//------------------------------//
// Filler Chapter 4: Rainbow Falls 
// Story: Dragonball Super: Rise of The Super Alicorn God 
// by UltraInstinctGoku 
//------------------------------//

[Ponyville's outskirts, Somewhere]

Twilight and Spike were standing on a grassy field, patiently waiting for Goku to tell them what they would have done on that day. The first month of their training served as an introduction to martial arts, while the second one was used to make them both adapt to Goku's teachings in their original bodies. So, the preparation stage was over.

Now, the two pupils were ready for the next stage of the training: Ki manipulation. Goku was thinking about how to proceed since both Twilight and Spike had different goals. The lavender princess wanted to study Ki in depth, while her assistant just wanted to learn Ki for basic practices, such as flying or launching Ki blasts.

The drake wasn't a problem since he just needed to expel his Ki and learn how to control it. Twilight's case, however, was a bit difficult, as she didn't want just that. Fortunately, Goku remembered a technique that served as the perfect stepping stone before Ki Perception. It would have been a good start for Twilight.

"Okay, guys," he said, drawing their attention, "You've trained for two months already, and now I think you're both ready to learn how to harness your Spiritual Energy."

The sudden news made them happy: they were about to learn some of Goku's abilities after two months of hard work. "We're ready!" they both exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit!" he exclaimed with his trademark smile, then he said, "Now, pay attention, Spike."

The baby dragon nodded in response as his master sat right where he was. Goku closed his eyes as he put his hooves in front of each other, letting a space of 20 centimeters in between. He began to control his breath as he started concentrating and relaxing his muscles.

A few moments later, an ethereal light ignited in that space and started to form a tiny orb. At first, the small sphere was white, but then it turned red. It wasn't an ordinary Ki sphere, as it seemed to be alive: the energy inside it was moving with the calmness of a river and was generating a pleasant heat. It was Divine Ki, or more precisely, Super Saiyan God's Ki.

Twilight and Spike marveled at the energy orb's look and the sensation it was radiating. They felt like they were safe from any danger and that nothing would ever happen to them. It was the same sensation Twilight felt whenever she and her friends activated the Elements of Harmony, and that sparked her curiosity even more. Pun intended.

The orb, however, faded away, snapping Twilight and Spike's trance off as he opened his eyes and said, "What you saw before was a common way practitioners can summon Ki energy. And in case you’re wondering, the red orb I just summoned was Divine Ki. "

"Wait," said Twilight as she grabbed a scroll and a quill, "So you’re telling me that there are different types of Ki?"

"Yes," he answered, "You see, everyone's Ki, including that of the animals and plants, is unique. But there are two ways to classify Ki: Good and Evil; Mortal and Divine." The princess wrote everything he said in her notes as the scarlet-eyed alicorn continued, "Mortal Ki is the most common one and is wilder and more intense than Divine Ki; these are some of the differences I've found so far."

"And what makes Ki mortal or divine?" asked the lavender alicorn.

"Well, I don't know," answered Goku as he rubbed the back of his head, "What I can say, though, is that Divine Ki is the main thing that differentiates a god from a mortal."

"So, does that make you a god?" asked Spike in awe.

Goku now started to feel that being a martial arts master was going to be too difficult; his students began and were asking too many complicated questions. However, he didn't want to give up and thought for a minute how to answer the drake's question. So, he replied, "I can use both mortal and divine Ki, so I think that I'm a demigod at best. But the Supreme Kais can do it too, and they're gods, so I'm not sure."

"Oh," said the baby dragon, remembering that the whole Divine Ki matter was still relatively new for him.

Twilight finished noting everything Goku said and asked, "So, we have Mortal Ki, I presume. I mean, I don't recall us being gods, and you said that it is the most common type of Ki."

"Well," said Goku with a smile, "That's true in Spike's case. But you, on the other hoof..."

The princess's eyes wide opened following that sentence; she was so shocked by it that she wanted a confirmation, so she asked in a surprised tone, "What are you implying, Goku?"

Her assistant, who understood what Goku wanted to say with that, replied, "The real question is, what are you inferring?"

"So, you're saying that I'm a goddess? But when? How?!" she freaked out.

"Relax, Twilight," intervened Spike, "Princess Celestia accepted you in her School for Gifted Unicorns and made you the Fourth Princess of Equestria. After all, you’re kind of like a prodigy to her. She probably saw something special in you, and it might be this."

