It had been two days of Boltcamp, already somepony had dropped out. There was five of us, myself, Thunderhooves, Whirlwind, Lightspeed, and Sparkflame. All five of us were determined to get that top spot of the Wonderbolts. Today was PT's, for physical training, or as we had come to call them personal tortures. It was a series of extensive exercises built to push a pegasus to his or her limits. And they worked every time, when we went to hit the showers my wings were sorer than they'd ever been.
Whirlwind, and I were the only mares on the team so we had a lot to prove to the hotheaded colts who thought they were better. So today the first test was a push up marathon, last pegasus pushing no wings allowed. It was down to three the other two were laying on the ground watching us. During the iron pony competition I was only able to do a hundred with AJ, but things were different now. For one I had done more training for two this was the Wonderbolts. I pushed with all I had.
Two hundred ninty-six!
Two hundred ninty-seven!
Thunderhooves was wearing down and so was I.
Whirlwind fell.
"Whirlies out!" Fleetfoot called.
Just me and Thunder now.
Two hundred ninty-eight!
We were struggling to get up now our arms both wobbling it was a matter of will power now.
Two hundred ninty-nine!
One more Dash! I told myself.
We were both pushing as hard as we could half way up now all I had to do was push through the threshold and SNAP! I was up Two hundred ninty-nine!
Thunder was watching me still pushing with all he had. He came up as well, I watched him as we went back down. Once more we wobbled to the next push, all of our dedication on this one point in time. Almost there I felt the stining my arms wanted to give out so bad but I refused to loose!
I pushed with all I had and... AHA! I was up at three hundred.
Thuder still half way down fell to the ground exhasted.
"Rainbow Dash is the winner!" Fleetfoot called joyously. They all knew that Fleetfoot had taken a favorite to me although she still didn't slack me on training if anything she pushed me harder.
"Alright ponies rest up Spitfire will be out here for the next competition in one hour." Fleet told us.
We rushed to the water fountain and nudged each other out of the way to drink the life sustaining liquid. That was Boltcamp rule number two. Number one never question a Wonderbolt. Number two, no water until training is done. Number three don't ever give up.
We sat around the water cooler massaging our aching muscles trying to relive the cramps. All the while gossiping about what the final competition would be to decide the final Wonderbolt. I wasn't paying attention to ANY of it, once more my mind drifted off to me in that Wonderbolts uniform soaring through the sky with my idols. The wind in my mane and the breeze rolling through the sky, my dreams finally compleated.
"Alright everypony up!" I heard the commanding voice of Spitfire boom through my day dream.
"Alright fillies it's time for a real test of your will power." she told us the gossip began up immediately, "QUIET!" they all shushed, "You final test for today is for rank placement, after this you'll be allowed to train whenever you want but places in the race will determine your rank. Higher rank gets you the privelage to kick anypony off whatever equipment you want." she smiled at us all, "failure to comply with an outranking member will result in expulsion from Boltcamp. Got it!" she finnished we all nodded.
We all took our positions on the starting line, I flexed my wings preparing them for the race. Spitfire took her place at the signal cloud above us.
"Ready." I bent down preparing for take off.
"Set!" I tensed.
"GO!" ZOOM, I shot ahead of the crowd, one lap was easy.
Thunderhooves was next to me. He was fast all right but he wasn't going to beat me, I flapped my wings harder and got in the lead. We were half way around the track. He once more pulled up next to me. Our wings almost touching, I pulled away I knew all to well that if I threw off my flight pattern at this speed I would go into a tumble.
Ten more yards. Almost there. Thunder bumped me and hit my left wing, the sudden shock threw me off and I went down muzzle first into the billowy clouds. I watched as all three of the others zoomed overhead and across the finnish line. Spitfire came over to me.
"Sorry Dash looks like you got stuck in last place." she said and walked away.
I sat there for a moment taking in this grim news, for the rest of Boltcamp I was going to be ordered around by everypony else? This just went from the best day of my life to the worst possible scenario.
It had been an entire a week and I was NOT enjoying being on bottom rank. It was humiliating everytime I was in the middle of something or even starting somepony would bump me off. I was using the wing resistance bands and Hurricane comes over and says, "Hey Rainbow let 'em go my turn."
"I just started using them though!" I complained.
