//------------------------------// // 61. Wonderbolt recruits // Story: My Little Pony - The Legend of Friendship // by Danieru //------------------------------// Star Twinkle and his friends decided to spend some time on a picnic while waiting for a specific letter to arrive. Apparently, Rainbow Dash signed up at the Wonderbolts Academy. This academy serves as some kind of test ground to determine if you have the potential to become a Wonderbolt some day. Of course, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to sign up for this. The letter if she got accepted into the academy or not was supposed to arrive anytime soon, which is why everypony decided to quietly wait for nearby Rainbow Dash's mailbox to find out what the answer of the Wonderbolts was. Except for one pink pony who just couldn't sit still. “Ooooh, I wish the mail-pony would just come already! I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!” Pinkie Pie said as she nervously bounced around everypony before she jumped over to Star Twinkle. “Aren't you worried about the answer as well!?” She asked as she grabbed Star Twinkle's head in a panic. Star Twinkle pushed her away from his face to get some more space again. “How about you just sit down and wait like everypony else?” He advised as he made a slightly annoyed face. “He's right, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight agreed. I mean, you're more nervous than Rainbow Dash,” she pointed out, which was true. But after taking a better look at Rainbow Dash, it was kind of obvious that she either wasn't nervous at all or just good at hiding it. “I'm not nervous at all,” Rainbow Dash confirmed. “When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy...” she started before she was interrupted by Pinkie Pie. “IF you get in! If you get in! Don't jinx it!” Pinkie Pie said nervously. But again, Rainbow Dash showed confidence. “I'm telling you, it's in the bag,” “She is the best flyer in Ponyville, after all,” Applejack pointed out. To that, Rainbow Dash felt almost offended and decided to correct Applejack a little. ”In Ponyville? I'm probably the best flyer in all of Equestria,” she said as she proceeded to show off her flying skills by manipulating some clouds above the group. ”I wouldn't be surprised if they just went ahead and made me a Wonderbolt on the first day,” she added confidently while flying backward, right into somepony by accident. It was in fact, the long awaited mail pony. “Got a letter here for Rainbow Dash,” the pony said as he presented Rainbow Dash a letter. No time was wasted and Rainbow Dash quickly read the what was written inside quietly only to show a rather disappointing expression. “I... didn't get in,” she said puzzled. Needless to say, everypony was shocked by this. Everypony was sure that the Wonderbolts would accept her, especially, since she proved herself in front of them multiple times now. “Gotcha!” Rainbow Dash then said, revealing that she was just joking. “Ha, you guys are so gullible. Like I wasn't gonna get in!” She said once again confidently as she showed everypony the letter. But before she got the chance to show it to everypony, Pinkie Pie tackled her down in her excitement and hugged her out of relieving. In fact, she hugged her so hard, that she almost broke Rainbow Dash's back in the process. “Pinkie Pie? I kinda need to get going,” Rainbow Dash said, making Pinkie Pie finally release the mare. ”The sooner I get there, the sooner I get to show 'em my stuff! See you guys in a week!” She said before she already left to get to the academy. Despite probably not hearing it, everypony said their good lucks and waved Rainbow Dash off, leaving the six ponies in the middle of the picnic. “You think she will be alright?” Fluttershy asked a little worried. “Of course, darling,” Rarity added confidently. “Like she said herself, she is one of the best flyers in Equestria,” “Exactly,” Twilight joined in. “Becoming a Wonderbolt is her dream so she will make sure to give it her best!” She added confidently or rather pumped as if she strongly believed it. There was not much that Star Twinkle could add to this. The Wonderbolts witnessed already what she was capable of so all she needed to do was to impress them again. Showing any worry at this point was unneeded. “I'm just glad that Pinkie Pie can now sit still and-” however, Star Twinkle stopped after he saw how she put out a megaphone, making him fear the worst. “DON'T FORGET TO WRITE!!!” Pinkie Pie screamed through her megaphone, which almost destroyed everyponies eardrums. She then turned around to face the others. “Do you think she heard me?” She had the nerve to ask. “I think about everyone in Equestria heard you!” Star Twinkle said annoyed while he still kept his hooves on his ears. Everypony in the group strongly believed that Pinkie Pie's worry was for nothing. The Wonderbolts knew who she was but that doesn't mean that they have to treat her differently from anypony else. Still, despite Rainbow Dash's constant bragging about her abilities, there was no denying that she was a good flyer, maybe even one of the best in all of Equestria. Knowing all that, Star Twinkle and his friends were positive that she might return as a full fledged Wonderbolt. A little later at the Wonderbolt Academy... There was a really tall plateau that reached far up to the clouds. This is where the Wonderbolts Academy was at. A really long runway in the middle of it and multiple ponies practicing or training while being watched by official Wonderbolts members. Seeing all this made Rainbow Dash's excitement grew even further. “Oh, yeah! This is gonna be sweet!” She said before she landed to the spot where some other ponies were waiting. They were most likely recruits as well. Rainbow Dash was focused on doing her best and was confident that she would ace everything that the Wonderbolts could throw at her. It didn't take too long until Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts, to arrive near the recruits. Being trained by the captain herself only made Rainbow Dash happier and more excited, however, as a soon to be professional Wonderbolt, she could afford to show that and instantly stood in attention when Spitfire walked up to the group. “Well, lookie what we got here. Bet y'all