//------------------------------//
// Wonderbolt Academy 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S3 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Today's story opens up below the cloud home of one Rainbow Dash, where we find the Mane Seven relaxing on a blanket in the field. Twilight was reading a book while Flash was playing a gentle tune on his guitar. Rarity was enjoying a drink, while Applejack was eating from a bushel of apples. Finally, Fluttershy was just enjoying the scenery with Rainbow, who was staring at her hooves.

The seventh of the group, Pinkie, was bouncing around them with a nervous look plastered to her face. "Ooooh," she leapt next to a mailbox with Rainbow's cutie mark on it, "I wish the mailpony would just come already! I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!"

Twilight giggled as she looked up from her book. "Pinkie Pie, you're more nervous than Rainbow Dash."

It was Rainbow's turn to laugh, a cocky smile on her face. "I'm not nervous at all. When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy-"

"IF!" Pinkie interrupted while getting in her face, "If you get in! Don't jinx it Rainbow!"

Rainbow smiled at her friend and pushed her back to a reasonable distance. "I'm telling you, it's in the bag."

"DON'T JINX IT!" Pinkie cried out again.

Applejack then decided to give her two bits. "Stop worrying Pinkie. Rainbow's the best flyer in Ponyville, so she'll be fine."

This was followed by said flyer shooting into the air and stopping in front of a cloud. "In Ponyville?" Rainbow asked before flying around the cloud at high speed, molding it into a slide that she then slid down. "I'm probably the best flyer in all of Equestria! I wouldn't be surprised if they just went ahead and made me a Wonderbolt on the first day."

Flash, who had been relatively quiet until now, finally stopped strumming and spoke up, "That's a bit of hopeful dreaming. There's no way that's gonna happen."

Rainbow turned to him, gritting her teeth in anger. "And why not? Aside from a Wonderbolt, I've never run into a pegasus who could keep up with me."

Flash raised an eyebrow at her, a flat stare on his face. "So you've met every single pegasus that's alive right now?"

This threw Rainbow off. "Well...no, but-"

"Exactly. So saying you're the best is dangerous thinking." Flash interrupted, his hoof now restrumming the guitar. "With that kinda attitude, you'll only end up beating yourself. If you do get in, you might find somepony who's as good, if not better, than you."

Rainbow let out a growl as she walked up to defender. "So you're saying you don't think I'm any good?!"

Flash looked back up, only to see all six of his female friends staring at him. The sight made him slightly gulp, as he knew he needed the right response. He turned back to Rainbow as he let out a huff, "I'm saying you've got loads of raw talent, but its unrefined. The Wonderbolts probably have the same skills as you, but they've finely tuned those skills to near perfection. Remember, when you raced Soarin, you didn't lose to his speed, but his technique."

Rainbow took what he said in, but even so, "I don't see your point."

Flash rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to facehoof. "I'm saying you're a big fish in a small pond, but the Wonderbolt Academy is the ocean. If you start thinking you're a whale, you'll eventually end up as shark food."

Everypony stared at him, all seemingly amazed by what he had said. "That's very profound," Twilight told him, blinking at this in shock.

"Thanks." the apprentice knight deadpanned as he stopped strumming and began to tune his guitar, "Grand Hoof said it to me when I started getting cocky. I'm just quoting him."

Everyone suddenly collapsed anime style. "That explains it," Twilight moaned.

Flash rolled his eyes again. "Hey, at least I remember this stuff."

Rainbow picked herself up off the ground and growled at him before crossing her hooves. "Well, I guess you've got a point."

Flash nodded. "All I'm saying is, you shouldn't ever think you're the best. If you do, you'll start getting sloppy. Trust me, I know how that feels, and its not pleasant."

"Since when do you-" Twilight tried to say, only for Rainbow to interrupt her.

"Yeah, yeah...I get it." Rainbow smirked and put her hooves behind her head. "If I really wanna be the best, then I can't stop trying to go beyond-"

"Plus ultra!" Pinkie interrupted, only to see everypony staring at her. "Sorry, wrong show."

Rainbow blinked at this, only to then feel a presence next to her. Turning, she saw a mail stallion with a yellow coat and red mane. The stallion held up an envelope with the Wonderbolt seal on it. "Got a letter here for Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow nodded and grabbed the letter, soon ripping it open to read. But as she did, her eyes went from joyful to sorrowful. This didn't give her friends much comfort, especially when she looked up and said, "I didn't get in."

Everypony's eyes went wide, Pinkie unleashing an exaggerated gasp as she did.

Seeing this, Rainbow's frown started to morph as she flipped the letter over, revealing a large green tick stamped on it. "Gotcha!" She guffawed, the others all changing their expressions to bright and happy. "You guys are so gullible! Like I wasn't gonna get-" She said no more, mainly due to a pink mass tackling her.

Pinkie rolled them along the ground, the two ending up back on their hooves as Pinkie squeezed Rainbow in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sooooooooooo happy for you!"

"Uh... thanks." Rainbow, who was starting to have trouble breathing, tried to pull away, only for Pinkie to squeeze harder. "Pinkie Pie? I kinda need to get going."

Pinkie replied with one last, massive, squeeze before letting her go. "Okay, I'm done." With that, she bounced off.

Now free, Rainbow leapt back into the air. "Sooner I get there, the sooner I get to show'em my stuff!" She shot pat the group and gave them all a salute. "See you all in a week!"

"Good luck," Applejack told her.

"Won't need it," Rainbow replied as she flew off.

"And don't forget what I told you," Flash called out but Rainbow didn't reply, as she was just now out of range.

It was here that Pinkie decided to try her luck, which included her pulling out a megaphone. "DON'T FORGET TO WRITE!" Her voice caused the whole area to shake, as she turned to the others. "You think she heard me?"

"I think Cadance and Shining Armor might have heard you," Flash barked back, his hooves over his ears. "And Celestia probably heard it too!"

They continued to watch as Rainbow disappeared into the distance. As she went out of visual range, the six of them turned to head back home, Pinkie rushing off to await the arrival of Rainbow's first letter.

"I hope she's gonna be okay," Fluttershy said as they strolled down the road.

"She'll be fine darling," Rarity told her.

Applejack snorted at the thought. "Yeah. This is Rainbow Dash we're talking bout."

Twilight nodded in response. "As long as she keeps a level head, she shouldn't have any trouble."

"She's doomed," Flash deadpanned as he walked past them, making Twilight glare daggers at the stallion. With that, the defender split apart from the group, having promised to come watch the Blast Ball tournament Springer and the younger ponies were going to compete in.





In the halls of Wonderbolt Academy, we find Soarin Skies wearing his formal Wonderbolt attire. He scratched under his wing and tugged at his overly tight collar, as he would easily admit that he hated his formal attire. But it was required, due to the fact that he was about to spend a week helping with Wonderbolt Academy training. As such, he made his way to a door of a certain office, where he raised his hoof and tapped several times before waiting. After a few seconds, he heard a familiar female voice call out. "Enter!" Soarin pushed the door and as soon as it was opened, he straightened up into a ridged stance developed over years of habit.

There in the room, the leader of the Wonderbolts was sitting behind a desk. Spitfire looked up from her paperwork, "Soarin, just in time. At ease." Acting like a piece of machinery, Soarin's body eased up after hearing that phrase. "Come take a seat, I was just going over all the recruitment folders."

