We open on the outskirts of Ponyville where Flash and Fluttershy were standing while Rainbow Dash flew around them. The knight was glancing at Fluttershy as he saw a slightly determined stare coming out of shy pegasus's face.
"Now," the rainbow maned pegasus barked, causing the others to look at her. "What have we learned?"
"Lots of control," Fluttershy replied.
"Good."
"Screaming and hollering," Flash added.
"Yes," Rainbow nodded, "and most importantly?"
"Passion!" they said in unison.
"Right! So now that you know the elements of a good cheer, so let's hear one. Fluttershy, you first."
Fluttershy took a deep breath, her body going slightly back at the action. As the breath went down her throat, she quickly whispered, "yay."
Rainbow facehoofed at this. "You're gonna cheer for me like that?! Louder!"
"Yay."
"Louder!"
"Yay."
"LOUDER!"
Fluttershy took a huge breath again before going, "yay."
Rainbow sighed and collapsed on the ground, her mouth now grumbling, muttering random angry words.
"Too loud?" Fluttershy gasped as she saw Rainbow crash into the ground.
"Nah," Flash said with a smile, "I think you got it."
After Rainbow had recovered, she flew up to a nearby cloud, quickly landing on it as she stretched her body, trying to keep her self in tip-top form. Today, she was practising her performance for the best young flyers competition with Flash and Fluttershy practising their cheer to help her out. As Rainbow prepared to begin her routine, the duo watched at a distance until Flash noticed a certain dust cloud approaching them. Knowing what it was, he stepped himself and Fluttershy back a step as the dust cloud shot by them and came to a stop to reveal Scootaloo.
"Did I miss it?" she asked as she took her helmet off.
"No," Flash shook his head before shining a cheeky grin, "but ten seconds earlier and you would've gotten a lecture on how to properly cheer from Rainbow."
"Aw man," Scootaloo moaned. “I can't believe I missed that.”
"I think she's about to start," Fluttershy said quietly, causing the filly to perk up.
"Awesome," Scootaloo replied as they looked up. “I can't wait!”
Rainbow began by trampolining on the cloud before leaping off, diving down towards the ground. Seconds before hitting the dirt, she pulled up and shot towards a line of trees, quickly flying between them in perfect form before flying over their heads.
"Wow," Fluttershy gasped, placing her hooves over her mouth.
"Yeah!" Scootaloo cheered. “She's too awesome!”
Rainbow then flew up towards a cloud, which she circled at high speed to make it spin. Once it was spinning fast enough she moved onto another, then another. Watching this made Fluttershy's eyes spin, causing her to shake her head. She took a small breath before whispering. "Way to go."
Rainbow moved onto her final move, spinning in a circle to pick up speed before shooting downwards towards the ground. Faster and faster she went, causing the air to funnel around her.
"What's she doing?" Flash asked, concern appearing on his face as he watched his friend repeatedly increase her speed.
"Is that," Scootaloo exclaimed as her eyes went wide, "the Sonic Rainboom?!"
"The what?" Flash asked.
Rainbow drew closer to the ground, her speed still increasing. As she about to hit the ground, Flash noticed the air around her swirl until Rainbow yelled, "Oh no." Then, as if one cue, Rainbow came to a midair stop. One second later, the air around her sprung back, sending her flying off into the distance.
"Cool trick, I didn't know pegasi could do that." Flash joked as he rubbed his chin at the sight. "But the form needs work."
"Let's go," Scootaloo said as she jumped on her scooter and shot off after her idol, followed by the older ponies. They followed Rainbow's vapor trail and found that she had landed inside the library.
"Twilight's not going to like this," Flash facehoofed. “Especially since Rainbow crashed inside our house two days ago.”
They opened the door and found that the place was a literal sea of books which the other girls of the mane six were all swimming in. Fluttershy then whispered, "Rainbow Dash you rock. Woohoo." It was at that moment that she noticed the books on the floor, "did my cheering do that?"
"Yeah," Flash shined a cheeky grin, "your tremendous voice caused all of Ponyville to rattle."
"Oh dear," Fluttershy gasped as she placed her hooves over her mouth, "I'm so sorry."
"You don't get sarcasm do you?" Flash asked.
“What is this about?!” interrupted a very angry purple unicorn as she popped out of a pile of books. “And why are you two joking about this Flash?”
“Sorry. We were watching Rainbow's new stunts she's trying out.”
As Flash said this, Rainbow got up from her crash and chuckled sheepishly as she looked around. "Sorry about that ladies," she said, "that was a truly feeble performance."
"Actually," Fluttershy replied, "it wasn't all bad. I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin."
"I'm not talking about my performance!" Rainbow barked, "I'm talking about yours! That feeble cheering is horrible Fluttershy! Maybe you should take some pointers from the half pint," she pointed to Scootaloo, who looked happy to be noticed.
"What are you two arguing about?" Twilight asked as she started putting the books back into their bookcases.
"Were we arguing?" Fluttershy gasped, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to argue.”
“That's not-ugh...nevermind.” Rainbow groaned as she facehoofed at Fluttershy's comment before turning to her other friends. "I wish you guys could come to Cloudsdale to see me compete in the best young flyers competition."
"We're coming," Flash said as he pointed to himself and Scootaloo.
