Taking Flight in Her Dreams

by The Princess Rarity

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 1220

Rainbow Dash was always determined. But she wasn't always bold. Although she always dreamed. And now, it's all coming true...

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly, I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky and I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change and breakaway..."

Rainbow Dash was always determined. But she wasn't always bold. Although she always dreamed. And now, it's all coming true…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-12 19:00:02 UTC

Out of the darkness and into the sun...

She breathed deep, feeling the wind hit against her as she flew through the air at super-sonic speeds and that's not exaggerating at all. Rainbow Dash is flying faster than any pegasus that ever lived. She's defying the laws of flight. She's breaking the rules of self control. She's just doing what she loves; simply feeling the wonderfully magnificent sensation of fearlessness, a trait she's had for a long, long time...

But not forever.

Her eyes close and she laughs out loud, coasting on her speed above the clouds, and as she opens her gaze once more, she looks everywhere at once; like a newborn foal, excited to see the world yet again. It's an indescribabley amazing feeling that's so perfect and she just can't explain it, not even to her fellow pegasi. It's like, when she flies, she's the only one in all of Equestria. She's herself, and nopony else is around to interuppt her moment.

She actually cannot even believe that, long ago, she was afraid to take all of this.

"No! No, no, no! I won't do it!" Tears filled her magenta eyes and she ran away from the edge of the cloud. "I won't do it, Daddy! I won't, I won't, I won't! You can't make me! You won't make me! I'm a big filly and I make my own decisions!"

Rainbow Spectre looked at his young daughter, frowning. "Dashie, you can do it." he said simply, giving an encouraging smile. "Just try, sweetie."

"No!" Dash squealed, sniffling and pouting. "I'm not gonna fly, not ever never! And nopony's ever gonna make me!"

She might've been young, but the little cyan pegasus filly is, was, always will be, stubborn as a mule. When she picks a decision, she sticks with it, no exceptions. And the world below Cloudsdale looked so scary...

"Looks like the rookie's got her head stuck in the clouds!"

Rainbow chuckled and screeched to a halt on a cloud, spinning around on her hooves and looking down below, glancing at her team. Her new team. The team she'd soon be Co-Captain of, if she could prove herself yet again. The team of the Wonderbolts.

"More like practicing, Spitfire!" the cyan pegasus called, with a smirk, giving a salute in a both serious yet also playful manner.

She breathed deep and laughed in disbelief. She just can't believe it. Her suit fits perfectly and she can't help but feel exhilarated every moment she wears it. Who wouldn't? It's so spine-chilling, but in an amazingly awesome way. Dash seriously did think that she wouldn't make it sometimes, but now, here she is...

The most famous member of the Wonderbolts.

The rookie from a small town.

The only pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom.

She'll land in history books, they say.

"Tell me the story again, Mommy! Please, please, please!" little Rainbow Dash bounced up and down on her hooves, with a wide smile on her muzzle. The young filly fell to her knees, looking up at her mother with the cutest begging face known to ponykind.

Firefly chuckled, shaking her head playfully as she mussed her daughter's multicolored mane. "Fine, Dashie." she murmured, scooping up her daughter and holding the cyan pegasus filly in her hooves. "The legend of the Sonic Rainboom goes a bit like this-"

"One day, a brave little pegasus was teased because of her mane and-"

"Who's telling the story here?" the mare chuckled, causing Dash to blush shamefully, but unable to hold back her smile. "Now, yes, you were right. A long, long time ago, there was a fearless little pegasus who got made fun of her rainbow colored mane and tail. Everypony else was so jealous of her, so they made fun of her. And even though this little pegasus wasn't scared of anything, not mice, or spiders, or the dark, she was just the teensiest bit frightened by the bullies. And so, one day, in Flight School, the little filly decided to show off her mane wasn't bad. That little filly flew to the highest point in the sky, ignored her teachers and friends, flying higher than any pegasus in her whole class and shot back down to the ground and then-"

"She broke the sound barrier, and created a *Sonic Rainboom!*" Rainbow Dash squealed in happiness, throwing her hooves up and giggling. "The most coolest thing ever!"

Firefly smiled and nodded, nuzzling her daughter. "Yes, yes, she did, sweetie."

"You think I'm gonna do that, Mommy?!" the cyan filly questioned excitedly. "I have a rainbow mane too, y'know! Maybe when I get big, I'll perform a Sonic Rainboom!"

"You can do anything if you follow your dreams, Dashie." her mother said simply. "Remember that."

The expression of the filly fell as she looked down and held back tears. "But... I can't fly..." she looked back at her tiny wings and pouted. "When am I gonna fly, Mommy?"

"When you're ready, sweetheart. Whenever *you wanna fly."*

It really is true; what they say, "I wish I knew what I know now", because if time travel was possible, Rainbow Dash wouldn't believe herself if she said tales of flying, and rainbooms and Wonderbolts. The younger version of herself almost seemed like a completely different pony... and she actually wasn't so sure if she'd want to change it.

"And there she goes again, the famous Rainbow Dash, about to perform the Sonic Rainboom for a sixth time in her life! Fillies and gentlecolts, avert your gaze to the sky, you're not gonna wanna miss this!"

The crowd is roaring below her and all she can do is smile. This is all about her. It's what they want. They want to see her perform an unbelievable stunt. Those who see it call themselves lucky, but Dash thinks of herself as even more fortunate. Her passion in life is what she does for a living and it's actually so much more than that. It's something that can't be said in words, but only with colors flying across the sky, bringing joy to all.

"Pfft, Rainbow Smash is gonna learn how to fly! This should be rich!"

"No, no, wait, she's Rainbow Crash! Because she can't even stay an inch in the air without crashing into everything!"

"Ha, good one!"

"Go get 'em, Rainbow Crash!"

Tears filled the cyan filly's magenta eyes and she flapped her wings, once, twice, three times and breathed deep.

"Ha, is Rainbow Crash crying?!"

"What a foal!"

"She ain't gonna make it."

A counselor leaned over Dash's shoulder, looking at the nervous pegasus filly. "Kid, if you don't wanna, you can do it some other time."

A spark courses throughout her. She doesn't know what. She just loves the feeling of it. And she needs to let it ignite... so she goes. Without any words, the little filly throws herself off the edge of the cloud and begins flapping her wings as fast as she can.

...

And she's victorious. She's flying. She's looking down at the town below Cloudsdale. She isn't falling. She's ten feet, maybe more, away from the clouds. She's floating on air. She feels fearless. She's free.

She's broken away.

And now, the sky isn't her limit.

It's beyond that in which she can stop.