//------------------------------// // [12] [S4E10]-Rainbow Falls // Story: Another Displaced Human Dilemma // by The Grey Pegasus //------------------------------// Another Displaced Human Dilemma By: This Eccentric Pegasus < 12 > Rainbow Falls, Projectiles Drop Page flip. "Equestria Games, huh..." I was looking through Ponyvile's newspaper detailing the upcoming Equestria Games. So far, I'd pretty much gotten the gist of it. Ah... Well, besides that—or in the light of that—it's, well, yeah the Olympics. But not exactly the modern Olympics. No, it's more like the ancient, original, Greek Olympics, in the sense that it's mainly a national event for the country's cities to compete against each other, with participation from non-professional athletes. At least, if I-and-author are remembering our history right. "You interested in it, Stardust?" I looked up towards Lucky, who was sitting across from me eating breakfast. It was another quiet morning, but today, just between us two. "Well, is there anything you can tell me about it that I might not know?" I asked. "Other than you not being allowed to compete." Lucky shrunk a bit at the remark, clearly a little annoyed at the mention. He straightened up, "Do you think you'd want to try your hoof at an event? There are some events where Ponyville's not particularly strong at, and even some we're absent in." "What events is Ponyville not good at?" He put a hoof to his chin. "Well, let's see... I'd say Ponyville suffers in race-specific events. Since we're only a moderately-sized town, it's not that easy to find talent when the applicant pool is narrowed." "Race-specific? So, for example, me as a pegasus—what events might I enter that Ponyville doesn't have good contenders for?" "Well, Ponyville has all of the basic flying track events filled," Lucky said. "Our best fliers are already on the sprints and the relay. Honestly though? I'd just say if you're really interested in competing, just join our team heading over to Rainbow Falls for qualifiers this week. They allow sign-ups on location. Just make sure you notify one of our team coordinators." I'd expect there to be some list of ponies I could go to, but because the author of this story is both lazy and on an accelerated schedule, I figure Twilight would suffice. Your fault. Scene cut. <<+>> "Hey there, new guy!" I was patiently sitting in my seat on the train when suddenly, I was greeted by prominent background pony Thunderlane. By this point, we were already on our way to Rainbow Falls. I guess Thunderlane wanted to see who else was aboard. "Been hearing a bit about you around town. You've been working with Twilight Sparkle for the past few months on something, right?" "Yeah, that's right," I answered. "Cool. I'm Thunderlane," he introduced himself. Then he pulled aside another pegasus who was a clear mish-mash of various character designs—primary color scheme of Lightning Dust with a mane-cut almost similar to Twilight. "Oh—and this is Helia. And we're Ponyville's premier aerial sprinters! How 'bout you?" "I'm Stardust," I responded. "I... was told I could head over there and see what events Ponyville didn't have any entrants in yet." "Newcomer with fighting spirit for Ponyville!" Thunderlane exclaimed. "I like it. Well, good luck there, Stardust. There's a number of events to choose from. Pick wisely—competitors are only allowed to enter one event." "We're just walking around to see the other Ponyville teams," Helia said. "Maybe you should talk to the others and find out what you could enter in before we get to Rainbow Falls." "Yeah!" Thunderlane agreed. "Come on with us, the next car's full of really enthusiastic ponies. No doubt they might help you come up with something." "Well..." I considered the offer. I guess there'd be no harm in just trying to come to a decision early. "Okay then." Thunderlane and Helia walked down the train's aisle into an adjacent car, and I trailed behind them closely. Before I even entered the next car, I already heard Helia greet the ponies. "Good luck, Rainbow Dash!" Oh, it's them. I should've guessed. Upon seeing the interior of the car I noticed that there was a show camera rolling. So, episode point. "Sorry we couldn't fly with you on the Aerial Relay, but the air sprinters needed us too." "Too bad we can only compete in one event," Thunderlane added. He sighed. "But, rules are rules." "Good luck!" Twilight said. She turned to Rainbow. "It was nice of you to be part of the team that doesn't have... uh... the strongest flyers." I looked around. Putting it lightly and politely there, Twi... "Nothing nice about it," Rainbow said. "I know that I can pick up the slack for anypony. With me on the team, we'll qualify. I'm sure of it." Wow, what an ego. Though, you do wonder if her ability to back it up gives her the privilege to be that way. "Ponyville is very lucky to have you," Twilight said. As