A Lesson Learned

by Secret_Shadows

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Adventure, Wonderbolts
Length: 2916

Rainbow Dash tries hard to see an airshow from her idols, but fails.

Based on a picture on Deviant Art made by NaterRang, (Which I am currently using as a cover pic for the story.)

The story is about Rainbow Dash, her final school assignment for the year before the big school field trip to Manehatten to see the Wonder Bolts perform. Rainbow passes the test but her grade isn't good enough to let her go on the trip, what is she going to do to see her idols?

Published 2012-07-20 14:44:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-22 01:29:35 UTC

A Lesson Anyone?

A Lesson Anyone?

It was a typical Thursday in high school for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. They were in their last class of the day, a history class. The clock was ticking away and the end of the school day was nearing. "I cant wait Fluttershy," Rainbow whispered over to Fluttershy, who was sitting at the desk next to hers. "I just know I'm going to pass this time" Rainbow said again with more enthusiasm. Drawing the attention of the instructor, a large male pegusus who was dressed in big round glasses and a bow tie.

"Is there something you would like to share with the class, miss Dash?" He asked.

"No sir, I was just, um, no?" Rainbow said stuttering for an answer. She was used to getting caught doing things in class, but this day was especially important to her, and she was trying not to mess it up.

"Very well, then maybe you can tell us how our great leader Celestia brought order to Equestria?" He asked.

"Um..." Just then the bell rang, a single bead of sweat rolled down Rainbows face and dripped onto her desk. She was worried that she may have messed up her chances.

"Ok everypony, remember to take your tests with you. They have your final score for this quarter." The instructor said as students left the room taking papers off the teachers desk.

Fluttershy was one of the last ponies to take her test, as she always waited for Rainbow Dash at the end of the class.

"Uh, teach, where is my test?" Rainbow asked, as she inspected the desk making sure she didn't miss it.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I need to speak to you about your test, Fluttershy can you wait outside?" The instructor said. Fluttershy obeyed and left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving only Rainbow and the Instructor in the room. He opened his desk and pulled out the test with his mouth and set it on the desk in front of Rainbow. What she saw ruined her entire day.

"D Minus!" She exclaimed. She was very upset. Rainbow wasn't usually the one to get upset over a test, in fact she flunked most of her exams. Something very important was riding on this exam, though.

"Rainbow Dash, as I said on Tuesday you needed to get at least a C minus on this test to bump your score up enough for you to go on the trip." He paused. Tears were forming in Rainbow's eyes, and he put a hoof on her shoulder. "I know you were looking forward to this, and I wish there was something I could do, but the school board would not go for it. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash." He said and removed his hoof from her shoulder. She took the test in her mouth and darted out of the room past Fluttershy and to the door of the school as fast as she could. Fluttershy eventually managed to catch up to a sulking Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow was leaning over a bench, her head in her hooves. Her test on the floor bent and covered in tears beside her, tears pooling on the bench in front of her.

"But I really tried this time!" She said through her tears.

Fluttershy put a hoof on Rainbows shoulder as she approached from behind. "Its going to be ok, Rainbow" Fluttershy said in a soft voice.

"No, its not going to be ok, this was my last chance to boost my grade enough so that I could go on the class trip, and I didn't make the cut" Rainbow said still crying.

"Rainbow, its just a class trip, there will..." Fluttershy was cut off. "It wasn't just a class trip, its a trip to see the Wonder Bolts perform in Manehatten." Rainbow snapped, Fluttershy knew Rainbow was a big fan of the Wonder Bolts, and she knew Dash dreamed to be a Wonder Bolt someday.

"Even Derpy got an A plus on this test, DERPY" Rainbow yelled "Whats wrong with me!" Rainbow said starting to cry even more, it was unlike dash to cry over anything, but this was something very important to her, come on it was the Wonder Bolts after all.

"Rainbow, there will be other chances to see.." Again Fluttershy was cut off mid sentence by Rainbow.

"No I know what I am going to do" Rainbow said, she raised her head and wiped the tears out of her eyes with her fore hooves.

"Rainbow don't do anything stupid" Fluttershy said, knowing almost exactly what was going to come out of Rainbow's mouth before she even said it.

"I'm going to cut class tomorrow and catch the Train to Manehatten, then I'll get a ticket to the show once I'm there" Rainbow said

"I knew you were going to say something like that" Fluttershy said

"But I'm going to need help to pull this off" Rainbow Said

"What do you need me to do?" Fluttershy said, seemingly over confident for Fluttershy, but when she was around Dash, her confident side always shined.

A few hours later at Dash's house in Cloudsdale, Fluttershy was staying the night and Rainbow was planing what she was going to do.

"If I catch the early train, I can be in Manehatten before school even starts, but if I catch the late train, there is less of a chance of me being spotted, I mean come on, who doesn't know Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow said

Fluttershy rolled her eyes at Rainbow's comment, inwardly she was thinking 'A lot of people don't' but outwardly she stayed silent.