"I need more than just three ponies cheering me on!" Rainbow countered, "I need a whole entire cheering section to witness my awesomeness!"
"Keep telling yourself that," Flash deadpanned as he started helping Twilight.
"Well, I'd love to see you strut your stuff in that competition," Applejack said.
"I'd bet it would be tons of fun!" Pinkie added.
"Yeah, that's why I wish you guys could be there," Rainbow groaned as she pointed to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, Flash and Scootaloo are great support, but cheering isn't really Shy's thing."
"I'll be there," Scootaloo exclaimed, "and when you make that Sonic Rainboom, I'll cheer as loud as I can!"
"Thanks squirt," Rainbow chuckled, petting the filly. “At least that's better than Fluttershy's cheering.”
"Oh! A Sonic Rainboom?!" Pinkie cheered, "If you're gonna do that, then it's going to be the most amazing thing ever, even though I've never seen it but I mean come on, it's a Sonic Rainboom!"
"What's a Sonic Rainboom?" Twilight asked.
"I'd like to know too," Flash added.
"You really need to get out more," Pinkie said, giving them both a glare. "A Sonic Rainboom is legendary! When a pegasus like Rainbow Dash gets going so fast, BOOM! A sonic boom and a rainbow happen all at once."
"And Rainbow Dash here's the only pony to ever pull it off," Applejack continued, pointing at the rainbow-haired mare.
"It was a long time ago," Rainbow said with a slight blush, "I was just a filly."
"A sonic boom and a rainbow at the same time," Flash repeated to himself, "why does that sound familiar?"
"You're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie asked, interrupting Flash's question.
"Sure she is!" Scootaloo cheered, "She'll do it and win the competition hooves down!" She turned to Rainbow, "right?"
Rainbow looked a little nervous, but shrugged it off and said. "Are you kidding? I'm the best flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale! I could do Sonic Rainbooms in my sleep!"
"I wouldn't," Flash scoffed as he folded his hooves behind his head, "you're clumsy enough with your eyes open."
"Ha ha," Rainbow growled. “Very funny Flash.”
"But if she pulls it off, she'll win the crown for sure?"
"The grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow exclaimed. "A whole day of flying with my life long heroes! It'll be a dream come true..."
"Yay," Fluttershy said quietly.
"So, I'm gonna go rest up, don't wanna over prepare myself you know." Rainbow said as she turned to Fluttershy, "you on the other hoof, better keep practising. Its not good enough-"
"Okay okay, stop harassing Fluttershy." Flash growled as he pointed to the window, "just go rest already. We'll see you tomorrow future champ." And with that, Rainbow flew out the window and was gone.
"She's practised that move a hundred times and she's never even come close to doing it," Fluttershy explained in a sad tone, "I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her."
"Every little bit helps," Flash told her as he tapped Scootaloo's shoulder. "Now, I need to go make sure Scootaloo has everything she needs for Cloudsdale." He said as he pushed the filly out the door.
"But didn't Ms. Blossom already make sure I had everything I need?" Scootaloo asked once they were outside. “You know, after I passed my test, we made sure I had everything.”
"Yes, but this got us out of there before Twilight asked to help clean up all those books," Flash told her quietly. Hearing this, the filly just nodded with a cheeky grin. With that in mind, the two rushed over to the orphanage where Ms. Blossom was already there, waiting.
"Oh, there you are dear." she said as she greeted them.
"Just making sure she has everything she needs for tomorrow," Flash explained as he walked inside. “You know, just to be safe.”
"Oh yes, it's all here," Ms. Blossom replied as she pointed to a small saddlebag.
"Perfect, I'll just double check it. Certain things aren't allowed in Cloudsdale because they can just slide through the clouds."
"Oh, there's no need deary," she said with a waved hoof, "I made sure everything in there's safe. I have a book on the things you can take to Cloudsdale and other pegasus cities."
"I'll just make sure."
"Twilight's organising the library again isn't she?" Ms Blossom asked blandly.
"Yep," Flash deadpanned. “And I'm not wasting the rest of my evening arguing over the categories of plant biology and tree biology books and how they should be placed at separate ends of the library.”
Scootaloo and Ms. Blossom both laughed at this before seeing Flash off.
The next morning, Flash, Rainbow and Fluttershy were waiting outside the orphanage for Scootaloo.
"Now you be careful Scootaloo," Ms Blossom told the filly when they stepped out, "and don't go giving Mr. Sentry any trouble."
"I won't," Scootaloo shook her head. “I'll be good.”
"Good. And remember to have fun, alright dear?"
"We will," Flash said as hugged the little filly. They both then waved goodbye and left the orphanage. As they walked away, Flash tapped the shoulder of the filly before asking, “You're ready, right kiddo?”
“Uh-huh.” Scootaloo nodded.
"Good. Here's the plan. Scootaloo, you're riding with Rainbow while I'll be carrying both mine and her luggage. Fluttershy, you can carry your bag right?"
"Yes," Fluttershy nodded in response.
"Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "let's go! Let's go now!"
Rainbow passed her bag to Flash before the young filly jumped on her back. Adjusting himself with all the bags, Flash began to start flapping his wings while Fluttershy followed him shortly. Soon after, they all took off towards Equestria's flying mobile city.
"I'm not to heavy for you am I?" Scootaloo asked part way through the trip, "I don't want you to get tired from carrying me and be unable to compete."