Soarin nodded as he sat down and looked over a large pile of papers, one name catching his eye and making him smirk. Grabbing the folder and looking over it, he saw the information of one Rainbow Dash. Race history, competition titles and a bunch of stats that were recorded during trials week. Spitfire looked up from her own folder, and smirked at seeing him reading it. "So...any particular reason you wanted to help me with the academy this year?"

Soarin looked up from the folder, straight into her gaze. "Not really. Since I'm second in command and all, I figured I should learn how the pros teach. I might end up doing it someday."

"Yeah right," Spitfire spat as she looked back down. "You sure its got nothing to do with the pony in that folder? You know, the one I saw you dancing with at the royal wedding?"

Soarin slammed the folder shut with such force that the wind it caused almost knocked the other folders off the table. "Oh, is that who this is...heh, didn't recognize her for a second."

Spitfire looked back at him and smirked. "You were never a great lair Clipper. Stick to what you're good at."

"Being an awesome flyer?"

"Eating pies."

Soarin's face fell, causing Spitfire to laugh.

"Don't worry about it. There's no rule against dating recruits. Just don't let it affect your performance."

Soarin frowned. "I'd never do that."

"Good," Spitfire tossed him another folder, "now take a look at this recruit. She might be just as good as your girlfriend."

Soarin opened the folder and read the name, Lightning Dust. The picture showed a light blue pegasus with an orange mane, had stats that rivalled Rainbow's. "Not bad."

"Plus she's got drive," Spitfire explained as leaned over and tapped the folder with her hoof. "She's definitely lead pony material."

Soarin shut the folder and gave Spitfire a hard, cold stare. "You and I both know that there's more to being a good flyer than just flying skills. I'd prefer to see what this pony's like before making an opinion on her."

Spitfire smiled at his response. "That's why you're second in command, despite being at such a young age." She picked up her aviator shades as she got up from her desk. "Let's go show these maggots what it takes to be a Wonderbolt."

Soarin smiled back with a salute.

The two stepped out of the office and soon found themselves heading over to the runway, where the recruits were all to gather for the first day's training. They then spotted a large group of pegasi, all having just arrived if their bags were anything to go by. Soarin smirked when he spotted a familiar lock of rainbow colored hair, it's owner smiling when she saw him.

It was true what Spitfire had said. The reason he had agreed to help Spitfire with this training was because he would get to see Rainbow again. The two had not seen each other since the wedding, though the two of them had been writing to each other constantly. Soarin held back a chuckle as he remembered the last letter she had sent, depicting how she had taken Flash's younger sister under her wing.

And now, he was gonna get to spend a whole week training with her. That is, as the two stepped up to the line of recruits.

"Well, lookie what we got here!" Every recruit froze and stood to attention, though their posture left little to be desired. Spitfire, Soarin and another pegasus stepped up to the line with vigilant glares on their faces. "Bet y'all think you're Wonderbolt material, don't ya?"

"YES MA'AM!" The recruits all replied in unison.

"Think you got what it takes to be an elite flyer?!"

"YES MA'AM!"

Soarin and Spitfire shared a smile, knowing what was about to come next as she looked back at them. "Well then, let me be the first to tell you." She suddenly rushed up into the face of one of the trainees. "YOU DON'T!" She started walking up the line again, the look on her eyes showing how truly serious she was. "If you had what it took to be an elite flyer, you'd already be a Wonderbolt!" She came to a stop and turned her attention on the pony in front of her, Cloudchaser. "Still think you're something special?"

The pegasus mare's knees began to knock, pure fear on her face. "N-no ma'am."

Spitfire then turned to the next pony in line, Bulk Biceps, and looked him over. At first, she was impressed with Bulk's er...bulk, but a quick look at his tiny wings was enough for tell her everything. She flew up into Bulk's face, hooves on her hips, and stared him in the eyes. "You think you're hot stuff?"

Bulk did not reply, somehow managing to shrink away instead.

Spitfire then turned her attention on Rainbow Dash, Soarin looking forward to this confrontation. "You look like you're the worst flyer in the whole academy! You'll probably quit after the first day!"

Rainbow didn't look at her, her body instead remaining like stone as she replied. "No, ma'am! I'd never quit, ma'am!"

Soarin caught a smile hiding in Spitfire's lips, making himself grin. She had impressed her.

Spitfire walked passed Rainbow and focused on the last pony in line, Lightning Dust. "What about you? Bet you couldn't fly past the first flagpole without getting winded."

Lightning Dust's reply shocked everypony. "Try me, Ma'am."

Soarin's eyes went wide. This mare had some back bone.

"What was that?" Spitfire asked as she lowered her shades.

Lightning stared at Spitfire, showing no respect in Soarin's opinion. "Let me show you what I've got, ma'am."

Spitfire glared at her, raising her shades back up. "You want a chance to prove yourself, huh?

"Yes ma'am."

Spitfire stepped back from her, her teeth gritting as she let out a yell. "Well then, now's your chance. Give me five hundred laps! ALL OF YOU!" All but two of the cadets moaned, making Spitfire's glare harden even more. "NOW!" She blew her whistle, Rainbow and Lightning shooting into the air while the others followed far behind.

Spitfire then moved over to Soarin so they could watch the recruits do their thing. Here, she leaned over and remarked, "That Lightning's got spunk. I like her."

Soarin's nostrils let out a trail of steam. "She's cocky, I'll give her that."

"Is your marefriend any different?"

"She at least knows the value of team work."

"Well, let's not jump to profiling just yet. Keep an eye on Lightning, see if your impressions change."

Soarin nodded and did as he was told, watching as both Rainbow and Lightning remained wing to wing. They flew around the track faster then any other cadet, managing to fly three laps for the one they did. All the time, neither seemed to slow down or get ahead of the other.

"They're evenly matched," Soarin told himself.

"Four hundred and ninety nine..." Spitfire said as the two passed them.

Soarin watched as the two lead mares suddenly exploded with acceleration, a rainbow and lightning trail left in their wake. They soared around the course and soon headed towards the finish line, arriving at the same time and kicking up a large dust cloud as they landed. Rainbow was panting heavily, already surprised at having to run a difficult race already. She looked over at her opponent, who was panting just like her, and in doing so, she realized what Flash had meant before about not being the best.

"Not bad," Spitfire said as she and Soarin walked past them. "For a couple of newbies."

"Name's Lightning Dust," the mare next to her said as she held out her wing.

Rainbow did the same and the wings clapped. "Rainbow Dash."

"Wanna grab some grub in the mess hall?"

Rainbow smiled, nodding. "Definitely."





As the two headed towards the mess hall, they got to talking, Lightning going first, "So, where you from?"

"Originally from Cloudsdale, but now I live in Ponyville."

Lightning smirked, "Weather pony?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. "Yeah...I am. How'd you guess?"

Lightning just shrugged at this. "I'm from Cloudsdale too. I moved to Neigh-Neigh Village and started working as a weather pony as well. It's a cool job and it leaves loads of time to practice flying, but I don't wanna do it forever. After this week, I'll finally be on my way to becoming a Wonderbolt."

"Same here," Rainbow replied as she opened the door to the mess hall. "But its gonna be tough."

"Oh please," Lightning said as she rolled her eyes. "Nopony deserves to be a Wonderbolt more than me," she then nudged Rainbow in the shoulder. "Well, maybe one. But still, I'm not gonna waste my life stuck in that boring little town. When I become a Wonderbolt, everypony will be cheering me on and I'll eventually grow so popular that I'll be made the leader of the Wonderbolts."

