"... if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it."

"What are you saying, newbie?"

"I quit."

Maybe those words were not what the Captain of the Wonderbolts wanted to hear, but they rang in her head loud and clear. The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, stormed out of her office door before she could even blink.

Let it be known that many ponies had their dreams crushed, and that does not exclude the pegasi race. Those who have made it into the Wonderbolts were merely the lucky ones who have not lost their hopes; the will to grasp and cherish for their own desires. And when they do, they rejoice and sing to the heavens, hoping that one day they may arrive to such aesthetic rate of impression on everypony else.

Up in Cloudsdale there is an eternal conflict between pride and morality, and whichever side is chosen with bias, that pegasus shall succumb to the bottom of the dirt, or have her feathers burnt out by the unsympathetic sun. If your dreams are always hiding behind the clouds, it will be either a hit or miss situation.

However, there are those who have made a shortcut for themselves, and failed to swallow the guiding light that were supposed to shine on them when the time comes. But instead, they put their ego ahead of everything else, whether it be alive or dead. Consequently on their way, the path of destruction is set.

Spitfire, frustrated and unwillingly admitted to fear, slammed her desk, knocking her shades, paper files and Rainbow's wing pony badge off onto the floor. Her guards quickly arrived to clean up her mess. She took awhile to contemplate on what the former newbie had said to her. Lightning Dust is an outstanding dark horse, that is for sure, but creating a tornado that could have potentially harmed innocent lives was unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. A selfish mare like her should immediately be cut from the Wonderbolt academy.

However, the captain of the Wonderbolts had not seen such rising talent for ages. Ever since she first joined the academy, all of the flyers there only reached to their top potential through years of hard work and honorable sweat. The two newbies were exceptional geniuses, with the rainbow one having performed a sonic rainboom once in a blue moon, saving her friend Rarity from the verge of a violent death, but also Spitfire herself. Not only that, she had performed it again during Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's wedding with Shining Armor, also a captain of his own army, so it would be reasonable for Spitfire to break down when the young mare had officially declared the end of her desires.

Now if one prodigy left, was it worth to lose another one? That was the question lingering on and about over Spitfire's head.

But like Rainbow Dash had just told her: putting her team ahead of her own ambitions is what makes the Wonderbolts the Wonderbolts. Lightning Dust was not an exception to such morals as Rainbow had reported to her.

Maybe she needed a miracle, as Spitfire's ears perked up in response to the voices outside. She slid her chair by the wall, and leaned her head as close to the windows as possible.

"I'm sorry, I truly am."

"Look Lightning Dust, we already forgave you awhile ago, but you have to watch your recklessness that may harm other ponies too."

"I didn't know what I was capable of, and I didn't want to hurt anypony."

"Alright, Sugarcube, take it easy. As long as ya realized your mistakes, you're set to become a better pony."

"B-but, why would you speak in such manner to Rainbow Dash earlier?"

"Fluttershy's right, darling, I was awestruck by how your... Pompous way came to an end so easily."

"Well, I-I..." The voice clearly belonging to Lightning Dust stammered. Even from a distance away, Spitfire's heart raced like it never had before, as if she was still a trainee participating in those overrated competitions. Money, media and public ignorance were all what the hosts wanted. But right now she just wanted the newbie to say the right words, and be kept on the fast lane pitch.

"... I didn't want to admit this, but I just hate submitting to ponies and being corrected by them, especially when I'm the lead pony. Do you know how much it hurts your pride when you're constantly judged by others?"

"I had to toughen up my soft and sensitive side into what I am now, and guess what? Captain Spitfire was impressed! Many ponies were impressed! Your friend Rainbow Dash, a rising talent herself, was impressed! That is why she hung out with me all the way during the academy until now."

"From all my past experiences I knew I had to give it all, I had nothing to lose!"

"But guess that did not work out too. Either way I was still the victim, and now you guys too."

Irresistible, Spitfire put her face against the window to take a better view of the drama ongoing outside. There she observed Lightning Dust with her head hung low, a miserable and regretting frown carved on her face as well. She slid across the clean grass grown only in Cloudsdale with her foreleg. She bit her lips and tossed her goggles onto the ground, her hooves moved closer toward each other.

