There wasn’t much I could do for “Sleepless In Ponyville.” After all, I couldn’t access other ponies dreams like Luna could, and I would’ve been an odd one out if I went camping with the others. I doubt Twilight would be into camping anyway.
The next episode to come up was “Wonderbolts Academy.” That was when Rainbow Dash got accepted into a week’s worth of Wonderbolt Training. She gets paired up with another daredevil named Lightning Dust, but soon discovers she’s rather reckless. I don’t know what I can do to change this episode, but I really wanted to call Lightning out for trying to harm the girls with that tornado.
The girls and I were having a picnic just outside of Rainbow Dash’s house. She invited us because the outcome of her application to the academy was supposed to come today, and she wanted all of us to witness her acceptance.
“Ooooh, I wish the mailpony would just come already!” Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped around the mailbox like a jittery joey. “I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!”
“Pinkie Pie, you're more nervous than Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said.
“Heh, I'm not nervous at all,” Rainbow said. “When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy...”
“If you get in?! If you get in?!” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow Dash. “Don’t jinx it!”
“I'm telling you, it's in the bag.”
“DON’T JINX IT!!”
“She is the best flyer in Ponyville,” Applejack said as she munched on an apple.
“Well, given how she performed two sonic rainbooms, as a filly and as a grown mare, there’s no debate,” I said. “Especially when she saved the lives of three Wonderbolts and Rarity while doing so.”
“Do we really need to bring that up every time?!” Rarity squeaked in embarrassment.
Rainbow zoomed up and created a slide made of clouds. “I'm probably the best flyer in all of Equestria.” She then slid down the cloud slide. “I wouldn't be surprised if they just went ahead and made me a Wonderbolt on the first day.”
Suddenly, Rainbow bumped into a mailpony, who gave her a letter from the Wonderbolts. She instantly opened it and read through the letter. A wave of disappointment swept across her face.
“I...didn't get in.”
Everypony gasped in shock. I pretended to be shocked as well, but…
3...2...1…
“Gotcha!” Rainbow showed us the letter of approval. “Ha, you guys are so gullible. Like I wasn't gonna get in!”
I saw that coming.
Pinkie quickly glomped Rainbow Dash and squeezed her. It was pretty clear she was proud of her for being accepted.
“Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow grunted. “I kinda need to get going.”
Pinkie gave one last hug before Rainbow took off for Cloudsdale. We all waved her goodbye and wished her good luck. That’s when Pinkie pulled out a megaphone. I knew what was going to happen next. I quickly covered my ears.
“DON’T FORGET TO WRITE!!”
After the echoing subsided, I uncovered my ears.
“Do you think she heard me?” Pinkie asked the distressed girls.
I was going to sarcastically reply that Dash didn’t, but I was afraid she would take it literally.
“I’m sure she did,” I said.
The girls and I spent the rest of the day checking to see if Pinkie’s shouting caused any collateral damage. Thankfully, there were only minor incidents.
The next day, I decided to hang out with Rumble and Button Mash. It was going to be a couple of days until the girls visited Rainbow Dash, and I couldn’t think of any episodes that might happen between now and later.
“I heard Miss Rainbow Dash was also accepted into the academy,” Rumble said.
“That’s true,” I said. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘also’?”
“My brother Thunderlane got accepted yesterday. He applied a few weeks ago.”
“Oh, great. Say, why didn’t you apply? I’ve seen how your wingpower matched some of the adult ponies back at tornado training. You’d be perfect.”
“Well, I couldn’t because...”
“...because you need to be at a certain age in order to qualify,” Button Mash said without looking up from his Game Colt. “They don’t let school-aged pegasi into the academy.”
“Right.”
I guess that makes sense. I wouldn’t think the fillies and colts would handle getting yelled at by a Wonderbolts captain. It would be like if a drill instructor shouted at a bunch of middle-schoolers in my world.
“I really hope both Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash do well at the academy,” I said. “I heard the Wonderbolts are really tough stuff, and I don’t want to see either of them coming back early acting like Fluttershy.”
“I’m sure my big brother can handle it,” Rumble said. “He can be nervous sometimes, but he’s not afraid of a challenge. I bet Miss Dash is the same.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Say, was anypony else in your class interested in becoming a Wonderbolt?”
“Not that I know about. There was one pegasus who liked watching the Wonderbolts, but...well...”
