures  when the map summoned us, I hope the map doesn’t need anything from me while I’m away. I also did separate things with my friends. I helped Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres and did had few competitions with her. I talked with Rarity in her boutique, then somehow become a model for her next line. I played pranks with Pinkie. Me and Twilight would talk about the next Daring Do book and what would most likely happen to Daring. I’d help out with Fluttershy and her animals and we would converse while having a leisure flight. I hung out with Scootaloo when she got off from school and gave her flying lessons, which I started after her trying out to carry the Ponyville Flag at the Equestria Games. I would sometimes go to where Tank, my pet tortise, was sleeping and talk to him as if he heard me.

Of course the day came that I had to leave. Thank Celestia, it was the day after Winter Wrap Up, so I got to see before I left. I made sure Fluttershy would take good care of him while I was gone. I wish he didn’t have to hibernate during my last month in Ponyville. “You promise he’ll be okay Fluttershy?”

“He’ll be fine, Dashie,” she reassured me. “What time are you leaving?” she asked while tuning her head towards my direction.

“In about three hours,” I say quietly, looking down at my hooves.

“Okay, I’ll come say goodbye to you with everypony else.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” I look at her and fake a smile, which she returns with a more force one.

I pick up Tank and open the door and leave. Once I close the door, I spread my wings and take flight with Tank in hoof, heading to my cloud home. Upon arrival to my residence, I open the door to be meet with the sound to nothing, just utter silence. I sigh and head to my room as Tank follows, able to keep up with the magical propeller strapped to his shell.

As I walk through the hall to my room, I can only hear my hooves and sound of Tank flying, reminding me how lonely felt. I haven’t even left, yet I already miss everypony. I wonder why I even signed up for the boot camp, being a reserve was just fine, why my friends encourage me to sign up, knowing I would be for who knows how long, why do I have to be separated from the ones I love to complete my life long dream. It’s so confusing.

I stop at my door and open it to let me and Tank in. I sit on my bed and look around, knowing it would be a long time since I would be in here. I look at my tortoise. “Why does it have to be this way?” I blurt out as Tank nuzzles me in comfort, which I return, feeling a little better with him here. “Thanks, Tank.” I hug him.

I get up head to my closet and grab my saddle bag to back up what I need while at the camp. I mostly pack light, even when gone for months. All I back is a few toiletries, some Daring Do books, I picture of my friends, and a jacket. The last object I look for is a locket gave to me by Twilight. She gave all of us one, since we don’t have the Elements of Harmony, Twilight felt we needed something to symbolize our friendship, so she gave each of us a locket similar to our element with a picture of all us on the right side and the caption “Friendship is Magic” on the left side. I think we don’t need anything to show that we are lifelong friends, but when I look at it and where it around my neck, I just can’t but feel at home.

I find it on my desk, and put it on. I look at my mirror to see my reflection with the necklace on. I will never take it off while away from my friends, for I know this will be the closest to them I will be in a long time. With the picture of my friends inside and the similarity of the read lightning bolt jewel I once wore to ward off evil, I feel content with it’s gold chain around my neck.

Looking away from my reflection, I turn my sight to to my saddle bags. That should be all I need, the Wonderbolts should be supplying me and the other cadets with what will need. I then turn my attention to the clock to see an hour has passed since I got home, which means I say goodbye to everypony and leave Ponyville. I decide to head out to see the town one last before I depart, and give Tank some fresh air since he had been sleeping in a hole all winter. I put Tank on a leash, head for the front door, and head out.

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“Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Cake,” I say as I leave Sugarcube Corner and head to home to grab my bags and give away goodbyes.

With Tank in my hooves, we zoom toward the cloud structure. As I get closer to the home, I can see the girls, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I pick up the pace, and holler at them to give away my existence. They see me and wave as I speed up.

As I land, Applejack is the first to greet me, “Where’ve you, sugarcube? We’ve been wait’n for you.”

“I just had to say bye to the Cakes before I left,” I tell her. “Can I grab my saddlebag real quick?” I ask. I receive a nod from AJ, giving me the okay. It takes me a few minutes to grab my bags and double check to see if I have everything and see if my locket is around my neck. In a flash of rainbow, I am back on the ground, ready to exchange good byes with everypony. As I see everyone there I get ready to tell them how much I will them and how I will every single day, but upon looking at them, knowing this is the last time I will see them in such a long time, my throat clenches up, enabling me to speak.

I can feel my stomach get jumbled into a knot. I can feel the tears forming, but I don’t let them fall. We all stare at each other, and the more I see them and their solemn faces, the more the tears build and the tighter the knot gets in my stomach. I jerk my head down and clench my eyes in an effort to stop the flow of the tears, but the harder I try, the more they come. Soon enough the dam breaks and I am balling my eyes out.

My eyes are still closed, but I can still feel the comfort of a group hug. This calms down my crying and now am just stifling softly as the last of the tears fall off my face and down to grass. I finally open my eyes and see everypony smiling weakly at me with tears in their own eyes. I let out a feeble laugh, “Sorry guys.” At these words they just hug tighter, Scootaloo holding the on more than the others, and I can understand why.

They let go, all but Scoots, who is still clenching to me as if I were a last remaining piece of  life. “Hey, Squirts,” I say to her in a calm voice. She looks up, then stuffs her face in chest. I can feel the tears coming from her eyes and she softly whimpers. I hug her tight, forgetting that there are other ponies around. “It’s okay, Scoots. I’m really going to miss you, too.”

She looks up all puffy eyed from crying, “Do you have to go?” she chokes out, and wrap my wings around her to comfort the little filly.

“I wish I didn’t, but in order to become a full fledged Wonderbolt, I have to go,” I say to her.

“I’m really going to miss you, Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo whispers.

“I’m going to miss you, too, Scootaloo. I promise when I come back we will get back to those flying lessons.”

“Okay,” is all she says.

“Hey, Scoots,” I lifting up her head with my hoof, “I love you.”

At this she hugs me tighter and in reply says, “I love you, too.”

We hold each other in an embrace before breaking apart. I smile at her, which she returns and runs off to join her friends. As I watched Scootaloo leave, I turn my attention to the five ponies, all smiling at me with tears forming in their eyes.

I walk up to them return their smiles the best I could. “I’m going to miss you guys so much,” I hug them and another group hug forms.

“We will, too,” they say unison, all while still hugging.

After what felt like hours, we part, “I already Pinkie Promised to Pinkie that I would write everyday, so I need you guys to Pinkie Promise to write a letter to me everyday and send it through Spike so I can get it as soon as possible. They nod and repeat the same motions and phrases I used when I promised to Pinkie. After they finish we hug once more, along with the CMC and Spike, but soon enough, we break the hug, all knowing I need to leave to be there on time. We all say one final goodbye before I spread my wings and take flight in the direction of Cloudsdale, wondering how life would be without those great ponies in my life would be while training at this camp.