"Uh oh was that a failure to comply?" she said. I grumbled but I took them off, they were having too much fun with this I wasn't getting ANY training done. I swore that whatever that last test was I was going to win it no matter what. Just to show these smug little fillies who the real top rank was.
I had been resorted to flying and pushups, that's the only thing I could do that required no equipment. It was absolutely humiliating.
"Alright fillies line up!" Soarin had come out to address us. "You all like the ranks?" he said.
They all nodded and smiled nudging each other about how many times they had made me get off the equipment.
"Good, you only have three more weeks here at Boltcamp, now it's time for the twist." he said.
They went silent awaiting the captains new surprise.
"Were going to do a new competition today for a new rank change." he announced.
"YES!" I shouted.
This was my chance.
"You've done an endurance race, and you've done a speed race." he told us, "But being a Wonderbolt you can't just rely on endurance or speed. You have to be well rounded in all aspects."
He stopped when he saw me.
"Well miss Rainbow Dash, it's an honor to finally meet the one who saved my pie at the Gala." they all stared, I blushed. "You ran off I didn't have the chance to thank you last time."
He addressed the rest of the group, Whirlwind who was next to me let out a 'hmph' I stuck my toung out at her. All she talked about was Soarin we all could tell she had a crush on him. Soarin complimenting me was like a hoof to the face.
"That's for knockin' me off the feather weigths yesterday." I whispered to her.
She mumbled under her breath.
"Ok, so today's race will test not only your endurance and speed, but also your will power and drive to win." he told us. The anticipation for the challange was killing me.
"Each of you one by one will race me" he said. At first it sounded great, but then one thing contradicted the results.
"Your probably wondering how the ranks will be determined." Good he was going to tell us, otherwise somepony was going to have to break rule number one. "Only the ones who beat me will be rank one's. Rank one's answer to nopony except a Wonderbolt. Rank two's get second choice on everything and can order nopony at all." I liked this idea.
"But what if everypony wins." Thunderhooves asked.
"Well! It looks like rank one wants to be volunteer number one for breaking rule number one!" he shot at Thunder. He gulped and got on the starting line.
"Thirty laps, first to cross is the winner." he said.
They took their positions, Spitfire took up position on the signal cloud. With a wave of the red flag Thunder was off. But Soarin had stayed in place. He watched the confused Thunderhooves get a lap ahead and then shot out in front. He zoomed faster than Thunder around and around and around, he finnished all thirty laps before Thunderhooves could even finnish ten!
"Common Thundy, ya gotta do better than that." he slapped him in the side leaving a number 2 stamp on his side. "Looks like your a number two this week." he laughed. "Who's next."
Whirlwind got up to the starting line.
"'Lil miss Whilwind, alright."
They raced Whirlwind also lost, and Soarin took it easy on her.
Lightspeed was next, he also lost.
So did Sparkflame. I was the last to race.
"Let's see if little Dashie can break the number two curse and be the only pony with authority here." he said as we took our places.
We locked eyes at the start. He nodded, I nodded back.
My life long dream of racing with a Wonderbolt, I couldn't let him down.
Spitfire blew her whistle and we were off, I had the lead, Soarin came up on me fast. We knocked out ten laps at breakneck speeds, nose and nose. Neither of us letting up.
At lap twenty I was ahead by a good ten yards. Soarin's endurance was running low after so much racing I slowed down and let him catch up.
"What's the matter, don't you want to win?" he asked.
"It's not a win if it's not a fair race." I told him.
I stayed by his side until lap twenty-nine.
"Caught your breath?" I asked after we crossed the line.
He nodded.
"Then let's do this." We both flapped out wings as hard as we could the finnish line in sight he zoomed ahead.
I felt the familiar barrier pushing against me as I reached the sound barrier. I broke through and zoomed ahead of Soarin I turned up after crossing the finnish line and did a corkscrew back down at the end of the track. Leaving a brilliant spiral rainbow in my wake. The others were all talking amongst each other.
"Dash." Soarin called, "That was one amazing race, you earned this." he put a gold medallion ovder my neck. It had a number one imprinted on it.
"Your a number one this week." he winked and turned to fly away.
I chortled teasingly at Whirlwind who once again 'hmph'ed. I laughed watching Soarin as he and Spitfire flew away. One day I would fly with them.