think you're Wonderbolt material, don't ya?” She said as she walked up to the recruits unimpressed be the sight. “Yes, ma'am!” All of the recruits replied. “Think you got what it takes to be an elite flyer?” Spitfire asked. “Yes, ma'am!” All recruits replied once more. “Well then. Let me be the first to tell you...You don't! If you had what it took to be an elite flyer, you'd already be a Wonderbolt!” Spitfire explained harshly. “Still think you're something special?” She said as she turned towards one of the recruits. Spitfire's words seemed to have left an impact on most of the recruits. Their confidence was slowly crumbling after the captain of the Wonderbolts was slowly pressuring each one of them. “You look like you're the worst flyer in the whole academy! You'll probably quit after the first day!” Spitfire said towards Rainbow Dash. “No, ma'am! I'd never quit, ma'am!” Rainbow Dash replied confidently. Hearing Rainbow Dash not being intimidated by those words seemed to impress Spitfire. It was obvious that becoming a Wonderbolt was not easy and Spitfire wanted to make sure that every recruit was aware of that. She wanted to make sure that everypony was up for the task and if somepony would hesitate, then it was clear that they would not good Wonderbolt material. Luckily, Rainbow Dash was far from being intimidated and would let some harsh words get the better of her. Spitfire walked past Rainbow Dash and talked to the next recruits who stood left of her. Rainbow Dash did pay attention of how Spitfire talked to each one of them, secretly hoping that they would back down which in turn would raise her chances to get noticed by the Wonderbolts. But to her surprise, quite the opposite was the case. “And what about you? You think you are something special with those fancy metallic wings?” Spitfire asked towards another recruit. Those words caused Rainbow Dash to lose her cool for a second and made her snap out of her straight pose. “Metallic wings?” Rainbow Dash wondered as she looked over to her left to just notice now who was standing a few steps next to her. “I bet you won't even be able to fly up two meters in the air with those!” Spitfire added towards the pony she was talking to. “Is that a challenge!?” The recruit replied offended, getting closer to Spitfire's face, making her return a rather surprised expression. “Tornado!” Another pony scolded next to him. “Stop acting so childish!” “Those are!” Rainbow Dash said in surprise after she took a closer look at the recruits to her left. Right now, Spitfire stood in front of a Pegasus with a yellow coat, a spiky light blue mane, and wings that were made out of steel. Next to this pony were two other Pegasi. One of them had a light blue coat and a yellow spiky mane, and the other one had a light green coat and a blue and yellow propeller like mane. “The Storm Wings!?” Rainbow Dash said in her surprise, causing Spitfire to look back at her, making Rainbow Dash return to her straight pose. Still, she kept her eyes on the three Pegasi to her left. It was Steel Wing, Hurricane Wing and Cyclone Wing, the leaders of the Storm Wings. Not only was it weird for Rainbow Dash that they were enemies not too long ago but it also confused her why they would be at the Wonderbolt Academy. Spitfire then focused her attention towards Cyclone Wing. “Did I allow you to speak up?” She said towards Cyclone Wing. “Hey! Don't you dare talk to the leader of the Storm Wings like that!” Steel Wing interrupted angrily. However, unlike his brother, Cyclone Wing kept his eyes forward. “No ma'am you didn't, I just wanted to apologize for my brother's disrespectful behavior and I am fully prepared to be punished for my rude actions!” He said as he kept looking straight. “Cyclone?” Tornado Wing said surprised because he expected him to behave so servile towards Spitfire, despite being the leader of the Storm Wings. “Is that so? Then how about you give me five hundred laps. Right now!” Spitfire said, fully taking Cyclone Wing's offer. Cyclone Wing saluted and was immediately on his way to start his laps without showing any worry or regret. Seeing Cyclone Wing flying away like that made Steel Wing feel responsible. He put himself together and spoke up to Spitfire. “Ma'am! May I request seven hundred laps to make up for my rude behavior!?” He said in the same way how Cyclone Wong talked before. At first, Spitfire was confused but she eventually agreed and let Steel Wing do those laps, causing him to quickly catch up to his brother. Spitfire seemed to be relieved that she was finished with those two for now and turned to Hurricane Wing. “Can I do five hundred laps as well?” Hurricane Wing asked as he raised his hoof before Spitfire could even try to intimidate him. “Why?” Spitfire asked confused. “For fun,” Hurricane Wing replied boldly. Spitfire did not seem to have a complicated bunch like this to deal with and it was obvious that she was concentrating to not lose her mind. She was a professional after all, she must have dealt with ponies like that earlier. She again turned to the last recruit which was a Pegasus mare with a light turquoise coat, an amber colored mane and gold stripes, gold colored eyes and a Cutie Mark that consisted of a white lightning bolt and two orange and one yellow star below it. “What about you? Bet you couldn't fly past the first flagpole without getting winded,” Spitfire asked, returning to her intimidating technique. The mare, however, didn't seem to be intimidated at the slightest. In fact, she replied quite arrogantly. “Try me, ma'am,” “What's that?” Spitfire asked surprised. “Let me show you what I've got, ma'am,” the mare insisted. Spitfire seemed to done with the recruits and picked up on the mare's offer. ”Well, since you are all so desperate to show your skills, now's your chance. Give me five hundred laps! All of you!” She demanded a little annoyed, causing everypony except Rainbow Dash and the mare with the turquoise coat who was dashing to the sky to start their laps. Spitfire waited for the recruits to finish their laps. Rainbow Dash and the other eager mare from before were the two who were almost finished with their laps, followed by the Storm Wings who were flying slower but also had only a couple of laps left. Everypony else