"Relax kid," Rainbow said with a waved hoof, "I'm fine. In fact, this is good wing strength building, which'll really help me in the contest."
"That's a relief," Scootaloo sighed, wiping her brow.
"So, is this your first time going to Cloudsdale?" Fluttershy asked the filly.
"I've never left Ponyville," Scootaloo shook her head, "I've always wanted to see other parts of Equestria, but...you know, I can't."
"Well, I'd start getting happy kid cuz here we are." Flash pointed ahead of them and there it was, the number one weather production city of Cloudsdale. Scootaloo's jaw dropped as her eyes stared at the massive city made entirely of clouds. She had never seen so many pegasi or cloud buildings. As they got closer to land, she had to start blinking due to her staring all they way there.
"Wow..." Scootaloo said, looking around as they landed.
"Pretty cool huh?"
"It's better then I imagined." Scootaloo gasped, “amazing...”
"It's okay," Rainbow shrugged, "I guess growing up here takes away the thrill of seeing it." Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"I remember when I came here for my evasive flight training," Flash remarked as he tapped the ground, "I wasn't used to walking on clouds back then, but I soon learned how. Did take a while to get used too though."
"What do you mean, learned?" Scootaloo asked. "Can't pegasi just walk on clouds like its the ground?" It was at that moment that Scootaloo jumped off Rainbow's back and landed on the cloud, only to bounce off it and lose her balance. Seeing this, the three older ponies laughed as the filly scrambled to get back up.
"It takes a while to figure it out for first timers," Rainbow said.
"Think of it like a...bouncy castle," Flash added.
"I hate bouncy castles," Scootaloo moaned after another failed attempt to stand up. “Stupid cloudy ground...”
As she continued to try to get her balance, another voice spoke up, "Well, well, well...what do we have here?" They all turned to see a trio of pegasi approaching them.
"It's our old friend, Rainbow Crash," a light brown pegasus with dark brown hair laughed.
"Get kicked out of any flight schools lately?!" a dark brown one with gray hair asked before they all started laughing.
"I didn't get kicked out," Rainbow told them sternly.
"Face it Rainbow Crash," the dark brown one said, "flight school had too many rules and not enough nap time for you."
"Ask her about the Sonic Rainboom," the light brown one giggled, tapping the shoulder of the dark brown one. “You know, the thing she said she could do...but can't! HA!”
"That's nothing but an old mares tale," the dark brown one guffawed, "you don't have the skills to try something like that."
"Now wait just a minute," they all turned to Fluttershy, who instantly shied away. "Oh sorry...I'm trying to be more assertive." She shook her head and tried to be tough again, "she is going to do a Sonic Rainboom."
"No she's not," the dark brown one barked back, "because there's no such thing."
"Then show up at the Cloudosseum. She'll do it.”
"Yeah!" Scootaloo yelled, "Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom will blow you all away!"
"Back off half pint," the dark brown one said as he glared at the filly, raising his hoof.
"You back off bub." Flash said as he got between him and Scootaloo and flashed his own hoof. “Don't even think about it slimeball.”
"And who are you supposed to be?!"
"He's an apprentice knight," Rainbow said with a smirk, "so you'd better not mess with him."
"Whatever," the pegasus shrugged, backing off. "Can't wait for the contest though. Seeing you screw up is always entertaining Rainbow Crash." With that, the three took to the skies, laughing their flanks off. "See you later Rainbow Crash! Hope you crash and burn!"
"Who were those jerks?" Scootaloo asked once they were gone.
"Classmates from my flight school days," Rainbow grumbled, "they were there the last time I did the Sonic Rainboom, but have always denied it."
"You don't need to prove anything to them," Flash told her. “Trust me on that one.”
"But they're right," Rainbow said in a downtrodden tone, "I’ll never be able to do it at this rate."
"You don't know that."
"Yes Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy nodded with a big smile, "just because you've failed the Sonic Rainbow a hundred thousand times in practice-"
"Er Fluttershy," Flash said, trying to interrupt her.
"Doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in front of an entire stadium."
"Fluttershy."
"Full of impatient, super critical sports fan ponies."
"Fluttershy!" Flash barked, smacking her shoulder with his wing.
"Yes?"
"You know how me and the others are always telling you to speak your mind?"
"Uh-huh."
"Forget we ever said anything."
"Oh."
They all looked down at Rainbow, who was in the fetal position. Scootaloo then tapped her with her hoof with a worried look on her face. “You okay?”
"What do I do?!” Rainbow asked, getting up. "Everypony's gonna see me fail! The Wonderbolts will never let a loser like me join and Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest."
"I always wondered what would happen if Rainbow ever lost her cool," Flash said to Scootaloo, "now I know. Its just like Twilight...with wings."
"MY LIFE IS RUINED!" Rainbow screamed, looking to be on the verge of tears. “I'll never be able to do the Sonic Rainboom!”
"Rare," Fluttershy suddenly said.
"Rare?!" Rainbow barked, "the Sonic Rainboom is way more then rare!"
"Rarity?" Fluttershy pointed, and when they followed her hoof they all gasped at what they saw. Rarity, only she was now flying. A pair of large butterfly like wings were on her back, allowing her flight, causing them all to blink.
"Rarity," Rainbow gasped as her jaw dropped, "are you...flying?"
"I most certainly am," Rarity replied with a giant grin.
"Well, I have to admit, I did not see my day going like this," Flash said, still in awe at the sight. “I seriously need some cider right now.”
"Aren't my wings smashing?" Rarity asked as she flew over to them, "Twilight made them for me and I just adore them!" The four pegasi were still speechless at what they were seeing. "Why so shocked? We couldn't leave our favourite flyer without a big cheering section."
"We?"
In that moment, the clouds near them broke open to reveal a large balloon with Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie in the basket.
"I can't believe it," Rainbow said, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Should have known this would happen," Flash deadpanned.
"It's incredible," Fluttershy continued.
"This is so cool," Rainbow said, "you guys made it!"
"Sure did!" Pinkie exclaimed as she jumped out of the basket.
"WAIT!" they all yelled, trying to stop Pinkie. However, as soon as the pink pony hit the cloud, her hooves didn't go through. Instead of breaking through it, she bounced off just like Scootaloo had done earlier. Seconds later, Twilight and Applejack did the same and stepped onto the clouds as if they were pegasi.
"How'd you do that?" Rainbow asked. “Only pegasi can walk on clouds!”
"Pretty cool huh?" Pinkie asked while doing a cloud cartwheel. “Twilight did this, isn't it cool?”
"I found a spell that makes temporary wings," Twilight explained as she pointed to Rarity, "but it was to difficult to do more then once. So I found an easier spell that let's the rest of us walk on clouds."
"Sounds remarkably convenient," Flash said as he glanced back at Rarity, "almost like a plot from an episode of some first season show that's still trying to figure out its own mythos." Everypony gave him an odd look, "I think I've been hanging around Pinkie too long."
"Well, no matter how we did it," Applejack said with a tip of her hat, "we came to cheer you to victory."
"To be honest, I was starting to get the tiniest tiniest bit nervous." Rainbow lied, causing Flash to facehoof.
"Understatement much Rainbow?"
"But I feel a whole lot better now that you guys are here." Rainbow thought for a moment and then said, "hey, we've got some time before the competition. Why don't me, Flash and Fluttershy show you all around Cloudsdale?"
"Great idea!” Flash clapped his hooves before turning around and pointing to the center of the city. “There's something you've all gotta see." The others looked at each other in slight surprise at Flash's sudden enthusiasm, but the didn't mind. They quickly started following him as he directed them throughout Cloudsdale while the normally earthbound ponies kept looking in wonder at the pegasus city.
Finally, they arrived in the very center of the city which was a park-like are. There, a statue made from a special kind of clouds stood there, portraying a pegasus pony in battle armour with an axe in his mouth. The look on his face showed one of fierce determination, as if he was in the mists of a gruelling battle. "Is this what I think it is?" Twilight asked as she got closer to the statue. “It certainly look familiar.”
Flash nodded. "The statue of the mighty Skybreaker, greatest living pegasus to ever come out of Cloudsdale."
"I remember learning about him in school," Rainbow said, causing the others to turn to her. "Everypony born in Cloudsdale is taught about him at a young age."
"Our school even did a play about him," Fluttershy said, turning bright red at the memory. "They wanted me to be a hippogriff."
"I was Skybreaker," Rainbow said, puffing her chest. "It was awesome."
"So...who is this Skybreaker?" Rarity asked.
"I've never heard of him," Applejack added.
"Me neither," Scootaloo nodded.
"WHAT?!" Rainbow exclaimed, looking down at the filly. "How can you not know about him squirt?! Every pegasus pony knows about him!"
"I'm not exactly a Cloudsdale resident," Scootaloo deadpanned as she pointed at the statue, "so who is he?"
"I'll give you a clue," Rainbow replied in a snarky tone, "he has something in common with a pony standing next to you."
Scootaloo looked up at the only pony next to her, Flash, and thought about it. "They're both pegasi?" she guessed.
"Besides that."
Scootaloo hummed for a second, trying to get an answer going. After a bit, she shrugged and said, "I give, what is it?"
"Skybreaker," Twilight explained as she placed her hoof on the filly's shoulder, "is a member of the Royal Knights."
"Really?"
"That's right. He was inducted into the order when he was my age," Flash continued as he tapped her other shoulder, "after saving both Cloudsdale and Canterlot."
"He did that?" Rarity asked, "I wonder why it isn't more known."
"It did happen a long time ago. Skybreaker should be Grand Hoof's age right now. But years ago, he single hoofedly saved all of Cloudsdale and Canterlot from a band of hippogriffs."
"Not only that," Twilight added, "but it's said that his family lineage can be traced all the way back to Commander Hurricane himself."
"Wow..." Scootaloo gasped in amazement, "so is that why he was made a Royal Knight?"
"Nope," Rainbow shook his head, "he was made a knight because of what Flash said before. He saved both Cloudsdale and Canterlot."
"When he was just a young stallion, he was training to join the royal guards when a band of hippogriffs attacked the city." Flash saw Scootaloo's eyes grow wide as he told the story. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie were just as invested as they listened as well. "At the time, Cloudsdale was on route to Canterlot. This was mainly due to it being a mobile city, designed to send out weather clouds all over Equestria. This was true until suddenly and out of the blue, a large army of hippogriffs attacked the city. Their overwhelming numbers quickly overpowered Cloudsdale and half of the city was taken prisoner.”