“None of us have seen her fly at all,” Button Mash said. I think I know who he was referring to.
“Of course you wouldn’t see it,” I snarked. “You never take your eyes off your game for more than a minute.”
Button quickly shot me a glaring look before looking back at his game.
“It’s best not to talk about it around her,” Rumble said. “She’s probably really sensitive about her wings.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
A couple of days have passed since Rainbow left for the Wonderbolts Academy. I’ve been helping Twilight with some of her spells. Celestia gave her a lot lately. I wondered if it had anything to do with Twilight becoming an alicorn soon. Given how complex the spells were, it was plausible.
I don’t know what was with Pinkie Pie. Ever since Dash went away, Pinkie’s been sitting at the mailbox waiting for her to send a letter. The only times she didn’t, at least from what the girls told me, was to either use the bathroom or let the mailpony deliver the mail. We were getting a bit worried.
“I just wish we could help her,” Fluttershy said.
“Help me?” Pinkie zoomed up to us. “The only thing that could possibly help me right now is a letter from Rainbow Dash! It's been three days already!”
It was clear Pinkie was too obsessed with missing Rainbow Dash. Twilight proposed the idea of Pinkie sending a letter to Dash, but then Pinkie came up with the idea of sending a care package in person. We all agreed on that.
Later that day, we prepared the balloon. Pinkie quickly arrived with her care package.
“This should help Dashie remember us!” Pinkie declared. “There’s photos, snacks, I even got a Daring Do book in there. She has to remember that given how we introduced the series to her.”
We all hopped into the balloon. Twilight undid the ropes, and we took off for Cloudsdale.
“I’m gonna cast the cloud-walk spell again,” Twilight said as her horn glowed. “Just in case we need to make an emergency landing.”
“Say, isn’t it illegal to enter military areas unauthorized?” I asked.
“There’s an area just outside the academy where we can land.” Twilight casted the spell.
As we rose above the clouds, the wind suddenly picked up.
“It’s a twister!” Applejack shouted.
We saw a tornado swiftly approaching us. I had an idea that I hoped would work. I quickly climbed up and blew fire into the balloon. The extra hot air made the basket rise faster and faster.
“Hurry, Spike!” Twilight yelled. “The tornado’s getting—!”
But it was too late. The tornado sucked up the balloon like a vacumm cleaner. I jumped down and huddled with the girls.
“Hold on!” Twilight screamed.
“Can’t you teleport us out?!” I hollered.
“I can try!” Twilight’s horn glowed again. “Hold on, girls! I’m gonna—”
SNAP!
The ropes attaching the basket to the balloon snapped like rubber bands. We were all flung out of the tornado, screaming to our deaths.
“RAINBOW DASH!! WHERE ARE YOU?!” I shouted.
I knew that Rainbow would come and save us, but falling so far and so fast without any sort of parachute or wings was still frightening.
I was so thankful that Twilight cast that cloud-walking spell, because within a second, we landed on a soft cloud, which suddenly sprung us upwards. The other Wonderbolt trainees were able to catch us immediately and place us on the ground. Rainbow quickly appeared on the runway.
“Are you guys okay?!” Rainbow frantically asked.
We all nodded in agreement and hugged Rainbow. I was a bit shaken up from what happened, but I was alright. It was a good thing I knew stuff like this would happen. Otherwise, I would’ve been traumatized.
“What are you all doing here?” Rainbow asked.
“We wanted to bring you a care package,” Applejack said. “Didn't realize you'd be in the middle of some crazy tornado drill.”
“That...was...awesome!” A teal pegasus with a yellow mane appeared from the group. This was Lightning Dust, the reckless pony who lacked more empathy than a corrupted dictator.
“Awesome?!” Rainbow asked. “My friends could have been smashed to pieces!”
“Yeah, but they weren't, right? Can't say the—”
“What’s wrong with you, you stupid pony?!” I shouted.
Dust’s eyes widened. “Woah! Woah! Take it easy on the language, kid. I didn’t mean...”
“Shut up, you idiot! You could’ve killed us, and you act like it’s no big deal! How the Wonderbolts could ever accept a reckless freak like you into the academy is beyond me! I have a good mind to—”
“Spike, relax!” Twilight quickly interrupted. “What she did was terrible, I’m sure. But there’s no need to lash out on her.”
“Oh, yes there is,” I retorted. “If this is how they allow ponies to become Wonderbolts, then I don’t see how Rainbow Dash would want to join them so much.”
