Misinterpreted – by Twifight Sparkill
The morning struck as a burgeoning welcome, issuing all things living and willing towards its warming beacon. Deep pearled reds and oranges gave way to the brightest yellow-whites, and soon dawn prevailed over shadow whilst played against a blossoming blue backdrop.
Today was clear and endlessly serene – perfection. Here remained a bathed turquoise void that had no rival, just daring someone to traverse its deceptive calm; winds, drafts, all manner of chaotic movements threatened to maul whoever defiled this almighty expanse – only a fool would accept such a perilous endeavor, surely.
High up in the clouds above Ponyville stood a sole cyan pegasus, up since before dawn as ever, prepared to defy the yawning unknown regardless of any obvious danger. From her cumulus precipice, she peered down at the vast countryside miles below, wearing a trademark cocksure smile.
The mare's heartbeat began to quicken with restless anticipation – she carefully drew back from the cloud's edge, sucked a deep breath in between gritted teeth, and held it.
"All right, Rainbow Dash," she exhaled heavily. "Here we go again."
She raised her left wing – check: pollex pointed, primary and secondary remiges aligned, vanes prominent and straight. Right wing: check.
Now the only thing left was... too late. Her hooves had already begun moving. She condensed and streamlined, then threw herself at the yawning emptiness with vigorous resolve – it was definitely too late for secondary checks or fleeting thoughts of turning back now, damn 'em anyway.
Without resistance, she committed before able to manage another full breath.
"Wahoo-ooo!" Rainbow cried in a choked glee, striking the breathtaking canvas with a near perverse excite. The rushing air tore mercilessly past, a signature spectrum trail painted brightly behind, as she dropped headlong from the heavens.
She plummeted towards the awaiting ground at breakneck speed for an alarming length of time – every sense tingled as they were left ripped and whipped by oncoming winds; whether there were gusts or squalls, whether breezes, gales, storms, hurricanes or typhoons, nothing had ever stood to deter the pegasus from her truest and greatest passion: speed. Today wouldn't be any different.
Laughing all the way down, Dash eventually had to relent – that or go splat – unfurling her feathered appendages against the violent pressure screaming past at a painful velocity. The sudden shock hurled her upwards, snapping her body with a whiplash that left Rainbow seeing stars. She'd feel that in the morning, undoubtedly.
Speed: in kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity (the rate of change of its position); it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval. The instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as the duration of the time interval approaches zero – this explanation, something Dash could likely recite in her sleep, mattered the most since it was her constant and addictive require.
There was simply nothing that could compare, neither love nor want or drive that would ever touch the unrelenting ecstasy of going really fast – the frightening disorientation; the rapid rushing towards what would be a messy demise if even the slightest miscalculation were made. All the more reason to toss caution aside and embrace the unknown.
This wasn't some death wish, to clarify; more of a solemn vow to live life to its fullest every chance she got.
Once upon a rightly adjusted flight path, Rainbow Dash steadied her frantic thrashing and opted for a languid glide, taking a moment to consider the sights. At this immense height, she nearly felt free from the oppressive pull of the world below. She'd succeeded thus far in her defiant struggle against the inevitable earth, staying well away from the reminder as much as possible save to meet up with her beloved friends or to visit Sugarcube Corner for treats, yum. Certainly, once time had removed her physical abilities, she'd be forced to walk upon the hard ground – until then, forget it. Stupid, selfish soil! Though its beckon was akin to an intoxicating siren song, this high up her ears were filled with the oncoming slap of rushing eluvium. No consequence.
Having properly stretched her wings, albeit left chaffed and wanton, Rainbow Dash began her warm-up routine with a few easy aerial acrobatics – a loop here, a barrel roll there. After that, she would be dutifully committed to imitating the appropriate stratagems perpetrated by her idols, Equestria's illustrious Wonderbolts: during their winter training, the pegasi squadron would fly two conditioning sessions per day, six days a week, in order to manage their 192 annual aerial exhibitions safely. The separation between the formation of bodies and their maneuver altitude would be gradually relaxed over the course of about two months – suppressing the possibility of wings crossing, mistakes being made, and a potential for injuries due to the progression of fatigue.
The team would continue to revise until the grand opening of their show season in Canterlot's illustrious Sky Auditorium. From there, they would then fly to their various show venues throughout Equestria, conducting circle-and-arrival orientation maneuvers until reaching their predetermined destinations. Never stopping, never losing a moment to improve their already clinical precision.
There simply was no rest in the life of a Wonderbolt, that was well understood – to be the very elite, you must present perfection every moment of every day that your wings dare touch so much as a draft.
Today's routine, a month before summer, would consist of a moderate attune as before the Fall's finale – inverted and aileron rolls, minimum radius turns, horizontal rolls, sneak trot pass low alongside the imagined spectators at high speed. Possible Sonic Rainboom, if she still had the strength.