long as Rainbow doesn't push it and be and ass about it, right? "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome," Rainbow agreed. Eye roll. Oh, Rainbow. "Oh, hey there, Stardust!" Twilight said, finally noticing me. "Didn't expect to see you here." "Yeah, Dust!" Rainbow greeted. "You trying out for any events? Ponyville could always use more fliers—and I know you've got some edge," she grinned. I walked over to their spot and sat down across form them. "To be honest, I'm not sure what events I could enter." "If I got one tip for ya, don't sell yourself short," Rainbow said. "You're a pegasus—you've got wings! Go for a pegasus event if you can." "I agree," Twilight said. "We've seen what you can do. Competitors should always aim to enter an event that's specific to their race." "And the pegasi events are the coolest!" Rainbow added. "You can't beat heart-racing high speed!" I have to admit, Rainbow's hype was getting to me. "Okay, I appreciate the pep talk, but that doesn't exactly tell my what my options are." Rainbow scrunched her face. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait when we get there, yeah." She poked a hoof into my chest. "But you gotta enter a pegasus event, Dust." "Alright, Dash, I got it." Meanwhile, while the three of us were having a conversation, apparently Pinkie—apparently taking the role of cheerleader—Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and... the white, big, muscly, burly pony were all doing something else in the train car. What was his name? Snowflake? "Oh, meet Ponyville's aerial relay team," Rainbow explained. "Me, Fluttershy, and Bulk Biceps." BULK. BICEPS. Ohhhh why did that sound forced. Rainbow looked away, but also had a smirk on her face. "We've got this." <<+>> The train arrived at our destination of Rainbow Falls. "Wow, this is really scenic," I commented as we walked along. "It is, isn't it?" Rarity agreed beside me. "Such a nice town that we have the wonderful opportunity to visit." "No time for sightseeing for some of us here," Rainbow said. "We've got business to handle. You too, Stardust." We continued walking, passing by a lot of training athletes. There was even a team of griffons off to one side. Interesting. And wow, do those wing exercises... look painful. Wing pushups? Wing bench presses? Geez... pegasus and griffon wings are weird. "There's Rainbow Dash!" I heard a stallion exclaim. "She's an awesome flyer!" "I heard that she's flying the last third of the relay," his conversation partner said, "which means everypony else is gonna have to be way ahead to beat her!" Wonderful ego-boosts. But I guess commentary like that is only natural. Then, there was a boom in the sky. "The Wonderbolts!" Which begs the question—what exactly was the boom? Sound barrier? Then what's the Rainboom? Well... I guess I'll find a book later to exposition it to the audience? Just explain some dynamics in a few sentences please... <... Fine. Sound barrier—linked to airspeed and air pressure. 'Rainboom'—linked to a winged individual's flight magic and their physical potential to exert it, bottlenecked by some physical interactions concerning wing anatomy... or something. Most good fliers can break the sound barrier within their normal potential. When the physical limit of exertion is surpassed, flight magic undergoes some reaction that's like hitting the afterburners instead of the pegasus pushing themselves to fly faster. 'Rainboom' is a phenomenon that occurs when this stream of magic interacts with the pressure wave from sonic booms when flying faster than the speed of sound.> ... That's a lot of weird mixing of magic and physics. Let's not do that again for a while. Maybe you should continue writing that series then... "I hear they're flying for Cloudsdale," another pony said. Right, back to Wonderbolts. "Then Cloudsdale will definitely qualify. They're the best flyers ever." Yeah, that'll probably happen when you bring an elite, professional team to compete against amateurs. Geez, the things that happen for a cartoon plot. The Wonderbolts landed in front of Rainbow. "And the game is on!" Spitfire declared. "Hah, nice to see there's some real competition here!" Soarin added. "Two more days of practice, then we'll see you in the air, Rainbow Dash!" Fleetfoot said "If you're lucky." With that, the pros walked off. I heard Rainbow sigh a bit. She turned to the others. "The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one, and we'll be winners just as soon as we practice! Right team?" "Right," Fluttershy agreed. "Yeah!" Bulk Biceps agreed with his normally enthusiastic catchphrase. "Hooray!" Pinkie cheered. There was some pause as Twilight seemed to be waiting for some cue. "And, um, I'm with her! Hooray!" We noticed off to the side that Cloudsdale had their own small cheerleading squad doing their own routine. Which led to Pinkie wanting some pompoms. <<+>> I