Rainbow gave her a quizzical glance, surprised at her constant boasting. "I don't think the leadership works that way."

Lightning just shrugged as she grabbed a tray and started fill it with food. "It'll happen sooner or later. Like I said, I'm the best."

Was this what it was like for her friends to listen to her boast about herself? That thought invaded Rainbow's mind as the two sat down at a table and started eating. There, Rainbow got to know Lightning even more, but she could not help but find that she was just like her. The only difference was that while Rainbow was egotistical, Lightning had cranked her's up to eleven.

"So all you've ever done in your spare time is train?" Rainbow asked her as she gulped down another part of her meal.

Lightning gave her look that Rainbow could only describe as 'You're kidding, right?', "Well, yeah. What else would I do?"

"Hang out with your friends?"

Lightning let out a small laugh. "Pfft-friends?!" The mare waved her hoof at the question. "You're kidding, right? Let me tell you something about friends." Lightning leaned over, the cockiest grin possible currently plastered onto her face. "Never needed'em, never will. They'd just slow me down."

"Right..." Rainbow replied in a low, dry tone.

Before she could say anything else though, an overhead speaker went off. Spitfire's voice blared out of the device. "All recruits, head back to the main field. It's time for your first test."

Lightning turned to Rainbow and smirked. "Let's do this thing."

Rainbow smiled back at her. "Yeah, let's."

They headed out of the mess hall and towards the field, where they soon found the rest of their class still looking winded. They also saw that they were now in the process of putting on Wonderbolt Reserve uniforms. Looking over at a pair of boxes, they saw those uniforms and goggles waiting for them.

"Awesome!" Rainbow cried as she grabbed a uniform in her size, managing to get it on in under a second. Lightning was the same, and once the rest of their class were suited up, they all stood in a line.

Spitfire walked up to them, Soarin strangely absent, while a pair of pegasi were pushing something large that was hidden under a purple sheet. Spitfire took a deep breath and once again went into her sergeant voice. "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 turned towards the large object, motioning to the ponies pushing it. A pegasi then nodded to her command and pulled the sheet off. What was revealed was a large circular contraption, with what looked like a seat on the far right side.

"This...is the Dizzitron. It's gonna make you very–I repeat–very dizzy." She turned back to them, a dead cold stare in her eyes. "Your task is to ride this thing, which will make you spin-out. You are to then try and recover from the spin-out so you can fly straight again, and you will do it as soon as possible. Once you have recovered, you must also come in for a smooth landing." In that moment, Soarin, now out of his formal attire, flew in and sat in the seat. "To show you how its done, my lieutenant here will now demonstrate."

Everypony began to murmur between each other, amazed that they would get to see a Wonderbolt in action. "QUIET!" Spitfire cried, causing everypony to instantly shut their traps. Spitfire then pulled out a stop watch before turning to the pony in control of the Dizzitron. "Crank it up."

He nodded and pulled on the lever, causing the device to start spinning. It got faster and faster by the second, until it finally reached the speed Spitfire was happy with.

"RELEASE!" She cried, causing the pony to pull another lever. Soarin was shot into the air, spinning at high speed. But as soon as he hit the skies, the stallion quickly spun around, quickly performing a perfect landing next to his captain. Seeing this, Spitfire clicked the stop watch off. "Eight point seven seconds. Not bad Soarin."

Everypony once again started murmuring, amazed at the thought of anypony that could react in such a time. As they did, Spitfire turned back to them. "Now, don't expect to beat that time. The academy record for first tries is nine seconds, so for now, just try and do your best." She lowered her glasses as she scanned the line before her. "Now, who's first?"

Rainbow and Lightning both raised their hoof, but Spitfire turned to the pink pegasus next to them. "You, you're up."

The pink pegasus suddenly looked very nervous. "Me?" She looked past the Wonderbolt and stared at the machine, causing her to get dizzy already and gulp.

"NOW!" Spitfire screamed, scaring the pegasus into flying over to the machine and strapping herself in. "Ready?"

The pegasus didn't look the least bit ready, but still, she replied with a yes.

"GO!" The Dizzitron began to spin, getting faster and faster until Spitfire called out. "Release!" The pink pegasus was shot into the sky like Soarin was, spinning out of control in the air. Unfortunately, she was no where near ready, as she soon hit the ground, crashing into her stomach. As the cloudy floor stopped her, she got up with dizzy swirls in her eyes.

Spitfire checked her stop watch. "Fifteen seconds. Decent, but I wouldn't go writing home about it. Who's next?"

As the pegasus was dragged away, Rainbow raised her hoof and was quickly picked. She flew to the Dizzitron and strapped herself in, ready to show everypony what she had. The machine powered up and began to spin, Rainbow focusing on keeping unfocused. Years of accidental spin-outs had taught her how to prevent dizziness. As such, when the Dizzitron shot her into her air, she was able to correct herself and fly back towards the ground with ease.

"Six seconds!" Spitfire cried out, causing everypony to cheer. "That's an academy record!"

Soarin smirked at hearing this. Of course she would break the record, who else could? Lightning on the other hoof, just smirked as Rainbow flew back into line. "You made it look easy."

Rainbow laughed at this. "I make everything look easy."

"Okay, Lightning Dust. You're up."

Lightning smirked before flying up and strapping herself into the Dizzitron. "Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron at maximum speed? I wanna push my limits."

Spitfire and Soarin shared a look before turning back to her. "You sure about that?"

"Yes ma'am," Lightning strapped on her goggles.

Spitfire and Soarin shared another look, Soarin replying with a shrug. "Okay, you asked for it." She turned to the one controlling the device and nodded. The Dizzitron activated and started to spin, as the controller changed the setting from turtle to the maximum. The device's speed picked up, going much faster than it had with the others. Eventually, Lightning was shot into the air. She spiraled at maximum speed, but even so, she still managed to quickly recover before flying back to the ground.

Spitfire checked her stop watch. "Six point five seconds. Not bad."

Rainbow and Lightning high hoofed as Spitfire called out to the next flyer. One by one, the cadets went on the Dizzitron and one by one, they each showed off their skills. However, the only pony that day whose time was anything close to Rainbow and Lightning's was Soarin.

Rainbow giggled as she watched the last flyer land and get it's time. "No pony even came close to six seconds."

Lightning smirked, putting a hoof to her chest as she whispered. "They should make us Wonderbolts right now."

"Yeah, they should."

Once the last flyer had recovered, Spitfire and Soarin stepped over to them. "Listen up! For the rest of the camp, you'll be working in pairs. 'Morrow morning, I'll post the teams, including who'll be lead pony and who'll be wingpony. Good luck." With that, she and Soarin walked off while the recruits headed off to the barracks to get changed.





Later that night...

Soarin, now back in his formal attire, was walking around the complex. Spitfire had put him in charge of lights out, making sure all the cadets were in their barracks and ready for a good night's sleep. He had already checked the stallion's barracks and was now on his way to the mares.

As he walked around the corner of the building however, he suddenly found himself running into somepony and the two hit the others' head.

"Hey!" a familiar voice cried out, "why don't you watch where you're-" The voice quickly shut up when the owner and Soarin's eyes met. Emerald connected with magenta, Soarin and Rainbow just stared at one another for a few moments. Soarin then spotted a towel around Rainbow's neck, making him realize that she was probably coming back from the showers. Rainbow however, instantly straightened up. "Sorry sir, I didn't mean to-"

Soarin let out a little chuckle, waving a dismissive hoof at the mare. "Enough of that. Don't worry about acting soldierly when we're alone Rainbow. We're friends after all."

