The Trials of Rainbow Dash

Rainbow grimaced as she touched down on the freezing snow coating the streets of Ponyville. Her public apology had been today in Canterlot, and she was mentally and physically exhausted from her journey. Despite this, she had errands to run in Ponyville, so she couldn’t go home just yet.

The snow crunched beneath her hooves as she made her way to Daisy’s flower shop to pick up a watering can. She stopped by Quill & Sofa for some ink before setting off for home. This time, she flew over the streets of Ponyville. Rainbow hesitated as she passed over Sugar Cube Corners.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t talked to her friends in awhile. She had met them at the small bakery after the trial, but since then she’d been avoiding them. She had even flown to Canterlot in freezing winter weather just to avoid a possible train ride with them. They had come to her public apology earlier that day. She had seen them in the crowd from the podium they had erected for the occasion. While it had seemed that the apology had been mostly accepted, she had seen the grim faces of those in the crowd who were not quite satisfied with her apology speech. How can I blame them? It probably sucked anyway. She hovered over the bakery and sighed. Twilight had, of course, offered to help Rainbow Dash, but she had refused the help and holed herself up in her house for days working on it. Her friends had come to visit multiple times, but she had made up some excuse not to let them in every single visit.

She landed near the bakery window and looked inside. The girls were all talking inside; without her. She sighed again. Of course without you, Rainbow. Why would they want some pony who can't be trusted around? The thoughts struck a sour chord, and she found that her eyes were watering. Rainbow shook her head back and forth vigorously. Stop that! No crying. Still too cool for that Rainbow. She looked up and watched her five friends talking again. If your definition of cool is sitting alone on a cold night wishing you deserved good friends.

Rainbow shook the thought off and focused on watching her friends' conversation. She cocked her head as she noticed that the conversation didn't seem to be an enjoyable one. Her friends' faces were grim, and everyone seemed tense. What could they be talking about that's so serious? Rainbow squinted and saw, to her surprise, that Pinkie's hair was almost completely deflated.

Ok, now I have to know what's going on. She searched for a way inside the building and saw Pinkie's window on the second floor. Before she could lift off, her conscious stopped her. Rainbow, this is crazy. You can't just go breaking into Pinkie Pie's room! Look, they're your friends. Just go in the door and ask them what's going on. She looked back in the window. She grimaced, and started to fly up to the window. No, if they wanted me to know, they would have told me. She hovered in front of the window and pried it open with her front hooves. Time to take matters into my own hands.

Once inside, Rainbow Dash quietly closed the window and crept silently through Pinkie's room. She carefully avoided a board game on the ground as she stealthily made her way out of the room and to the staircase. Careful, to stay out of sight, Rainbow listened to the conversation.

"You're sure she wasn't home?" Applejack asked, a worried note in her voice.

"Yes, I'm sure." Fluttershy responded. " I even had some of my bird friends check around the back of the house. No one's there."

Who are they talking about? Rainbow leaned forward, eager to hear more of the conversation.

"You-you don't think she's already heard do you?" Pinkie asked. Her tone worried Rainbow Dash. It didn't even sound like Pinkie Pie.

"I hope not, sugar cube. there's no telling what that crazy pegasus will do if she finds out what's happening in Cloudsdale."

Rainbow Dash froze. What's happening in Cloudsdale? She had figured out by this point that the five ponies were talking about her. Why are they afraid of me knowing?

"We have to be the ones to tell her, girls." Twilight said. "She'll be devastated. She'll need us."

"The poor dear is already devastated." Rarity exclaimed in her normal dramatic fashion.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. I'm not devastated. A pang of guilt returned to her as she thought of her irresponsible behavior in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. Shame filled her. You're in denial. Rainbow's conscious stubbornly chastised her. You're ashamed, and you should be too after what you've done. The thought made Rainbow's mood go sour, but once again, she shook it off and listened to her friends talking.

"But is it even her fault at all?" Fluttershy questioned.

"There's no way to know, Fluttershy. It was a major equipment malfunction. A chain reaction of them, in fact. It was all just repaired, and there is no way to know whether some unfixed damage of Rainbow's doing had any affect."

Rainbow Dash had heard enough. The pegasus slowly turned and crept back into Pinkie's room. She turned toward the window, but in her haste, she stepped on the board game pieces and fell with a loud thud.

"What was that?" She heard Pinkie's voice echo from downstairs.

Rainbow got up and bolted toward the window, shaking her head to knock out a couple game pieces that had gotten stuck in her short mane. She pried the window open and dived out head first into a snowbank underneath it. She shook off the snow quickly and took to the air, flying as fast as she

The five mares raced up the stairs in Sugar Cube Corners. They all burst into Pinkie's room, ready to face whoever had broken in.

"Hey!' Pinkie yelled. "My board game that I was playing with Gummy!" She looked distraught at the sight of the ruined game, exclaiming, "I was winning!"

The pieces were scattered all across the floor. A few cards were being blown around by the wind coming through the only window in the room, which had been pried wide open. One piece in particular caught Twilight's eye. Her horn glowed as she used her magic to lift and investigate the game piece. She gasped as a very familiar lock of rainbow colored mane met her eyes.

"Girls..." she said despairingly, wide eyed as she turned to show them her discovery.

"SPIKE!"

The small dragon jumped at Rainbow's startling scream. Recognizing the voice, he jumped to his feet an ran through the doors of his bedroom. He spotted the cyan mare in the conference room containing the Cutie Map.