seemed to greatly struggle with keeping up and were far away from finishing. “Lap four-hundred and ninety-nine!” Spitfire shouted when Rainbow Dash and the other mare flew through the finish line. “One more lap to go!” Rainbow Dash said confidently. “You're on!” The other mare challenged. Both of them seemed to be evenly matched with their speed. And they both attempted to finish the last lap in style by flying as fast as they could. Only two trails were visible, one rainbow colored one, obviously coming from Rainbow Dash and a turquoise colored one with a lightning bolt inside of it, coming from the other mare. “Not bad... for a couple of newbies,” Spitfire complimented once the two finished their lap. This gave the two mares some time to finally introduce themselves to each other. “Name's Lightning Dust,” the other mare introduced herself. “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash returned. “Wanna grab some grub in the mess hall?” Lightning Dust suggested. “Definitely,” Rainbow Dash returned. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were getting along really well since they both seem to be very similar. They both liked a challenge, they both like to show what they can do and they both very really good Flyers. They decided to take a break in the mess hall and sat down on one of the tables while eating something. “I have to admit, you are pretty good,” Lightning Dust complimented. “You haven't even seen half of it,” Rainbow Dash replied boastfully. They both continued to talk and eat for a while until Rainbow Dash noticed how the door of the hall opened and revealed Cyclone Wing, Hurricane Wing, and Steel Wing. The latter one being very tired and supported by Cyclone Wing. The three walked over to another table to rest as well and grabbed something to eat. “I'll be right back,” Rainbow Dash said before she stood up from her seat and walked over to the three stallions. Lightning Dust didn't seem to mind. “I am so hungry...” Steel Wing said exhausted. “...and tired...” “That's what you get by trying to do seven hundred laps,” Cyclone Wing pointed out. “You are lucky that I am too tired to argue...” Steel Wing returned tired. As Rainbow Dash walked up to the three, Cyclone Wing was the first one to notice her. “What are you guys doing at the Wonderbolts Academy?” She asked before every one of the three turned their heads to their visitor. “Who are you again?” Steel Wing asked obliviously. “Why do you want to be Wonderbolts? You already have a group to take care of!” She almost said annoyed just by the fact that those three were about to become Wonderbolts. “You seem mad about that...” Hurricane Wing said bluntly. “Of course I am!” Rainbow Dash returned angrily as she stomped her hoofs on the table. “The Wonderbolts are the best flyers in Equestria and they don't deserve to have guys like you to join them!” She added as she glared at the three. “What did you just say!?” Steel Wing replied angrily as he stomped on the table as well and glared at Rainbow Dash. Cyclone Wing stepped between them and stopped his brother from doing something stupid but at the same time, he looked over to Rainbow Dash to make her calm down too. “It's like you said, the Wonderbolts are the best Flyers in Equestria. They are known to have the full trust from Princess Celestia. Their teamwork is also well known. We hope to learn some things from them to improve ourselves,” Cyclone Wing explained. “You mean, stealing some of their techniques?” Rainbow Dash replied, not fully believing what Cyclone Wing said. “I don't expect you understand or trust me but let me tell you that we are not here to pick up a fight,” Cyclone Wing said. “Yeah, you better not be,” Rainbow Dash returned before she walked back to her table. It was difficult for Rainbow Dash to trust those guys. They may have helped to fight off the Changelings in Canterlot but she still couldn't fully forgive their actions from before that. Of course, Mystic was the one who was responsible for most of the things that they did but Rainbow Dash was never a really a pony who trusted everypony right away, to begin with. But she was not at the Academy because she had to worry about them. She was there because she wanted to be a Wonderbolt and there was nopony who was about to stop her. On the next day... The training continued and every one of the recruits stood ready while wearing a Wonderbolt uniform. Spitfire stood in front of some big thing that was covered by a blanket and explained the next training session. “The Wonderbolts are the fastest, best precision flyers in the world. But spin-outs can still happen. And when they do, a Wonderbolt must be able to recover quickly,” she then gave a signal to one of her assistants, who removed the blanket and revealed a weird machine under it. “This... is the Dizzitron. It's gonna make you very – I repeat –very dizzy. Your task is to try and recover and fly straight again, as soon as possible. Once you have recovered you must come in for a smooth landing. Now, who's first?” She asked, causing both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust to raise their hooves. “Alright, Rainbow Dash. Let's see what you got,” she said as she picked Rainbow Dash to be the first one to try out the Dizzytron. Rainbow Dash strapped herself in the middle of the machine and readied herself for the machine to start. Spitfire asked if she was ready and Rainbow Dash replied confidently. “Yes, ma'am!” She said before she put down her goggles. The machine began to spin and for a few seconds until Spitfire gave a signal to release Rainbow Dash, throwing her a few meters away while she was still spinning in midair. It was not until a few seconds later till Rainbow Dash got her balance back and dashed towards Spitfire again. “Six seconds? That's an academy record,” Spitfire said impressed as she checked the time. Rainbow Dash placed herself among the recruits again and gained some compliments for her performance which she modestly accepted. “Okay, Lightning Dust. You're up,” Spitfire said. Lightning Dust confidently strapped herself to the machine but she had one request. “Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron at maximum speed? I wanna push my limits,” she said as she put down her goggles. Spitfire was asking if she was sure but Lightning Dust was determined and insisted for this change. “Okay. You asked for it,” Spitfire said as she gave one of her assistants a signal to change the level of the Dizzitron Once again, the Dizzitron spun around and released Lightning Dust shortly after. Similar to Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust managed to regain control of herself in a short amount of time without a problem after spinning around for a few seconds before she landed near Spitfire. It was impressive despite the Dizzytron being turned to full capacity. “Six point five seconds. Not bad,” Spitfire said impressed. