If I Can't Have My Dream, You Can't Either
“Fillies and Gentlecolts! We are proud to present to you, The Wonderbolts! Live and in show! Now before we get to the main event, we have a very special guest here this evening. Put your hooves together for: Dj-Pon3!” The crowd burst out in a flurry of clops as the crowd prepared for the well known DJ to show exactly what she had in store for the Los Pegasus attendants tonight.
Rainbow Dash stared at the ticket in front of her, as she held it between both of her hooves. She was given it by the Wonderbolts, a free showing to the new tricks that her idols managed to create. To be here, on this day would have been one of the best days in her life. The only problem was the rejection that she had to endure. Her magenta eyes scanned the roads, as the darkness was slowly starting to engulf Equestria. Ponies were attempting to go to bed, if the large amount of cheering and explosions didn't keep them up. Rainbow on the other hand remained on the side of the road, as Spitfire's words echoed in her mind, “I'm sorry Rainbow Dash. You got a lot of guts, and moves, but you aren't the kind of person that we would want in our group.”
Her light blue hooves ripped the ticket in two, as she let it fall onto the ground and eventually decompose, just like her dreams. Her eyes were tearing up, and she quickly stood up, and trotted in between two buildings so that she could think to herself. Rats moved past her and quickly exited the alleyway, moving in between holes that they created or out onto the street. She fell to her knees and finally yelled out, her frustrations not as loud as the fireworks going off, indicating that Vinyl Scratch finished her song.
Rainbow's hooves beat down on the concrete, while her tears formed a bit sized puddle on the floor. The large amount of gunk and dirt that amassed on her hooves due to her current disgusting environment didn't matter to her. All that mattered were her dreams. Her wings remained clenched against her figure, as if she was embarrassed that they existed. She wasn't allowed to the top of the ladder, what was the point of flying if that was the case? These thoughts radiated through her mind, which only made her more depressed.
She had given the Wonderbolts her all, and yet despite her years of training, she had gotten nowhere. What was the point of asking Pinkie for that ticket in the first place? There was none, now. She couldn't go any higher then the skills that she acquired. That's what she thought, which unfortunately only escalated this hurricane of emotions. She wanted to go into the nearest bar, drink her troubles away so that she wouldn't have to think about them. But she came here with no money, her intention was to come to Los Pegasus, pass the Wonderbolt test, and then go back home. There wasn't a backup plan, just in case she failed the test.
Rainbow's mind started to flash back, as she remembered all of the previous events in which she was able to see the Wonderbolts. The Gala stuck out most in her mind. What if she wasn't able to talk to the Wonderbolts on that terrible night, because they didn't want to talk to her? Surely her apple pie save would be noticeable to Soarin, but he didn't bat an eye at her once the crowds started to surround them. Even her fake capture of that older colt garnered no results. Spitfire surrounded herself with fans, which conveniently placed her away from Rainbow. The two were unable to talk the entire night after she was invited to their side of the Gala. It was expected that Rainbow would leave. They thought she was a loser.
The tornado that she created with all of the pegasi was surely a perfect example of competence in high speeds and synchronization. She rallied an entire city of pegasi into one group, formulated a group system with similar systems created for positions, and still managed to bring all the water to Cloudsdale. Even when there were dozens of pegasi absent, the clouds were still created. At the same time, Spitfire was sitting on the sidelines, not even bothering to help with the water tornado. Maybe she wanted Ponyville to reach the goal without her help, or maybe didn't care. She could be thinking that Ponyville citizens didn't deserve her help. That... bitch.
During the wedding between Cadance and Shining Armor, she had managed to train herself to create a Sonic Rainboom by herself. She remembered the color as it faded through the city, marking the kiss between the bride and the groom. The Wonderbolts were able to see that, did they even bother to factor that into their opinion of her? Not a single Wonderbolts member created a Sonic Rainboom, and now that she was denied from the group, the purpose remains unclear.
How could they think such a thing? Rainbow Dash trained her entire life, trying to emulate their moves so that she could make them better, and as a result, create a better version of the Wonderbolts, where she was included. She wasn't a loser. Rainbow avoided egghead habits, she was a very good athlete, and she was known all throughout Equestria as the one who won the Best Young Fliers competition. She was all around awesome, how was she not accepted?