"Fluttershy what do you think?" Rainbow asked

"Take the late train, like you said, you don't want to be spotted" Fluttershy said, she didn't even look up from her book she was reading.

"Hmm, but what am I going to do for money?" Rainbow thought out loud hinting to Fluttershy.

"Rainbow, did you go through all of your summer earnings again?" Fluttershy asked, this time looking up from her book.

"Maybe, but check out this neat poster of the Wonder Bolts I got during the summer!" Rainbow said pointing to a large poster of the Wonder Bolts.

"How many bits do you need?" Fluttershy sighed as she reached into her mane and pulled out a small purse with her mouth.

"I think about a hundred should do it" Rainbow said

"A HUNDRED?" Fluttershy said

"Yeah, 25 for the train and 75 for the ticket to the show" Rainbow said

Fluttershy looked into her purse, she only has exactly 100 bits left, she had been saving it for Hearths Warming Eve presents, but Rainbow was her friend, and she could never say no to Rainbow. "Fine" Fluttershy said pulling the bits out and putting them on the table in front of Rainbow.

"Thanks!" Rainbow said as she took the bits and put them in a purse she had sitting next to her bed.

"Girls! Lights out, Time for bed!" Rainbow's mother yelled from downstairs

"Ok mom!" Rainbow yelled back, she blew out the candle in her room and Fluttershy and Dash went to their respective beds, Fluttershy stayed over so often that Rainbow's parents had set up a cot in Rainbow's room for her.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Rainbow said overly excited about seeing the Wonder Bolts.

"Just go to bed" Fluttershy said, she was tired and she, unlike Dash, had to get up and go to school before she left on the class trip.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Rainbow woke to Fluttershy getting ready for school. "What time is it" Rainbow moaned.
"six forty-five" Fluttershy said in a hushed voice.

"Did my parents leave for work yet?" Rainbow asked

"Yes, your father left an hour ago and your mother just left 15 minutes ago" Fluttershy said

"When does the train leave?" Rainbow asked, she was still half asleep and gauging how much longer she could sleep.

"In about 15 minutes" Fluttershy said.

"Ok, wake me up when you leave" Rainbow said.

"Rainbow, I'm leaving now, you should probably get up now and get ready" Fluttershy said

"Wait, did you just say, 15 minutes!?" Rainbow said jumping out of bed falling onto the floor.

"Yes...I..um thought.." Fluttershy was now getting nervous that she upset her friend.

"It takes 15 minutes to fly to the station!" Rainbow yelled

"Oh...I....Rainbow.." Fluttershy reverted to her overly nervous self.

"Its ok Fluttershy just...go to school I'll see you at the show" Rainbow said

"Ok" Fluttershy said leaving the room and then began flying to the school.

-

A few minutes later Rainbow was speeding off to the train station, she had to catch the train, the only other train leaving for Manehatten was the train the school was using, and she would be spotted instantly.

Rainbow flew faster and faster, the faint whistle of the train sounded signaling last call for all to get on.

Rainbow strained to fly fast enough to make it, though even for her it was seemingly impossible.

'Just a bit further' She thought to herself, her wings felt like they were on fire, but she couldn't give up now, she was so close.

The whistle sounded again signaling the train was leaving.

"No!" Rainbow yelled, the train had just begun moving away from the station when she landed on the platform.

"Were ye ment to be on that train lass?" An old pegasus said. He was tall and wore a blue coat and glasses, he had a stop watch in his hoof, he was looking at it while leaning against a station roof support pole.

"Yes! You have to help me!" Rainbow said, tears started to form in her eyes as she watched the train leave, she was about to loose all chances of getting to the performance.

"I coulda halted the train had I known ye were comin" He said

The train moved off, its whistle blew once again as it moved farther and farther away from the station and eventually out of sight over a small hill.

Tears streaked down Rainbow's face, she was going to miss the performance by her idols, and worse, when the school trip got to the station she would be caught and sent to the school and probably get detention for skipping class.

"Don't fret young lass, we'll get you were you need to go, there is another train comin' in the next fifteen minutes, ye can always catch that'un" He said still leaning against a roof support pole studying his stop watch.

"No you don't understand, I can't go on the next train, I...." Rainbow started crying even more, she stopped talking and sat down on the station floor

'I....I failed, again' She thought to herself 'Maybe they were right, maybe I am just a failure' words rang in her head
'Rainbow Crash' 'Way to fail Rainslow' She just sat crying, her whole life was a failure in her eyes, this one event made her think her life was over.

"Young lass, whats the matter?" The pegasus asked as he walked over to her as he put his stop watch into his coat pocket.

"It's not important anymore, I failed" Rainbow said getting up, she started to the door of the station, not even going to fly, she was so self defeated that she was walking.