stuck around a little bit longer to see Rainbow and her team start training. Not much to talk about. They were... struggling. Yeah. Typical to create a plot conflict and humor I guess. Applejack was also trying to launch up some of her apple brown betties with her tail. She... got direct hits, so she had good aim. Just... needed to be a little more precise. After that, I left Rainbow to her own devices and adventure, and whatever drama she'll manage to cook up this time. Speaking of Rainbow, my biggest takeaway was Rainbow mentioning that they needed to be one of the first four teams to cross the finish line. So I do gotta ask... why are qualifiers restricted by team amount, and not performance? By convenience of the plot, I had already made my way to the main location for the event officials. "Hi there," a mare greeted me from behind a table. "What can we help you with today?" "I'd like to enter an event," I answered simply. "I don't know what pegasus events Ponyville doesn't have entires for yet, though." "Oh, okay. I'll have somepony find out and put together a list," she said, just before delegating the task to another pony. After she was done with that, she turned back to me. "Anything else we can do?" "Actually, one thing—I just have a question." "Sure." "Why are some qualifiers restricted by team amounts?" The mare answered right away. "Those events are typically the ones where there's a lot of cities and towns around Equestria aiming to enter, so each location holding qualifiers is given a quota to fulfill, no more, no less. For less common events, there's usually no limit to amount of competitors, but the qualifiers are just to ensure that the entrant is properly qualified to compete in the event. You know, has the capability to perform, won't endanger others, normal barriers for entry." "Ah, makes sense." Good application of logic. And... okay, on that second part. "Oh!" the mare exclaimed. "Here's the list of flying events that Ponyville has no entrants in." I gave my thanks, and took the list over to a table by the side to look through. The list had all of the possible events, but the events where we didn't have any ponies competing were clearly demarcated. With some imagination on the author's part, I probably could've named some interesting, pegasus-only events, but it seemed that the author was too hung up on figuring out a single word he couldn't remember but desperately wanted to try and use, so his imagination wasn't working. I scanned the list for open spots. One familiar sport caught my eye. "Biathlon." Wait, seriously? As in, we go long distances... then do target shooting. With rifles. Seriously? This is a gift. It's a gift, isn't it. I practically ran back and signed up for it as fast as I could. Pegasus biathlon. Oh, what fun is in store. <<+>> "You know how to use one of these?" I found myself in a relatively secluded corner of Rainbow Falls, away from most of the crowds. I think the episode drama had already started—I heard something about Soarin getting rescued by Rainbow. But I really couldn't care. Behind the stallion in front of me was a wonderful sight. I stared at the rack of target rifles behind him. "Of course." The official gave me a short stare back, then turned around and pulled one from the rack. "Alright, let's see it." I took the rifle in hoof as he placed down two small magazines of what was probably, if not an equivalent to, .22LR. And maybe a little generic HiE? After all—firearms. We can only hope so! He pointed off to the side. "Five targets. Eight shots available per round. You know how the rest works?" I nodded, and the official gave me permission to continue. I took one magazine—in a hoof, which was... weird, and loaded it into the recess in the rifle. Cartoon problems! I laid down, taking the prone position shots first. Pull the bolt handle back... Mmm... that's a smooth straight-pull bolt. Didn't think I'd find this in Equestria. Push back forward, chamber a round, and lock. Take aim. Pull. There was the satisfying 'pop' of a small-caliber round, and I think my pony ears were sensitive enough to hear the whiz of the bullet as it flew through the air. Then... nothing. "Alright, not too bad," the stallion said from behind me. "Get a warm-up in." I cocked my head in slight frustration. Look, I never competed in this kind of target shooting as a human, but I had decent experience with rifles, including these kinds of target rifles. This was Equestria. I think I should be able to do pretty damn good in a land of cartoon ponies... Fine. Warm-up. I need to get used to hooves and forelegs and this anatomy for precision shooting... I released a low growl of frustration in my throat. Alright then, bolt pull, eject, push, chamber, lock. Aim. Pull. *Ping.* Now that's more like it. Repeat. *Ping.* Repeat. *Ping.