Her tears stopped as she realized a possibility. Maybe the Wonderbolts were jealous, and didn't want to incorporate her acts because they were too hard for them? A small smirk moved across her face as she realized that it wasn't her that was the problem, it was them. She stood up, while her hooves were wiped off on her chest. “Of course it was them.” She finally said, after a half hour of no speaking. “Should I be surprised? Of course those losers would be jealous of my skills, because they don't have any that are as good as mine!”
Her smirk grew wider and she walked out of the alleyway, before heading in the direction of the express train towards Ponyville. She could put on her own shows, and make money that way, along with doing her weather duties on the side. That way, she would become popular with two different mediums. It was genius, unlike those poseurs that denied her the chance to grace them with her awesomeness. Her hoof pushed against the train seat, annoying the one who sat in front of her, as the anger started to swirl through her again, forming a volatile maelstrom. If she had the chance, she would hurt those Wonderbolts, for shattering her dreams and trying to put her down. Of course they would insult her skills and tell her that she wasn't capable. They were capable of being hurt themselves.
Rainbow's wings flexed up and down, making sure that she wasn't ashamed of them anymore, and the anger started to mix with excitement. She would show them. Her events would gather everyone from Equestria, all three princesses, and the Crystal Kingdom as well! The Wonderbolts would become washed out, and unable to match her. She expected apologies when the Wonderbolts were out of money and unable to fly anymore. That would be something to think about when Spitfire flew to her to apologize. Maybe a dunce hat, or shaving her fur off. That would be equivalent to shattering her dreams.
The anger and excitement continued to boil around, as she thought about letting them into her team, the Rainbow's, before denying it. They didn't deserve such an honor. Her eyes slowly closed as she rode the train. The travel time was two and a half hours, and her combination of a Sonic Rainboom and the Wonderbolt's tricks had tired her out. Revenge could wait for the time being, she could rest and contemplate more when she got home.
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“Rainbow Dash? Hey, Rainbow Dash?” The scratchy voice whispered in her ear.
Rainbow Dash's eyes opened and she blinked a few times. The pain on her eyes from her lack of sleep told her that she slept the entire time, but she would have slept more if she wasn't woken up by this annoying... Scootaloo? The orange filly was standing right next to her, poking her so that she woke up. The conductor alerted everyone on the train that it was going to leave in ten minutes. Rainbow sat up and cracked her neck, before looking into the orange filly's eyes with an indifferent expression. She enjoyed the attention that she got from the filly, but it was kind of annoying when Scootaloo didn't know what boundaries were. Rainbow got up, and without acknowledging the filly, walked off of the train and started towards her house.
Scootaloo trailed behind the light blue mare on her scooter, her hoof pushing down every now and again to keep her going. “So... Rainbow? Did the Wonderbolts accept you?” She asked, her head turning to look around at the darkness of the trees. Despite how scary it must be, to be walking around in pitch black, there was a certain peaceful quality to it.
Rainbow Dash did not feel the same way, and Scootaloo's question immediately moved to her nerves, testing them. “That really isn't any of your business, now is it?” Rainbow replied.
Scootaloo was taken aback, her purple eyes widening from the hurtful response. She moved an inch away from the mare, but continued to scoot along while they walked. “I take it that means no?”
“What was your first clue?” Rainbow said in her rejoinder, her hoofs tensing up as she walked, along with her temper as Spitfire's rejection played over in her head. She wasn't Wonderbolts material. Her moves were nice, but she didn't have the right attitude to be accepted.
“You don't have to be so mean about it, I'm just asking.” Scootaloo looked ahead on the sidewalk.
“Look, kid. Just because you are the leader of my fan club, does not mean that you can just bug be whenever you want.” Rainbow responded, “I didn't get accepted into the Wonderbolts, but don't start yelling it towards your friends just because it happened. I like having a little privacy, you know.”
“I never said I was going to yell it towards my friends.”
“Well good!” Rainbow said, as she stopped walking and stared at the smaller one. Scootaloo winced in fear, and she moved onto the other side of her scooter, the foot rest between the both of them. She looked down, and Rainbow growled.