The lavender alicorn didn't know what to think as this revelation was as unexpected as a bolt of lightning on a sunny day. “If what he said was true, then why didn't Princess Celestia tell me this earlier? Were there other deities among my family? What would my friends think about it?” she thought in worry. Other questions were storming her head, but she steadily calmed herself down a bit and asked Goku, "Are you completely sure about it?"

"You're gonna see it by yourself," answered the scarlet-eyed stallion with a smile, "Your first lesson will be Ki Perception."

Twilight smiled broadly as part of her doubts would have dissipated soon. Spike smiled as well, seeing his big sister happy again, but he still had a question, "If that's our lesson, why did I have  to pay attention to what you did before?"

"Because that's what you have to do today," answered Goku, "You said that you wanted to fly or use Ki, and what you've seen is the first step in achieving your goal. The meditation on Earth served to prepare you both for this moment, so you know what to do now."

Spike nodded in response and sat on the grass field as he started to concentrate and try to expel his spiritual force. Now that the baby dragon was busy, Goku could focus on teaching Twilight how to sense Ki, and he knew the perfect technique to introduce her in that art. "Well, are you ready?"

"Yes," she answered, ready to take notes.

Goku smiled and began to explain, "During my training with Mr. Popo in the Lookout, I learned a form called the ‘Traveling among the Spirits Art’: a technique that allows the user to see everyone and everything's spiritual energy. It was the first step before learning how to sense energy without the need of that technique."

"’Traveling among the Spirits Art’?" asked Twilight as she wrote everything he said.

"I call it Spirit Sight," said Goku as he rubbed the back of his head, "It's shorter, hehe."

"How can I use it?" she asked.

"I'll show you," he said as he closed his eyes. He started to clear his mind, just like during meditation, then he focused on his eyes. Meanwhile, Twilight was carefully analyzing what Goku was doing, in order to repeat it and be able to perform the technique. He was meditating, and it also seemed like he was focusing on his eyes, but she couldn't think of anything else as her master opened his eyes all of a sudden.

Smaller, almost ethereal, blizzard-blue eyes replaced the scarlet ones. They were so crystalline that it seemed that the Crystal Empire's magic was infusing them with its power. It was fascinating to observe. A few seconds later, however, his eyes returned to be scarlet-colored, making her connect with reality again.

"There," said Goku with a smile, "That was the Spirit Sight. Unlike Spike, you have to focus on your eyes instead of your hooves if you want to achieve it."

"Okay, I'll give it a try," said Twilight before mimicking her master. Fortunately, she was used to meditation due to Goku's training, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

"Don't worry if you can't do it at the first try: it took me several days to learn-" stated Goku, but he couldn't finish the phrase as he saw Twilight opening her eyes all of a sudden. Blizzard-blue eyes replaced her usual lavender ones as they were slightly glowing. The black-maned alicorn was surprised, for he didn't think she could do it right away. However, he smiles broadly as this confirmed his assumptions: Twilight had great potential.

Meanwhile, the princess was exploring with her sight the new world she found herself in. A sea of flowing light-green energy replaced the grass field she was sitting on, several tiny light-blue orbs were flying above it, and wondering around tree-shaped light-green pillars. A black sky replaced the azure-colored one, in which she could spot several light-blue spheres gathered in the distance. She could finally understand why this technique's inventor called it 'Traveling among the Spirits Art.' The environment was mythic, that was the only adjective to describe it in Twilight's opinion.

She also saw countless tiny orange-colored orbs gathered in a circle, almost resembling the sun. Twilight wondered what could it be, but chose to ignore it for now as she turned her head to see Spike. The princess saw a pony-sized light-blue sphere next to her. It was static, and the light it was radiating was slightly brighter than that of the other orbs, but it was different from the Ki sphere Goku showed them earlier.

Then, she laid her gaze upon Goku and saw something completely different: a minotaur-sized, scarlet-colored Ki sphere was standing in front of her. It featured tiny ascending particles inside and a constant flow of energy, almost like dancing flames. She also spotted a small blue core in it and thought it was probably Goku's mortal Ki.

"How is it?" asked Goku's voice.

"It's... It's..." she stuttered, trying to formulate an answer, but Goku helped her.

"It's overwhelming, right?" he asked, referring to the environment she was seeing.

"Yes!"

"Hehe, I had a similar reaction," he commented, then he said, "Now, try to see your own Ki and compare it with mine."