She did not expect to hear all of this from Lightning's perspective. Based on what she heard, the young mare did have a rough past, and she still managed to make it all the way here. Is it even morally right for the captain of the Wonderbolts to just take her efforts away, and leave her to waste?

"Look Lightning Dust," said Twilight again, "I know how hard this is for you to go through everything only to make another severe mistake, but everypony has their imperfections. Don't be too hard on yourself over the past."

"I-I-I don't know, I bet that they'll dismiss me for my attitude..."

"You know what, Sugarcube?" Applejack walked over to Lightning Dust and wrapped a hoof around her. "Ah think you need a break, why don' you go inside and make yourself home for now, and then maybe talk it out with your boss."

"That sounds wonderful if you ask me, although I'm no athlete." Fluttershy added.

"Marvelous idea, darling!" Rarity followed, "Lightning, dear, listen to Applejack. The last thing you would want to do right now is make a fuss out of yourself over such... case. We already have forgiven you, darling, so now all you have to do is forgive yourself."

"Maybe even a party would do!" Pinkie jumped in.

Lightning stared at the Mane Five, then to her teammates who were glaring at her this whole time. They were still unforgiving of what she has done to them. But she did not want to care for them any longer, she did not come all the way here just to have her dreams crushed. She had to do something other than waiting for her doom. Taking a shallow breath, she sighed and quickly thanked the five mares before heading into the academy cafeteria.

On the way, however, she bumped into a familiar face who was unaware of the apologetic event that just occurred.

"Oh, look who it is. Lightning-eat-your-Dust, how bad did you feel for our team? Oh right, zero, because they're supposed to recover quickly, right?"

The lead trainee wanted to retort, but she was curious of what others wanted to say for the first time in her life. So she continued with her hostile eye contact with the cyan pegasus.

"The fact that Spitfire actually allowed a son-of-a-bitch like you to remain on the team just shows how corrupted these Wonderbolt idiots are. They only give a damn at their own expenses."

Lightning Dust was heart-struck by Rainbow Dash's sudden words. She knew what she did was a little overboard, but nevertheless she had to stay strong and remain superior. She did not know why it was necessary for her to act this way, but her pride comes in before anything else.

Even more than Rainbow Dash standing before her.

"Oh yeah? And what's your idea, wing pony?"

"Tough luck for you, bastard." The cyan pegasus put her goggles into Lightning's mane without care, and took off the team suit before sticking it into her chest. "You won't have an awesome wing pony like me anymore, better off if you're on your own. Otherwise you'll just hurt more ponies."

"Hmph!" Lightning Dust snorted before walking away, indirectly cursing at Rainbow Dash as they distanced apart. Gripping tightly onto Rainbow Dash's goggles, she squeezed them until the lenses cracked. A rush of anger and determination washed over her like a pot of hot water. She growled until her veins popped out. Her eyes closed in at the goggles as they began to red. Ego was her middle name after all.

"I'll show you that I don't need a damn wing pony, I can make it to the top without anypony's damn help."

As she trotted to the Wonderbolts main office, Lightning Dust could not help but think over on her uncontrollable attitude. From the windows, she looked up into the white sky dense of clouds, which was the fresh place that she should be at. Trainees were practicing their laps and committing on other activities. The more she observed their actions, the more external information she was able to get out of them, and that was what she was going to use for judgement call. She sneered at them, just in time as her superior trotted out of the office door.

"Lightning Dust, I have heard a bunch of commotions about you from other newbies at the academy."

The younger pegasus shivered, her wings folded back into her body, not daring to come out. The sunlight bounced from Spitfire's shades and into Lightning's eyes, shocked and temporarily blinded, she stumbled back.

But in those quick two seconds of reaction was enough for her to see things, and the more she saw, the more she wanted to get away from it all.

"Lightning Dust."

"What are you? Some kind of wasted fraud?"

A young Lightning Dust cowered as three older pegasi started kicking her gut, plucking out her precious feathers one by one. Her tears held back as they continued to beat her sadistically and recklessly. A Wonderbolt poster rolled out of the filly's grasp. She tried to reach for the paper, only to be stomped on by one of the older colts. They snickered, before picking up the poster, unwrapping it to see her only hero.