“I'm sorry Rainbow Dash.”
“I don't need your pity! I deserve to be on the Wonderbolts! I don't want to have some flightless waste of space bugging me!”
Scootaloo bit her lip, as her eyes started to get hazy. These were just words, they wouldn't be able to hurt her. But the word, “Flightless” remained with her, replaying in her head. A tear fell onto the ground, and her voice quivered as she spoke, “Just because you are good at flying... doesn't mean that you get to make fun of people that aren't. I know Spitfire didn't make fun of you when you weren't accepted.”
Rainbow's right eye twitched, and her hoof slammed into Scootaloo's nose. The force of the punch pushed the filly onto her back. A sickening crunch was heard from the impact of the punch, and Scootaloo could feel a hot flood leaking down her cheeks. The burning sensation of pain was flooding her body, and her scooter fell over onto her stomach since it wasn't being held anymore. Tears were now freely leaking down her face, mixing in with the blood droplets that started to coat the ground. She sniffed, but only felt the hot liquid clogging up her nose, along with the pain of her actual broken nose. All of it was done in one punch, Rainbow had broken her nose, and her spirit.
If only that would be the light blue mare's response, she wasn't done. She stood over the orange mare, and looked down at the mess that she created. “Get up.” Rainbow said, as she wiped the blood from her hoof onto her chest.
Scootaloo's eyes could barely see the amorphous mass who lingered above her, and the combined pain of her nose and her heart were unable to give her a reason to get up. Her back hooves slowly bent so that she could try and get back up, but there was a pain in her back as Rainbow's back hoof smashed into her side. This time there was no crunching noise, but the pain was now radiating through her side, instead of just her nose. A yell came from the filly, and she cried out along with some sputtering in her crying. “Please Rainbow Dash! St-”
“Shut up!” Rainbow responded, as she looked down at the coiling mass that was her insulter. “Shut up and get up. I dare you.”
Scootaloo cried out another time, as the two hot fluids leaked down her face. “I don't want to get up, I don't want to fight you.” Scootaloo said, as she laid there on her unhurt side.
One of Rainbow's eyebrows raised, and then she started to walk in a circle around the hurt filly. “You were fighting me back there. You insisted on bugging me about what happened, and you didn't want to shut up when I gave you a few clues.”
“But I didn't-”
“Shut up!” Rainbow yelled, and she lightly kicked Scootaloo onto her back before stomping on her chest. The beginning pressure of the stomp knocked the wind out of Scootaloo, and she attempted to breathe through her nose, before remembering the pain that came with it. She was able to stare up into those magenta eyes, which showed something that she had never seen before: hatred. Rainbow Dash hated her, although it was never shown until now. Scootaloo was willing to guess that this was the gaze directed to her when she was not looking at Rainbow. Her heart started to break, as one of her dreams of eventually flying up in the sky with Rainbow Dash, following behind her and forming an awesome move in the air, became unobtainable. Scootaloo managed to breathe through her mouth, but she wasn't able to speak before Rainbow interrupted her.
“You are a useless pony. What kind of a pegasus is not able to fly?” Rainbow asked, as her hoof applied more pressure to her victim's chest. “I've seen fillies half your age that were able to flap their wings and fly. You can't fly, and you are a teenager!”
Scootaloo's tears continued to fall, as she sniffed blood back into her nose and breathed through her mouth. With any more pressure, her ribs were going to crack, although at this point, Scootaloo couldn't stop her idol from doing whatever she wanted.
“I bet you won't get your cutie mark at all. Sweetie Belle already got hers, and it's something that's at least useful.”
“But,” Scootaloo paused, waiting for Rainbow Dash to interrupt her or hurt her more. However the mare decided to humor her, and although Scootaloo knew she wasn't going to have her point made by saying this, she couldn't be pushed around like this any longer. “I am going to get a cutie mark... I'll be the best scooter rider in all of Equestria.”
Rainbow Dash almost busted up laughing. She held her stomach with one hoof and then moved off of the filly, letting her breathe for a few moments. She took the filly's scooter in her hooves, and looked it over as if she was determining its worth. “You mean this thing? You insult me when you can't even fly without a special device? Are you retarded?” Rainbow asked.