Twilight obeyed and watched herself, seeing her own Ki for the first time. Unlike Goku's, her Ki was the same color as her coat, and instead of flowing like dancing flames, its energy was flowing like the sea's waves. She also noticed that there were tiny ascending particles in her Ki as well. However, she saw something weird in the center: a pretty small magma-orange sphere featuring the same characteristics as Goku's Divine Ki.

"What's this?," she wondered as she stopped using the Spirit Sight. She was a goddess indeed, although she didn't know what to think about it. Instead, several questions arose like Philomena from her ashes, the very first one being if Princess Celestia knew it already.

"Do not overthink it, Twilight," suggested Goku with his trademark smile, "You're still you: that's all that matters."

Twilight just sighed in said, "You're so carefree sometimes, aren't you?" He was like Pinkie Pie in that aspect. Goku was right, but that didn't mean she shouldn't ask herself questions and/or investigate.

"And you worry about things too much," he replied with a smile, "Maybe we can learn from each other." The princess was surprised by his answer, but before she could say something else, he changed the subject, "Alright, let's continue with the training."

Twilight nodded in response as she tried to forget the previous questions that arose in her mind for now. The lesson wasn't over yet, and it was getting more interesting, so she got ready to take notes as her Master started explaining how to analyze Ki energy.







[Badlands, Somewhere]

Meanwhile, in the wild and dusty territories of the badlands, the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, was training his body and mind by letting the uncontrolled weather of the place to wear them out. For two months, he withstood sand storms, torrential rains, thunderstorms, and, most importantly, Celestia's scorching sun. Now, he was standing on a rocky hill as the celestial body's rays turned the area into a furnace.

His Saiyan armor and jumpsuit showed signs of the Badland's unstable weather and were turning into a sauna because of the high temperatures. The sweat flowing down his face was proof that the heat was affecting him, and the angry expression showed that he couldn't take it for much longer.

"HAAAAAAAH!!!" he shouted as he turned into a Super Saiyan, destroying the hill underneath almost completely. Only a pillar of rocks was left as the cloudy weather replaced the scorching, sunny day in a matter of seconds. Vegeta powered down, returning to his base form, as he finally stopped to feel all of that heat. However, that action just made him angrier as he was sure that he could do better than that.

The black-maned pegasus flew to another hill, as he thought, "I'll surpass Lord Beerus, I swear! And to do that, I have to surpass Kakarot and his Super Saiyan God form first." When he landed, he continued, "I'll do it using just my power; I'll surpass any existent level." And with these goals in mind, Vegeta resumed his training.







[Rainbow Falls, Aerial Relay Training Camp]

After their training session, Twilight, Spike, and Goku met with Rainbow Dash for a quick briefing of what the Ponyville Aerial Relay Team should do to qualify for the Equestria Games. Unfortunately, the second member of the team, Helia, joined the Air Sprinters a few days earlier as they needed more flyers, letting the Relay Team with just two members, Rainbow Dash and Son Goku. The speedster struggled to find somepony that could replace the yellow-maned mare since then, and they were supposed to go to the Rainbow Falls that day.

Thunderlane was already a Ponyville Air Sprinters Team's member; Bulk Biceps wasn't exactly a flyer; Derpy wasn't available, and she knew that Fluttershy didn't like attending such events unless she was part of the audience. Rainbow Dash was about to ask her anyway, but Goku suggested Twilight as the third member, catching the princess off guard. The cyan pegasus thought about it for a moment until she remembered that she was going to race her at the Rainbow Falls. If she was fast enough to accept a challenge from her, she could be a good flyer after all.

So, Rainbow Dash asked her if she wanted to join the team. Twilight wasn't sure at first, but then she accepted as she wanted to help her friend in need. With the Relay Team now complete, the speedster exulted: they prevented disqualification, and, with such teammates, Ponyville could compete with the Wonderbolts and maybe even win. Although she still needed to see Twilight's performance.  

After that, they headed to Rainbow Falls as the tryouts would have begun in three days. The team's friends joined them to support them during the event, to be their voluntary staff, and to witness Twilight and Rainbow's race. Of course, Spike and Pinkie Pie would have been the referees and commentators, just like that time during the Running of the Leaves.

Now, they were standing in front of the camp's entrance, as they saw that the other cities' teams were already training. Pegasi from Canterlot, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia, as well as Griffons from Baltimare, were doing some warm-ups as other Pegasi from Equestria's west coast cities were flying around, checking their speed and readiness. To see so many Ponies, and Griffons, being so focused on their training, reminded Goku the old days of the Budokai Tenkaichi. A big smile appeared on his face because of that.

