This story is a sequel to Flying Sky-High

So much has happened in the past year. Friends have been made, battles have been fought, and love has bloomed. Now at long last, Rainbow Dash has the chance of a lifetime: a chance to become a Wonderbolt and instantly be part of an elite squad. However, one of the key judges for the tryout is none other than her love: Soarin. He is bound by his profession to be fair and honest in his selection. Will their relationship give Dash an edge in the tryouts? Or will it strike her down before she even gets there?

Also what of the dark magic within Soarin? He's kept quiet about it for a while, but not all is as well as he lets on.

And what of the Shadowbolts? They scattered after the battle with Nightshade. Surely they didn't just disappear.

A story of remaining strong in the face of harsh challenges. Life and love can be tough, but strong hearts always find a way to prevail.

Originally Edited by: Kestrel (and on occasion: Lucky424)

New editors: Delphina34 and Zoljen

This Fic's length is a bit intimidating, but it is broken into four parts, each of which could be considered their own stories with clear beginnings and conclusions. I decided to keep it all together because it was how my outline was structured (aka i completely underestimated the length).

This is not a Gurren Lagann Crossover. The title was a coincidence. (But said coincidence has led to many references and characters that parody the anime)

Featuring multiple chapter illustrations by: Scootafail/Chiwee, PenumbraGlow0290 Deviantart: darkmoonrising, Colorstrike, and foxenawolf

I also like including pieces of fan art drawn by my readers if they drew certain scenes. So far i have included some fan art by: GlitterDash (Dev art: chessaw), Hopscotch, MyLittleXyo, Ice Blade, mlplover789 (aka NightyScribbles), EchoSong, sweet Isolation, Pie Is Epic, melovedogs123, CowgirlVK, CrystalMelody_kc, Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin), Those Kids In The Corner/Catalyst, natis120, eveyannie, PhonicBoom, bambiki, Randompig212, Schemmer, SOARINDASH1, Neonspirit, NorthernLights8, kikirdcz, Fuzzette, SilverWolfFTW, Cantil, Coco Candy, -_Rainbow_Dash-_, Lazzari, Valentine_X, Nightalein and Lucky Autumn

This story takes place in Calm Wind's Wonderverse, between Act 2 and Act 3 of Piercing the Heavens, though hopefully it's understandable on its own.

"The impossible happened... Rivet started making mistakes.”
“Doesn’t everypony make mistakes?”
"Even if ‘everypony makes mistakes’ was a legitimate excuse, most ponies mistakes don’t almost injure ponies, and definitely don’t almost kill ponies.”

Rivet is, before anything else, a genius. A master of machines and the lead engineer for the Wonderbolts, he's the first pony you go to for all problems mechanical, from inventing new training equipment to rapid repairs. It isn't much exaggeration to say he's one of the rivets holding their base together.
They leaned on him so much, it seemed only natural that he start to buckle under pressure. The machines he designed to get the Wonderbolt recruits up to speed have started to malfunction, and ponies have narrowly avoided getting hurt. Now he's under probation, forced to take a break from his work.
No one is listening to what he's saying.
No one is seeing that a saboteur is on the loose.
With both his job and the well being of the Wonderbolts on the line, he calls the only person he can rely on to solve the case. He calls his old friend and rival, ex-detective Keen Eye.