Rainbow looked at her pin strapped to her jacket.
“Spike, darling,” Rarity said, “how could you say that? In front of Rainbow Dash, no less? You know how she is about Wonderbolts, and regardless of what happened, you shouldn’t speak so disrespectfully about...”
“Excuse me,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew off. “There’s something I need to do...”
A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash returned with her saddle bags. She told us that she decided to quit the Wonderbolts.
“You did what?!” Applejack gasped.
“But being a Wonderbolt was your dream!” Rarity said.
“Not anymore,” Rainbow sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Rainbow!” I said as I put a hand on her back. “I-I didn’t mean to crush your dreams like that. I just wanted Dust to know how...”
“It’s okay, Spike,” Rainbow said.
We all shared a group hug.
“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire called out. “How dare you storm out of my office without giving me a chance to respond!”
The scene played out like in the show. Spitfire explained to Rainbow Dash that while the Wonderbolts were looking for the best fliers, it shouldn’t come at the expense of others. She decided that Dash was better as a lead pony than a wingpony. She tore the pin off Dust’s jacket and gave it to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was clearly excited to be accepted back in the academy.
“Now get out there and give me twenty!” Spitfire commanded.
“Yes ma’am!” Dash saluted, took off her saddlebags, and flew off with the others.
I was a bit relieved. Part of me thought with my rant to Lighting, Rainbow would quit the Wonderbolts permanently. I didn’t know what might’ve happened if she did. At least it was satisfying to let it all out on Dust.
“Wait! You didn't even get to open your care package!” Pinkie called out to Rainbow.
“Give it time, Pinkie,” I said.
Wow refreshed out of curiosity and got a chapter HELL YEAH... also a quick moment of silence for RarityEQM
It is a shame that Brony Spike didn't try to help Lightning Dust. Lightning Dust is sort of a less mature version of Rainbow Dash, and if RD had been tapped for the Wonderbolts just before season 1, I'd expect she would have had much more in common with LD.
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Wait. What happened to RarityEQM?
Not interested in camping, eh? I got two words for you.
MEAN... SIX...
I loved the concept of Lightning Dust received a word slayer coming from Spike without a way to answer, because that will make her think at least a bit...
When she created her own team, I would have loved her more if she would become a stuntmen team, the only thing I wanted was her to make sure everypony knows they are a professional team, training to get hurt, and they shouldn't never do that home, that was made by professionals...
So I think Spike would have thinking about that when he quote he wanted to call out her when she almost hurt the girls... He may thinks... I don't care if you get hurt, but don't do something stupid to hurt the others...
Jackass always gives an information telling to not do that at home and kids shouldn't do that... And even if wonderbolts would be great, they may have problems because all the fliers, and what about the non flier ponies... So maybe Lightining Dust should rethink about that...
And Scootaloo would try something dangerous but in the end not just Rainbow Dash was jealous, but Lightining Dust would be concerned about a kid doing something dangerous like that... And even explain the desasters and the preparations of how broken bones the ponies would receive...
Firebrand, Silver Quill and Doctor Wolf was a great reviewer of what could have be to make the episode better...
Keep that in mind, and great episode dude.
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She passed away my friend... She died peacefully...
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Oh, no. I’m so sorry to hear that.
Was Rumble speaking about Cozy Glow?
Wow, you know how to speak to someone like Ligjtning Dust.
I really like the fact of Spike hanging out with Rumble and Button Mash, like his own CMC male version.
But i think you skipped the episode when Babs Seed comes to Ponyville for the first time , i bet Spike can fix that trouble of bullying
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Scootaloo.
Forgive me for saying so, but it cheapens the idea of Rainbow's decision to confront Spitfire about what happened when it's not a decision she makes on her own. I get that it must be satisfying to rant at a character like Lightning Dust even by proxy, but considering nothing changed in the end it'd have been better if this episode was skipped too.
Next up: Spike at your Service! You'd better not cut things off before they even start with this one. It's the perfect chance to address how thoroughly Twilight shuts the world out when she gets her nose into a book, but only if there's something heavy like Spike owing a life debt according to his honor code to really bring it home.
Some kids probably deserve it - like that Comfortable Shine filly.
Something I've noticed, about English: we use "reckless" a lot, but the base "reck" is practically never used. Weird; wonder why that is?