"Oh look, what's this dumbo doing on the poster?"

"Hey, don't you dare touch that! That's my idol Wind Rider you goofruns!"

One colt, known as Hard Wheel, grabbed Lightning Dust by her head and smashed her into the dirt, cutting off her air supply.

"Wind Rider?" He cracked, "He sounds like a joke who rides away into the wind when the tough guy shows up!"

Everypony else around the filly laughed along, and they began tearing up the poster. Bursting with tears, Lightning Dust bit on Hard Wheel's hoof. He yelped in pain as he let go of the filly, who charged forward with her wings open to save the poster. Before any of the older ponies can react, Lightning Dust already grabbed the halfway torn poster from their hooves.

Their hearts stopped and they turned around to gawk at the sleek little pegasus flapping her wings in the air, who did not seem to realize her own innate speed as she responded with frightful glares that could send anypony cold shivers down their spines. One colt wanted to be brave and step forward, but in turn he only slid into the puddle of mud as the freezing raindrops hailed. Lightning Dust's indignant eyes flashed as the lightning struck behind her; an enormous white bolt beating the floor, followed by a hysterical cackle of the thunder.

"Don't. Fuck. With me." Those were the last words before the three colts fled away in fear.

Right after another flash of lightning, this time it hit her directly from atop. The immense static flowing through her veins had temporarily stopped her heart, but even for a second, Lightning Dust felt a glow of a new experience. Once she noticed that she was all burnt and dirtied from the mud and the wild storm, she looked down at her flank. A white lightning bolt, with three yellow stars below it.

Grinning a roguish smile, to the top of her lungs Lightning Dust let out a childish scream of victory. Her voice was lost in the uncaring nature, wicked winds and the violent weather. By the end, she was shouting at nothingness...

"Are you alright?" Spitfire's voice broke off the mare's reminiscing, she shook her head to clear everything out.

"Um, yeah, I am ma'am. Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize, it's only an excuse for those who can't make up to their expectations." She replied. Such response left Lightning Dust lingering in thought about whether what Spitfire said would apply to her own life. She was somewhat shocked herself to hear her captain even say such a thing.

"Oh. Well, so you know what I'm here for then?"

"By any chance, yes."

She gulped in response.

"Lightning Dust," She began, but hesitated as she reached her hoof into her suit. "I hoped that you were aware of your own problems and your potential influence on your teammates." Both mares bit their lips in high tides of tension. For some reason neither pony trusted the other at the moment, and that it was only by the fates that the results may fare.

After a full minute of their confrontation and a fair smile, Spitfire finally managed to take out a silver piece of metal with shades of blue on it. She put it onto Lightning Dust with a stamp of her hoof. With joy, Lightning accepted her superior's praise by the means of standing strong in her golden pride. She knew that Spitfire knew, that she was better off working by herself. Considering she is the top notch of the current Wonderbolt Academy roster, no other pony can possibly even keep up with her.

"Congratulations, lead plus wing newbie. You sure are a rarity of a kind."

"Thank you, ma'am." Lightning Dust grinned as the two mares began to trot towards their opposite directions. Her sclera grew a faintly visible shade of red as she tried to hold in her depraved laugh. Clouds began to move quicker than before as the wind picked up more speed. Opening her wings wide, she had never felt so powerful in her life before. She could feel the burning excitement rushing through her cold blood. Her rise to reputation at only the academy was more than enough for her first week, she could do more with ease.

"Looks like I'm a hoof ahead of you, Rainbow Dash, that is why I am the lead pony."

Author's Note

Just to note, I will not have a consistent schedule with updating the chapters (though my original plan was to have around twenty to thirty chapters or so) due to my attention + motivation span. Moreover, junior life isn't easy for someone that struggles to stay positive all the time.

I know the first chapter may seem a bit too basic, simple-minded and kid-friendly, as if it was a slice of life stuff with a "good ending"... But don't expect the meat right away, it's a mildly long buildup and soon "stuffs" will happen

Critics are welcome! I'm not a huge fan of grimdark stories, but after reading a couple from TheLostNarrator, I've decided to try one out!