//------------------------------// // Sonic Rainboom // Story: A New Hero // by Alex The Lone Wolf //------------------------------// Episode 16 – Sonic Rainboom When I woke up, I had covers on me, nicely tucked. I looked around. I realized that I wasn't in my usual home… then I remembered that I had stayed at Fluttershy's home. I listened for any noise but there was only silence. The silence frightened me a bit, even though there was no real danger. I carefully uncovered myself and sat up from the couch. I planted my hooves on the ground and folded the blanket nicely. After, I walked around the house, looking for Fluttershy. "Fluttershy?" I called her name, but there was no answer. Maybe she's outside… I walked outside to hear Rainbow Dash's voice. "Now, what have we learned?" Rainbow Dash asked Fluttershy as she paced in the air. "Lots of control." Fluttershy answered in a confident and solid tone. "Good." Rainbow Dash praised. "Screaming and hollering." "Yes, and most importantly?" "Passion!" "Right!" Rainbow Dash landed on the ground. "So now that you know the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one." Fluttershy took a breath in. "Yay." Fluttershy cheered in a very soft tone. "... Ugh. You're gonna cheer for me like that? Louder." "Yay." Fluttershy gave it another shot, but the volume remained the same. "Louder!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Fluttershy, even making her flinch. "Yay." "Louder!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Fluttershy then took a large and deep breath. "Yaay." She still cheered quietly. "Ugh..." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her forehead and fell backwards. "...Too loud?" Fluttershy asked. "What's going on?" I asked as I walked towards them. "Oh, you're awake, Alex! Good morning!" Fluttershy greeted. "Rainbow Dash is helping me cheer for when she performs at the Best Young Flyer Competition!" Rainbow Dash stood up. "But the problem with that is that Fluttershy needs to learn to cheer louder!" She looked over to me. "Alex, can you please teach her how to cheer the right way?" "Um…" I paused. "I'm not much of a cheerer…" "Are you seri—UGH!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Whatever, I'm just going to go start practicing my stunt! Fluttershy keep working on that cheer!" She flew up the cloud above us and looked down upon us, a little annoyed that Fluttershy couldn't cheer louder. "Yay." Fluttershy released one quick, short, and soft cheer. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and bounced on the cloud. She began flying straight downwards but shot left before she hit the ground. She began maneuvering through a line of trees accurately, passing us like a rocket. A large gust of wind blew our manes while Fluttershy released another cheer. "Wooo." Rainbow Dash flew upwards and then headed towards a cloud. She began spinning around it, rapidly, actually causing the cloud to spin itself. She applied the same technique to a couple of more clouds. Watching this, Fluttershy's eyes spun around but regained their position. "Way to go." She spoke softly. I know how Rainbow Dash wanted Fluttershy to cheer louder… but I had to admit… the way she cheered was so…adorable… Thinking this caused me to actually blush a little on the outside. Rainbow Dash now shot upwards at an angle and did a few loops before flying straight towards us. She was significantly gaining speed and she continued to dash downwards. Fluttershy could only gaze in suspense as Rainbow Dash was about to finish her performance. Tears formed in Rainbow Dash's eyes as she continued to attempt to break the sound barrier with her speed. She had almost made it, but suddenly the sound barrier won and threw her the opposite direction. As Rainbow Dash screamed, Fluttershy placed a hoof to her mouth. She looked at me. "C'mon, Alex! Let's go follow her!" I nodded. She flew as I ran towards where she had fallen at. It turns out that she actually landed in Twilight's home. I had gone through the front door as Fluttershy flew through the window. "Rainbow Dash, you rock!" Fluttershy exclaimed softly. "Woohoo." Fluttershy shook her hoof a little. However, we both realized the mess she had caused in Twilight's home; books were scattered everywhere. "Did my cheering do that?" Fluttershy asked. Rainbow Dash recovered from the fall and stood up. "Hehe. Sorry about that ladies." She shook her head. "THAT was a truly feeble performance." "Actually, it wasn't all bad." Fluttershy commented. "I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin." "Ugh. I'm not talking about MY performance, I'm talking about YOURS." She pointed at Fluttershy. "That feeble cheering!" I walked towards Fluttershy and defended her. "Calm down, Rainbow Dash… she cheered the best she could. I thought she was great." "GREAT?" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "You couldn't hear her if you were right next to her in a library!" I looked around, which ironically, we were in a library. "What are you three arguing about?" Twilight asked. "Were we arguing? I'm sorry." Fluttershy apologized. Rainbow Dash lowered her head sadly as she grunted. "I wish you guys could come to Cloudsdale to see me compete in the Best Young Flyer Competition." Rainbow Dash looked over to the other girls. "What's that?" Twilight asked. Pinkie Pie's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It's where all the greatest Pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles! Some are fast!" She spun around in a circle through the clutter of books and created sounds as if she was racing in a track. "And some are graceful." She balanced herself on one hoof, but soon lost balance. "Woah, woah, WooooaaAAAAHH!" She crashed on another pile of books. "Golly. I'd love to see you strut yer stuff in that competition." Applejack commented. "Yeah. I wish you guys could be there. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational." Rainbow Dash explained as Fluttershy lowered her head a little in disappointment. I placed a hoof on her. "OOH! I'd love to see you make a sonic rainboom! It's like, the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean COME ON!" Pinkie Pie bounced rapidly. "It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?" "What's a sonic rainboom?" Twilight asked, clueless. "You really need to get out more." Pinkie Pie told Twilight before she explained the term. "The sonic rainboom is legendary! When a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash gets going soo fast... BOOM!" She crashed on a pile of books. "A sonic boom and a rainbow can happen all at once!" "And Rainbow Dash here's the only pony to ever pull it off!" Applejack emphasized. "It was a long time ago... I was just a filly…" Rainbow Dash responded, bashfully. "Yeah, but you're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rainbow Dash hesitated for a moment. "Are... you kidding? I'm the greatest flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale! I could do sonic rainbooms in my sleep." "Wow." Twilight replied, impressed. "If you pull that off, you'll win the crown for sure!" "The grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts. A whole day of flying with my life-long heroes... It'll be a dream come true!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Yay." Fluttershy gave another cheer, happily. Rainbow Dash glared at her for a moment and then returned her attention to the other girls. "I'm gonna go rest up. Don't wanna over prepare myself, y'know. Hehe." Rainbow Dash walked up face-to-face with Fluttershy and emphasized her instructions while Fluttershy looked innocently helpless. "YOU, on the other hand, better keep practicing. I need a cheering section to match my spectacular performance." Rainbow Dash flew off, outside the window. "She's practiced that move a hundred times, and she's never even come close to doing it." Fluttershy told me. "I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her…" "I know you want to help Rainbow Dash, but you shouldn't force yourself to cheer loudly just because she wants you to…" "I know but… still…" She sighed. "Sorry, Alex. I have to go follow Rainbow Dash. I would love it if you were able to come… but unfortunately you can't fly…" "Oh…" I held my head down, a little sad. "Ok… I'll see you later…" She nodded and flew out the window. "Well, guess we better get this cleaned up... Again." Twilight announced, annoyed. Twilight began picking up a book with her magic, but Rarity poked her from behind with her horn. "Go on, go on." "Go on what?" Twilight asked with the annoyed expression on her face. "Find a spell that will get us wingless ponies into Cloudsdale. Didn't you see how nervous she was?" Rarity answered. "Nervous?" Applejack joined the conversation. "Have you spit yer bit or somethin'? She was tootin' her own horn louder than the brass section of a marching band!" "Oh, puh-lease." Rarity argued. "I have put on enough fashion shows to recognize stage fright when I see it. We've got to find a way to be there for her." She looked over to Twilight and pushed her. "Now go on!" "Owaa!" Twilight landed in a pile of books