The pegasus put a hoof on her shoulder, "I be around to long to know when something is important, come, sit, ye can tell me, what be botherin ya?" He asked as he sat down on a bench and gestured for her to sit down as well. She sat down and for the next 5 minutes she poured her heart out. She explained her situation at school, how she idolized the Wonder Bolts, how she was meant to be on that train because she wanted to see the show.

"Ah, I see, ye be so concerned over the show that ye be willing to get yerself in more trouble than its worth." He said

"I guess" Rainbow said

"Don't fret young lass, I can get ye on the train without being spotted" He said

"You...you would still help me, even though.." Rainbow trailed off

"Why not, I did my fair share of stupid things when I was young, whats one more for an old pegusus" He said

She hugged him and then got up from the bench "Thank you sooooo much!" She exclaimed.

"Now, ye will need to hide yerself, but I have just the plan" he said, he explained the plan to Rainbow and she agreed.

-

"Sometimes that filly" One of the teachers was mumbling to himself as Fluttershy and several other pegusus followed him to the train station.

As they got on the train a figure in a dark coat boarded the train and sat down in the car behind the one the students were on. The figure was Rainbow Dash.

"ALL ABOARD!" Yelled the conductor as the train whistle blew, the train started to move, Rainbow looked out a window and waved to the pegusus that helped her. The rest of the trip was uneventful until they reached the station, Rainbow slipped out of the train and made her way to the stadium were the Wonder Bolts were performing.

Rainbow had made it to the stadium and was just about to receive a ticket when the earth pony at the desk spoke "Its 90 bits for a ticket."

"But...I only have 75" Rainbow said

"90 or I can't let you in" He said

"But....you don't understand, I have to get in, the Wonder Bolts..." She was cut off

"No bits no ticket, NEXT" He said.

"But...." Rainbow said being pushed out of the way by the next person in line. Tears started to streak down her face as she sat down against a wall, she would never get to see her Idols.

"Hey, Kid" A feminine voice said.

Rainbow ignored this voice not assuming it was talking to her.

"Hey, kid, whats the matter" the voice said, Rainbow felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"M..me?" She said through her tears, she didn't look up.

"Yes you" The voice said

"Its nothing, I'm just never gonna get to see my idols perform" She said

"You idols huh?" The voice asked. Rainbow looked up slightly and could see a blue figure standing in front of her through her tears, through closer observation it wasn't a blue figure, it was a figure in a blue suit, the hood on the suit was down and an orange pegusus was visible.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Rainbow exclaimed as he frown turned into a smile.

The pegusus in front of Rainbow just smiled.

"You...your....Spitfire!" Rainbow exclaimed once again breaking into a string of words that was hard to understand, sounding like 'oh my gosh' or something similar.

"Yeah, I am" Spitfire said, just then Soaren walked up behind Spitfire. "Who's this filly? She another fan of yours Spitfire?" Soaren said.

"Your S..Soaren...." Rainbow said not managing to say anything else.

"Yeah, Im Soaren" He said

"You never told me why you were so upset, or what your name is kid." Spitfire said

"I'm Rainbow Dash, and I was trying to get into your show, I rode a train and everything, spending almost all of my money, then I finally got here and I only have 75 bits, and the show is 90 bits." Rainbow said

"Why don't you come with us" Spitfire said

"R...Really?" Rainbow said

"Yeah, come enjoy the show from the best seat in the house" Spitfire said

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Rainbow said as she was being led into the stadium by Spitfire and Soaren.

Epilogue

The Epilogue

Eventually Rainbow was discovered and she was given detention and summer school, but it didn't matter to her, she got to meet her idols, and that's all that mattered. She eventually did improve her grades and nothing like this ever happened again.

-

Rainbow Dash sat in Twilight's Library. Rainbow had wanted to write to Princess Celestia about this for a while now and she started speaking.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Years ago I learned a valuable lesson. Don't give up on something because it doesn't interest you, because some day, it might become relevant in your life, and when you try the thing, you fail because you never gave it much thought. If you try the things that don't interest you and keep trying even if they are boring, you will find that it will benefit you in the long run, and if you still fail, there is always the kindness of other ponies you can rely on if you entertain that worst case scenario.

Your Loyal Subject,

Rainbow Dash

"Come on Rainbow, are you almost done, I want to go to Rarity's place!" Spike said, he had several papers next to him all entitled to Princess Celestia, all with crossed out words and whited out lines of text, torn and bent and piled up in a trash can.

"Yes, this is the one, send it spike" Rainbow said after reading it over to herself.

Spike stood up and wrapped the paper in a red ribbon with a gold seal on it, he threw it up into the air and breathed a plume of green fire and the letter was gone as the fire went out the window and proceeded to Canterlot. The letter appeared next to Celestia in a great puff of green fire...