* Repeat. *Ping*. Repeat. *Ping*. Pull, eject, magazine release. And then check the chamber again. I stood up and looked at the official, who had a hint of approval on his face. He nodded towards the second loaded magazine. "Second round." Fair enough. Standing and shooting. Now there's an interesting one. Pony anatomy is weird. But it still works. Won't bore you with the details on this one. I spent all eight allotted cartridges on this one, but hey—still got all five targets. Upon finishing, I looked back at the official. "Do I have to do the flying part to fulfill the qualifiers too?" "You do, but qualifiers aren't today," he answered. "It's just a fifteen kilometer aerial course for the qualifiers, but of course, in the Equestria Games you may do the thirty kilometer course instead." "I see." "That was some good shooting," the stallion finally said. "Who are you representing?" "Ponyville," I answered. His eyes went a little wide at that. "Ponyville? Didn't expect to see talent like this suddenly pop up from a place like Ponyville." I gave him a questioning look. "The biathlon and similar sports have always been traditionally been dominated by Cloudsdale—you know, pegasi warrior heritage, so they take pride in their abilities and maintaining them. In recent years, coming in behind Cloudsdale have been the Gryphons that enter. Kind of same mentality there. No other teams really put up numbers as notable as those two." "Well," I said, somewhat confidently, "I'll see if I can give them a run for their money this year then." <<+>> I headed back, towards the main town, deciding that I should notify the others of the new development on my end. However, I couldn't find Rainbow or the others in the training area. I asked around, and to my surprise, Rainbow had been injured, and her friends had gone to see her at the medical center. And so that's where I went. It didn't take much more questioning to find Rainbow's location once there. However, there was a very interesting certain pony waiting outside of the door. A certain, notable gray pegasus. Derpy waved at me. Or is it Ditzy? "And how is our patient doing?" That was Fluttershy, from inside the room. "I've been better," Rainbow replied. Hearing her speak, I figured I should step inside also. "We just wanted to let you know that we're so sorry you're hurt, but you shouldn't worry a bit about not being able to be in the tryouts. We'll be alright," Fluttershy said. I stepped inside just then. "... We even have a replacement." I halted in my tracks. "Wait, um—" With that, every pony in the room turned their heads toward me. Also, a show camera was like, way in my face. "Oh, Stardust!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "We didn't know you'd be here." "You know," Rainbow said quietly, looking away, "I wouldn't mind Star..." I stepped aside, and Ditzy stood in the doorway waving the Ponyville flag. Rainbow just stopped speaking. "Wrong gray pegasus..." Fluttershy said. Is this some kind of joke?... "I think it's hilarious!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Who is the gray pegasus right now?" "Oh, wow, really? Neat! I never noticed!" With the short interruption from schizophrenic-appearing Pinkie over, Fluttershy continued speaking with Rainbow. "We're so, so sorry that you can't compete. We all know how much you love to fly. And we promise— "Cross our hearts!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed. "—That if we qualify and make it to the Equestria Games and all win gold medals, you can have ours, because we know how much a gold medal means to you." "Thanks..." Rainbow said, looking like she had a lot to think about. Twilight cleared her throat. "I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more." With that, everyone got up to leave. "Don't forget your betties!" Applejack exclaimed on the way out. As I passed the doorframe, I heard Twilight say a few last words. "You know, choosing not to choose isn't really a decision." After that, she stepped out into the hallway, immediately coming face to face with me. "What did that mean?" I asked Twilight. Twilight sighed. She looked at me, not saying anything. She was clearly wondering whether to fill me in on details or not. "Look, if I tell you, can you keep this between us?" "Sure, yeah, okay." Twilight sighed again, then began walking as she talked. "So, Cloudsdale's team, the Wonderbolts, just had an accident with one of their teammates. Since he's been out, the Wonderbolts' relay team needed another pony to help them practice, and, you know, Rainbow's there..." Sounds like the episode's drama. "So what happened? Why does it seem like only you know about this?" I asked as we walked. It seemed like an awfully big detail for others to miss out on. Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Rainbow's hid it pretty good. She's... fast like that. But then the Wonderbolts offered her a permanent spot on their team, and... you know Rainbow and the Wonderbolts." "I thought the Equestria Games were by city?" I asked. "Why would Rainbow even be able to compete for Cloudsdale? Wouldn't that be against the regulations or something?" "Rainbow is a Cloudsdale native, so she could technically represent them, as her hometown," Twilight answered. Oh, right. "Makes sense," I replied. "But I feel like there should be some residency clause in there." Twilight shrugged. "Well, there isn't. So, Rainbow took a third choice and just didn't decide at all." With that, Twilight broke away at a faster walking pace, headed to oversee the ongoing practice. She seemed to have a bit of a heavy load to take care of right then and there, so I guess I'd just leave her be until later. <<+>> Even though I let Twilight go ahead of me, I still trailed behind her to go see how Ponyville's fliers were doing. And they were... sitting down, contemplating their fate. "Even with Rainbow Dash's replacement, I don't think we're gonna qualify," Twilight said to everyone frankly. "No offense." "Gah!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at a huge pile of pompoms. "What am I gonna do with all these now?!" "Uh, what were you gonna do with them before?" Applejack pointed out. Meanwhile, Rarity sighed. "Maybe my Equestria Games uniforms will still be in style next year. I mean, I am pretty fashion-forward." Then, we saw— "Is that Rainbow Dash... walking?" Twilight said. Everyone, including the Wonderbolts, watched the pegasus attentively. "Does... this mean you're feeling better?" Fleetfoot of the Wonderbolts asked. "I-I feel great," Rainbow stammered, "because... I was never hurt in the first place." Cue gasps. "I faked my injury so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for Ponyville or Cloudsdale," Rainbow explained. "I wanted to fly with you both, and the decision was too hard!" "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to choose us," Fluttershy said. "I know you love to win, and you should go with the team that surely will." "I know now who I should've been loyal to," Rainbow said. "Good choice," Spitfire said. "Always stick with the winners." Gosh, what a pretentious dick. Aviator hotshots. <*Snicker.*> "Ponyville," Rainbow declared. "Because it's not just where I live, but it's where my friends are. The ponies who really care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not." Cue cheers from the Ponyvillians. "Are you sure that's the right decision?" Spitfire asked. "You lied to me about Soarin's wing just so you could get a better flyer!" Rainbow exclaimed. You may be a winning team, but you're still not the kind of team I wanna be a part of." WHOOOAAAAA. Sports scandals! "Huh. Rainbow Dash, you are something. Saw it at the Academy, seeing it again here. We could learn a lot from a competitor like you." "Think we already have," Fleetfoot agreed. Spitfire turned towards Soarin, who had followed Rainbow onto the scene. "Ready to fly?" "Really?" Soarin looked relieved. "Never should've lied and tried to replace you to begin with," Spitfire admitted. Soarin gasped in joy. "Go, Cloudsdale!" Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that, buddy. ... Seriously though, wow. These 'professionals' really are something, aren't they. But that's some really weak moral compass on them, methinks, for 'elites'. At least judging from that dialogue. <<+>> So, with Rainbow carrying the team on her back—figuratively, of course—Ponyville qualified. Because Rainbow's speed stats are overpowered, so yeah. In a display of gratitude and respect, Spitfire also gave Rainbow her Wonderbolt pin. We were back from Rainbow Falls by now, and I just watched Rainbow exit the front door of Twilight's library home. "Hey there, Dust!" Rainbow greeted as we approached each other. "What's up, Rainbow," I greeted back. "Nothin' much," Rainbow replied. "Just finished writing a bit of a journal entry for our Friendship Journal that Twilight keeps." She changed the subject. "So how are you, Mister Ponyville Biathlon Representative?" "Feeling good," I said. "I need a find a way to practice my marksponyship skills though..." "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Later!" With that, Rainbow flew off, and I entered the library. Naturally, I was here to talk with Twilight about some stuff, but I saw the journal open on a podium just straight from the entrance. So I decided to read it. Oh, I can't deny it. I love to win! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and being loyal to my friends, I'm always gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as I love winning, I love them waaaaay more. I do wonder a bit—you'd think she'd have learned that lesson by now. Maybe so. I guess she still has to overcome the weight she places on her idols. Just then, I heard hoofsteps. "Stardust!" I looked up. "Hi, Twilight. So, I've got to talk about something with you..."