All these patterns and plays she'd performed solely for the purpose to one day be amongst the best of the best, which was her driving desire for as long as she could ever remember. Rainbow Dash had tirelessly researched all aspects of the team's rituals over years of scrutiny, studying every facet and nuance – Daring Do was most certainly not her first literary love, despite what certain other ponies were led to assume. They were good books, though, no deny.
What truly mattered, one might ask? Her answer would be simple: it was the hours she dedicated, fluid unremitting spans spent shaving precious seconds and risking everything to refine and reproduce daunting aeronautical feats consummately, all accomplished at an obscenely disturbing pace – that's what actually mattered to her.
It even disrupted her mental presence, making it hard to concentrate on the trivial things, like... remembering how to do the Pony Pokey. Or Rarity's birthday. She loved her friends dearly and would do anything for them, but this nearly debaucherous drive domineered her: improvement, investigation, dissection, reinterpretation, then flawless unyielding execution.
Others were passably aware of the desire, but they'd never understand the truest parts – the ones that Rainbow couldn't control anymore. All those scrapes, the bandages, contusions and bruises – oh, that was just Rainbow Dash being clumsy again. No, it wasn't her constantly pushing a battered, breaking body to impossible limits every day ad infinitum for being hopelessly addicted – of course not. It was just another unfortunate accident. Yeah, silly ol' Rainbow. That'd been a far more acceptable explanation.
It had to be – nopony else would ever understand her drive. She barely did herself, honestly.
The day's precious time had slipped away before Dash ever noticed, and not a moment too soon – with no proper measure to determine what she'd emotionally and physically committed since the skies turned from dark to inviting pink to now highest noontime. All that she could muster now was the insisting need to cease and desist.
Every inch of her body ached terribly; her hide completely soaked and matted, her head pounded as if to burst, her eyes left bloodshot and bleary – she was having difficulty drawing a proper breath again. This was admittedly the only way she could stop these days.
Rest or death, whatever came first. Ad infinitum, as ever.
Finding the nearest cloud before she literally fell out of the sky from exhaustion, Rainbow landed flat upon it before succumbing to merciful unconsciousness. Another self-immolating day completed – that was her reward for now, and it had to be enough.
She didn't know how long it would take to be considered a candidate for the Wonderbolts. She wasn't sure she had much time left before her poor body gave out altogether for trying – it didn't matter though, honestly. She would be patient with this if nothing else. Her most precious dream; the only thing she was ever truly loyal to before becoming the elemental embodiment...
... perhaps even afterward, which quietly terrified her.
Pinkie Pie bounced along a park trail outside Ponyville, humming a nondescript tune that'd popped in her head that morning in the bakery – she'd eventually put proper words to it, but for now, it was just too catchy to ignore. "Hm-hmm hm hm hm HMM hm hm hm hmmm," she sang, addressing the beautiful noonday sun with a bright smile. "All I really need is a simile... a soda... a sack of socks in a sauce... I'm on to something," she mused.
Rarity happened to be walking the same path coincidentally, approaching from the opposite direction.
"Good afternoon, darling!" she chimed, waving to Pinkie once within earshot. "Where are you off to this fine day, hmm?"
Pinkie came to an abrupt halt before nearly bowling the alabaster unicorn over.
"Hiya Rarity! I'm looking for Rainbow Dash, have you seen her anywhere? We're supposed to be helping Twilight organize her super new book delivery! It's really really important to Twilight – after I offered to help, she insisted that I bring somepony else along for... what is it she said again? Hm... oh, right. Damage control! I think that's actually some special code for something," she giggled, wriggling her eyebrows. "Super-duper sleuth stuff, yannow? Maybe Twilight expects a ninja attack? That'd be great! Ninja party!"
Rarity blinked a few times.
"I'll... help you find Rainbow Dash, dear," she managed. Pinkie nodded vigorously in approval.
The two began to check the sky for their colorful friend, Rarity finally spying Rainbow adrift on a small cloud some distance away.
"Oh, there she is." Rarity pointed, indicating the dozing Dash. "Doesn't it figure that she would be sleeping at this hour? Honestly, I love the girl dearly, but she's easily the most lethargic pegasus I know!"
"Yeppers!" Pinkie agreed, nodding. "If I know one thing for sure, it's that Rainbow Dash is a seriously lazy pony!"
The End.
Author's Note
• The gracious Seattle's Angels review can be found here, analyzed by Belligerent Sock, Scribble Stick, and Nick Nack.
• Find the very ambitious live reading of this choking tome via The Living Library Player Society here. This complicated piece is narrated by FreeHomeBrew, with the parts of Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie voiced expertly by the talented ShadowPaint.