The group made its way into the camp, as they could see that everything was already set up for the competition. They just had to find a free place where Ponyville's team could start training. As they were looking for the said spot, some flyers recognized Rainbow Dash and started talking about her. Her Sonic Rainboom during the Young Flyers Competition in Cloudsdale and her flying skills shown at the Wonderbolt Academy increased her fame among the kingdom's best flyers.

Once they found a free spot and started setting up the stand, however, a sonic boom drew everyone's attention to the sky. Cloudsdale's trump card and the Equestrian Kingdom's aces, the Wonderbolts, just arrived at the camp. Soarin, Fleetfoot, and their captain, Spitfire, started performing aerobatic maneuvers at almost the speed of sound as a first warm-up.

"The Wonderbolts!" exclaimed one of the Fillydelphia's flyers.

"I heard they're flying for Cloudsdale," commented another one.

"Then Cloudsdale will qualify for sure," stated the last one, "They're the best flyers ever."

Meanwhile, Goku was analyzing the Equestrian Air Force spearhead's performance and power. Rainbow Dash told him how awesome they were and that they were the best flyers in history. He noticed that they weren't breaking a sweat, meaning that they were far from doing their best, and their Ki confirmed his thoughts. They were as strong as him during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament with his weighted clothes at worst. The black-maned alicorn smiled because they would be worthy opponents during the Equestria Games, at least in terms of speed.

He could reach incredible speeds with his various forms, but he wouldn't have used any of them during the relay, making things more interesting. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, marveled at the moves of her heroes and thought that the contest would have been challenging. However, she couldn't think of anything else as the trio was approaching her.

"And the game is on!" exclaimed Spitfire as she and the rest of her team landed in front of the rainbow-maned pegasus.

"Hah," said the light blue-coated stallion, Soarin, next to her as he removed his goggles, "Nice to see there's some real competition here!"

"Oh, yeah, there is," replied Rainbow with a smile, "And I'm not saying it just because of me: Ponyville got its hooves on two pretty strong flyers."

"If Rainbow Dash herself is saying so, they must be aces for sure," stated the orange-maned mare, Spitfire, in an impressed tone. "Who are they?" she asked, "Did they attend the Academy?"

"Not exactly," answered Rainbow as she turned to see Goku and Twilight a few meters away, implying she was talking about them.

The Wonderbolts marveled at the revelation as Fleetfoot asked, "Princess Twilight? Didn't you mention something about her being just a newbie? And where in Equestria did you find an alicorn stallion?!"

"He literally fell from the sky," replied the rainbow-maned pegasus with a nervous smile, but then she said, "But his skills are indisputable. As for Princess Twilight, she trained for two months with him. I'm not sure how effective that training was, but I'm going to know it soon."

"Well, there are two days of practice left," replied Fleetfoot as she approached her, "Then we'll see your team's performance in the air, Rainbow Dash!" After that, she trotted away with her teammates as she added with sincerity, "I'm looking forward to it."

Once they left, she sighed as both Goku and Twilight approached her. "The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one," she said with a smile, before adding with enthusiasm, "And we'll be winners just as soon as we practice! Right team?"

"You bet it!" answered the scarlet-eyed Saiyan.

"Um, yeah!" somewhat supported Twilight. She knew about the spirit of competition that reigned unmatched in the Sports realm, but she wasn't into it as much as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, or Goku. At least not when it came to athletic pursuits.

"Hooray!" suddenly exclaimed Pinkie Pie, appearing behind them dressed as a cheerleader. She was enjoying very much cheering for Ponyville, and blowing a party hooter was a way to show it. "So, when are you going to start the race?" she asked with enthusiasm, "I really want to see how much Twilight has improved her flight skills!"

"Yup," said Applejack, who heard the whole conversation, "I want to see it too, although I think that a race against Rainbow may be a bit unfair. I mean, she just trained for two months while Rainbow trains every day since, well, ever!"

Twilight was about to say something, but Spike spoke first, "Oh, come on, have some faith in Twilight. She might surprise all of you if underestimated."

"I always say that one never knows how strong somepony truly is until you challenge him or her," supported Goku with a smile, "And Twilight is no exception."

"Well," replied the speedster, "What are we waiting for, then? The sooner we race, the faster we'll find out."

Twilight sighed, but she was right: the sooner, the better. So, she smiled and asked about the route of the race, "From where to where?"

