Wonderbolt vs Washout

Rainbow Dash entered the dark room, looking around to see if anypony was looking at her before slumping down at the counter at the end of the room. Nopony had asked her for an autograph so far, but she still believed that at some point, some random pony would approach her and ask to take a picture with her. Today, though, was not a day she was ready to smile for the camera, or for any reason for that matter.

“Hey, Dash,” said the pony behind the counter, wiping down the inside of a glass mug with a white washcloth. “The same thing you’ve had all week?”

“Yeah. Leave the bottle. I’ll be here for a while.”

The bartender chuckled, putting the glass down as he reached below the counter. Rainbow didn’t even bother looking in his direction anymore, especially knowing that she’d have to pretend to be grateful if she accidentally made eye contact. Instead, she stared out the window with her cheek laying against her hoof, only knowing when the drink arrived from the quiet thunk against the wooden tabletop.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, again refusing to make eye contact. Then, uncorking the bottle, she whipped her head back and chugged down the fizziest, most bubbly cider that the bar had to offer, guzzling it down like she was on the brink of thirst. Once she’d had all she could drink in one gulp, however, she smacked the bottle back down to the counter and wiped her mouth of the excess liquids drizzling down her lips, breathing heavily before she went for her second round.

“Now, I know something’s buggin’ ya,” the bartender said, picking up his mug and rag again, continuing to wipe where he left off. “The only question is what’s so bad that you’ve gotta come to the shadiest part of town and pay half of my rent in one night?”

Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I’ve been here for the past six days and you’re just barely asking me what’s the matter?”

“I figured it just must be work stress. Ponies come here all the time after work to help themselves relax. Then, they go home, take a nap, and wake up to do it all over again the next day.” The bartender pulled the rag out of the glass to point in Rainbow’s face. “You, on the other hoof, have been comin’ here for a week straight. Not many ponies need extra help relaxing on a weekend.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before taking another swig and wiping away the dribble. “Most ponies aren’t Wonderbolts with a performance coming up in a week.”

“Ahh, so it is work. I’m guessing you’ve been pretty busy this whole time.”

There was a brief pause before Rainbow set her drink down and rested her chin on her hooves, looking out the window with a deepwinded sigh. “That’s not it. I mean it is, but not really. The Bolts have all come up with a great routine, and we’re basically ready for the festival.”

The bartender held the glass up to his eye and wiped down one last spot before placing the glass to the side. “OK, now I really don’t know what’s goin’ on.”

“Ugh. Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.”

Rainbow grabbed her bottle, swung her head back and downed the rest of the liquids inside, burning her throat in the process. Even if it hurt going down, she loved the way the fizz bubbled up to her brain, like it somehow caught some of her anxious thoughts on the way and made them pop along with the bubbles. Then, once she’d finished the bottle off with a gasp for air, she smacked the empty container onto the table, burying her face into her hooves while waiting for the bartender to find her a new one.

*Ring, ring!*

“Welcome! Be right with ya!”

Rainbow could hear somepony walking up to the counter, but even in her curiosity, she didn’t exactly feel like moving her head right now. Besides, if it turned out that this pony was somepony looking for an autograph, she wasn’t exactly in the right mindset for customer service right now. Of course, nopony had ever stopped her in public before, but she still didn’t want to take her chances.

“Kinda quiet tonight, eh, barkeep?” the voice asked along with the screeching of the chair beside her on the wooden floor.

“It’s Sunday. Not very many ponies looking to stay up late when they’ve got work in the mornin’.”

“Gotcha. Hey, can I have one club soda on the rocks?”

“You got it, Lightning Dust.”

Once the name escaped his lips, Rainbow’s head shot up, turning to her side to see a teal mare beside her flinching suddenly. After Lightning Dust took a moment to get air back in her lungs, though, a large smirk spread across her cheeks, making Rainbow’s hoof tense up discreetly.

“Hey, Rainbow,” Lightning said with an arrogant tone. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before. I thought you’d be up in Cloudsdale soaking it up with those top-rated bars, not down here with us lowlifes.”

“I was here first!” Rainbow shot back. “Actually, I’ve been here every night for the past week, so I don’t wanna hear that from you!”

Lightning Dust flinched, then chuckled. “Whoa. Seriously? Every single night? I didn’t know the festival was weighing you down that much.”

“Ohh, go fly a kite, you hussy! You know it’s not the festival that’s got me worked up!”

Then, before things could escalate further, the bartender placed a new bottle of cider in front of Rainbow Dash along with a glass of club soda for Lightning Dust. The teal pegasus was obviously waiting for Rainbow Dash to elaborate, but Rainbow Dash just grabbed her bottle and started swigging it down again, trying to enjoy the fizz as much as she could. Once she slammed her bottle down to the counter with an exasperated sigh, however, she saw the pegasus beside her mimicking her movements almost like she was looking into a mirror.