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust celebrated by hoof bumping in victory but they were interrupted by Spitfire who wanted to continue. “Next! You, Cyclone Wing!” Spitfire said as she pointed towards the light green Pegasus. Cyclone Wing stepped forward and strapped himself to the machine while pulling down his goggles before he gave a signal to start the machine. Rainbow Dash had to admit that she was curious to see how Cyclone Wing would do. Cyclone Wing closed his eyes, took a deep breath and began to concentrate. The Dizzytron began to spin and after a few seconds, it released Cyclone Wing and threw him away. To everyponies surprise, Cyclone Wing was able to regain his balance much quicker than Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust by spreading his wings in a certain pattern, however, he was not nearly as fast as the two mares, making his landing slower. “Seven point three seconds. Not bad as well,” Spitfire said after checking Cyclone Wing's time. Despite not being as fast as Rainbow Dash or Lightning Dust, Cyclone Wing did earn some admiration from the other recruits as well. “I didn't think that this guy would be good as well,” Lightning Dust shared as she looked at his walking up to the recruits again. “Are you kidding?” Steel Wing joined in. “Stuff like that is a piece of cake!” He added while he waited for his turn in excitement. The Storm Wings were no strangers when it came to fighting. What Cyclone Wing did back there was most likely a technique to regain balance in the middle of a fight, meaning that it was not the first time that he was in a situation like this. “Next one! Hurricane Wing!” Spitfire said as she prompted the blue Pegasus to strap himself in the Dizzytron. “I wonder if this guy's brothers are good flyers as well...” Lightning Dust said, waiting for the results of Cyclone Wing's brothers. But Rainbow Dash knew it better. In fact, Hurricane Wing was one of the fastest flyers that Rainbow Dash ever had to face. Back then, when they raced for the Elements of Harmony, Hurricane Wing managed to keep up with her. She was actually kind of worried how Hurricane Wing's result would end up. Hurricane Wing gave a signal that he was ready and closed his eyes as well, indicating that he was concentrating just like Cyclone Wing before. The machine started and Hurricane Wing kept his eyes closed, however, something seemed a little off and for some reason, Cyclone Wing slapped his forehead out of frustration. “You got to be kidding me...” he said after he realized what was going on. “What's the matter? He seems fine,” Rainbow Dash said, not understanding what Cyclone Wing was worried about. “Yes. Too fine...look,” he said as he pointed towards his little brother. Rainbow Dash then focused on Hurricane Wing and noticed it as well and couldn't believe it. “Is he...” she wondered before she saw him being thrown away after Spitfire gave the signal to release him. After being released, Hurricane Wing didn't seem to make any attempt to regain his balance and flew in a straight line away from the group, his eyes still closed. Spitfire could only look confused by what happened in front of her. Hurricane Wing fell asleep after being strapped to the Dizzytron and fell meters away before he eventually landed headfirst into a cloud, his head buried under it. Cyclone Wing could only release a frustrated sigh. “I'll go and get him,” he said before he walked up to his brother. “Whoa, the Dizzytron was so lame for him that he fell asleep?” Lightning Dust could only assume after seeing what happened right now. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof could just think how strange these three were. “That just happened,” Spitfire said before she announced the next recruit to step up. “Tornado Wing, you're up!” “That's Steel Wing!” Steel Wing replied angrily before he strapped himself to the machine. Steel Wing gave the signal to start the machine and soon it began spinning. Unlike his big brothers, Steel Wing didn't close his eyes due to the fact that he was too excited. The machine began to spin but for some reason, it spun much slower than with any of the others. Spitfire was wondering why that was the case and Steel Wing found himself getting a little bored by this slow movement. “What's wrong with the machine?” Spitfire asked. “I don't know,” the assistant who was using the levers replied. “It normally does that when there is too much weight on it,” he added. Steel Wing instantly picked up on that. “Hey! Did you just call me fat?” He said angrily and a little offended. “How much do these stupid wings of yours weight?” Spitfire asked. “They are not stupid!” Steel Wing replied angrily. “And, I have no idea!” Eventually, Spitfire decided to skip Steel Wing, making him return to the recruits with a bored expression on his face. Rainbow Dash remembered that not even Applejack was able to move Steel Wing back then in Ponyville. Either because he was too strong or too heavy. She also remembered all too well being knocked out by one of his wings. All those memories returning to her made all the more difficult to fully trust those three so she continued to keep a close eye on them. All other recruits were done with the Dizzytron after a while but nopony even came close to six or seven seconds which made Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust feel even more confident to become a Wonderbolt in record time. Spitfire announced that for the rest of the time in the camp, every pony will be working in pairs. A list will be put up by Spitfire tomorrow morning to let every pony know who will be the lead pony and