I honestly didn't like how they handled the Lightning Dust situation in the show. Sure, she endangered the lives of ponies with her tornado, and that is not a small thing. But why wasn't she allowed to have a redemption when others on the show when others were forgiven for far more?
You have Twilight hypnotizing an entire town and they forgive her with no repercussions whatsoever.
Trixie enslaved an entire town and was forgiven with no real repercussions to her either.
Starlight brainwashed an entire town, and then went to to create and destroy entire timelines filled with sapient, living beings, and she gets forgiven with no real repercussion.
So why did the show writers decide that, for this relatively small mess up, she must never be allowed to achieve her life's dream anymore? When you compare her situation to most other ponies', it seems genuinely cruel what happened.
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I'd like for Lightning Dust to be given at least the option to rejoin the Wonderbolts in the future, (provided she takes a workplace safety seminar or something.) Or maybe Spike's words get to her and she takes safety more seriously and manages to become a respectable stuntpony of high acclaim.
When I watched the end of that episode, it was so jarring to see Spitfire go from "not caring at all" to "banning Lightning from the Wonderbolts for life" from what Rainbow said, that I genuinely thought that Celestia was involved somehow. Like Spitfire was told by Celestia beforehand that she has to let Rainbow Dash become a Wonderbolt no matter what or there would be consequences, and when Spitfire saw Rainbow walking out the door, she got so scared that Celestia would punish her that she threw Lightning Dust under the bus as hard as she could to try to win Rainbow back.
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But she did make the decision on her own
Sure Spike lead her to making that decision, but there was never a moment that Rainbow Dash was forced to make that decision.
The choice She made here was the same one she made in the episode.
I think the only real difference was that Rainbow really took a look at what the Wonderbolts really stood for at that moment, and if wearing that badge was worth it if she was going to turn out like Lightning Bolt.
Happy to see a new chapter today, Red. Great job.
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Yeah, what a blow to take coming into the new year.
This was posted by NimbleHooves in RarityEQM's profile page comments on Monday, January 11, 2021.
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/116128/RarityEQM#comment/2991848
What happens to her unfinished stories now that they're authorless? I haven't heard anything, myself. And our community has grown dimmer for her loss. There's 105 stories of hers (completed and incomplete) for the community to enjoy for years to come, hopefully. I have some queued up in my Read Later folder. So take a read and leave a farewell for our dearly deceased.
Rest in Peace
RarityEQM
Imagine Spike cursed so much that he starts censoring.
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It's not even season eight yet
Well I see season 3 episode list and apple family reunion Spike not in there and David know spike at your service so we gonna see keep calm flutter on
In the next 1 or 2 chapter
So Spike didn't do anything on this one, just yelling. Great. I guess I hope too much for thing will be difference for this episode. It's alway unfair to me that only Lightning Dust got scold and thrown out while Rainbow Dash receive praise and promote. Even when she is also partner in crime who help created said tornado.
Spike also not prevent mane5 to fly into the tornado either even he already know about it. Puting himself and the girl in the harm on purpose when he can avoid it...
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Dave's been slacking
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The problem with follow the leader mindset that gets put in at early age that even when you know the leader is being stupid its hard to do anything against them including speaking up.
I mean, millitary schools are a thing.
Damn... Good point!
Than Dust become a villain because her feelings got hurt, the - end.
It would be appropriate for Spike to be involved in the Equestria Girls movie 3. It becomes more catastrophic over the clash of 2 worlds. About the ponies and the human side. The only thing that would surprise him would be to find the other me of him and Twilight from the real world.
Quite surprised noone development fear of highs after that...
To be honest, I truly think lightening dust got off easy here during the show. I mean when you think about it, she put the mane six in great danger, and with them being the elements of harmony too boot. That would in my personal opinion be somewhere on a treason level offense since that would put all of equestria at risk from things like discord, Tirek and so forth.
Still love the story though and I do think spike does need some Lovin due how much he is sidetracked a bit in the show sadly.
I think he's talking about Scootaloo.
Spitfire and her cronies should be punished for all their acts of cruelty they pulled in half of every episode they appear in.
Pretty sure everyone had a partial blaim here:
- Civilians flight in a military zone without escort or announcement.
- The recruit overdoing it and almost leaving lethal consequences behind.
- Spitfire as highest ranking due to the lack of trained oversight posted to overlook the training being conducted properly.
Nice chapter, I wonder what Spike gets up to once he has wings!