“What?” asked Lightning Dust, making Rainbow Dash flinch before turning her attention back to her drink. Lightning Dust couldn’t help but smile. “You’re wondering what I’m doing here, aren’t you?”

“Ugh.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You’re probably just here because you like club soda.”

Lightning Dust shrugged. “True, but it’s not like you’re the only one with stress.”

Hearing Lightning Dust say that made Rainbow Dash bite her lip before she accidentally said something that she’d regret. Of course, she wouldn’t regret saying it, but she’d regret it if this civil conversation escalated into a bar fight.

“What stress do you have?” Rainbow asked with an edge in her tone. “You guys already have your performance down pat! You’ve basically been spending this past week seeing who could make the best cloud pillows. Plus, the princesses went to you guys first! The Wonderbolts are only getting a chance to perform because--”

“Because you’re friends with Twilight.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head before dropping eye contact and facing forward. “Whatever.”

As Rainbow Dash took another drink, though, Lightning Dust held her drink up to her lips, raising an eyebrow without actually drinking it. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

Once Rainbow had finished her gulp, she slammed her bottle down even harder, glaring at the pegasus beside her. “What’s your problem?! Seriously, why do you have it in for us so bad that you refuse to even work together like the princesses asked?”

Lightning Dust’s eyes travelled to her hoof, swishing the drink in her glass before leaning her head back and knocking down her club soda. She was far more graceful in returning her container to the counter, but she still didn’t even bother looking Rainbow Dash in the eye.

“My dream…” Lightning Dust began, “...was to be somepony important, somepony that others looked up to.”

“Aaaaaand that’s why you’re refusing to work with us?”

“No, it’s not--” Lightning Dust sighed. “I’m not refusing to work with you.”

“Uhh, yeah you are. You remember when you said that we’d both cut our performances in half and just do them independently of each other? You remember when Spitfire tried to work with you guys so that we could all put on a great show that involved all of our talents?”

Lightning Dust held up her glass for the bartender to see. “Hey, barkeep. Could I get another one of these? Thanks.” The bartender nodded his head, taking the glass out of her hoof, leaving her to sigh with her chin buried in her forelegs on the counter. “I want our show to be special. I want other ponies to know that we worked our butts off to get to where we are and that we didn’t just land a gig by piggybacking off of the Wonderbolts.”

The bartender once again placed a full glass of club soda onto the counter in front of Lightning Dust, which she wasted no time chasing down.

“Look,” Rainbow began while Lightning’s throat was still full of her own fizzy drink. “I know what this show means to you, but the fact of the matter is, Twilight wants us to perform together. I know you have your own interpretation of that--”

“And I think my interpretation is right.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the other pegasus for a few moments, and then, once she had given the message a few moments to sink in, she shook her head in disbelief. “OK. You know what? Let’s go with your definition of ‘working together’ then. How does two separate performances count as working together?”

“Because, Rainbow Dash, I see you as a rival.” The rainbow-maned mare squinted her eyes, but before she could respond, Lightning Dust held up her hoof to silence her. “And I think the rest of the crowd would rather us fight than work together. Even if my team dropped all the flaming hoops and wrecking balls that got the Washouts started, our team still focuses mainly on pushing our limits, whereas your team focuses on synchronization. Sure, we could come up with something that would cater to both of our teams’ strengths, but then we’d only be playing at half of our potential. Even if it’s not what the princesses had in mind, I still think my idea would give the audience the best experience.”

By this point, the bubbles were finally starting to have an impact on Rainbow’s mind. She could feel them popping along her throat, fizzling their way into Rainbow’s bloodstream, making Rainbow wonder whether Lightning Dust was actually making sense or if Rainbow was just a little bubble-happy right now.

“So the reason you wanted us to perform separately isn’t because you hate me?”

Lightning Dust turned towards Rainbow with shock on her face. “Hate you? I’ve never hated you. How could I? You were my wingpony, after all.”

The comment made Rainbow Dash scratch her head in confusion. “So you’re not just trying to ruin the Wonderbolts’ reputation and make us all look bad?”

“What?” Lightning Dust scoffed. “Rainbow, not to be a jerk or anything, but don’t you think it’s a little conceited to think that I was really only doing this to spite you?”

“No! Because…”

The teal pegasus tilted her head. “Because…?”

A brief moment passed where neither of them spoke, but after a soft sigh, Rainbow Dash faced Lightning Dust again and said, “Because I was hoping that I’d be able to use our differences to maybe… sorta… get you guys kicked out of the show.”

Rainbow Dash flinched immediately, but all Lightning Dust could do was shake her head in disbelief. “You… what?”