who will be the wing pony of every pair. Of course, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were curious who would become their wing pony. On the next morning in the mess hall... There were already some ponies in front of the list that Spitfire put up to find out how the pairs ended up. Rainbow Dash walked up towards the list as well and approached some of the recruits who walked towards her. “So, which one of you lucky gals gets to be my wing pony?” She asked confidently. However, she was greeted by some giggles and was advised to take a look at the list before saying stuff like that. Wondering what that was about, she did take a look at the list herself. To her shock, she found out that she was assigned to be a wing pony. “They made us a team! Isn't that awesome?” Lightning Dust said excitedly as she approached Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash did not even realize that she was put on the same team as Lightning Dust since she was more shocked by the fact that she was a wing pony. Needless to say, she was a little upset and didn't reply to Lightning Dust. “What?” Cyclone Wing said surprised as he took a glance at the list for the first time, causing Rainbow Dash to turn around and finding a very surprised Cyclone Wing in front of the list. “Looks like they made us a team,” Steel Wing said happily. “And looks like, I am the lead pony,” he added before he walked outside excited. “Yeah...looks like it...” Cyclone Wing replied hesitantly. Lightning Dust already left the hall and Rainbow Dash couldn't hold her frustration in any longer. “I'm gonna talk with Spitfire to rethink her decision,” she said before she attempted to leave. “And what would that archive?” Cyclone Wing said after overhearing Rainbow Dash's words. “Well, that I become the lead pony of course!” Rainbow Dash replied annoyed. “Spitfire is in charge of us. Her decision must have a reason behind it. Questioning it would only prove that you are clearly not fit to become a Wonderbolt,” Cyclone Wing explained bluntly. Those words dug deep into Rainbow Dash and made her angry. “Of course a leader like you would say something like that!” She exclaimed annoyed by Cyclone Wing's words. “Becoming a Wonderbolt is my dream!” She exclaimed before she calmed down again and decided to choose her next words. ”And there is no way that something insignificant like becoming a wing pony would keep me from that!” She said before she walked away from him and outside of the hall, forgetting the idea to talk with Spitfire. Cyclone Wing was left in silence and only could lower his head after those words. “Your dream, huh?” He mumbled to himself quietly. Later outside... The recruits stood at attention in front of the big runway waiting for Spitfire to arrive. Despite being upset before, Rainbow Dash looked ready to do her best again. So did Cyclone Wing and Steel Wing who were assigned as a team. While waiting for Spitfire, Cyclone Wing took a look around to find out who Hurricane Wing was assigned with. Seeing how Hurricane Wing had a gold medal on his uniform, it meant that he was assigned to be a lead pony. Next to him was a really bulky looking Pegasus who was his wing pony. “So both of them became lead ponies?” Cyclone Wing said before he let out a frustrated sigh. However, he kept himself together as soon as he saw Spitfire walking up to the recruits and announced what was up next. “Today you will all be participating in a flag hunt. We'll divide you into two teams, red... and blue. Whoever finds the most flags of the opposing team's color wins. Lead ponies and wing ponies must fly together. If any pair splits apart, they will be immediately disqualified. Do you understand?” Spitfire explained as she walked past the recruits and placed herself on the finish line. “Yes, ma'am!” Every recruit replied in unison. “Then let's go!” Spitfire said before she blew her whistle. After that everypony flew up into the air and began looking for a flag that matched their opponent's color. For Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust that meant that they had to look for red flags since they were on the blue team. Hurricane Wing and his partner were on the blue team as well and Cyclone Wing and Steel Wing were in the red team, meaning that they had to find blue flags. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were pretty confident to win this, looked all over the place while flying in high-speed. They quickly spotted one of the flags hidden under a cliff and they both dashed down towards it to get it. Meanwhile, Hurricane Wing and his bulky partner slowly flew in a pretty casual way around the sky to find a flag. “You found a flag yet?” Hurricane Wing asked. “Yeah!” The bulky pony replied before he pointed at a flag on top of a cloud high above them. “Got it,” Hurricane Wing replied casually before he flew at it at an incredible speed towards it and returning to his partner with the flag in his hoof. “Got one,” he added with a smile on his face. “Yeah!” His partner replied while flexing his muscles. Meanwhile, Steel Wing and Cyclone Wing were busy looking for some blue flags. Of course, because of Steel Wing's competitive nature, the yellow Pegasus wanted to make sure to win and made sure that his wing pony would know that too. “Alright, I don't want any mistakes from my wing pony! You better not fail!” He said to his brother who only looked over to Steel Wing with an annoyed look on his face, causing Steel Wing to return an embarrassed face. “Sorry, always wanted to say something like that,” Despite, Steel Wing's behavior, Cyclone Wing focused on his task and tried to find a flag. It took him not long until he found one hidden inside of a mountain side. “There is one!” He said as he pointed towards the flag. “I'll go and get it!” Steel Wing said as he dashed towards the mountain side. Cyclone Wing tried to give some advice on how to get the flag out of there but Steel Wing didn't listen and proceeded to fly towards the flag as fast as he could. Before he reached the flag, he readied one of his wings and slapped the rocks in front of him away to reach the flag. After that, Steel Wing presented the flag in front of Cyclone Wing proudly and with a big grin on his face. “Or you could do that...” Cyclone