and poked her head out. "Ugh. How am I supposed to find a flight spell in this mess?" "A flight spell? One sec." Pinkie Pie rushed over somewhere to get a book and threw it over to Twilight. "Page twenty-seven." "How'd you do that?" Applejack asked suspiciously. "It landed on my face when Rainbow Dash knocked me into the bookcase." Pinkie Pie responded. "Here it is!" Twilight exclaimed. "A spell that will allow Earth ponies to fly for three days. Ooh, it looks really difficult..." She walked over to the others. "I'm not sure I can do it." "You've got to try!" Rarity pleaded. "Ok... But who's gonna volunteer to be the test subject?" Twilight asked. Everypony remained quiet. Suddenly, transforming from my silence, I walked over to Twilight and offered. "I will." "Alex? Are you sure?" I nodded. To be honest… I wasn't doing it for Rainbow Dash… I mean sure… it would be great to watch her perform… but the reason I volunteered for a spell Twilight had not even performed before… was because that special feeling with Fluttershy pushed me to do it. It made me feel… confident… unafraid of whatever consequences that may arise from this spell. The feeling made my heart pump a little faster and stronger as I stood confident in front of Twilight. I really want to see Fluttershy… "Ok then…here we go!" After reading her book for a moment, she placed it down and pointed her horn at me. Her horn released a faded glow as she closed her eyes on concentrating the spell. She grunted as blue waves, which looked like ribbons, surrounded me. They began levitating me and closing throughout my whole sight and body. A small explosion occurred, however, I was sent falling to the floor and releasing a loud thud sound when my body landed. "What happened? Did it work?" Rarity asked Twilight. I stood up and observed myself to see if there were any changes… but there weren't… "That's weird… why didn't it work?" Twilight asked as she shuffled through the pages of her book. "Maybe only a certain pony can have the spell?" Applejack suggested. "No… It's not that… my book doesn't say a pony has to have certain qualifications… unless they already have wings… but Alex doesn't… so… I don't understand…" Everypony thought for a moment, even me. Does this mean I can't see Fluttershy…? "Try me next!" Rarity offered, holding her hoof up. "For Rainbow Dash!" Twilight looked at Rarity and shrugged. "Here goes…" She faced her horn at Rarity and began casting the spell. The same details occurred with Rarity as it did to me. Finally, another small explosion occurred, pushing us all back. When we regained our balance, we stood up to look at the new Rarity. She was actually flying in midair! She opened her wings, releasing many colorful shadows when the sunlight was in the room. She had wings… but not exactly pony wings… they were more like… butterfly wings… "I think it worked!" Twilight responded sluggishly. "Oh my!" Rarity observed her wings. "They're so… BEAUTIFUL! I must show the other girls right away!" She was about to fly out the window but Twilight stopped her. "Wait! What about us?" Twilight asked. "I think I can help with that!" Pinkie Pie announced. We looked behind us to see her motioning with her hoof. "C'mon! Follow me!" She led us outside to where she had a huge hot air balloon. "Pinkie…" Twilight spoke as her eyes were widened in surprise. "How did you…" "Well, while you ponies were doing your magic mumbo-jumbo, I grabbed the hot air balloon I used for the Running of the Leaves! Pretty cool, huh?" "Well then, let's go!" Applejack jumped onto the balloon. The rest of us hopped in while Rarity had a head start. Pinkie Pie released the hot air and we began floating toward the clouds. In the meantime, I looked over the basket to see the ground descending below us. We continued to be separated further and further from land. "Ok ponies, listen up!" Twilight announced. I turned to face her. "Before we arrive at Cloudsdale, I need to cast a spell on each one of you, so you'll be able to walk on the clouds." She flipped through the spell book she brought. "I was able to find something for us, thanks to Pinkie Pie," Pinkie Pie released a wide grin. "and it's so much easier than making each of us able to fly. Gather around!" We gathered around Twilight to where she focused her horn and casted the spell on everyone in the balloon. I didn't feel much different… instead… only a little lighter… Finally, when we floated through the last cloud, we saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy staring at us in amazement. "I... I can't believe it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It's incredible!" Fluttershy added. "This is so cool! You guys made it!" Rainbow Dash stated as Pinkie Pie landed the hot air balloon on the cloud. "Sure did!" Pinkie Pie jumped out of the hot air balloon and was about to land on the cloud. "WAIT!