It was another night of cleaning the Wonderbolts’ compound.
As Rainbow Dash stepped out of the building with a broom at the ready, a cold breeze caught her mane, its cool temperature seemingly washing away the stresses of her day. A dazzling array of twinkling stars filled the cloudless night, a rare sight to behold were it not for a cloud busting exercise conducted earlier in the day.
Rainbow Dash gazed over the tranquil beauty of night, before inhaling a fresh lungful of air as she began working on her duty. Bringing the broom back and forth, she swept every bit of dirt and grime off the steps, no matter how miniscule they might be.
Yet, no matter how much Rainbow Dash concentrated on the chores entrusted to her, the repetitive motion of her hooves made the chores seem mundane. It was the same routine every single night; she would clean the entranceway first, proceed with washing up the interior corridors, and then carrying on with dusting off the communal spaces within the building.
Of course, it was easy to give up; to simply skive and just rush through all her tasks so that she could finally retire herself to the comforts of her bunk, especially with how tired she was after a hard day of training. The silence of the night only fuelled that temptation to do so; it was the perfect environment to cuddle up somewhere under the starry night and relax.
But how could Rainbow Dash give up her dreams over something as simple as cleaning up the entire compound for a month? Framed, embarrassed and humiliated, she certainly had a long journey to arrive at where she was now. Why would she let this tiny hurdle get in her way and ruin the effort she had put in, just for a little rest?
And so, she pressed on, working diligently on her chores ahead.
It was not before too long when Rainbow Dash was done cleaning up the entire academy. She brought her cleaning equipment back into the closet from whence they came, neatly organising them for tomorrow. However, instead of rushing back to rest in her bunk, Rainbow chose to remain outside, at least for a time, for there was something about the ambience of that alluring, starry night that captivated her.
She stepped out into the open, the crescent moon rising steadily in the distance. She sat down on a nearby patch of grass and simply admired the night in all its glory. As she stared and wondered, her mind drifted to her friends back down in Ponyville, and to how dearly she wanted to share this beautiful experience with them. But alas, her schedule in the Wonderbolt Academy prevented her from meeting her best friends...for now.
“Oh hey, Crash!” a voice called out. “Fancy meeting you out here!”
Turning back, a familiar face greeted Rainbow Dash’s vision. “Hey Soarin…but…umm…what are you doing out here? Aren’t you supposed to be resting right now?”
“Well…sometimes I just want to take a break from it all and just enjoy some alone time,” Soarin replied, his eyes veering away from Rainbow Dash. “But then, I saw you alone over here and decided to give you some company.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash stood up in surprise, evidently shocked that one of the higher-ranking Wonderbolts would be willing to spend time with a newbie like her. It was especially strange, since everypony should be resting at this time of the night after a hard day’s training like today.
“Well, yeah,” Soarin spoke, nodding his head subtly. “I was wondering if you were okay, especially if you are out here alone in the dark. But if you don’t need my company, th-”
“No, no!” she interjected hurriedly as she shook her head. “I mean…um…sure, I guess.” Rainbow Dash could not help but admit that she wished for some company with a fellow Wonderbolt she had always looked up to since her younger days. Her attempt to conceal her enthusiasm was clearly destined to fail; how could she possibly say no to hanging out with one of her greatest idols?
“So,” Soarin started, as he trotted towards Rainbow’s side. “How are you coping so far?” He sat down onto the grass patch to join her, to appreciate a rare glimpse of a cloudless, star-filled night together.
A pause.
“…I’m doing fine,” Rainbow Dash stated flatly, shifting herself slightly into a more comfortable position. “The training’s easy…I can definitely cope with it!” There was no way Rainbow would allow any weakness of hers to be exposed to the team. What if they were going to kick her out because of her perceived weakness? There was no way Rainbow was going to let herself down just like that.
Soarin smirked. “Ah, I knew you would be able to cope with the training. After all, you’re one of the most talented flyers that I’ve ever seen. And I can still remember the two or three times you’ve saved me, you know!” Soarin chuckled, before stopping for a moment. “But…is there something troubling you? You don’t sound…fine.”
Another pause.
“Umm…no?” Rainbow frowned, perplexed by how Soarin was able to deduce that from the nature of their conversation. “How am I not fine?” She stretched herself slightly, and tried to remain as stoic as she possibly could. She had to eliminate any signs of her body language giving her away.
Soarin exhaled deeply, a mist of vapour escaping the confines of his lips. “C’mon Rainbow, I know there’s something bothering you. It’s just the both of us here, and I promise I won’t tell anyone…”
“Look – Soarin, I’m perfectly fine,” Rainbow Dash responded sharply, without the slightest flicker of hesitation. “I don’t understand why you keep thinking that I have something on my mind…because I don’t!”
“Are you upset by the punishment Spitfire gave you to clean the barracks every night?”
“What? No!” Rainbow Dash asserted hurriedly. “Actually, I like cleaning the barracks.”
“You do?” Soarin smiled, his eyes twinkling with the strobing, multi-coloured runway lights. He stood up and gazed up into the night sky for a time, seemingly deep in recollection. Rainbow Dash remained seated and silent, her mind quizzically wondering what Soarin could possibly be up to.
“You know, I like cleaning the barracks too,” Soarin said, his vision wandering about in the stars above before turning back to face Rainbow. “When I was a newbie like you, I had to clean the barracks for being the worst flyer of the day. I used to dread washing and cleaning after everypony, but somehow, over time…I enjoyed it, even if it was exhausting.”
Rainbow raised her eyebrows at Soarin’s mention of cleaning up after everypony in the past. It was hard for her to see Soarin being the worst flyer of the day, but she guessed that everypony must have been through that. “I know,” Rainbow Dash stood up and trotted over to Soarin’s side. “I guess it’s…a form of motivation for me, to improve."
“Oh, it is not just that for me,” Soarin turned towards the sound of ruffling grass. “It's also a great time to let your mind catch up with yourself after rushing through the day. That's why I'm still out here at this time.”
“Yeah…I get what you mean,” Rainbow Dash concurred, nodding her head slightly. The exercises might be easy for her, but the constant rushing about from exercises to drills made her life in the Wonderbolts incredibly hectic. In fact, this task had gifted her an opportunity to immerse herself into the calmness of the night; to reflect, ponder and dream of her past, her present and her future.
“It’s all about perspective, Crash,” Soarin continued. “It’s about how you look at stuff. You may not want to tell me what’s on your mind, but all I can say is that you just have to look at the brighter side of things.”
Soarin turned to his right to check on Rainbow to see her staring up blankly, pondering the words he just uttered. “I guess…you’re right,” Rainbow Dash admitted. Perhaps she did have to look at things from a different perspective. Perhaps she might have taken the time with her friends for granted. Perhaps she should...
“Well, anyways…um…it’s late now,” Soarin glanced down on his watch. “I really have to be going. See you tomorrow morning!”
Rainbow Dash’s expression sank slightly, though she was quick to conceal her disappointment. “Thanks for your company,” she grinned. “Thank you.”
“Wonderbolts look out for each other. It is the least I could do,” Soarin said, before heading back towards the direction of the compound behind Rainbow Dash. She turned back to see Soarin disappear into the entranceway, his shadow fading in the light emanating from the building.
