Rainbow Dash, after the terrible performance of changing the routine, walked slowly to Spitfire, covered in white, thin bandages. She was humiliated out there, hundreds of ponies watching her failed attempt of stealing the spotlight. She gulped with her mouth dry from the wind, and stepped forward.
"CRASH!" Spitfire yelled, slightly making Dash flinch.
My name is not crash.
"You changed the routine without consulting me and put other ponies at risk. I've drummed flyers out of the 'Bolts for less."
Rainbow Dash sighed, and hung her head in awful shame. "I know, and I'm ready for whatever punishment you want," she walked up to Spitfire, almost face-to face.
"You guys were right to call me Rainbow Crash. I've always been a standout flyer, but since I joined the Wonderbolts, I've only stood out for making mistakes. It's been my dream my whole life, but...I guess maybe I'm not Wonderbolt material after all."
Spitfire's eyes widened, and she jolted, as if acting surprised.
"Are you serious?! You're the most talented flyer we've ever had!"
Dash was in shock, not believing what she was hearing. "But..." She stuttered.
"Of course you're supposed to be a Wonderbolt," said Spitfire. "We've been waiting for a spot to open up ever since you joined the Reserves!"
"But... you guys all called me Rainbow Crash."
"Yeah, so?" Soarin interrupted. "My nickname's Clipper. You know why they call me that?"
Dash shrugged.
"Because I clipped my wing on a flagpole as I was landing on my first day, heh."
The moment afterward, all the other Wonderbolts revealed their foolish nickname.
"Flatfoot."
"Dizzy."
"Slowpoke."
"Hoof-in-Mouth."
Spitfire trotted toward Dash, now face-to-face, inches away from each other.
"You do NOT wanna know what they call me," Spitfire whispered.
Dash was immediately curious. "Come on," she said. "You can tell me."
Spitfire nodded, and she took her muzzle toward Dash's ear.
"Shitfire."
_______________________________________________
The rest of Dash's friends were waiting outside the stadium, watching Dash emerging out of the bunks a short distance away. When they saw her face, her magenta eyes were watering, and it seemed like she had fallen on the ground.
"GUYS!" Dash yelled. "YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT SPITFIRE TOLD ME! HER NICKNAME WAS-"
Before she could finish the sentence, Spitfire coincidentally appeared from behind.
"OH!" Dash screamed anxiously. "H-hey Spitf-fire! We were just....talking.
"Hmm..." Spitfire said suspiciously. "About nothing Wonderbolt material, are you? Those are private details, Crash."
"N-no ma'm," Dash shuttered. "Anyway, these are my friends," She said, pointing to the Mane 5, and Spike. "They would love to meet you."
"Hello," Spitfire greeted. "Spitfire's the name, leader of the Wonderbolts. Crash and I were just discussing about our duties," She looked at Dash offensively, and bit her lip. "Right, Crash?
"Heh-heh..." Dash said nervously. "Yeah...."
"Hello, Spitfire," Twilight greeted. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Dash was just telling us about-"
"WELL," Dash interrupted nervously, trying to change the subject. "We were talking ab-bout..."
"I'm waiting," Spitfire said.
"Uhh..." Dash returned, having trouble thinking of a distraction. "Uh...WALLS! YES! GOOD OLD FASHIONED YELLOW WALLS, HEH-HEH!" She tried to hide her nervous grin.
"Dash," Twilight said. "Can I talk to you for a moment, over there?"
"Uh...okay..." Dash trotted, following Twilight nervously.
"Now..." said Twilight. "What are you so nervous about? Is it about Spitfire's nickname?"
Dash gave up, and finally came clean. "Yeah," she said. "It was just so unbelievably hilarious, I couldn't help but tell you guys. It was my first instinct. And now I can't tell anypony else her nickname, I'll be fired from the Wonderbolts the second you mention it."
"Well," Twilight said, beginning to run off. "Who knows? Let me go over there and-"
"NO! WAIT!"
But it was too late. Dash could see Twilight and Spitfire talking it over, and Twilight, for some unknown reason to Dash, pointed at her. Spirtfire glared once, then turned back to Twilight. Then it looked like they were whispering, most likely the nickname, and then...laughing?
Dash focused a little more on their actions. Twilight and Spitfire confronted the rest of her friends, also making them laugh too. Did they really find the nickname appealing and funny? She had the strong urge to walk over there, but was afraid of her reputation being ruined for gossip.
Oh, what are you doing, Dash? She thought to herself. "Like Twilight said, you never know what'll happen if you never confront the problem. It's time to take this into my own hooves.
Dash walked, confronted everypony else by the stadium. She gulped.
"Guys," She said, tension rising. "I've got something to say."
"Well then," said Spitfire. "Spit it out, Crash. I've got a very important class to train tomorrow morning."
"Well," Dash said. "If you girls think I shouldn't have gossiped the nickname of Spitfire, then I shouldn't be a Wonderbolt. Like you said, Spitfire, this stuff is private."
Dash took off her goggles and handed them over to Spitfire. "Go ahead, do the damage."
Suddenly, Dash heard small chuckling, even from Spitfire.
"Crash," Spitfire said, still slightly laughing. "No need! I admit, my nickname is pretty funny, considering how I got it makes sense."
"Then, how'd you get it?" questioned Dash.
"I had a cleaning job on my first day, of the toilets," Spitfire lectured, blushing as well. "And...I forgot to clean two of them. Boy, they were quite dirty, filled with...well...you know..."
"Heh," Dash chucked, her laughter increasing. "HAHAHAHHAHA!"
"Well, there ya go, Crash," Spitfire said, hovering into the air. "I've gotta fly. Got a big day tomorrow, see ya next week." She flew out into the distance.
"Wow," Dash said. "I never expected Spitfire to laugh with me, especially after the crash. You were right, Twilight, thanks."
"No problem," Twilight said. "Now I've gotta get back home, I'm pretty worn out, and I'm sure the rest of us are. I'm sure you can find your way home?"
"Yeah," Dash nodded. "Thanks for coming today, see you guys later."
_______________________________________________________
Dash returned to her cloud house shortly after, only to find a package on her doorstep. She brought in inside.
Inside the box, was a very small note on paper.
Dear Crash Dash,
I've come to my senses to say that you are more then just a reserve flyer. You are none other than one of the greatest flyers in Equestria, counting from saving us twice. Just a little thanks of supporting us and being our biggest fan, and we won't call you Crash anymore...well...most of the time. Thanks, Dash.
~Spitfire