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, but then she saw Pinkie Pie plant her feet safely on the cloud. Twilight, Applejack, and I hopped out of the hot air balloon as well. "…How'd you do that? Only Pegasus ponies can walk on clouds." Pinkie Pie performed a cartwheel over to Rainbow Dash. "Haha. Pretty cool, huh?" "I found a spell that makes temporary wings," Twilight explained. "but it was too difficult to do more than once. So I found an easier spell that lets the rest of us walk on clouds." "And we came to cheer you to victory!" Applejack added. "To be honest, I was starting to get just a teeniest, tiniest bit nervous. But I feel a LOT better now that you guys are here." Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. "Hey, we've got some time before the competition. Why don't Fluttershy and I show you around Cloudsdale?" Everypony cheered and began following Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. As we walked, Fluttershy flew to my side and looked really happy. "I'm so glad you could make it, Alex! It wouldn't feel the same without you…" "Really…?" I responded lightly. She blushed and looked away, nodding. "Here it is:" Rainbow Dash announced. "The greatest city in the sky!" She presented, beyond the clouds, many ponies flying around Cloudsdale, along with the different homes made from clouds. The ponies new to this city released their amazement through their voices. However, we heard Rarity doing the same thing, only she was observing herself in the mirror along with her wings… "Uhh..." Rainbow Dash responded after noticing Rarity. "Some of the greatest Pegasi in history came from Cloudsdale!" Rainbow Dash walked us over to another area. "Oh, wait for me!" Rarity called over to us and flew to catch up. "Be careful with those wings Rarity." Twilight warned Rarity after she had noticed Rarity showing them off a bit too much. "They're made from gossamer and morning dew, and they're incredibly delicate." "Don't worry Twilight." Rarity assured. "I'm sure they can't get worn out from too much attention?" "Since we're up here, I'd sure like to get a look at where the weather's made." Applejack requested. "Great idea!" Rainbow Dash responded. "C'mon. To the weather factory!" She ran to lead us over to the factory. Before we entered the factory, we had to follow safety regulations, so we all had to wear a coat and hard hat. "This is where they make the snowflakes. Each one is hoofmade. As you can see, it's a delicate operation." Rainbow Dash explained as she spoke is a low voice. She pointed out to the other ponies who were working on snowflakes with different kinds of equipment. "Ooh, the snowflakes look even better from up here!" Rarity said as she flew up to the snowflakes hanging on the ceiling. However, the flapping from her wings caused a breeze to form, blowing all the snowflakes around the area and disturbing the workers. The workers began chasing after the snowflakes before they fell. Sounds of cracks and breaking were heard. "We better move on before Rarity ruins winter and causes a drought." Rainbow Dash suggested. Rainbow Dash escorted us to the area where they produced the rainbows in pools full of rainbow, which was stirred by different workers. "And here's where they make the rainbows!" Pinkie Pie dipped her hoof in the rainbow and licked it. She tasted it for a moment until her face presented all the colors of the rainbow. She screamed and exclaimed, "Spicyyyyyy!..." She ran away to find something to relieve the fire in her mouth. Twilight and Applejack laughed. "Yeah, rainbows aren't really known for their flavor…" Rainbow Dash explained. "Woah!" We heard from a distance. We turned our heads to see a group of three ponies following Rarity as she strutted by them. "Oh, where'd you get those amazing wings? I want a pair!" The dark brown pony with a sort of… beige… hair color asked as he walked behind Rarity. "Hmm... Yeah, I guess I could see that." Rarity teased. The group noticed us and the dark brown pony spoke again. "Oh hey look, it's Rainbow Crash again!" "Heheheyeah!" The light brown pony with the long brown mane added as they walked towards us. " Rainbow..." He stuttered. "Umm... Eyah... Crash!" I could already tell that these guys were no good… "Rarity! What're you doing