Rainbow released a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." She looked back up at Soarin, a tinge of worry on her expression. "Hey, why didn't you tell me you were gonna be at the academy? You didn't write anything about it with our usual letters."

"Last minute decision," Soarin told her with a shrug before putting his hoof on her shoulder. "Great work out there today. Spitfire would have to be insane to not make you a lead pony."

Rainbow's cheeks showed a small layer of crimson. "Thanks, though that Lightning Dust is gonna be stiff competition."

Soarin shook his head. "If it was just skill, then maybe. But there's more to being a Wonderbolt than that. Don't worry, you're miles ahead of her in my opinion."

"Maybe, but still....if she had been using the same setting as me, she would have likely beaten my score."

"Maybe, but like I said. Skill isn't everything." He gave her a wink, causing her blush to slightly grow. "Trust in yourself, because you've definitely got the heart of Wonderbolt." Rainbow's smile continued to grow as Soarin continued, "To be honest, Lightning's behavior reminds me of another cadet this academy had. They came a few years before I did and they were just as arrogant, but had the skills to prove it. Even so, they didn't have the heart of a Wonderbolt."

"What happened to them?"

Soarin was about to reply, but in that moment, his watch beeped. Lights out was about to begin. "Looks like we'll have to put that story on hold, mainly cuz its a long one. You'd better get to the barracks. Tell them it's time for bed."

"Right," Rainbow nodded and began to walk off, "see you tomorrow."

Soarin watched as she walked away, a smile plastered on his lips. Once she was out of sight, he headed to Spitfire's office. When he arrived, he found her going over the partner sheet. "Everypony's asleep."

"Good. I just finished partnering everypony up. Take a look." She handed Soarin a large piece of paper, allowing him to look it over.

Soarin nodded as he read all the names, agreeing with her choices due to the ponies' flight skills and personalities. That is, until he spotted one team and saw which name was where. "What the-"

"What's the matter?"

Soarin looked up at her. "Rainbow and Lightning, with Lightning as lead pony? Are you serious?"

Spitfire nodded. "I think those two together will be an unstoppable team, don't you?"

"Yes, but you've got their positions the wrong way around. Lightning isn't lead pony material."

Spitfire slowly lowered her shades, giving Soarin a look. "Listen Skies, I get you like this mare, but-"

"I'd be telling you this even if I'd never met Rainbow before today. Lightning isn't a lead pony."

Spitfire rolled her eyes at the Wonderbolt, "Yeah, sure. You're just saying that cuz you like this mare." She slammed her hoof on her desk. "Listed, Lightning's got a drive like no cadet I've ever seen. She's willing to push herself and you've got to admit, she's got skill."

Soarin let out a sigh before placing the paper down. "Yeah, I'll admit she has skill, but that's not enough Spitfire." He then went to the a pile of folders by the desk, knowing they were the profiles on the cadets due to him putting them there earlier today. "If you look at her profile, you'll notice that the only experience we have down for her is that she was a lone weather pony for a town."

"Why would that matter?" Spitfire spat back, shrugging at the statement. "Isn't that good she has experience when it comes to weather?"

"It does, but it shows why she can't be a lead pony." Soarin barked back as he put both Lightning and Rainbow's folders on the desk. "There's more to being a Wonderbolt than that Spitfire, and you know it."

Spitfire's expression soured at this, not liking how Soarin was so against her. "And this mare you like so much, which I'm starting to think is why we're having this conversation, is the better choice?! I've looked at both profiles Soarin, they're the same! The only difference, is I think Lightning has a true drive and skill compared to this mare you're in love with!"

"I never said any of that." Soarin growled as he looked at her dead in the eye. "And I know exactly why you like Lightning so much, even if you can't see it."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on Spitfire!" he barked back as he tapped the desk with a hoof. "She's willing to push her limits, doesn't care about the consequences of her actions, and is so focused on being the best that she doesn't care about what she has to do to get it. Spitfire...she's you!"

Spitfire's eyes went wide. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to when she had been a cadet at the academy. She had been top of the class, but even so, she had been made a wing pony. She remembered being so angry over this, and when she asked the instructor why, he answered the same way Soarin did.

"She's got skill, I won't deny that." Soarin opened Lightning's folder and glared back at Spitfire. "But she knows nothing about teamwork. Rainbow on the other hoof, runs a full weather team in Ponyville. Granted, the town is much bigger than Neigh-Neigh Village, which doesn't need a team for its weather. However, it shows that Rainbow has experience in leading a team."

Spitfire didn't respond. She just sat there in thought as Soarin's words finally reached her thick skull. As it did, Soarin saw this and continued with a question, "When I was at the academy, the one thing they stressed more than anything else was that being a Wonderbolt means you need to be a team. Do you remember who told me that?"

Spitfire slumped back into her chair. "I did."

Soarin nodded with a smirk, tapping the folder again. "I don't know when you started forgetting about that, but its something I've tried to remember everyday since joining. Heck, you were so much into the team aspect that you stood up to Grand Hoof went he wanted to borrow a Wonderbolt, which might I remind you, ended up being me!" He crossed his hooves as he gave her a knowing glance. "Now, Lightning needs to learn this, and Rainbow Dash is the leader to teach her. Trust me."

Spitfire looked back down at the sheet. It was true, she used to always stress this to the applicants. But in recent years, that had been slipping her mind. Her instructor had made her a wingpony because it was the best way she could learn to work as a team. Now, it was the same thing Lightning needed to learn. Letting out a huff of frustration, as she picked up her pencil and rubbed out the two names, rewriting them in swapped locations. "Yeah...I see what you mean. Thanks Clipper." She put the pencil down as she looked back up at Soarin. "You're right, this'll be good for Lightning Dust."

Soarin smiled with a nod. "She'll thank you for this someday."





The next morning...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!"

Rainbow saw the mess hall literally shake as the voice of Lightning echoed through the air. This caused Rainbow to rush into the building, looking around for the source of the cry. "What happened?!" She saw the other cadets standing around the wall, one in particular glaring at it while panting. "What's up Lightning?! What's wrong?!"

Lightning turned to Rainbow, a look of pure furious anger on her face. She then marched over and got into Rainbow's face, steam blasting out of her nostrils. "I don't know what you did, but this isn't over." With that, she pushed past her and rushed out of the hall and to the Spitfire's office.

Rainbow turned to the others. "What was that about?"

"You might wanna check the wall," Cloudchaser explained as she pointed to the sheet on the wall.

Rainbow nodded before moving over to the sheet, finding her name and Lightning's next to each other. "Lightning's my wingpony? But how? Shouldn't she be a lead pony?"

"Don't ask us," Thunderlane told her with a slight gulp. "Ask the ones who decided to make her one."

"Oh, I will." Rainbow said before walking out the hall after Lightning. She headed to the office building and walked down the hall, looking for the door to Spitfire's office. As she did, the door suddenly shot open, Lightning soon exiting with a sour look on her face. As the two passed one another, she gave Rainbow a dirty look.

Rainbow moved over to the door and looked inside, seeing Spitfire behind her desk stamping papers. The pegasus looked up and saw her. "What is it Rainbow Dash?"

The blue mare began to twiddle her hooves, "Um...it's about me and Lightning. I was just wondering-"

"Why I made you the lead pony and her the wingpony?"

