Spitfire's Day Off

Spitfire's Day Off is a mostly comedic short story by Artimae. It takes place on a single day from sunrise to sunset, and details how Spitfire relaxes herself and has some moments of introspection after a public outburst. It is a sidestory to a longer work by the same author.

Style
The story is told exclusively from Spitfire's perspective in the third person and in the past tense. It is segmented into eight short, consecutively numbered scenes. Prior to March 7, they were divided merely by asterisks; the numbers were added on that date.

Summary
The story sets in after a performance by the Wonderbolts. Spitfire, the team's Captain, has just temporarily ceded her position to a new recruit, who we later learn is Rainbow Dash. Dash publicly accused her of camera-hogging instead of paying attention to a young fan, so Spitfire threw a fit and told Rainbow Dash she could be Captain for a week, see how authority and responsibuility feel.

Spitfire spends much of the rest of the fic at a spa in Canterlot, letting herself get pampered. During a bath in mineral water, she slips into a sleep-like state and has either a vision or a dream. In it, her grandfather Starfire, who was once Captain of the Wonderbolts himself, chides Spitfire for her behavior and for her lack of passion for the Wonderbolts. When she is woken up again, she has found new resolve to make her grandpa proud and to start focusing on aspects of her job other than the celebrity again. She intends to apologize to Rainbow Dash, but still not take back Captain duties until the week is over. At her grandfather's grave, which she briefly visits, she confesses that she has already chosen Dash to become her successor, eventually.

Derivative works
A reading of the story by Forest Rain was posted to YouTube on February 8, 2012.

External link

 * The story on Equestria Daily