Wing corrected after witnessing Steel Wing's destructive behavior. “Come on! Let's get this flag to Spitfire!” He said as he flew towards Spitfire with the flag in his hoof. When the two of them approached Spitfire they were surprised to already see Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust with one red blue in their possession. “Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash found the first flag!” Spitfire announced. Lightning Dust already flew away again and left Rainbow Dash behind. For some reason, Rainbow Dash was grabbing her wing in pain. For Cyclone Wing it was obvious that she was hurt. He saw how his brother was behaving like this multiple times when he was in pain with his metallic wings. However, once Spitfire glanced over to Rainbow Dash, she did pull herself together and continued and followed Lightning Dust. “They also already have a flag, we need to keep moving!” Steel Wing said, wanting his big brother to pick up the pace. “Yes,” Cyclone Wing said a little absent minded with his thoughts focused on Rainbow Dash. In the end, the blue team managed to win this flag hunt thanks to Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust, ending the training for today. On the next day... The recruits stood ready for the next task in front of the runway and as always, Spitfire explained what was going to happen next. “Today we'll be doing our famous air obstacle course,” she announced. There were multiple things that were supposed to hinder the recruits from finishing the course, ranging from thunder clouds or machines that blew out heavy winds. Everything was supposed to test the skills of the recruits as best as possible. “The object of this exercise is to work on your precision flying under extreme circumstances. And don't worry about winning. It's not a race,” she said, however, Lightning dust winked over to Rainbow Dash as a sign that she wasn't taking this advice too seriously. “Now everypony, get on your marks!” Spitfire said prompting everypony to get ready. Everypony had to line up and flew in a straight line behind each other. Hurricane Wing and his partner were the first followed by Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust and then Cyclone Wing and Steel Wing and the rest of the recruits. Nopony seemed to have any trouble to get through the obstacles and proceeded as safely as possible with Hurricane Wing and his partner taking the lead and Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash behind them. Despite not having any troubles, Lightning Dust seemed to be bothered by how slow the two ponies in front of her were. “Ugh! Can't they go any faster? It's no good, I can't get around them!” She complained. “Doesn't matter! We can still fly completely in sync and blow Spitfire's mind with our moves!” Rainbow Dash said, reminding her partner that winning is not important now. “I guess...” Lightning Dust replied, even though she didn't sound too happy about it. They then proceed to show off some of their flying skills by doing some loops, hoping that Spitfire would notice their skills. The recruits continued their fly and the obstacle course was leading them into a big storm cloud where heavy rain and lightning was coming down. Despite that, Hurricane Wing and his partner continued pretty casually. “Slow and steady. Just make sure that we made through here,” Hurricane Wing advised to his bulky partner. Still, Lightning Dust seemed to get more and more impatient about how slow those two were flying while keeping her and Rainbow Dash's speed down as well. But soon there was an opportunity for them to catch up to them and the next obstacle which consisted of some pressured air coming out from some machines on the side of the track that they had to avoid. “Now's our chance to pass these slowpokes!” Lightning Dust said towards Rainbow Dash before she charged towards Hurricane Wing and his partner, knocking them away from the course rather recklessly and making them fall towards the other recruits and throwing them away from the course. Of course, this action was not unnoticed by Cyclone Wing and Steel Wing who quickly rushed to Hurricane Wing and his partner to save them. Cyclone Wing caught Hurricane Wing while Steel Wing got his bulky partner, surprisingly he was able to lift him back to the course with just his hooves. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust flew through the obstacle like it was nothing and with full speed before they landed in front of Spitfire. “Not bad! And in record time, too! Definitely made the right decision making you two a team,” she complimented before she took a look at the rest of the recruits who were trapped in some clouds because of Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust. “The others seem to have had a little trouble with the precision part of the exercise. I'd better go help sort them out. Why don't you two go hit the mess hall early?” Spitfire said, obviously not aware of what exactly happened up there. Lightning Dust picked up on that offer and attempted to walk inside of the mess hall but she was quickly interrupted by a very angry stallion that landed in front of her. “What was that just now!?” Steel Wing exclaimed right at her face. “How could you attack my brother like that!?” “Well, maybe if he was a little faster, then he may have could avoid me in time, instead of holding back everyone!” Lightning Dust replied not seeing the problem at all or being intimidated by Steel Wing. “What was that!?” Steel Wing replied angrily. “Tornado!” Cyclone Wing interrupted as he walked up to the two. “Forget what just happened,” “What!?” Steel Wing replied shocked. “Did you not see what they did to Hurricane!?” “He is okay so don't worry about it. Behavior like that is obviously encouraged here so we don't have a right to interfere with Spitfire's decision to let it slide,” Cyclone Wing explained. While he said those words, his eyes leaned towards Rainbow Dash, who actually felt a little bad for what she did before. Cyclone Wing then left with Steel Wing following him slowly, even though he didn't like to leave just like that. “Whatever,” Lightning Dust replied before she walked inside the mess hall. Rainbow Dash was not fully agreeing with Lightning Dust's behavior. According