"Um...yes."

Spitfire looked back down and started stamping papers again. "Believe it or not, I was planning to have it the other way around."

"WHAT...I mean, you were? Why? Shouldn't the two of us be lead ponies?"

"One, I believe you two will make a great team and two, to answer why I made you lead, it's because Soarin made me realize that Lightning needs to learn teamwork. Being a wingpony is exactly what she needs to be to learn it." She picked up her glasses and put them on before staring at her. "Soarin's put a lot of faith in you, so don't let it be a mistake. Show me you've got what it takes to be a leader. Show me...you've got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt."

Rainbow heart was suddenly filled with pride, a salute soon following. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

"Good. Now go get your lead pony badge."

Rainbow nodded before rushing out the door. It wasn't long will she got her badge and was out on the field with the other recruits. She looked them over, scanning over them all as they showed they were ready for action. The recruits were all wearing Wonderbolt badges, some gold and some silver, which showed whether they were a lead or wingpony. Rainbow, now wearing the gold lead pony badge, stood at the end of the line looking proud. She had gone over what Spitfire had told her a dozen times, especially over the teamwork part. She thought back to how Lightning acted in the mess hall, realizing that was the main reason Rainbow was now Lightning's leadpony. Lightning didn't have friends, so that's why she needed to learn teamwork. Rainbow knew she couldn't let Spitfire down in this. She would do everything she could to help Lightning see the importance of teamwork.

Rainbow then noticed her partner walking up to her, a silver badge on her uniform. Rainbow prepared to smile, but a had feeling that was the wrong idea and instead just gave her a wave, "Morning Lightning. Ready to do this thing partner?"

Lightning once again glared at her, her eyes almost going blood red in rage. "I...am gonna bury you." She growled as she leaned in, "Then they'll realize they made a mistake, got it?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. Not that she would admit it, but Lightning was kinda scaring her. Luckily, in that moment, Spitfire walked onto the field with Soarin. "Today, you will all be participating in a flag hunt." The group was then split into two, with a pegasus holding a different colored flag. "We'll divide you into two teams, red and blue. Whoever finds the most flags of the opposing team's color wins."

Everypony began to cheer, the pink pony from yesterday turning to her wingpony. "This is gonna be so much fun."

Spitfire did not take kindly to hearing this, and got right into their faces. "If you think this is gonna to be fun, you are sadly mistaken! This is for training purposes only!" Spitfire let out a deep breath before continuing. "This is not recess, you foals, so listen up! In this exercise, lead ponies and wingponies must fly together. If any pair splits apart, they will be immediately disqualified. Do you understand?!"

"YES MA'AM!" Everypony replied in unsion, but Rainbow's eyes dotted to her teammate in worry.

"Then let's go!" Spitfire cried before blowing her whistle.

The teams shot into the air, splitting into their two groups as they began their search for the flags. Rainbow signaled to the team of Bulk and Cloudchaser, telling them they would search this area as she and Lightning raced off. Rainbow glanced back at her partner, seeing her flying close. It seems her earlier vow to out-stage her was not effecting her ability to follow orders and try going solo. With that in mind, the two began to survey the area, looking for any sign of a red flag. "Anything on your three?" Rainbow asked, secretly thanking Twilight for making her read a book on military terms.

However, it seemed that Lightning had not read those kind of books, and turned to give her an odd look. "What?"

"See any flags on your right?"

"Oh...no."

Rainbow looked around again and noticed a flash of red, causing her to focus and see a red flag in a small crack in a nearby mountain. "There!" She said before redirecting herself that way, Lightning hot on her tail.

As the two began to pick up speed and get closer, Rainbow was able to better judge the crack's size. Knowing it would unsafe at top speed to go through such a small space, she turned to Lightning, "We should slow down. It doesn't look like both of us can make it at this speed!" Lightning however, simply smirked before accelerating and shooting past her. "Hey!" Rainbow cried before speeding up herself. "I said we need to slow down! Lightning!"

Lightning just gave her a glare back. "You slow down, I'm getting that flag!"

"Wait! Don't-" Rainbow tried to say as she tried to get past her, the mare's body now right in front of Rainbow, blocking Rainbow's vision. As she was in this position, Lightning suddenly straightened up, making Rainbow realize the hole was coming up fast and did the same. They shot through the hole, but the speed and Rainbow's inability to see didn't help as she flew through the hunk of rock.

"OW!" She cried as she felt her wing clip something. The two ponies retook their flying stances, Rainbow's hurt wing making it difficult to stay straight. Lightning grabbed the flag with a huge grin and bolted to the runway, Rainbow just barely keeping up with her.

"Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust found the first flag!" Spitfire said as they landed, Soarin spotting Rainbow's injured wing and rushing over to her.

"What happened?" Soarin asked.

Rainbow, who was flexing her wing to see how badly it was damaged, turned to glare at her partner. "Somepony," she said through gritted teeth, "didn't listen to me and tried to show off. I told you to slow down Lightning!"

"We got the flag first, didn't we?!" Lightning barked back, pointing at the flapping banner in her hoof.

"And you were reckless!" Rainbow shot back as she folded her hurt wing. "I told you to slow down, as the crack in that mountain was too small to be going through at high speeds!"

"And yet I'm fine and I got the flag!" Lightning responded as she started to get up in Rainbow's face. "You just don't want to admit you don't have my skills."

Spitfire and Soarin looked at each other with a knowing glance. They knew what mountain and flag they were talking about, and Soarin gave Spitfire a certain glare. "This is exactly what I was talking about."

"Yeah...I can definitely see it now." Spitfire replied before turning to bickering duo. "Go get yourself to the medical bay Rainbow. Doesn't look like your wing's too badly damaged, but I'd rather not risk it."

Rainbow nodded at this, Soarin quickly walking up to her and glancing back at Spitfire. "I'll give her a hoof. The medics aren't here yet, but I've clipped my wings enough times to know how to treat it."

"Got it." Spitfire replied before turning to Lightning. "As for you...since you like going solo so much, I'm sure you're gonna love flying laps on your own until lights out."

Lightning's eyes went wide at hearing this, wanting to argue back. But, she knew she couldn't. She shot daggers at Rainbow, who didn't notice, before taking to the air, allowing Soarin and her to head to the medical bay. The medical bay had a large examination table in the center, with cupboards lining the walls that were full of medical supplies. Once there, Soarin had Rainbow sit on the examination table while he searched the cupboards for bandages.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Rainbow told him as she slightly flexed her wing.

"I know," Soarin replied as he found some bandages and moved over to her. "But I want to. Besides, I can get you flying again before your next drill. Now show me your wing, that's an order."

Rainbow smiled as she opened her wing, "Thanks."

Soarin nodded as he got to work. "Yeah, just as I thought. Its nothing bad, but it might be best to not fly for the rest of the day. The bandages can come off tomorrow."

Rainbow nodded as she stared at the injury. "How do you know so much about treating injuries?"

Soarin let out a quick laugh before he started wrapping her wing up. "When you've had as many accidents as I have, you tend to learn a thing or two about treating them."

"Really?"

Soarin nodded, a chuckle escaping his lips. "When I was in the academy, I was in here almost every day. You name it, I did it. They were actually considering naming this place Soarin's Barracks."

Now it was Rainbow's turn to laugh. "You goof. You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Soarin admitted as he gave her his goofiest grin as he finished his work. "There, that'll do it. Like I said, no more flying today and you'll be perfectly fine."

"Thanks Soar."

"Oh? We're doing nicknames now, are we?"

Rainbow instantly stiffened, a slight nervous blush appearing on her face. "Um...well...what I meant to say was-"

Soarin interrupted her with a laugh. "It fine Dashy. I don't mind."

The two of them shared a smile, completely unaware that their faces were getting closer and closer until they were only inches away. And then-

Bang!

The two pulled away from each other, looking over at the door to see the Wonderbolt's medic stepping in. "I was told we had a medical emergency."

Soarin chuckled nervously. "Nothing I couldn't fix doc."

"Oh. Hey Soarin. Very well then, I'll leave it to you." With that, he turned and left, not even bothering to check Soarin's work.

Alone once again, the two shared as Soarin gestured to the leaving medic. "See? What'd I tell ya?" Rainbow giggled at this, Soarin joining in with a laugh before hopping off the table. "Welp, I'd better get back out there."

"Yeah..." Rainbow replied, her hooves now twiddling again, "and I need to...go rest up." Her eyes darted back and forth from Soarin, "You know....cuz of my wing."

"Yeah..." Soarin said as he started to walk backwards, "So uh...I'll see you later." His flank then smacked the door, making him to chuckle nervously again before redirecting himself through the exit. "Later." And with that, he was gone, leaving Rainbow alone as a sigh escaped her breath.





Ponyville, the next day...

Flash and Springer were flying over Ponyville, their usual patrol going smoothly. Today, the town was a place of peace, with no monster attacks, riots or crusader antics. In response, Springer repeatedly asked Flash if they could go get a snack at Sugarcube Corner, as he ate all of his in the morning training. After about an hour of pestering, Flash caved in, and the duo headed to the bakery.

As they arrived, they found one Pinkie Pie asleep in front of the mailbox. She had been doing this for the past three days, opening the mailbox every six seconds to check to see if Rainbow had written. Flash let out a long sigh at the sight, "Seriously?!" he groaned as he began to descend, only to see the rest of his friends watching her from an alleyway. Seeing this, he caught their attention and landed by the group as they continued to stare at Pinkie. As they did, the earth pony suddenly awoke with a gasp before continuing to open the box, only to be disappointed and slump back down.

"She's still at it." Rarity muttered as she crossed her hooves. "Poor dear won't stop doing that."

Fluttershy let out a small sigh, sadness covering her face. "I just wish we could help her."

"Help me?!"

"AHH!" Flash and Springer cried as they leapt away from Pinkie, who had suddenly appeared beside them.

"The only thing that could possibly help me right now is a letter from Rainbow Dash! It's been three days already! By now, she probably doesn't even know our names anymore!" She grabbed Twilight by the cheeks and pulled her face close. "She probably can't remember our faces! NOOOO!!!" She shot out of the alley before acting out what she thought Rainbow would be doing. "Pinkie Pie? I never heard of a Pinkie Pie! Who is Pinkie Pie?"

"You're being a little extreme, aren't you?" Flash asked as he and Springer picked themselves up. "Rainbow Dash's forgetful, but not that forgetful."

"But what if she is?!" Pinkie replied before breaking out into a waterfall of tears.

Flash just facehoofed at the sight, only to get a smack of the tail from Twilight as she walked up to Pinkie, "Well, if you're so worried, then why don't you send her a letter?"

Pinkie's tears stopped instantly. "Of course! That's a great idea!"

Everypony sighed in relief.

"Oh! I got an even better idea!" She disappeared in an instant, only to reappear by having her head and upper body shoot out of the mailbox. "How about we send Rainbow Dash a care package?" She pulled herself out, causing Springer to look inside the box trying to figure out how the heck she did that. "You know, before she forgets all about us? Although, come on, let's face it, its probably too late for that. But, uh...maybe it'll jog her memory somehow?"

Twilight placed her hoof on the mare's side, giving her a reassuring smile. "Pinkie Pie, I'm sure Rainbow Dash will still remembers our faces and who we are. But, I think sending her a care package is a great idea."

"A care package it is!" She turned and started bouncing toward the bakery. "We'll send it through the mail!" But then, she came to halt and turned back to her friends, "Wait a minute! This won't work at all!"

"Why not?" Applejack asked her, blinking at the pink pony.

"Because what if the package gets lost in the mail? What if somepony else gets the package by accident and then she remembers us instead of Rainbow Dash and then she becomes our new friend? And then the real Rainbow Dash won't ever know that she used to have friends because she forgot them! Oh, the horror! We can't let that happen! We have to-"

Applejack turned to the others. "Anypony else following this?"

The girls and Springer shook their heads no, while Flash had entered his Theta Mode to try and keep up. "Every third word or so...I think."

"I've got it!" Pinkie cried as she suddenly appeared next to them. "We'll deliver the care package to Rainbow Dash in person!"

The others all hopped in place at the idea, Rarity then doing a small clap, "Well, I do think you're going a bit overboard there darling. But, I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't mind a little trip."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I'm interested in seeing what the academy looks like. I'll go."

"Count me in," Applejack simply stated, tipping her hat.

"Me to," Fluttershy added.

"Oh! I wanna go!" Springer piped up, raising one of his paws. "I wanna see what one of these cloud places look like!"

"Sure Springer." Twilight replied before glancing at Flash. "So Flash, wanna pull the air balloon like you did with the race between Rainbow and Soarin?"

Flash gave her a blank stare, crossing his hooves as he responded, "No."

"No?!" the others all replied in unison.

"That's right." Flash remarked as he continued the same unmoving stare, "I'm not going and I'm not going to help you all get up there."

"Why not?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head, "What's wrong Flash?"

Flash rubbed his head in slight frustration, "Twilight...how long have I known Soarin?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought as she answered, "Um...at least four to five years. Why?"

"Because in those years, he's told me what they do when they do in the recruiting process. They'll be using the full sky up there as their training ground, and we can't just show up to a military facility unannounced." Flash crossed his hooves at this, glaring at seven before him, "I'm not gonna let a bunch of civilians just go up there while that's happening, even if I, a solider of Equestria's military, is guiding you to the academy."

The others didn't respond, as they were all slightly surprised at Flash's serious attitude. That is, except Twilight and Springer, who had both seen his attitude change as of late. As such, Springer decided to comment first, "Hey partner, since when am I a civilian?"

"Yeah. And when did your friends become ponies you can easily reject like that?" Twilight added with a slight hiss, her horn lighting up. Flash then felt a certain aura grabbing his ear as the purple unicorn walked up to his face, "Or do you want me to find a spell that will make sure Rainbow does forget you?!"

Flash could already feel a slight tug on his ear as he replied, "Twilight, we could get in big trouble if we do this."

"I won't deny that you may be right, Flash," Twilight flatly said as a magic aura fully covered her horn, "But, I also want to support my friends, even if the one in front of me is in even deeper trouble right now." A small tinge of sweat could be seen going down Flash's face now, as he then saw Twilight's face morph into one of anger as she continued, "And guess who's both in trouble and going to help us?!"





Later that day, back at the academy...

Things were not going well for Rainbow. After being forced to do countless laps the following day, Lightning's attitude towards her had gone from bad to worse. Luckily, the laps seemed to have made her realize that she was stuck as a wingpony, so she had begrudgingly followed Rainbow's lead during the day's obstacle course.