talking to these guys?" Rainbow Dash immediately questioned, annoyed by the presence of them. "Oh, they were just admiring my wings Rainbow Dash." Rarity replied. "Yeah, you should forget the sonic rainboom and just get yourself some wings like these!" The dark brown one exclaimed. They all began laughing. "Oohh..." Rainbow Dash groaned. After seeing a sudden image of the past, I looked from Rainbow Dash and over to the group of guys. I walked towards them firmly as they continued to laugh. "Why don't you three shut your mouths and put your talent in it instead!" I spoke boldly. "What are you saying…bub…?" He drew his face closer to mine, responding in a cold and bold voice, almost like mine. "I'm saying that unless any of you three have some ACTUAL talent besides picking on others, you should keep your mouth shut." "Oh yeah?" He responded aggressively, having his acquaintances start to surround me. "Yeah." I replied. "What part of me didn't you understand? Oh that's right… because you're just an ignorant pony who needs to bully somepony else to feel better about yourself!" They all growled and looked as if they wanted to attack me right there. Rainbow Dash noticed this and instantly cut in between. "Okay boys! That's enough!" She announced as she pulled me out of the aggressive zone. They all scoffed. "You better tell your little friend to watch what he says!" The dark brown one said as they began flying away. "See you later…RAINBOW CRASH!" I stared at them with an aggressive mood in my mind as they flew away. Rainbow Dash lowered her head in shame. "Uhh... C'mon. Why don't we go see how clouds are made?" Fluttershy announced quickly to leave the area. "Don't listen to them." She helped Rainbow Dash as we walked away. "You're gonna win that competition for sure!" "Are you kidding? I can't DO the sonic rainboom, and just look at these boring, plain old feathered wings. I'm doomed!" Rainbow Dash replied, worried. "Rainbow Dash, you can. Think about it." I responded. "Who's the only one to have ever done the sonic rainboom? You. Have those idiots ever done it? No. So, don't listen to them. Just believe in yourself and I promise you'll be victorious." Rainbow Dash managed to pull out a light smile. "Thanks Alex… I guess that makes me feel a little better…" We arrived at the cloud factory to see all the workers immediately gaze and turn their attention to Rarity's wings as soon as they noticed them. "Why, these old things?" Rarity bragged. "Go ahead everypony. Photos are encouraged." Rarity continued showing off, causing Rainbow Dash to lose more of her ego and rise up in being frightened and nervous. "Rarity." Twilight walked over to Rarity and scolded her while whispering. "We're supposed to be helping Rainbow Dash relax, remember? Put your wings away and stop showing off!" "Oh pfft. How can you ask me to put away perfection?" Rarity ascended straight towards where the sunlight peeped through the factory. The sunlight passed through Rarity's wings, delicately, and formed several bright colors among the ponies, causing each of them to be amazed. While every other pony was distracted with Rarity's wings, Rainbow Dash was on the floor shivering. "Rainbow Dash. Are you ok? You don't look so good." Twilight asked. "Of course!" Rainbow Dash answered as she panted. "Why wouldn't I be ok? Everyone's so in love with Rarity's wings that they won't even notice when I totally blow it in the Best Young Flyer's Competition." "Hey! There's an idea!" One of the ponies emerged from the crowd and presented herself. She pointed at Rarity. "YOU should enter the competition!" "Yeah! I could watch you fly all day long!" Another pony, that was elderly, encouraged. "There really isn't anypony who uses their wings quite like me. Perhaps I should compete." Rarity responded as she continued striking poses. "WHAT?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Workers continued following Rarity as they awed of her appearance. "What am I gonna DO? I'll never win the competition now..." Rainbow Dash announced as the rest of the others gathered around her. "Rarity has taken her temporary wings a bit too far…" I replied. "Don't worry Rainbow Dash, I'll go talk to her. Just… try to remain calm and think of positive thoughts… why don't you remember how you were before you came up here to Cloudsdale today? Or if possible, think of the time you actually did the sonic rainboom…" "Thanks, Alex… but…" She continued shivering a little. I looked over to the others. "Stay with Rainbow Dash and get her ready for the competition, I'll go have a talk with Rarity." They nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?" Fluttershy asked. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I'm just going to talk to her really quick and see if I can get her head out of the beauty of the wings and into what actually will happen with the wings." "Okay…" "I'll see you at the cloud you'll be on, during the performances." She nodded and they took Rainbow Dash as I began my way towards Rarity. She wasn't hard to find as there was a large crowd following her everywhere she went. I struggled passing through the crowd and called her name when I got to the front. "Rarity." "Oh, Alex!" Rarity answered. She looked over to her admirers and scooted them away with her hoof. "Go on now. There will be plenty more to admire during my fantastic performance." The crowd left, leaving Rarity and I. She was still flying as she spoke. "So what is it Alex? Come to admire the wings as well?" "Actually…" I responded, pausing a little. "I wanted to talk to you about the competition…" "About my performance?" Rarity immediately asked. "Yeah…I guess…" I looked around with my eyes, and then looked back at Rarity. "Don't you think it's dangerous to be competing?" "How is competing dangerous?" Rarity questioned. "I have wings, remember?" "Yeah… temporary wings." I strained. "What if you lose them during your 'performance'? I know Twilight said they lasted three days, but it was the first time she ever did the spell, so who knows how long it will really be? Besides, Twilight also said that they're delicate, so you don't know exactly what might make you lose them..." "Oh, please, Alex." She chuckled a little. "Thanks for caring, but I'll be fine! With wings this beautiful, I'm destined to win with such grace." "Rarity…" "Even if I did lose them during my performance, I would still land safely on the cloud, like you ponies!" "But, Rarity, Twilight didn't— "Sorry, Alex. I have to prepare for my performance if I want to win! Wish me luck!" Rarity flew off towards where all the competitors were to ready themselves and wait. I placed a hoof on my head and sighed. When I arrived at the performance center, I looked for the cloud the girls were on. Luckily, Pinkie Pie had this huge number one foam finger she was holding up. I spotted them and walked over to the cloud they were seated on. Pinkie Pie continued giggling excitedly as I sat down next to Fluttershy. "Hey…how'd it go with Rainbow Dash?" I asked. "She's still nervous… I'm afraid something might go wrong…" I sighed and looked over to the building the competitors were to come out from. "I hope she does alright…even if I get annoyed by her constant bragging…she's still…my friend…" Below me I could hear the laughter of those despicable ponies once again. I slowly grew angrier every time I heard them. However, Fluttershy placed a hoof on me, giving me this…worried look… as if she didn't want me to confront the ponies. I lightly exhaled the breath inside me. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" The announcer announced. "Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia!" Princess Celestia appeared from the sky and landed on a special cloud reserved just for her. A couple of royal guards each stayed by both sides of her. Princess Celestia waved at every pony watching the event. "Please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition. The Wonderbolts!" A group of six ponies flew by, doing a few tricks and finishing off with a firework. Every pony cheered for each introduction. "And now, let's find out who will take the prize as this year's best young flyer!" Several performers emerged from the building and performed their own stunts and talents… but I didn't really pay attention as I was thinking more about the risks with Rarity, and the outcome of Rainbow Dash… "I loved number seven." Twilight stated. "Doing fifteen barrel-rolls in a row can't be easy." "My favorite is number ten. She just looked like such a nice pony." Fluttershy added. "Hmm.. Wonder how come we haven't seen Rainbow Dash or Rarity yet? The competition's almost over." Applejack wondered. "And now, for our final competitor of the day, contestant number fifteen!" Rainbow Dash flew out from the curtains, looking nervous and worried. On the contrary, Rarity appeared gracefully, having a face full of makeup and accessories. I slapped a hoof to my forehead. "Uhh... And apparently contestant number four..." Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack cheered loudly for them. Rarity spoke to Rainbow Dash for a moment, who was shivering fiercely now, and then skipped to begin her performance. Rainbow Dash studied the course for a moment and began her routine, just like she had done this morning. As the other girls cheered excitedly for Rainbow Dash, she continued to do her first phase. However, she knocked the last cloud and pummeled straight towards the bottom of us, crashing near the other ponies. "Nice work Rainbow Crash!" They ignorantly exclaimed and laughed. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath… just let it go… As Rarity continued dancing in mid-air, Rainbow Dash began the second phase, flying upwards and spinning the clouds. "Look! Phase two is working!" Fluttershy announced, which led to the girls cheering again. As Rainbow Dash was concentrating on spinning a cloud, a piece of it knocked her off. This caused the cloud to spin straight towards Princess Celestia. The Princess and her royal guards ducked as the cloud dissolved above them. After, Rarity began flying upwards towards the sun. Hesitating for a moment, Rainbow Dash followed as well… preparing to do the third and final phase… the sonic rainboom… Rarity arrived at the beam of the sun, panting and sweating heavily. "Look upon me Equestria," She announced loudly. "for I Am Rarity!" She separated her wings and the sun beamed through the colors, presenting many shiny shades to appear everywhere. The crowd awed at her. Suddenly, as she was posing, her wings burned up and disintegrated. She opened her eyes and looked at her body, noticing that her "fantastic" wings were gone. She began falling downwards at a rapid speed, screaming along the way. "Oh no! Her wings evaporated into thin air!" Twilight exclaimed. I stood up immediately and tried to think of something to do… but there was nothing I COULD do… I had no wings… The wonderbolts began racing towards Rarity to catch her, but her feet kicking caused them to knock out and fall along with Rarity. Rainbow Dash saw this and immediately turned around, racing towards Rarity. Fluttershy covered her eyes. "Oh, I can't look!" She continued rushing at top speed, causing every pony to wait in suspense. Rainbow Dash continued flying and all of sudden; she released an explosion of rainbow, revealing different lights to everypony. Fluttershy hopped in the air as Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even I stood in awe. "A sonic rainboom!" She screamed. "She did it! She did it! WOOO!" Just before the wonderbolts and Rarity were crushed to the ground, Rainbow Dash made it and swooped in to save them. She rushed back toward us and had them land safely, except Rarity, who was carried by a couple of Pegasus ponies. The whole crowd cheered, especially Fluttershy. "A sonic rainboom! Wooo! YEAH!" Rainbow Dash and Rarity had a quick conversation. I exhaled a breath in relief. We returned back to Pinkie Pie's hot air balloon, where Rarity was carried and placed inside the basket. "I want to apologize to all of you for getting so carried away with my... beautiful wings. I guess I just lost my head." Everypony accepted her apology. Rarity looked over at Rainbow Dash and spoke to her. "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?" "Aw, it's ok." Rainbow Dash responded. "Everything turned out alright, right? I just wish I could have met the Wonderbolts when they were awake." The wonderbolts had actually walked over to us and one of them tapped Rainbow Dash. She turned around and her face immediately surrendered it's calm, cool, and collected expression. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohMYGOSH!" "So you're the little pony who saved our lives." The one with a mane resembling of a fire spoke. "We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks." "Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh!" was the only thing Rainbow Dash could reply with. Princess Celestia and her royal guards flew over to us. "Princess!" Twilight announced. Each of us bowed as she spoke. "Hello Twilight Sparkle, and hello to your friends too." "Princess Celestia, I am sorry I ruined the competition." Rarity spoke as she held her head low. She looked over to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash here really is the best flyer in Equestria." Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves shyly. "I know she is my dear."Princess Celestia responded. "That's why for her incredible act of bravery, and her spectacular sonic rainboom, I'm presenting the grand prize for best young flyer to this year's winner, Miss Rainbow Dash!" Princess Celestia herself placed the award on Rainbow Dash as every pony cheered. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!" Rainbow Dash announced excitedly as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy carried her around for a victory lap. I remained with Twilight… because I wanted to hear today's report… "So Twilight Sparkle, did you learn anything about friendship from this experience?" Princess Celestia asked. "I did Princess," Twilight replied, looking over to Rarity. "but I think Rarity learned even more than me." "I certainly did. I learned how important it is to keep your hooves on the ground, and be there for your friends… and when a certain friend tries to talk you out of trouble…" Rarity looked gently over to me. "You should listen to them…" "Excellent. Well done Rarity." Princess Celestia responded. The rest of the girls brought Rainbow Dash back and placed her on the cloud. "This really is the best day EVER!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Uhh, hey Rainbow Crash." The dark brown pony had come back. "Dash!" The tan one nudged and corrected the dark brown one. "Oh! Uhh... Sorry Rainbow Dash. Uhh, we just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition." "That sonic rainboom was awesome!" I rolled my eyes and hopped in the hot air balloon with Rarity. I sat and looked away. I had seen it all before… "Heh, thanks guys." Rainbow Dash replied. "Uhh, we're really sorry we gave you such a hard time before." "Aww, that's ok. Don't worry about it." "Hey. Do you want to hang out with us? Maybe you could show us how you did that incredible trick!" "Sorry boys..." She flew over to the couple of wonderbolts waiting for her. "But I've got plans!" She glided along with her idols as they headed somewhere else. "Well, I best be going." Princess Celestia announced. "I hope you all had a great day! Night will fall shortly, so farewell all!" Every pony bowed and Princess Celestia left with her royal guards. Rarity looked over to me and noticed my expression. "Alex, is something bothering you?" She asked. "I just want to go home." I quickly responded. I didn't really want all of the ponies to start worrying… Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack climbed aboard. "Next stop, Ponyville!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed and began descending us back home. When we arrived, we all hopped off, except Pinkie Pie, who stayed in the balloon so she could take it back to her place. Night fell and everypony responded by wishing each other goodnight. I began walking Fluttershy to her house. She walked by my side, looking a little sleepy. She was probably too tired to fly. "That was some loud cheering you did…" I told her. "Oh." She blushed. "I was just so caught up with the excitement…I'm a little embarrassed about it now…" "Don't be, you were fantastic." She smiled. "Thank you…" She yawned. "I guess it really wore me out…" "Well… I still think your soft cheering is perfect." "You really think so?" She asked as she looked over to me. "Mmhm." I nodded. "That's just something unique about you." She giggled a little as she blushed some more. We walked through the little bridge and stopped at her door. Before she opened it, she turned around to see me. "You're a great friend… you know that? Not only to me…but to everypony…" I stared at her with a confused expression on my face. "You said that you wouldn't let any of us be bullied by some pony else… and you're true to that… you are so helpful and just…" She looked at the ground for a moment and back at me. "…so amazing..." I couldn't really say anything… I was amazed by what she told me… I stared at the ground myself for a moment and looked back at her. "That's…I…You really think that…?" I asked. "Yes…" She answered. "Not only me… but the other girls as well…" I looked away for a moment, muttering "Wow…" under my breath. I stared back at her. "Thank you Fluttershy… that really means a lot…" "Well it's true…" Her head suddenly dropped a little, but she picked it back up. "I better get some sleep… can I see you tomorrow?" She asked. "Of course… Goodnight, Fluttershy." I responded. She smiled and opened her door, glancing back and replying, "Goodnight, Alex." She slowly walked in and closed the door. I turned around and headed home. After I finished opening the door and entering inside, I closed the door and placed my hoof on my chest. I closed my eyes and felt each time my heart beat. I opened my eyes again and placed my hoof on the floor, walking up the stairs to my bedroom. I walked over to my bed and slowly tucked myself in. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep.