Blue Skies Burning

Sugarcube Corner was mostly empty, a few other ponies grabbing some snacks before returning to their work. The two ponies sat at a booth, while a pink pony was bouncing up and down at the tableside.

“Wow! I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen you guys! It’s been, like, months since we talked! We should call the other girls, make this a party!” Pinkie Pie began talking faster and faster, bouncing up and down. Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Pinkie, now really isn’t the best time.” Rainbow sat in the booth, staring at the table in front of her. The pink maned pony ignored her, babbling on and on. Applejack, seeing her friend’s discomfort, cut off the hyperactive pony.

“Pinkie, why don’t you go an’ fix us some drinks?” Pinkie nodded, still bouncing up and down.

“Sure! What do you want? We have apple smoothies, orange smoothies, yellow smoothies, apple-orange, smoothies…”

“Why don’t you pick one for us?” Pinkie’s face lit up, and she bounced away in a flash. Applejack chuckled.

“Now, what was it you wanted ta talk about?” Rainbow sighed, still refusing to look her friend in the eye.

“Well, I never really told you about what happened.” Rainbow sighed, shifting in her seat. “I mean, you know that I crashed, but… there was a bit more to it…”

6 Months Ago

White. That was all that filled her vision. Rainbow was floating, seemingly in a peacefully endless void. Rainbow drifted lazily, closing her eyes with a smile. It was nice here. But… where was she? Rainbow opened her eyes slowly. What had happened? Rainbow’s lazy smile turned into a frown. “Where am I?” She wondered.

As she drifted around aimlessly, she tried to remember what happened. “I was… at the Iron Nail, getting some drinks with… Soarin, I think. No… no, I was with Surprise. Yeah.” Rainbow flapped her wings, as her thoughts returned to her. “Then… then we heard explosions, and we saw planes. So we flew to the airfield.” The white space in front of her materialized into a street. Silent explosions sounded through the night. A rainbow streak filled the sky. She recognized the streak as herself, flying to the airfield. “Then what?”

The scene shifted. Rainbow was at the airfield, running towards Spitfire. “Right! I ran into Spitfire. She said we were under attack!” Rainbow watched herself run towards her plane. Soon, the scene shifted again, showing the Wonderbolts flying in attack formation. “We shot down some planes… then Spitfire said there was a bomber.” As if on cue, the bomber descended from the clouds. “Soarin said to turn back… but I didn’t. I fought it, shot it down. Then it exploded.” The bomber exploded into a fiery inferno, engulfing her tiny plane. Suddenly, Rainbow wasn’t watching the scene from afar, she was inside the cockpit. “The engine cut out… we were going down…” Rainbow was frozen, unable to react as the plane rapidly lost altitude.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” Fleetfoot’s voice called from somewhere behind her. The ground got closer, but still Rainbow couldn’t do anything. Suddenly, the blaring of alarms inside the cockpit cut out, and Rainbow woke up with a start.

An ambient beeping sounded from a machine on her left. The white blankets and bare walls told her she was in a hospital. A doctor was at her side nearly instantly. “Mrs. Dash, you’re awake.” Rainbow tried to speak, but her body refused. She groggily tried to sit up, but the doctor gently pushed her back into the bed. “Woah there. You need some rest. That crash banged you up pretty badly. Rest.” With that statement, Rainbow slipped into unconsciousness again.

When Rainbow woke up again, she wasn’t alone. As her eyes refocused, she detected a bright orange pony sitting in a chair facing the bed. “Dash. You’re awake.” Rainbow sighed.

“Captain.” Spitfire removed her sunglasses, her face blank. She stood from the chair, strolling over to the bedside.

“Rainbow.” Rainbow threw off the covers, getting off the bed. Spitfire remained silent for a moment. “We need to talk.”

Rainbow snorted. “What’s there to talk about? I shot down that bomber, saved the town.” Spitfire, displeased by Rainbow’s cocky attitude, frowned. “I’m sorry that I crashed a plane, but isn’t that just the cost of war?”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Rainbow paused, a hoof out the door already.

“Where else? Back to the sky. The war’s not over yet.” Spitfire growled suddenly.

“You’re not flying anywhere, second lieutenant.” Rainbow froze. It was never good when Spitfire addressed subordinates by rank. “Sit down.” Rainbow obeyed, slightly nervous now. “You really don’t know, do you?” Spitfire sighed. “You’re grounded, Rainbow. You can’t fly until this is over.”

Rainbow shot up. “Grounded?! What? Why? Until what’s over?!” Spitfire glared at Rainbow, and she sunk into her seat again.

“You disobeyed a direct command from First Lieutenant Soarin. You engaged an enemy fighter and nearly died for it. You endangered the life of your copilot, and put her in a coma.” The last words hit Rainbow like a bucket of cold water.

“Coma?” Spitfire nodded.

“She slammed her head into the console. Doctors aren’t very optimistic. Military Police have started an investigation, but from what I hear, it isn’t good. You broke protocol, Rainbow. Soarin tells me you didn’t even call in a mayday, that Fleetfoot did it instead.” Rainbow held her head in her hoofs. Spitfire sighed, laying a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. Her voice softened a little. “Rainbow… I’m not going to lie. You’re by far the best damn pilot the Wonderbolts have ever seen. I know the stallion in charge of your case, name’s Captain Braeburn. I already put in a good word for you but-” Rainbow wiped tears from her eyes and cut Spitfire off.

“No. Don’t tell him anything.” Spitfire raised an eyebrow. Rainbow drew a shaky breath and continued. “If he thinks I’m guilty… then he’s probably right.”

Now

“That was 6 months ago. I’m still grounded, and from what I hear, the MP’s are having a tough time investigating, due to my reputation and whatnot. Fleetfoot’s still in a coma, and the other Bolts won’t talk to me.” Rainbow sighed as she finished her recollection of the fateful events. Applejack reached out and touched her hoof with her own.

“Sugar, it still wasn’t yer fault.” Rainbow looked up.

“How is it not? I should have fallen back when Soarin told me to. Fleetfoot was my friend, she put her life in my hands, and I put her in a coma in return.” Rainbow felt a tear drip from her eye. With a sigh, Applejack slid out of the booth, trotting over so that she was next to her friend.

“Rainbow, listen. Ah know you’re feeling guilty about this, but you can’t keep blaming yourself. You made a mistake, but you can’t get caught on it.” Rainbow sighed miserably. “Come on, Dash. It’s been 6 months. Moping around won’t do anyone any good.” Applejack sighed as she saw the clock above the counter. “Ah’ve got to get back to the farm.” Rainbow nodded, but said nothing. Applejack gave her old friend a wary look before leaving.

As Applejack neared the farm’s fence, she internally groaned at the sight of two pale olive coated ponies waiting by the gate. “Well howdy there!” said the first, flashing a smile. Applejack grunted in response.

“Sorry, is this a bad time?” Asked the other.

“It must be, Flim! After all, Miss Applejack here is in debt, after all!”

“Debt, Flam? Why, that isn’t good!”

“Not at all, Flim! If only she knew somepony kind enough to lend her some money.”

“Exactly! If only there was somepony out there who would lend her just enough money to tie her over! It must be hard, after all, running the farm alllllllll by yourself!”

Applejack slammed the gate shut. “Flim, Flam. Get off my property, thank you kindly.” Applejack said in a monotone voice. It wasn’t her first time dealing with the two brothers, and her response was rehearsed and automatic. Applejack paused as Flim began shaking a pouch of bits.

“Come on, Applejack. You need this.” Flim shook the bag again. “You don’t want to disappoint your brother, after all. Applejack froze. Flim had struck a chord within her, and he knew it. With a sinister grin, he waved the bag in front of her again. “What was his name?”

Applejack growled. She turned slowly. She raised a hoof, as if to the take the bag from Flim. Then she hit him, straight across the muzzle.