Also, Rainbow's wing had fully recovered thanks to Soarin, so she didn't have to hold back in the obstacle course or today's other event. As for the event, it was a cloud busting contest, where each team had to bust as many clouds as possible and were awarded points for each one.

Soarin was watching from Spitfire's office, using a pair of binoculars to keep track of everything. As he did, Spitfire spoke up from behind her desk, "So...how's Lightning doing today?"

"Nothing bad so far," he replied as he focused on the pair as they ripped through the clouds. "Guess those laps finally got to her."

Spitfire let out a small snort, "Here's hoping. She's a good flyer. I'd hate to have to dismiss her."

"Well, as long as she doesn't do anything crazy, that shouldn't be a problem." Soarin put down the optical device for a second, "Still, it kinda worries me. She's the only one we have this round that has a bad attitude. The others are really...obedient compared to her."

"Eh, she'll be fine."





Meanwhile...

Rainbow and Lightning were racing through the clouds, blasting them to bits and earning a ton of points. Rainbow was glad at how easy it was, mainly because Lightning could easily keep up with her. And as they got rid of another rather large cloud, the duo took back to the skies as Rainbow gestured to Lightning, "Alright Lightning, we'll take those three up there on the left next."

Lightning didn't respond, instead just flying straight ahead with Rainbow flying by her side. They then made quick work of the trio of clouds Rainbow had pointed too, causing Rainbow to say her next command. "Good. Now, let's take those two above us."

But as Lightning didn't respond again, Rainbow glanced back at her wingpony and asked, "Hey!"

"WHAT?!" Lightning barked back, anger shining on her face.

"I said we-"

"I got it already!" Lightning interrupted as she shot upwards, Rainbow close behind. Before Rainbow could even catch up, Lightning took out both clouds, turning to Rainbow with a scowl, "There! Ya happy?!"

"Whoa, slow down!" Rainbow said as she stopped in front of Lightning. "I just said we're going to-"

"Shut up! There's no 'we'!" Lightning yelled, making Rainbow almost put her hooves of her ears at the volume. "I can do all of this by myself!"

Rainbow let out a sigh at this. "No, you can't."

"What was that?!"

"I said you can't do it alone!" Rainbow screamed back, anger now starting to appear on her face. She didn't want to do this, as she had to do something similar before the obstacle course earlier in the day. She had to tell Lightning that she had to follow right behind her in every step or Spitfire would get angry, which was the only thing she could think of to help her keep Lightning under control. However, she knew she couldn't do that here and pointed her hoof at the wingpony, "This is about teamwork Lightning, and we're a team. That's why-"

"SHUT UP!" Lightning barked again, "I say we split up and get all the points now!"

Rainbow almost replied instantly, but looked back at the rest of their competition, seeing the lot of them beginning to have trouble on taking out the thicker clouds. She turned back to her partner and crossed her hooves. "We're already way ahead Lightning. We're going to keep taking out the clouds together, as-"

Lightning let out a roar, "AUGH! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" She cried out. "What'd they see in you? You're nothing but a wimp who keeps insisting we be soft! We can beat everypony here instantly!" Her wings then flared, steam blasting out of her nostrils, "Well I'm done. Its finally time I showed the Wonderbolts why I should be lead-no! Why I should be the head of the bolts!"

She then shot downward, catching Rainbow by surprise. "Hey!" Rainbow yelled as started flying after her. "What are you doing?!"

"What I do best! BEING AWESOME!" With that, the mare began spinning in a circle, quickly picking up speed.

Rainbow went wide-eyed as she instantly understood what Lightning was trying to do. "What the-what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm taking out all of the clouds at once!" Lightning yelled as her plan began to come to fruition. Her speed and motion had created a tornado, one that quickly knocked Rainbow away.

"Augh!" Rainbow cried as she flew into a cloud, cushioning the blow. She then popped her head out of the white puff, her eyes going wide at the next scene, "Oh no!"

The tornado Lightning had created was now flying through the sky, sucking up and destroying the clouds in a spinning fury. Lightning smirked at this, thinking that she had finally showed what she was truly capable of doing. But as she continued to admire her work, the tornado's spin began to build. And as it did, her wings suddenly got struck in the intense winds, making her unsteady. "I can't control it!" She cried before being sucked into her own vortex and thrown out the funnel.

With nothing to control it, the twister began flying wildly, its path soon becoming the main runway. It blew through the landing the strip, sucking up anything in it's path as it ripped the rest to shreds. Rainbow's eyes turned to despair, knowing she would likely get blamed for this. But she soon regained focus, her form taking to sky as she flew after the twister.





A mile or so away...

"You okay Flash?" Twilight asked him from the basket of the air balloon he was pulling.

"I'm fine...." the pegasus growled under his breath. "Just as long as we get there soon. They'd better have snacks at this place before I get in trouble and lose my apprenticeship with Grand."

"Don't be a foal," Springer told him as he jumped up onto the balloon's basket edge.

Flash turned to glare at the jakhowl. "You try sprouting a pair of wings and pull a basket full of five mares and an oversized chihuahua! And need I remind you, I'm gonna get in-"

"What's that?" Springer asked he pointed to the sky in front of Flash. The orange pegasus then turned to where he was pointing, only to blink as a gust of wind hit him. The blow also shook the basket, causing Springer to slight stumble on the basket's edge. "Whoa! What is going on?!"

"Its a twister!" Applejack cried as she pointed with one hoof, the other grabbing her hat.

"Flash!" Twilight screamed as she clenched her hooves into the basket. "Get us out of here!"

"On it!" Flash spun to the left and pulled with everything he had, trying to pull the balloon out of the tornado's path. But, the sudden shift caused the basket to jostle, causing one of its occupants to lose his footing.

"Wait-whoa-AAAaaahhhh!" Springer yelled as he slipped off the basket, his body quickly hurtling towards the ground. "HEEELLLPPPP!!!"

"SPRINGER!" the other yelled in unison.

Flash heard this and looked down, seeing his partner falling to his doom. "Springer!" Acting without thought, Flash bit through the rope holding him to the balloon and shot downwards. Accelerating as fast as he could, he closed the distance between him and Springer until he shot passed him. Quickly spreading his wings, he began to slow himself as Springer bounced on his back. "You okay?!"

"I'm fine," Springer replied as he looked up. "But what about the girls?!"

Flash looked up at the balloon, just in time to see the tornado suck them inside. "NO!"





"NO!" Rainbow cried as she saw the balloon be sucked into the tornado, the force being too much for the ropes connecting the basket. The five mares screamed as they were thrown out of the tornado like ragdolls. Acting as fast as she could, Rainbow shot after them. She accelerated so fast that she almost caused a Sonic Rainboom, her form blazing past her friends as she searched the area for what she needed. Luckily, some clouds were positioned right below them and she began spinning around them as fast as she could. The force of this caused the clouds to bound together, becoming one large super compact cloud. It was so compact that even a non-pegasus pony could touch it, which was exactly what Rainbow wanted as her friends each fell into the over-sized cushion.

"Huh?!" Twilight yelped as she and the girls bounced on the cloud. Seconds later, the cloud's built up kinetic energy exploded, turning their platform into a trampoline, sending them back into the air. They all cried out again, only for Twilight to feel two orange hooves catch her.

"Are you okay?" Flash asked Twilight as he held her in his hooves.

Twilight, who was shakily clutching Flash, nodded. "My whole life flashed before my eyes. There were so many books..."