to her, only the best could become Wonderbolts so Lightning Dust had to make sure that Spitfire would recognize how good she and Rainbow Dash were. Even if it meant to get the competition out of the way. On the next day... The next training session involved kicking some clouds. Every pair had to remove as many clouds as possible. Of course, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were the ones who had the most clouds removed so far. But still, Lightning Dust felt the need to make sure that they would win. “I have an idea about how we can literally blow away our competition,” “But we're already way ahead,” Rainbow Dash reminded. “Are you in or not?” Lightning Dust asked, ignoring Rainbow Dash's words. Despite showing some hesitance at first, she did agree to follow Lightning Dust's lead and did as she was told. Both of the flew around fast enough to create a big twister. However, Lightning Dust lost control over the twister and was blown away by it. It took not long enough until Rainbow Dash was blown away as well, making the twister swirl around uncontrollably. At the same time, somewhere in the distance, a balloon was raised from below the clouds. Inside of it was Star Twinkle, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy who decided to visit Rainbow Dash. Because of that, every one of them was excited except Star Twinkle who laid down and had his head covered under his hooves because of the flight. “Why did I decide to come with you?” Star Twinkle said while his body was shaking because of his fear of flying. “Because you missed Rainbow Dash so much that you couldn't wait to see her after such a long time!” Pinkie Pie said, clearly being more excited about the visit then Star Twinkle. Star Twinkle could point out that it was Pinkie Pie who was going crazy all these days because Rainbow Dash didn't write a letter back but he was way too scared to say anything right now. Twilight was the one who decided to calm him down a little. “Don't worry, Star Twinkle. There is nothing to be afraid of. I used my walking on clouds spell so there is no way that you can fall down from the clouds. And besides that, there is nothing dangerous around here,” Twilight assured confidently but those words were not nearly enough to make Star Twinkle feel safe again, let alone what Applejack said next. “It's a twister!” She exclaimed in shock, pointing at the twister that Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust created. “Did she just said twister!?” Star Twinkle exclaimed while still covering his eyes in fear on the ground. It didn't take long until the balloon was caught in the twister, making it spin around uncontrollably until the ropes eventually snapped, making Star Twinkle and his friends fall down from the sky. Rainbow Dash witnessed what was happening to her friends and screamed in terror before she decided to fly over to them in order to save them. However, she was just one pony and couldn't save all of them so even if she made it, she couldn't save every single one of them. She had to decide quickly who to save first but it was impossible due to her panicking like that. Fortunately, she was not the only one who was flying towards the group. Cyclone Wing, Steel Wing, and Hurricane Wing, as well as his wing pony, were on their way to save everypony as well. All of them went to somepony to save. Rainbow Dash caught Pinkie Pie, Hurricane Wing caught Fluttershy, his wing pony caught Applejack, Cyclone Wing caught Rarity, and Steel Wing actually managed to caught Star Twinkle and Twilight on his back while keeping up in the air. Star Twinkle and his friends were placed on solid ground after this little adventure, which Star Twinkle literally kissed out of relief. “Are you guys okay?” Rainbow Dash asked out of worry before she asked them what they were doing there at the first place but before they could answer Lightning Dust stepped out of the group in excitement. “That... was...awesome!” She said excitedly. “Awesome?” Rainbow Dash replied confused. “My friends could have been smashed to pieces!” She returned. “Yeah, but they weren't, right? Can't say the same for the clouds. We totally wiped them out with that tornado. The other cadets will have to be up there for days to bust as many as we did,” she said proudly of what she just archived before she reached out her hoof for Rainbow Dash to hoof bump it. “A hoof bump? Seriously? You made me clip my wing. You sent half of our class into serious tailspins on the obstacle course. You unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends!” Rainbow Dash finally snapped after all that happened. “Yeah, and?” Lightning Dust replied unable to see the problem that Rainbow Dash was pointing at. “And I get that you want to be the best. So do I! But you're going about it in the wrong way,” Rainbow Dash explained, probably speaking from personal experience. “The Wonderbolts don't seem to think so. After all, Spitfire did make me the leader and you the wing pony,” Lightning Dust pointed out confidently. After those words, Rainbow Dash just walked away, making it obvious that she was too angry to discuss any further with Lightning Dust and just wanted to be alone for a while. Needless to say, her friends were confused by what this was all about and stood there confused. “You think we should go after her?” Star Twinkle asked confused. “I don't think she wants to talk with anypony while being in this mood,” Steel Wing replied. “Maybe not...” Star Twinkle said before he realized the two familiar ponies next to him all of the sudden. “Wait! What are you guys doing here!?” He asked confused with his friends joining in in confusion. “Well...” Hurricane Wing started before he began to explain. Meanwhile... Rainbow Dash sat on one lonely cloud in order to think for a while. It was hard for her to accept what Lightning Dust was about to do in order to become a Wonderbolt. And it was even harder for her to accept that she had to do the same if she wanted to be a Wonderbolt. It was her dream after all. But if it meant doing stuff like Lightning Dust, then she began to regret becoming one at all. While being in deep thoughts like that, she did not realize at first how Cyclone Wing stood behind her silently. “What do you want?” Rainbow Dash said annoyed, thinking about dealing with Cyclone Wing now as well. “I came to apologize to you,” Cyclone Wing said practically out of nowhere. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was confused by this sudden apology. “For what?” Cyclone Wing then walked closer and stood next to her, seeing how she was interested in talking now. “I didn't take your dream serious. You clearly hold it very dear to become a Wonderbolt but you also don't want to do a thing that seems to be rewarded here,” he said, hinting at how Rainbow Dash was struggling with Lightning Dust's methods. “You noticed?” Rainbow Dash replied surprised by how Cyclone Wing was aware of her struggle. “I just don't get how she can do all those things in order to become a Wonderbolt? It's crazy!” She added confused. “You tend to do some really stupid things when you try to reach an important goal...” Cyclone Wing said, now speaking from personal experience. “But you have to ask yourself, if that goal, that you are trying to reach, is worth doing those stupid things...or if there is something even more important than it out there...” "Something more important, huh..." Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself quietly," Rainbow Dash took those words to heart and began turning around slowly walking away from Cyclone Wing. “Thanks...” Rainbow Dash said almost relieved. “I think you made me realize what I have to do,” she said happily. “Glad to hear that,” Cyclone Wing said with a slight smile on his face. She continued to walk away but before she left, there was one more thing she wanted to say “Oh, and Cyclone!” She said as she turned around with a smile on her face. “I'm sorry too. You know, for being a little rude to you all before,” she apologized. “Also, don't be too hard to yourself. You are a great leader,” Those words surprised Cyclone Wing. He didn't expect that Rainbow Dash saw through what he was thinking about while speaking to Rainbow Dash. After that conversation, Rainbow Dash flew away and left Cyclone Wing to his own. A little later near the runway again... “You did what?!” Applejack asked shocked. “I quit,” Rainbow Dash said. “I just went to Spitfire and told her myself,” “Are you sure?” Star Twinkle asked. “I am,” Rainbow Dash said determinedly. “There's a big difference between pushing yourself as hard as you can and just being reckless. And if being reckless is what gets rewarded around here, if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it,” she explained. “But being a Wonderbolt was your dream!” Rarity pointed out. “Not anymore,” Rainbow Dash said, this time with a little more regret in her voice. “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. I know how much this meant to you,” Twilight said as she put a hoof on Rainbow Dash. The group was about to leave but Spitfire was approaching them and stopped them from leaving. ”Rainbow Dash! How dare you storm out of my office without giving me a chance to respond!” She said almost angrily towards Rainbow Dash. “The Wonderbolts are looking for the best flyers in Equestria, but you were right. Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction. You've shown that you're capable of doing just that,” Spitfire admitted, whether it was her realization that she made a mistake herself or the realization that Rainbow Dash was right. “You're no wing pony, Rainbow Dash,” she said as she removed the silver wing pony sign from Rainbow Dash's chest while also forcing Lightning Dust to remove her sign from her chest and putting it on Rainbow Dash. ”You're a leader,” “OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!” Was the only thing that she could say at this moment. However, it was interrupted by Spitfire who reminded her that she was still a recruit at the academy. “Now get out there and give me twenty!” She shouted right into Rainbow Dash's face which didn't seem to mind her at all. “Yes, ma'am!” Rainbow Dash replied before she rejoined with the other recruits, leading them to their next task. While watching them flying away from the group, Star Twinkle and his friends were relieved that Rainbow Dash didn't have to give up her dream. Spitfire, on the other hoof, looked over to three other ponies who still stood on the ground. “What are you three looking at? Go up and join them will you?” “Yeah, about that...” Steel Wing started while he rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof. “We quit,” Hurricane Wing added, much to Spitfire's confusion. “You what?” Spitfire returned confused which was the same reaction that almost everypony else had who overheard the conversation. Cyclone Wing was the next one to step up and give some clearance. “I think we learned enough about the Wonderbolts and what it meant to be one...” He said as he looked over to Rainbow Dash who now was leading the rest of the recruits because of her decision to put her comrades about her dreams. “And I found out that they are not so different from us...” he added with a smile on his face. “Which again means that we are wasting our time here,” Steel Wing added bluntly which was most likely not how Cyclone Wing would have put it, even though it was kinda true. Spitfire didn't seem like as if she liked to hear that decision. “So...you are just leaving like that and throwing away your chance to become Wonderbolts?” She asked. To that, all three of the Pegasus's returned a smile before they would already fly away to the air. “Why would we become Wonderbolts if we are already part of the best group of Equestria?” Steel Wing said smugly as he flew above the ground next to his brothers. “Still,” Cyclone Wing started. “Thanks for taking up the time to train us. I hope we see each other again some time,” he added before he flew away from everypony with his brothers following him behind. Seeing the three Pegasi fly away made Star Twinkle regret to not talk with them too much. After all, they were no longer enemies and didn't seem to be in a rush. But for some reason, he felt like that it was better like this. Maybe there would be another chance for him to talk with them. Whatever the reason was, the only important thing that was in his mind was only one thing. “Alright! Rainbow Dash is fine and everypony was saved! Can we please go down to solid ground again!?”