Loyalty.
Speed. More. Speed.
The cerulean blue Pegasus soared through the air, leaving behind her iconic rainbow trail. She could hear the whistle of the wind, filling her with adrenaline. Her rainbow mane flowing in the wind, she flapped her wings rapidly, gaining speed with every flap. She gripped the strings of a trio of different colored balloons, desperately tried to keep up with her.
Diving into the forest, she dodges treetops, vines, trunks, branches, with her expert maneuvering skills. She burst out of the forest, a burst of leaves accompanying her as she shot straight up into the sky.
“Ha! I still got it.” She praised herself.
After reaching a satisfactory height, she folded her wings and loosened her grip on the strings. Then she took a nosedive right into the fields, an unflinching look of determination on her face.
She had one chance. She could see the ground was getting closer. The waving grass slowly gained detail as she closed in on the field. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, released the balloons and exhaled.
About two feet from the ground, she opened her wings and spread them widely, arcing forward, her torso about an inch from the ground. She glided majestically, back into the skies, grabbed the balloons before they could even float away and flew towards a little hill housing a solitary tree.
She landed under the shade of the tree, and caught her breath.
Under the shade, lay a tombstone. Another group of three deflated balloons lay on the ground beside the tombstone, their strings still attached to it.
She stared at the tombstone for a few moments, her eyes drifting off into distant memories… she could feel the voices echoing in her head…
“Hey Rainbow Dash!!”
She smiled at the resurfaced memory. Her magenta eyes focusing on the tombstone, analyzing every aspect of it, memories resurfacing the longer she looked.
“I didn’t know you were a prankster too, Pinkie Pie!”
“Well, you’ll never know unless you ask!"
A tear crawled out from Rainbow Dash’s eye, making its way down her cheek, and dripping onto the grass. Rainbow Dash shook her head and wiped off the tears with her hoof.
“Enough reminiscing, here are the balloons, just like I promised…” She says, removing the previously deflated balloons, throwing them aside for later disposal. Using her hooves, she ties the balloons onto the tombstone, wrapping the strings around it.
She stood there, staring at the tombstone for a few minutes, the yellow and blue balloons dancing in the midsummer breeze.
“Ahem… um… hey Rainbow Dash?” A familiar voice asked, causing her to jump and another memory to resurface.
“Hey Rainbow Dash! Can I have your autograph?”
It reminded her of a little filly, who claimed to be her biggest fan and had proven it through the years.
Rainbow Dash turned around to greet the pony who snuck up on her, a smile on her face.
“Hey squirt! Um... If you still want me to call you squirt, I mean, you already graduated after all…” Rainbow Dash said, shying a bit away from the orange Pegasus before her.
The Orange Pegasus had a Fuchsia mane sporting a pair of magenta striped black goggles on top of her head, the rest flowing in the wind. Her purple eyes were focusing at Rainbow Dash. She was still the young filly Rainbow Dash knew for all these years; albeit, she was already a full grown mare now.
“Its okay Rainbow Dash… you can still call me squirt.” The orange Pegasus replied. “That nickname has kinda grown on me…”
Rainbow Dash smiled.
“Scootaloo, I- You were just a little filly back then, you could barely even fly! But now, now you’re a full grown mare, time just…” She pauses for second.
“Time just goes so fast, it seems to dash away the older you get…” She says, looking back at the tombstone then to Scootaloo. “Anyways, do you need something? Anything I can help you with?”
“Well I was just curious about where you fly to every day, so I um… followed you here…” Scootaloo says sheepishly, a blush surfacing on her cheeks. “It seems you really took that promise to heart.”
“They don’t call me the element of Loyalty just for the title and bragging rights!” Rainbow Dash exclaims proudly, a hoof on her chest. “Anyways, that reminds me, I still have four of my best friends to visit!”
“Is that what you do every day now?” Scootaloo asks.
“Scoots, I’m already an aging mare, I have my golden years ahead of me. I’ve already retired from the Wonderbolts, and you, obviously, took my place. And I’m proud of that. I already taught you everything I know…” Rainbow Dash says as she pats Scootaloo on the back. “And if you combine that with your talents, I’m pretty sure you’ll be known all over Equestria soon!”
“You got potential kid, how about you sign up for the Wonderbolts?”
“Hay, I even remembered when Spitfire invited me into the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow dash says proudly.
“Yeah. Your crowning achievement.” Scootaloo smirks. “Hey, um… if you don’t mind, I have to go…” She says as she readies her wings for flight.
“Congratulations Dashie! You finally got accepted into the Wonderbolts! What’cha gonna do now?”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all! Just remember not to forget me when you’re in the hall of Fame!”
“Of course, I promise! I Pinkie promise!” Scootaloo promises as she ascends.
“Cross your heart and hope to fly!?” Rainbow Dash shouts back.
“Stick a cupcake in my eye!” Scotaloo shouts flying away, gesturing sticking a cupcake in her eye.
Rainbow Dash stared at Scootaloo as she flew off into the horizon.
“Hear that Pinkie? She just made a Pinkie promise…” Rainbow Dash says as she bends towards the tombstone.
Rainbow looks at it for a good minute and sighs deeply.
“I really wish you never had to do that…” She caresses the tombstone with her hoof and pauses for a minute. “Because sometimes, promises are meant to be broken… I miss you a lot.” Rainbow Dash says, tears once again forming in her eyes.
“I’ll miss you too, Dashie.”
End.