Rainbow started thinking about a suitable route for a race that could be either one of the most exciting ones in her life or just a warm-up. During every Winter Wrap-Up, Ponyville's weather team had to travel south to retrieve the birds that migrated there for the winter. All of that in less than a morning. Three years ago, she could reach southern Equestria in one hour or so at cruising speed, but now she could do it in two minutes flat. Most of the team, however, needed forty minutes to reach that place while a few could do the same in half the time.

The cyan-coated pegasus thought that, despite her training with Goku, Twilight could have become as fast as Ponyville's fastest flyers at best. Not because she was a nerdy princess, but because of the amount of time she spent training. How much could somepony increase her speed in two months? And not only that, but she was still a beginner in the art of flying. So, Rainbow had to choose a not-too-long route with little obstacles for this race, and she knew the perfect one.

"What about from here to the Crystal Empire and back?"

"Well, it isn't too far from here anyway," answered Twilight with a smile, something that surprised the rest of the Mane 6. Yes, the Crystal Empire was technically right ahead from Rainbow Falls, but it was too far for ordinary pegasi, or other ponies, to try to reach it without the train. Their friend had to improve quite a lot if she was okay with the chosen route, and that made them wonder what kind of training she had to go through.

"Awesome!" exclaimed the speedster, "Let's get ready, then!"

"WAIT!" shouted Pinkie before reaching one of her bags and turn it into a hot-air balloon, much to everyone's surprise. "Just give me a second to get the balloon ready!" she said with her usual broad smile. Her action made everyone laugh a bit as both Rainbow and Twilight agreed to wait for Pinkie to be ready.







[Capsule Corporation - Equestrian Division, Manehattan's Outskirts]

Meanwhile, Vegeta returned home after spending his 57th night in the Badlands. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he was tired, thirsty, and hungry, so he came back to at least drink and eat something before restarting training. He landed on the house's backyard and headed towards the garden tap.

As he was cooling himself and drinking, a familiar voice said, "Oh, you're here." The black-maned pegasus turned to see his wife standing a couple of meters away from him. She was wearing a pony version of her usual lab coat, and her expression was something between neutral and annoyed. He knew that she was probably going to nag about something: she always did it every time she had that expression. "Look at all of that dust and dirt," she started, "You'll smear the whole house with it! I hope you weren’t planning to go inside with those clothes; the last time you did, my dress got ruined!"

Vegeta, however, was too tired to deal with her, so he ignored what she said and walked past her, something that the scientist considered rude. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" she exclaimed, making him stop, "Listen, you finally have the decency to come back, and you act like this?! Sometimes I wonder where you even learn those manners!"

Right after that, Trunks entered the garden, looking for Bulma. When he turned his head right, he saw not just his mother but also his father, something that puts a smile on his face. He happily approached them as he greeted, "Hi, Mom. Dad, you're back!"

"Trunks!" exclaimed Bulma in a happy tone while Vegeta didn't say anything, "What's up?"

"At first, nothing," he answered, "But since Dad is here..." He opened his bag using one of his wings and grabbed a rolled poster. Then, he unrolled it, showing that it was about the Equestria Games.

"The Equestria Games?" read Bulma in confusion.

Trunks nodded and said, "It's the biggest sporting event to take place in Equestria, in which people from all over the land compete for glory, representing their hometown."

"Oh, I see," replied Bulma as she was reading the whole poster, "It's like the Olympic Games on Earth!"

"Yes, and there's an event that may be of Dad's interest."

The scientist was reading the various events scheduled for the games: Archery, Aerial Athletics, Athletics, Acrobatic Gymnastics, Fencing, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Artistic Gymnastics, Triathlon, and more. However, what drew her attention was the last one, "Martial Arts!"

Those words drew Vegeta's attention as well, but he acted as if he wasn't listening. "Yeah!" confirmed Trunks, "Goten told me that his dad is going to join Ponyville's Martial Arts Team."

"Kakarot!" thought Vegeta, as he realized what his son said. He wondered why Goku would have attended the Martial Arts event of this Ponyland. Of course, Ponies were overall stronger than Humans, and there were also other creatures even stronger, but he doubted there was someone that could at least serve as a warm-up to them. Unless that freak, Discord, was among the Martial Artists that would have been in the Equestria Games. However, he put those thoughts aside as he didn't care about the other opponents: he wanted to fight against Goku to see if his training was worth the effort, and these Equestria Games were the perfect opportunity to do it.

"Trunks," he said as he turned to lay his gaze upon his son, "When is this event going to start?"

"In four months," he answered, "Right now, the Aerial Relay's qualification tryouts are taking place in Rainbow Falls. Those for the Martial Arts will take place in Baltimare in one week, so if you want to join Manehattan's team, it's better if you do it now."

The prince analyzed the information and said, "It means I still have four months to get stronger." He then smirked and asked, "Where does this city's team gather?"

As Trunks was telling him where he had to go to be part of Manehattan's Martial Arts Team, Bulma sighed as she knew that those two would exaggerate as always. "I just hope it isn't going to be like the 23rd  Budokai Tenkaichi," she thought as she remembered how Goku and Piccolo's battle destroyed the whole stadium. She had to warn Vegeta about that to avoid such incidents in the future. 







[Rainbow Falls, Aerial Relay Training Camp]

As Vegeta was figuring out how to attend the Equestria Games, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were standing on two rocky pillars, ready to start the race. Spike and Pinkie Pie were already in position on their hot-air balloon with binoculars to better observe the race from long distance. The rest of the group was sitting near Ponyville Team's stand while most of them wondered what would have been the result of this event.

Pinkie grabbed her megaphone and said, "Okay! Greetings Fillies and Colts, here's Pinkie Pie and Spike in another Race of the Century event!"

Twilight smiled at this as she rolled her eyes. "Pinkie Pie," she thought. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, giggled as she had flashbacks of her race against Applejack during the Running of the Leaves. What they didn't notice, though, was that most of the athletes in the camp heard Pinkie's amplified voice and stopped their training to hear what she was saying.

"Three years ago," the party planner continued, "We witnessed a ground race between Rainbow Dash and Applejack that ended in a tie!"

"I won that, actually!" exclaimed the speedster.

"Not even in your dreams, Rainbow!" shouted the apple farmer.

"But now," continued Pinkie, "Rainbow has an opponent ready to challenge her in the skies: Princess Twilight Sparkle! So, Spike, what are your thoughts on both flyers?"

The baby dragon grabbed the megaphone and answered, "Rainbow Dash is a skilled flyer known for her mythical speed, acrobatic performances, and her greatest achievement: the Sonic Rainboom. Most, if not all, of the kingdom's flyers, would say she's the clear favorite to win this race. However, I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet, as Princess Twilight could be the real surprise of the event."

Pinkie took the megaphone and spoke, "Yeah, Princess Twilight may not be as experienced as Rainbow Dash, but there are two things on her side: two months of intensive training with a god-like being, Son Goku, and the route of the race itself. The path between Rainbow Falls and the Crystal Empire has hardly any obstacles, and Princess Celestia's sun is shining all across the land today, so there won't be visibility issues."

The party planner gave the megaphone to Spike, who continued, "The conditions of victory are simple: the first one that made it from here to the Crystal Empire and back wins. Now then, on your marks."

Twilight and Rainbow moved their sight ahead as they focused on Spike's voice to know when they should go. "Get set," he continued as both mares slightly bent the knees of their forelegs and spread their wings. "GO!" shouted Pinkie and Spike in unison as both Twilight and Rainbow Dash left the place in a burst of speed.



The only thing their friends could see in the distance was a rainbow trail and a starry, dark-sapphire blue one with purple streaks. Rainbow Dash was going at subsonic speed as she wanted to test Twilight's initial velocity, but she marveled at the sight of her friend flying a few meters next to her. Was she Twilight? The same Twilight who learned how to fly just two months ago? They were going at the top speed of her three-years-ago self, and she didn't seem to be going all out! That was crazy!

"Hey, Twilight!" she called, drawing her friend's attention, "You weren't kidding when you said you trained!"

"I told you," she answered.

"I'm impressed, really," she replied with a smile, "You improved a lot in such a short time, but I'm afraid that even with such speed, you can't hope to beat me!" After that, she increased her speed, breaking the sound barrier, letting Twilight behind. The lavender princess just smiled at that. She didn't want to beat her at all: she just wanted to show her that even a bookworm like herself could be athletic if she wanted to. So, with a mighty flap of her wings, she broke the sound barrier as well.

Rainbow reached the mountainous area and was following the railroad that led to the Crystal Empire. She was sure of her victory, believing that Twilight couldn't possibly reach the speed needed to overtake her. However, she had to take that back as she witnessed how the lavender Alicorn outstripped her. "What?! Oh, it's on, now!" she exclaimed right before accelerating and reaching her.  

[Crystal Mountains, Somewhere]

Both mares were going at 2400 km/h (1491 mph) as they were overflying the snowy Crystal Mountains. It looked like they were equals, but Rainbow exponentially increased her speed, putting herself in first place again and catching off guard Twilight. The princess's surprise, however, didn't last much as she mimicked her friend's action and reached her, much to Rainbow's disbelief.

Now going at hypersonic speed, the cyan pegasus confirmed that Twilight just became a valuable member of Ponyville's Aerial Relay Team, but she still wanted to finish the race. She didn't have any decent rival, in terms of speed, since Lightning Dust, and Twilight just ignited her competitiveness.

[Crystal Empire]

It didn't take too long for The Crystal Empire to appear on the horizon, meaning that, at this rate, the race would be over soon with no clear winner. Rainbow tried to be ahead of Twilight, but the princess always managed to reach her. They entered the city's airspace and were about to use the Crystal Castle as the big pillar that indicated the point where they had to make a U-turn to go back to Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Dash made it first. Due to her being doing aerial acrobatics for a lifetime, she made a perfect U-turn without losing speed. After that, she quadruplicated her speed, reaching the impressive velocity of Mach 20. Twilight, on the other hoof, used one of the castle's towers to turn, resulting in her rise through the air and miss the curve as she twirled a bit. Fate wanted her to stabilize her flight right when her sight set in the right direction, resulting in her witnessing her friend flying away.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was already halfway. She was laughing due to the adrenaline and the fact that victory was hers for sure now, "Hahaha! Now, if she wants to win, she should do a Sonic Rainboom!" Her laughter, however, didn't last: for a brief moment, she saw Twilight outstripping her as she created a familiar colored shockwave followed by a crystal clear trail, almost as if it was energy. "Impossible!" exclaimed Rainbow in disbelief, "A Sonic Rainboom?!" There was no doubt: that was a Sonic Rainboom, but it was a starry, dark-sapphire blue one with purple streaks instead of the usual rainbow-colored one.

The speedster, though, quickly recovered from that surprise and performed a Sonic Rainboom as well. She could barely catch up with Twilight before seeing Rainbow Falls on the horizon. She looked at her friend for a brief moment, only to notice something strange: her eyes. They weren't purple anymore, but as red as ruby instead. Not only her irises but also her pupils were red. For some reason, those eyes scared her a bit, but she wanted to know if she was okay, "Twilight?" She didn't answer, so she tried again, louder, "Twilight!"

The princess blinked for a second as her eyes turned purple again, and answered, "Uh, yes? What is it?"

"Is everything okay there?" asked the speedster.

"Yeah," she answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, nothing," she replied as she started to believe that it was just her imagination.

[Rainbow Falls, Aerial Relay Training Camp]

Meanwhile, Pinkie and Spike didn't even have time to use the binoculars as both racers were so fast that they didn't even need them at all to see the two approach the town. Pinkie tried to announce their arrival with the megaphone, but before she could even grab it, both Rainbow and Twilight entered Rainbow Falls's airspace and landed ten meters away from the training camp. Their arrival, though, didn't go unnoticed as the trails of their respective Sonic Rainbooms decorated the skies above, and the shockwaves generated by them filled the area with bright and dark colors, as the sound of a distant crash of thunder marked the end of the race.

Everyone marveled at the sight of such a colorful sky, even the Wonderbolts. Unfortunately, it distracted Soarin, who was speeding through the rainbow rings that marked the circular route for the Aerial Relay. He was about to hit one of the rings but corrected his flight direction almost in time. His right wing hit the circle anyway, something that made him lose altitude and ultimately made him fall due to the suffered injury.

As Fleetfoot took off to help him, the Mane 4, Goku, and Spike reached the place where both Rainbow and Twilight landed. They saw them standing on a small crater, as they were cheering and laughing due to the adrenaline they felt at that moment. Most of them marveled at that, the princess showed that kind of behavior only with things that had to do with books, libraries, or studying. Soon, they smiled, forgetting about her favorite subjects. It meant she enjoyed the race, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was praying Celestia that her mother, Twilight Velvet, didn't find out that she enjoyed such an extreme Sport or else she would ask her to join her in one her 'breathtaking' activities. Her thoughts, though, were interrupted by Rainbow's words, "That was AWESOME! Probably the best race ever! And I won!"

"Well," intervened Applejack as she approached them along with the others, "I think it's a tie: I couldn't see who landed first."

"Me neither," stated Pinkie with a smile, "But that was the fastest, most colorful, and super-duper exciting race I've ever seen!"

"And horse apples, what a performance, Twilight!" congratulated the apple farmer, "Your training with Goku paid off for sure!"