“ I know! It was stupid and selfish and I regret even thinking it!”

“But why, Rainbow?! Why do you hate me so much?! What did I ever do to you?! In case you don’t remember, you got me kicked out of the academy. Is it because of what almost happened to your friends?”

“Well--”

“Is it because of that Scootaloo filly?”

“Uhh…”

“Even after all that’s happened, I’ve only ever thought of you as a rival, never as a bad pony. If you were seriously planning on going behind my back and getting us cancelled altogether, why shouldn’t I think that about you now?”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Come on, Lightning Dust! It’s not like anything actually happened!”

Lightning Dust, though, scowled even harder. “Funny. That’s what I said back at the academy. You know, before I was kicked out, but you know what? I’ve got a better idea.” Suddenly, Lightning Dust stood up from her stool and threw a couple of bits onto the counter. “Why don’t you tell the princesses why the Washouts suddenly decided not to perform at the festival after all?”

Just as Lightning turned towards the exit, however, Rainbow held out her hoof urgently. “Wait! Hang on!”

“What for? This way you get what you’ve wanted all along. Besides, the Washouts are done being the Wonderbolts’ shadow.”

“You’re not our shadow! You guys have a great act, and it was wrong of me to hold a grudge against you. If anypony shouldn’t be performing, it should be us.” Rainbow Dash hung her head in embarrassment, but once her confidence came back, she looked Lightning Dust in the eye and said, “I’ll talk with the princesses tomorrow.”

“OK…? About what?”

“I’ll tell them that the Washouts should perform instead of us. You guys were their original choice anyway.”

Lightning Dust tilted her head in curiosity until finally, she put her hoof to her mouth, visibly trying not to crack up in hilarity. Sadly, she only lasted about another three seconds before she started guffawing at the top of her lungs, making Rainbow’s cheeks turn a bright shade of crimson.

“Sorry,” Lightning Dust said once she could finally speak again. “It’s just… Don’t you think that plan is kinda stupid?”

“Wow, you really don’t hold back, do you?”

“It’s not that.” With a wave to the bartender, Lightning Dust took her seat next to Rainbow Dash again. “Hey, could you get me another soda? Oh, and one for my friend here too. I have a feeling we’ll be a little while.”

The bartender nodded with a grin as Lightning Dust turned to Rainbow Dash with a smile of her own.

“You don’t really wanna back out of the festival, do you?”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish grin. “Not really. I guess I’ve just had one too many ciders. Not exactly thinking straight right now.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think that backing out on behalf of your entire team is probably not the best way to handle your guilt. Even if I’m not the biggest fan of how the Wonderbolts got a spot in the first place, I’m not petty enough to have you guys back out to make us look better.” Then, the bartender placed two glasses of club soda onto the counter in front of them, and Lightning Dust didn’t waste a second grabbing her own. “Cheers.”

While the teal mare beside her tossed down her own glass, however, Rainbow Dash barely even held hers, swishing the contents around and seeing the bubbles fizz to the top. “So what do you think we should do?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, if you don’t want us to work together and you don’t want us to quit, then what is your plan, exactly?”

Lightning Dust sighed with triumph after downing her drink, shaking her head to speed up the speed of the bubbles entering her bloodstream. “My plan? I already told you. I think it would be best if we each did half a performance or just did our acts in unison with each other.”

“Yeah, sorry, but I don’t think that’ll fly with the Bolts.” Finally, Rainbow Dash brought her drink up to her lips and let the taste of the completely different fizzy soda trickle down her taste buds.

“OK? So what do we do? If we try to mesh our talents together, we’ll just put on a lackluster performance that won’t impress anypony. I was thinking that our show would just transition into yours.”

Suddenly, Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Say that again!”

“Uhh… ‘I was thinking that our show would just transition into yours’?”

The moment the words left her lips, Rainbow Dash put down her drink and grabbed Lightning Dust by the shoulders. “That’s it! Maybe you were onto something!”

Lightning Dust tilted her head. “You mean you’ve changed your mind?”

“Not exactly, but we’ve gotta tell Spitfire about this idea! It’s gonna be legendary!”

Before Rainbow Dash could leap off of her stool and fly out the door (which she probably didn’t have the coordination for anyway), Lightning Dust grabbed her by the hoof, barely keeping her reined in. “Hang on there, Turbo. Mind filling me in on what this plan of yours is first?”

“I think I may have found a way to get our shows to work that’ll bring out the best of the Washouts and the Wonderbolts!”

“Great! Soooo what is it?”

Rainbow Dash grinned, holding up her hoof to get the bartender’s attention yet again. “Two more ciders, please! I have a feeling we’re gonna be here a while.”

Rainbow then flashed a smile towards her friend, who flashed a smile right back at her.