Rainbow Dash stepped out onto the stage in the wonderbolt uniform for the first time, a tradition thing already hapening. Spitfire smiled to ehr warmly as the crowd cheered loudly, then one stallion sparked a chant.
Rain-bow dash...rain-bow dash...rain-bo dash...
It continued, until Rainbow Dash herself walked up to the podium, looking around, stretching her neck even. The room was quiet, the lights, on ehr,. the mics, ready.
She neither smiled, nor laughed.
Odd, seeing as she was a huge fan of the wonderbolts before.
"...Before I came to be a wonderbolt...I thought it was simply show up, fly around, get your picture taken, sign autographs, etcetera. But I learned something. While I'm not complaining...", she shot a look at Spitfire, who's smile had turned to a frown, expecting the complaints to begin there.
"...I must say, it's totally far from my expectations as a teenage mare. My first day with the wonderbolts, as a wondebolt, flying in just practice, the complaints I gave leveled over a hundred. I hated every second of the grueling work, every bead of sweat that leaked through the leathery trainer suit. But...it was worth it.
"Today I learned that nothing is ever easy, and that if you ahve the determination, even you can do something youthink was horrible. I thought at first minutes of the day, "this will be a piece of cake." But that changed within the first hour. I stood int he heat, panted, was nearly dehydrated, twice, I even admit to having cried at least once.
I learned something about the wonderbolts, that I noticed ALL of you don't understand. We are a team, a group, a class, a year, even a generation...that pours everything we have to do our best. We don't sit around all day, we don't get our natural talents from just watching others cut flips, some even fly through a forest quickly.
"Even Soarin, who you all know and love, told me to tell you what he couldn't. He was a weakling, could barely even lift himself on the first day he had joined the wonderbolts. Within a wekk, he was flying as fast as I do. Within a month, he began learning to do hard work, and was horrible at it, but his determination lead him.
"Spitfire is the best, because she did this every day for years. Soarin is second best, because of his determination. I relinquish all I know as a flier, as fast flying pegasus, everything. I mean, all of them beat me in the qualification race by seventeen miles, thirty nine minutes.
"So, as I clsoe here, remember that I give up my titles, my honor, even my swag for this. From now on...I am a wonderbolt...I am fast...I. Am. Lightning."
The crowd went into an uproar, nearly deafening Rainbow DAsh as she turned away hastily. Soarin took her side, unsure, but held his head up.
"Thank you.", he spoke, finally.
"You asked me to, you are my hero, or at least one of them. Now I fly with those who I model after. You deserve much mroe from me.", Rainbow dash responded, honor-filled.
"Rainbow Dash.", Spitfire took ehr other side, "I will expect you to give me one hundred and twenty wing sprints after we get back, you don't get to eat supper tonight, and tomorrow morning, report to the stadium at five."
Spitfire walked ahead.
There was no response from Rainbow Dash, she dare not talk back to her superior.
The doors swung open hard, driven open by alicorn magic as the royal guards stepped through with the princess herself, her usual regalia on, her usual, beautiful looks...
"Celestia...", Rainbow Dash stopped.
"Rainbow Dash..."
They exchange a glance and Rainbow Dash nodded, continuing on as the princess stepped aside for her.
Walking out the recently opened doors, the flashes and microphones were thrust into Rainbow Dash's face, expecting a juicy story to blossom.
She didn't respond, didn't even notice the orange blob in the way til she stepped on it, raising her hoof to look down.
Scootaloo. Above all her fans, she hadn't expected Scootaloo here, or even any others to somehow get in, much less Scootaloo even get on a cloud.
"Rainbow Dash!", he rolled onto her hooves.
"What, pipsqueak..."
Several pens and pencils marked over pads, recording the single line, waiting for the orange filly's response.
"Well...You've...been a good friend and all, even helped me a lot...you even went to a sisters event with me..So...I was wondering...woudl you please be my big sister?"
The reporters, and camerastallions accompanying half of them all laughed, all except the princess, the wonderbolts, and the guards.
Rainbow Dash saw many possibilities happen here. She dreaded most, wanted a few, even had ready words she could say, all in a few seconds.
But instead, she turned, walked around Scootaloo, and broke into a run, taking flight away from the crowd, not once aiming a single look towards the orange filly.
Immediately, the filly was barricaded by reporter and camera, a few mics now in front of her as she sniffled, and nearly broke into sobs. Celestia picked up the filly by magic, pulling ehr from the tomb of stallions and mares, setting her atop ehr back.
"She...she just...", Scootaloo sniffed.
Scootaloo was old enough to understand a few more things, and embarrassment was in her life nearly every day now, dodging it, aware of it, knowing it, experiencing it...
She knew how bad it would get. The teasing, the taunts, the bullies...
And with a flash, she was taken away with the princess. Out of sight, as well as the pads, pens, pencils, and cameras, even mics, of every reporter and camera pony there.