“That's not good.” Scootaloo commented.
“You got that right. The surprise attack caught everypony off guard as the city was soon overrun.” Flash then gave a cocky smile as he pointed to the statue. “But one pegasus wasn't prepared to go down so easily. Skybreaker saw what would happen if the hippogriffs weren't stopped. He singlehoofedly took down over half of them. While he did this, he stormed the place where they had captured everypony and set them free. With his newly released allies in hoof, they took back the city!”
"Their battle was legendary," Rainbow continued, "and it only ended when Skybreaker took on the leader himself. He won the day by cutting off the hippogriff's wing and slicing a hole through the clouds, sending him falling to his end." Flash looked up along with the others and saw them glaring at her before gesturing to the filly that was with them. "Sorry.”
"Anyways..." Flash huffed before turning back to Scootaloo. "After that, Skybreaker lead the citizens of Cloudsdale to victory. After this, they had to quickly work to restore the city's ability to fly as the hippogriffs had tried to make the city crash into Canterlot. Thankfully, they were just barely able to prevent it from crashing into the capital.” Flash pointed back at the statue. “And with that, the day was saved. Later on, Skybreaker was reward for his tremendous bravery and devotion to saving everypony that Princess Celestia anointed him Sir Skybreaker, Knight of the Winds."
"Knight of the Winds?"
"Every Royal Knight has some form of title," Twilight explained, "Skybreaker's is Knight of the Winds."
"Grand Hoof's is the Great Mountain," Flash added, "because of his tremendous physical strength."
"So what's yours gonna be when you become a knight?" Pinkie asked.
"No idea," Flash shook his head, "it's up to Celestia or another knight to give it to me."
"I bet it'll be something really cool," Scootaloo said.
"You know it," Flash replied as he looked up at the statue once more. They then noticed that one or two pegasi were doing some maintenance on it, making sure it was still in prime condition. This alone showed how much Cloudsdale appreciated Skybreaker all these years later. "I remember how I used to idolise Skybreaker. I even studied his fighting style and incorporated some of his moves into my own."
"I thought Grand Hoof taught you everything you knew?" Rarity asked.
"He did," Flash replied while crossing his hooves, "but because I'm a pegasus, his style didn't really work for me. I'm more of a hit and run type of fighter, while Grand Hoof uses a style known as Heavy Strong. Its a style where he takes his opponents' attacks and uses them to fight back."
"Cool.”
"So, how about we go see more of Cloudsdale?" Rainbow interrupted, "you guys have got to see the weather plant."
"Sure," Twilight said. “I'd like to see that.”
"Actually, I was hoping to go somewhere else," Flash said, making the others look at him. "but you girls enjoy the plant."
"You sure?" Twilight asked.
"Weather production was always a little boring to me," Flash then patted Scootaloo's head, "keep an eye on Scootaloo for me, will ya?"
"Sure," Twilight nodded, "but where are you going?"
"Nowhere important," Flash replied before taking off, "I'll meet you at the Cloudosseum."
A little later...
Flash flew through the city, looking at a piece of paper in his hooves. His eyes scanned the document as he kept looking back up at the city. "So that's Cumulus Street...and over there's Stratus Lane...hmm. It should be around here somewhere. Let's see...ah ha!" The young pegasus saw a small alleyway, making him smile and fly towards it. Once he landed and looked around, he chuckled and said, "okay, I know you're here. Show yourself."
"I didn't think you'd show up," a voice called out as somepony landed a few feet away in the darkness.
"What makes you think I'd miss this?" Flash asked, grinning at the darkness.
The figure laughed as he began to step out of the darkness, revealing himself as Soarin Skies. The two pegasi stared at each other for a second, cocky grins on both of their faces. A moment later, the two ran towards each other, spinning around and smacking their tails.
"Long time no see, Flash in the pan."
"Same here, wonder boy."
The two let out a hearty laugh before sitting down. There, Flash cocked an eyebrow as he asked, "Seriously though, an alleyway? Couldn't think of a better meeting place?"
"Not easy to find a place to meet up where you're not hounded by the public. This ain't no Canterlot where you're surrounded by snooty nobles that don't care."
"Tell me about it," Flash agreed as he let out a laugh.
"So...I heard you and Ms. Sparkle moved to that small town, Ponyville." Soarin said with a smirk. "What's it like living there?"
"Great actually." Flash grinned. "Everypony's nice and friendly. Plus, there's always something there to keep you entertained. Trust me."
"Sounds fun. Maybe I'll come visit the next time I get some time off."
"Sounds great," Flash said before crossing his hooves behind his head. “I would love to have another pony for guy's night at Ponyville. I'm sorry, but only my partner Springer is good at poker compared to the other guys in Ponyville.”
“Springer?”
“Yeah...that's a long story. You'll like this one.” With that, the two pegasi stayed in that alley for a while, hanging out and exchanging stories. Flash told him about the randomness of Ponyville, while Soarin told him a story about Spitfire not being able to handle spicy foods. It was then that Flash told his final story.
"So...let me get this straight," Soarin blinked as he crossed his hooves, "you get home and find Spike wrapping bandages around Twilight's legs and head while being in a wheelchair and when you ask what happened, all he replied was.."
"Twitchy tail," Flash said with a snicker.
"What does that mean?" Soarin asked.
"Don't ask," Flash shook his head. “Trust me.”
Deciding to change the subject after that, Soarin asked, "So this friend of yours who's in the contest, how'd you rate her chances of winning?"
"She's got a high chance of winning," Flash replied, "and I'm not just saying that as her friend. She's one of the best flyers I've ever seen, even better then some of your teammates."
"Is that so?" Soarin asked. “That's a tall order pal. What's her name?"
"Rainbow Dash," Flash said with a slight wink. "You two would probably get along quite well. Heck, I'd even wager you'd like her a lot."
"Are you trying to set me up on a date with her?" Soarin asked with his eyebrows raised suspiciously.
Flash held up his hooves in defense, "I'm just saying that you two have a lot in common. You both love flying and are really good at it. She's also a total daredevil, something I know you two love being. Plus, she loves having fun, like...the athletic kind."
"She sounds like a lot of fun," Soarin said.
"She is," Flash nodded, "and like I said, she's a great flyer."
"Well, why don't we head over to the Cloudosseum and see if you're right?"
"Sounds good to me.”
The two pegasi rushed over to the arena and split off, Soarin sneaking into the Wonderbolts changing room while Flash went into the main sitting area. He found his friends sitting on one of the clouds seats, waiting for the contest to start. "Hey girls," he said, sitting down next to them and looking around. "Enjoy the weather factory?"
"It was great," Scootaloo grinned, "you should have seen the rainbow generator! Its huge and spits out rainbows." Scootaloo then leaned over and whispered into Flash's ear. “You should have seen it, Pinkie tried to taste the rainbow it made.”
"HA! Okay, I wish I saw that," Flash said as he looked around, "Say, where's Rarity?"
Twilight rolled her eyes with a groan. "She was talked into competing in the contest at the factory."
"I should have seen that coming," Flash facehoofed as he sat down.
"Aren't you gonna try and talk her out of it?"
"What the-what do I look like?!" Flash asked with a look of skepticism, "I know I'm Ponyville's defender of the peace, but do I really look like I'm the pony who fixes every problem?!"
"I just thought you would probably try and talk some sense into her," Twilight shrugged.
"What's the point?" Flash asked, "I doubt I'd be able to talk her out of it. You saw how much in love she was with those wings."
"Point," Twilight said. “Though that sounds really mean Flash.”
"Sorry, but I doubt I'd be able to make her stop using those wings. Besides," Flash continued, "pretty wings are no match for Rainbow and her awesome skills."
"I'm not sure," Applejack shook her head, "she was looking a mite nervous when she and Rarity headed into the waiting area."
"This Sonic Rainboom thing has really got her down," Fluttershy said.
"We'll just have to hope for the best," Flash shrugged as he looked down at the arena. “She'll win, I just know it.”
A few minutes later, an announcer flew up and began speaking. "Fillies and gentlecolts," he spoke over the loud speaker, "please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia." Everypony cheered as they watched the white alicorn descend from on high and land on a stage before waving to the crowds. "And now, please welcome our celebrity judges," the announcer continued while pointing upward, "for the best young flyers competition, The WONDERBOLTS!"
Six pegasi flew into the stadium, doing several incredible stunts while the crowd cheered them on. After a minute, their last stunt caused them to land, ending in a fireworks display behind them.
"I didn't know the Wonderbolts were going to be here," Twilight said before turning to Flash. "You went to hang out with Soarin didn't you?"
"Sorry," Flash gave a sheepish grin, "I would have brought you girls, but he wanted it to be just the two of us hanging out."
"It's fine," Twilight said with a slight shrug. “I would have liked to talk to him though...”
"Your friends with a Wonderbolt?" Scootaloo asked.
Flash just smirked at her.
Once the show was done, Soarin along with his teammates Misty Fly and team captain Spitfire, landed on a cloud to watch. Seeing this, the announcer turned back to the microphone, "And now...lets find out who will take the prize for this years...BEST...YOUNG...FLYER!"
And with that, the contest began. One pegasus after another entered onto the stage, showing off every kind of trick possible. The Mane Seven cheered each on one as they watch everypony show off a display they could never see anywhere else.
"I love number seven," Twilight said a ways through the contest, "doing fifteen barrel rolls in a row can't be easy."
"It isn't," Flash remarked. “Trust me, you'll get loopy fast.”
"My favourite is number ten," Fluttershy said, "she just looked like such a nice pony."
"Though I gotta wonder, how come we haven't seen Rainbow Dash or Rarity yet?" Applejack asked with scratching her head, "competition's almost over."
"Good point," Flash said as he looked back at the arena. Mere seconds passed as Flash tried to stay calm. He could feel the itch of helping others and eventually, he sighed and got up.
"Where you going?" Twilight asked.
"I'm gonna go see if Rainbow's alright."
"I'm sure she's fine, you said so earlier.”
"I just want to make sure," Flash grumbled as he flared his wings. “You know, the usual stuff.”
"What if they come out while you're checking on them?" Pinkie asked.
"If they do, I'll watch from where I am," Flash replied. With that, he got up and rushed over to where the contestants waited for their turn, heading through the corridor and into the room. There, he found the weirdest sight of all. Rainbow Dash in the fetal position. "You okay there Dashy?"
"I'm gonna humiliate myself," Rainbow cried. “I'm gonna humiliate myself...”
"No, you're not." Flash deadpanned.
"Yes I am!" she yelled, jumping up. "I'm gonna fail the Sonic Rainboom and make a mockery of myself!"
Flash just sighed. He didn't have time to talk her out of this state, so the only other option was plan B. He unfolded his wing and with one powerful swing, he smacked the backside of her head, sending her face on a one way trip into the floor.
"OW! she yelped as she shook her head from the blow. "What was that for?!"
"For being annoying," Flash replied coldly, "what's your problem Dash? This isn't like the cocky stunt loving pegasus mare I know from Ponyville."
"First off, THAT HURT!" She screamed as she rubbed that back of her head, "second, its none of your business. I'm dealing with it my way."
"Clearly. Obviously your nervous about failing the Sonic Rainboom."
"Can you blame me?!" she exclaimed as she pointed at the entrance into the arena, "I'll look like an idiot when I go out there and fail it."
"If you know you're gonna fail it, then why bother trying to?" Flash asked. "If you're not ready, then leave it out of your routine."
"But it's the only way I'm gonna win."
"One move on its own isn't enough to win a contest."
"But it's the Sonic Rainboom!"
"And you're Rainbow Dash," Flash said as he tapped her chest. "One of the best flyers in Equestria. But one move doesn't make you that."
"But...but...augh! What do you know, huh?!"
"I know that if you can't do the Sonic Rainboom, then it means you're not ready to do it."
"I did it when I was a filly."
"Doing something once doesn't mean you're destined to do it again, and forcing it won't help the issue." Those words hit a cord as Rainbow suddenly went quiet. Seeing this, Flash continued, "Look Dash, you're an amazing flyer. But you're letting one move define who you are. You think the other Wonderbolts got where they are because they had one great move?"
"No," Rainbow shook her head.
"No, they didn't. They got there through hard work and a drive to improve themselves. The same way I strive to become a knight, or Twilight strives to learn everything she can. You have what it takes to become a Wonderbolt, I know this, but you're trying to rush it and find shortcuts."
Rainbow looked down hearing this.
"I know speed is your thing," Flash added, "but you need to slow down."
Flash watched her for a moment, before she finally smiled and nodded. "How is it that you always know what to say to get us from making big mistakes?"
"No idea," Flash shrugged, "experience, I guess? Sometimes I feel like I'm one of those overly perfect characters from those stories you read about."
"Doesn't everypony hate those characters?"
"Yeah," Flash rubbed the back of his head, "I might be in trouble."
The two then shared a laugh at this before hearing an announcer speak up. "Number fifteen," they turned to see a mare step into the room. At the same time, another door opened to reveal a certain unicorn step out. And she looked quite different.
"Rarity," she said, striking a pose. "Is ready."
"Look ladies," the announcer mare said, "I don't know what to tell you, but there's only time for one more performance. If you both want to compete, you'll just have to go out there together."
"Well Rainbow Dash," Rarity said with a big grin, "shall we?"
Rainbow took a deep breath and nodded before heading to the doors.
"Hey Dash," Flash called out, making the pegasus stop. "I don't know how you pulled off the Sonic Rainboom last time, but I know it was while you were doing something amazing. Maybe the reason you haven't been able to do it is because you didn't have a good enough reason to. You know, other then the sake of simply doing it. I'm sure the next time you do it, it'll be when you're not even thinking about it."
"Thanks Flash," Rainbow said before heading out.
Flash made it back to the girls just as Rainbow and Rarity came onto the stage.
"So how's Dash?" Twilight asked.
"Better...I hope."
"Look at what Rarity's wearing," Scootaloo grimaced as she tried to shield her eyes. “What is that?!”
"It is a bit much isn't it?" Applejack agreed.
Suddenly the music played, obviously chosen by Rarity, and the two began their performances. Rarity danced around in the skies while Rainbow began the routine she had shown off to them. That is, until she miss-timed a move and hit a cloud, which bounced her into the Cloudosseum wall.
"Nice work Rainbow Crash," one of the pegasi from earlier said before laughing their heads off.
"Come on Rainbow," Flash grumbled as he watched her recover, "you can come back from this."
While Rarity continued to dance, Rainbow shot into the air and began spiralling around the clouds. Fluttershy instantly recognized the routine and pointed at her friend. "Look! Phase two is working!" She and the girls cheered until Rainbow messed up and accidentally sent a cloud flying at Celestia.
"That can't be good," Flash said.
While this was happening, Rarity began to ascend upwards, followed by Rainbow who was looking desperate. Rarity came in line with the sun and spoke aloud. "Look upon me Equestria, for I...am...RARITY!" She opened her wings and the sunlight beamed through them as it bathed the Cloudosseum in a rainbow-coloured light. Everypony marvelled at this, all of them admiring the shining colours that now embraced the sky. It looked like Rarity would win no matter what at this rate.
That is, till the heat of sun instantly disintegrated her wings.
"Oh come on!" Flash yelled as Rarity began to fall towards them at high speed.
"Flash!" Twilight exclaimed.
"On it," Flash said, but Rarity shot through the Cloudosseum before he could even unfurl his wings. Being the faster ponies, the Wonderbolts shot out of their seats and flew down towards her.
"You think they'll get her?" Scootaloo asked.