"Rainbow Dash!" he called excitedly, racing toward her. "Thank goodness! Everyone's been worried! The girls were looking for you. Did they tell-"

Spike stopped short. Rainbow was clearly not in a good mood. She was stamping her front hooves, and there was an angry glint in her eyes. The dragon backed away cautiously.

"Rainbow Dash, are you-"

"Spike, what happened in Cloudsdale?" Rainbow cut him off curtly. Her calm tone scared Spike even more than her angry body language.

"Rainbow, the others should be here to tell you. They didn't want you to be told any other way."

"And why is that?!" Rainbow demanded, her anger running through.

'It-it's something you shouldn't be alone to hear-"

"It was from a letter, right? A letter from Princess Celestia?"

"What?"

"That's how the others found out. Isn't that right, Spike?" The angry pegasus slowly advanced toward the small dragon.

Spike backed up quickly, stammering, "W-w-well I-"

"Answer the question!" Rainbow screamed.

"Yes! Yes, that's how they know, but Rainbow-"

Before he could finish, Rainbow lunged forward and pinned Spike to the ground. She looked him in the eyes menacingly, but Spike could see glints of hurt and confusion as well.

"Rainbow, stop!" Spike commanded as he struggled to free himself.

"Where's the letter, Spike?"

"Rainbow, you shouldn't-"

"Tell me where it is!"

"No, Rainbow Dash, you have to calm down. This is-"

"So you won't help me?!" Rainbow exclaimed menacingly. "Fine by me! You want something done right, then do it yourself!"

"Wait, Rainbow!" Spike called frantically. "He scrambled to his feet and pursued the lightning fast pegasus.

She took to the air and proceeded to zoom around the castle as fast as lightning. She checked every room she came upon for the letter. She came to a large locked door near the end of one hallway. Frustrated she turned to face away from the door. Time to kick it like Applejack. She reared up on her front legs and kicked the door with all her might. The door flew open, and Rainbow Dash bolted inside.

Rainbow could tell that this was Twilight's room. Her bed and some salvageable items from the Golden Oak Library decorated the room. Rainbow Dash noticed an open letter resting on a dresser near Twilight's bed. She snatched it up and read it to herself:

My dearest Princess Twilight,

I hate to be a bearer of such bad news, but the city of Cloudsdale is currently in great peril. There has been some great malfunction with the weather equipment. The making of winter weather has gone terribly wrong. The malfunction has caused a chain reaction which has resulted in Cloudsdale becoming the epicenter of an increasing dangerous winter storm vortex. Cloudsdale and the area around it is currently being bombarded by sequential snowstorms, blizzards, hail, and heavy snow. Luckily, no other city was caught up in it's wake, because the situation became critical over a far-off mountain range. However, the citizens of Cloudsdale and the city itself are in great danger. It is impossible for anyone to get through the thick layer of storm clouds and high winds at the edge of the vortex. Wind speed levels are rapidly rising, and if the situation escalates, Cloudsdale could be torn apart.

Cadence and I are going to go ahead to Cloudsdale with some troops to try to rescue the citizens of Cloudsdale before the situation hits critical levels. I would like you and you're friends in Canterlot tomorrow morning by sunrise, for that is when Cadence and I shall depart. We will send word to you on the situation as soon as we see that Luna has risen the moon. Expect to be called into action. I fear this situation will become much worse before it gets better.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

"Rainbow Dash!" Spike called as he finally caught up to the speedy pegasus.

Spike found Rainbow Dash sitting on the ground hunched over a piece of paper. He could just barely see the ribbon for the letter sticking out from behind the cyan mare. Rainbow's back was to the door. Her body lurched slightly with silent sobs.

"Rainbow..?"

The pegasus continued to cry silently, but bitterly, over the parchment. Spike, now deeply concerned, crept toward Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow..? Rainbow, I know it's hard. Please, just listen to me. It isn't your fault."

Spike was now only inches from the crying mare. He reached out his claw to comfort her, but she suddenly got up before he could. Rainbow was airborne in no time at all. She took a lap around the room to pick up speed before zipping past Spike and out of the room at breakneck speed. Spike was knocked over by the sheer force of the air Rainbow displaced. By the time he had hopped to his feet again, Rainbow Dash was long gone from the castle.

"Spike? Spike, where are you?" Twilight called as she and her friends burst into the conference room.

"Here, Twilight!"

Spike slowly walked out of Twilight's bedroom.

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed as she and her other friends raced toward him. "Thank goodness! Spike have you see-"

Twilight cut herself off. Spike seemed utterly defeated. His shoulders were slumped, and tears streamed down his face.

"Oh, Spike." Twilight said as she went up and hugged the baby dragon.

'I'm s-s-sorry, Twilight. I'm s-sorry everyp-pony." Spike said through tears. "I tried to stop her."

"Twilight, look." Fluttershy called.

Twilight looked up to see Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy coming out of her room. Pinkie had a soggy paper in her mouth. she dropped it at Twilight's feet, tears welling in her eyes. Twilight recognized the paper. It was Celestia's letter, now tear stained from its first words to its last. Everypony gathered around the paper, sullen expressions on their faces.

Applejack removed her hat from her head and pressed it to her chest as she gazed at the letter and remorsefully sighed, " Oh, sugar cube..."