"Well, its gonna be okay." Flash replied as he gestured his head, "Look." She turned her head and saw that Rainbow along with the other recruits had successfully saved their friends, Springer also on the runway now. Flash then landed, helping Twilight to get balance back as she touched 'solid' ground again.

Rainbow arrived at that moment, a look of pure worry on her face. "Are you all okay?" She asked as she flew over to them. "That cloud didn't break anything, did it? I had to act fast, so I'm sorry if it scared you."

"I'm okay," four of the five replied in unison.

Rainbow glanced at the fifth, seeing her laying on the ground. "Pinkie Pie? You okay?"

Pinkie raised her head and saw Rainbow looking at her, causing her eyes to water before pulling the pegasus into a hug. "You...remember me!"

Rainbow leaned back with a confused look. "Well...yeah, of course I remember you. But uh..." she looked at the others, "what are you all doing here?"

"We wanted to bring you a care package," Applejack explained as she readjusted her hat. "Didn't realize you'd be in the middle of some crazy tornado drill though."

Rainbow's eyes changed from worry to anger as she pealed Pinkie off of her. She then turned to the one responsible for the whole mess. "It wasn't a drill. It was a selfish pony's desperate attempt to show off!"

Lightning, who had been slammed into the runway after getting ejected from her own tornado, slowly picked herself up off the ground. As she looked up, she saw Rainbow and the rest of the recruits glaring at her. Rainbow in particular, was steaming mad as she walked up and yelled, "I hope you're happy! You almost caused the deaths of five of my closest friends!"

Lightning just rolled her eyes. "Why should I care? They're not my friends."

Rainbow's face turned red with rage as she began to pant heavily. "Why should...Why should you...WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?!" She slammed into Lightning and pinned her to the ground. "It's called ponanity! You should care about what happens to those around you!"

"Get off of me, you weak little-"

"Yes, get off of her!"

Everypony spun around to see Spitfire and Soarin walking towards them, both look extremely angry. Rainbow got off of Lightning, who had a huge smirk on her face. Obviously, she thought she was about to be praised.

Spitfire moved over to Lightning, removing the badge from her uniform. "Clearly, I've made a mistake."

"Glad you finally see it ma'am," Lightning replied with a huge grin, her chest puffing out in pride.

Spitfire grit her teeth as she continued, "Yeah...my mistake was accepting you into this academy to begin with! Lightning, you're dismissed!"

"WHAT?!" Lightning screamed back, her expression changing to anger immediately. "You can't kick me out! I'm the best flyer you'll ever get!"

"Maybe, but there's more to being a Wonderbolt than being a good flyer. This is something we've been trying to tell you and every single recruit just showed you." She turned to the rest of the group. "Can you all tell me what that is?"

"TEAM WORK MA'AM!" They all yelled in unison.

"Exactly," she turned back to Lightning. "Something you've been refusing to learn. And now, your actions put several civilians in danger. If a Wonderbolt did that, it would result in a court martial and expulsion from the team. Since you're not a Wonderbolt, I don't have to take you to court, which makes this even easier." She leaned over, getting right into Lightning's face. "Now, it's time you left Lightning. You're dismissed."

"But-"

"I SAID DISMISSED! GET OFF OF MY RUNWAY AND LEAVE THIS ACADEMY NOW!"

Lightning flinched before backing away from her. She then turned and walked away, firing one final glare at Rainbow, "I'll get you back for this Rainbow Dash. One day...one day, you'll pay." With that, she flew off.

Everypony watched as she left, disappearing into the sky. Once she was gone, Spitfire turned to Rainbow and smirked. "Seems Soarin was right about you, Dash. You're no wingpony, you're a leader." Rainbow's face began to show a small smile, her ears perking as she heard the praise. Seeing this, Spitfire turned to the others. "I think this is an excellent reminder to us all. The Wonderbolts are looking for the best flyers in Equestria, who are willing to push their limits and go beyond."

"Plus ultra!" Pinkie interrupted, getting another wave of confused looks. "Sorry. I'll stop."

Spitfire blinked at the weird statement before continuing, "However, being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. Its not just about pushing yourself further, its about pushing ourselves in the right direction. I hope you all remember that."

"YES MA'AM!"

Spitfire smiled before turning away, walking back towards her office. "Soarin."

"Yes Captain?" Soarin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Since Rainbow's without a partner, you'll be her wingpony for the rest of the academy."

Both Soarin and Rainbow glanced at each other before saluting, "yes ma'am!"

"Good. Now, get this place cleaned up." And with that, Spitfire left and both Rainbow and Soarin moved over to the rest of the recruits.

"Alright, you heard the lady. Let's make this runway fit to be called Wonderbolt Academy!" Rainbow commaned as Soarin and the other recruits all saluted before rushing off, following Rainbow's lead.

"Wait!" Pinkie cried as she held up the now flattened box they had brought her. "You didn't even get to open your care package!"

Everypony laughed at that while both Flash and Twilight just facehoofed at the sight.





Later that night...

After seeing her friends off, which Rainbow was glad to see they weren't going to get reported over coming because Spitfire would have to admit letting a maverick like Lightning Dust into the academy. Because of this, Rainbow spent some extra time with them while helping them make a new balloon, which they then used to promptly leave. Now, Rainbow had just got finished taking a shower and was heading back to the barracks.

As such, when she turned a corner in the building to leave, she felt herself slam into somepony. "Hey! Why don't you-" Once again, her magenta eyes met Soarin's emerald eyes as the two stared at one another.

Soarin chuckled at this, "This is happening way too often."

Rainbow smirked back. "Maybe you should just watch where you're going."

The two of them laughed as they subconsciously started walking, not realizing they were doing it until they found themselves at the edge of the academy's 'ground'. There, they decided to sit down, staring up at the stars in the sky.

"You did great out there by the way," Soarin told her. "You really do have the heart of a Wonderbolt."

"Thanks," Rainbow replied as she turned to hide a small blush. "And thanks for convincing Spitfire into making me a lead pony. Who knows what would have happened if Lightning had been lead." Both she and Soarin shivered at the thought.

"Well luckily, that didn't happen. And now we can enjoy the rest of the academy together." Rainbow smiled and nodded, only for a few seconds later, a frown began to morph on her face. Seeing this, Soarin spoke up, "You okay?"

Rainbow looked away. "No...I'm not."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I..." Rainbow tried to reply, only to look back at him. There, she stared at his concerned face for a few minutes before looking down at the ground, "Alright. I'm gonna tell you something, but if you tell anypony else...I'll deny it."

"What?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "I'm...kinda nervous. I was glad when Spitfire put me in charge, but now I'm scared I'm gonna mess it up. What if I give the wrong command, or decide to use the wrong move or...or."

Soarin put his hooves on her shoulders. "Rainbow, relax. You're not gonna mess up. You've got this."

"How can you be sure?" Rainbow asked as she looked back up, tears almost starting to form in her eyes.

Soarin just shook his head, smirking. "Because I had the same worries when I was made lead pony, and I still turned out fine." He then tapped her chest with his hoof, "And you, are ten times the leader I ever was. Trust me."

"I....thanks." Rainbow barely said, almost to the volume of a whisper.

Soarin's grin increased as he replied, "You're welcome."

Rainbow smiled at hearing that. Once again, the two were staring at one another, their heads slowly drifting closer and closer. There was no sound, no interruptions, nothing. Time itself stopped as the duo kept staring at each other.

Then, the gap closed, and the lips locked.