Scootaloo's eyes glazed over once more, and she slowly moved back onto her hooves, but her moment of standing wasn't going to last for long. The pain started at her head, before splitting throughout all of her body in one devastating motion. The wood of her own scooter broke under the force of the impact and Scootaloo flew back a few feet onto her back. A shard of her scooter, which contained the board and the wheels had shot off into the darkness of the forest, while Rainbow was still holding the handlebars.
Scootaloo felt nothing but pain, at this point, there would be no difference between continuing the punishment and letting her lay there. A cut ran from the left side of her forehead all the way down to her brow, and was leaking more blood onto the ground. Her head felt like it was being split open, probably because of the concussion and the cracked skull which she was now enduring. If only the heat of the blood was capable of relieving her head pain, because she wouldn't feel anything if that was the case. Slowly, her head was starting to be covered in blood. The cuts and her nose, along with the placement of her head was making the blood leak across her face and onto the ground. Her hooves were flat on the floor as she laid there, her eyes spacing out, nothing standing out in particular.
She couldn't see a thing, only a blurry combination of Luna's beautiful stars and the blood, which ran over her eyes and made her close them. Rainbow laughed a little bit as she looked at the fallen filly, “That got some air.” She said, as she slowly walked over to Scooaloo.
Scootaloo's head tilted to the right, as the blood loss was finally getting to her. Her thoughts were slowing down, as she accepted her lack of vision. Small amorphous lines swirled around in her closed vision, as the small “clop” noises of Rainbow Dash approaching her grew louder and louder. Now as the light blue mare stood over her victim once more, she looked at Scootaloo's wings, which were tucked into her body. Rainbow bent herself back down and grabbed Scootaloo's wings, before spreading them out, holding them down with her back wings. Her front right hoof was holding the broken off set of handlebars, which she lifted up into the air, before placing the other front hoof on top of the bars.
The orange filly slowly opened her eyes, and the view was enough to make her give up. Did Princess Celestia allow these kinds of things to happen? Did she not know that sometimes, there wasn't always harmony in the world? If someone had talked to Rainbow before she snapped, then she, Scootaloo, wouldn't have to suffer this much. She couldn't blame Celestia, this would have happened to anyone. It was a shame that it had to be someone who couldn't defend herself.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she brandished her weapon of choice. “I guess if your wings are not going to be able to make you fly, then why don't we break them off?” She asked, as her hooves applied more pressure to Scootaloo's wings so that she couldn't break out. “They are useless anyway, just like you.”
Rainbow Dash attempted to thrust the handlebars down but her action was met with another crunch, as a tooth was knocked out of her mouth. She flew backwards and slammed into a tree, before her eyes closed. She was effectively knocked out. Scootaloo was able to see an orange blur in her vision, before her head was straightened and green eyes were staring into her own.
“Stay with me Sugarcube, we need to get you to a hospital.” she heard.
A smile formed across Scootaloo's face. She would have shook her head, if she was able to. “I don't need to go... to the hospital, I'd prefer dying... right... here.” she said, as her eyes closed.
“Hey, Scootaloo! Sugarcube! SCOOTALOO!”
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Pinkie brought out a large tray of cupcakes, a giggle coming from her as the parents of the party smiled and thanked her for the treats. The room was decorated with a mixture of orange and purple, with a large '7' highlighted on the main decoration in the house, hanging from the ceiling as a pinata. Scootaloo smiled as she rummaged through the large amount of presents that she was given, wondering which one she should open first. Her father smiled and pointed towards a longer present, which Scootaloo picked and opened. Inside was a beautiful scooter, the handlebar folded down so that it could be stored easily. Her eyes widened as she looked at this present, and she ran over to her father, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you Dad! Thank you thank you!” she said, screaming with excitement as she trotted over to her scooter, pulled the handlebar into a vertical position, and then sped around the room. She managed to hop over a filly who was eating her cupcake on the ground. Scootaloo's parents were about to scold her before the birthday girl laughed, and jumped off her new present. “I can get used to this, I don't need to fly.”