"They're the fastest ponies in Equestria," Flash replied, "if anypony can, its them."
The three pegasi drew closer and closer to Rarity. Unfortunately, the now flightless unicorn was flailing her legs in such a panic that she accidentally struck each Wonderbolt, knocking them all out.
"Oh no," Fluttershy gasped as Applejack shielded Scootaloo's eyes.
"Flash!" Twilight yelled, "Do something!"
"They're to far away, I'll never reach them in time. But I know somepony who can." He looked up and screamed at the top of his lungs, "RAINBOW DASH!"
Hearing this, Rainbow looked down and gasped at what she saw. "Hold on Rarity, I'm coming!" She shot downwards, picking up more and more speed as she did so, but it looked like it wouldn't be enough.
"Come on Rainbow," Flash muttered, "you can do this."
"I can't look," Fluttershy said as she now shielded her eyes.
Rainbow felt the familiar resistance of the sound barrier, but seeing Rarity's face drove her to keep going. Finally the wind spiraled around her and-
BOOM!
A radiant explosion of of multi-coloured light appeared as Rainbow blasted forward at speeds nopony had ever seen before. Seeing this, a certain shy pegasus suddenly spoke up, "A SONIC RAINBOOM!" Fluttershy screamed as she bounced up and down, "SHE DID IT, SHE DID IT!"
Rainbow flew towards Rarity and the Wonderbolts faster than a blink of an eye. In a quick slick singular motion, she flew under them and caught the four before flying them back up to Cloudsdale, a rainbow jet stream following her in her wake. As Rainbow enter the Cloudosseum, several pegasi, Flash included, flew up to help the knocked out ponies.
"Good to see you're all in one piece," Flash told Soarin as he placed him on a cloud.
"Wow," Soarin replied as he rubbed his eyes, "I guess you were right about that mare. That was something else..."
"Told ya," Flash said with a smirk as he looked over at Rainbow.
"I did it," Rainbow exclaimed, "I did it!"
"You sure did," Rarity said as she walked up and gave a small frown. "Oh thank you Rainbow Dash. You saved my life."
"Oh yeah..." Rainbow said, looking sheepish. "I did that too. BEST DAY EVER!"
When the excitement of what had happened had settled down, Twilight and the others rushed over to them. "I want to apologize to all of you," Rarity said while getting inside of Twilight's balloon, "I got so carried away with my...beautiful wings, I guess I just lost my head." Everypony accepted her apology with a smile. Rarity then turned to Rainbow Dash. "And I'm especially sorry that I was so thoughtless as to jump into the contest at the last minute, after you had worked so hard to win it. Can you ever, ever forgive me?"
"It's okay," Rainbow shrugged with a grin, "everything turned out alright."
"And if it hadn't been for you," Flash continued, “Rainbow never would have done her Sonic Rainboom."
"Yeah. I just wish I could have met the Wonderbolts when they were awake." Rainbow commented, only to feel somepony tap her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Soarin, Spitfire and Misty Fly standing there. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!"
"So your the little pony who saved our lives," Spitfire complimented, "we really wanted to meet you and say thanks."
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh," Rainbow continued to say, causing Flash to chuckle.
"Really hope that's not all she's gonna say in front of them," Flash said, getting a nudge from Twilight.
In that moment, Celestia flew down with her guards. "Hello Twilight Sparkle," she said after everypony bowed, "and hello to your friends too."
"Princess Celestia," Rarity gasped as she shook in fear, "I'm so sorry I ruined the competition. Rainbow Dash here really is the best flyer in Equestria."
"I know she is my dear," Celestia chuckled as she pulled out a small crown, "that's why for her incredible act of bravery and her spectacular Sonic Rainboom, I'm presenting the grand prize for the best young flyer to this year's winner, Ms. Rainbow Dash." She placed a crown on Rainbow's head as the crowd cheered her on.
"Way to go Rainbow!" Flash yelled as he and the others lifted her up.
"This really is the BEST DAY EVER!" Rainbow exclaimed as they walked around with her for a second before putting her down at the sight of a few new ponies approaching them.
"Er hey..." they turned to see the bullies from earlier, "Rainbow Crash-"
"Dash," another said.
"Er sorry, Rainbow Dash. We just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition."
"That Sonic Rainboom was awesome."
"Thanks guys," Rainbow said.
"We're really sorry we gave you such a hard time before."
"That's okay, don't worry about it."
The last bully then shined a small grin. "Hey, do you want to hang out with us? Maybe you could show us how you did that incredible trick."
"Are they serious right now?" Flash whispered to Scootaloo, causing her to giggle.
"Sorry boys," Rainbow said as she flew up towards the rest of the Wonderbolts, "but I've got plans." With that, she and the team flew off, ready to enjoy some awesome tricks. As they did, Flash caught Soarin watching Rainbow from the corner of his eye and smirked.
"What are you grinning at?" Twilight asked, making the others look at him.
"Hopefully," Flash commented, "the start of something great."
That confused the others, but they just shrugged it off as they watched their friend fly off. Twilight later wrote this incident down to Celestia as a lesson in confidence. She wrote that confidence can be your worst enemy, whether it be a lack or excess of it. But she then stated that having just the right amount can make you do anything. Hopefully in the future, Rainbow's confidence will remain in that perfect amount. Only time will tell.