"See?" replied Goku with a smile, "No one will underestimate her again."

"I liked your Sonic Rainbooms," said Fluttershy with a smile, "And I'm also happy that no one lost."

"Actually," began explaining Twilight, "She landed first. I slowed down at the last second."

"What? Why?" asked the speedster in a surprised tone.

"I didn't want to win in the first place," she answered with a smile, "I raced with you to show you that I trained. Besides, I know how much you love to win."

"Oh, thanks, Twi."

"Now that the race is over," Goku said, "What about if we train in this Aerial Relay thing?"

"Right!" Rainbow agreed, "Now that I've seen Twilight's improvement first hoof, Ponyville has a chance of winning first place! But we need to start practicing if we want that to happen!"

When they came out of the crater, however, they saw an ambulance carrying one of the Wonderbolts to the hospital. Worried about one of her heroes, she quickly approached Fleetfoot and Spitfire, and asked, "What happened to Soarin?"

"The Sonic Rainbooms distracted him," answered Spitfire, "And he was flying through the rings. You can imagine the rest."

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Rainbow, feeling guilty for her actions.

"Don't worry, it's no pony's fault," answered Fleetfoot with a smile.

"But it's still a tough break to lose a teammate right before the tryouts," pointed out the speedster.

She was right, and it wasn't even the only problem. The rest of the Wonderbolts were flying with their hometown's teams, and they didn't have a valid replacement in case one of them suffered an unforeseen injury. However, both Fleetfoot and Spitfire remembered something that could fix the problem: Rainbow Dash was from Cloudsdale. So, even if she lived in Ponyville, she could technically join their team.

They offered her the possibility to practice with them, even though their real intention was to persuade her to join Cloudsdale's Aerial Relay Team permanently. At first, Rainbow didn't know what to answer and was afraid of how her team would feel about her training with the competition. However, that was her chance to fly with her heroes, and, as Fleetfoot said, they didn't need to know. Moreover, it wasn't like she was going to leave Ponyville's team, right? So, she gladly accepted their offer.

That was how the speedster trained with both Ponyville and Cloudsdale's teams for the current day and the next one. Twilight and Son Goku followed her suggestions, but they trained alone most of the time, as the cyan pegasus always had 'something to do.' It didn't go unnoticed by the duo, but Goku, naive as he was, believed each of her excuses for not being with them. Twilight, on the other hoof, understood that there was something off, but she needed confirmation.

The rest of the crew, meanwhile, were supporting the team in their own way. Rarity was making the uniforms; Applejack brought tons of Apple Brown Bettys with her to feed the team while Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy acted as the moral support. All of them, however, were aliens to the whole situation.

Twilight had her suspicions confirmed the day before the tryouts, for she saw her flying with the Wonderbolts. She just needed to confront her, so she waited for her to take a break. Fortunately, it didn't take too long for that to happen: she saw the speedster directing toward the pond while making sure that no one was seeing her. The princess approached her as she was drinking, and asked with a serious expression, "It's not easy practicing with two teams, is it?"

Rainbow was caught off guard as she didn't expect anypony to be there, especially one of her teammates, "You... know? Goku knows it too?"

"No," she answered with a smile, "If there's something I learned about him is that he has complete trust in who he considers one of his friends, so he really thinks you are doing 'something important' as you put it."

"So, he trusts everypony basically," she concluded with a raised eyebrow. The ponified Saiyan was able to make friends with everyone, wherever he went due to his kind nature and joyful personality. He was like Pinkie Pie in that sense, but not even she had Goku's same level of trust toward ponies or any other creature she just met. Discord was the most blatant example, but there were also improbable ponies like Lyra Heartstrings, Vinyl Scratch, Derpy, Octavia Melody, and others.

"Maybe, but that's not the point."

"Oh, come on!" she complained, "This is my chance to work out with the Wonderbolts! Besides, Ponyville will still qualify."

Twilight was about to respond, but a familiar voice interrupted the conversation. "Rainbow Dash," called out Spitfire, who was standing ten meters away from the pond, and there was also Fleetfoot with her, "You got a minute?"

"Uh, sure," answered the speedster as she approached them.

"You could really be an asset to our team," said the white-maned pegasus, "So... we want you to join the Cloudsdale team. Permanently."

Rainbow Dash gasped at this: the Wonderbolts were asking HER to fly with them, and her excited expression showed how did she feel at the moment. "It looks like Soarin's wing won't heal in time for the trials," explained Spitfire, "So, we want you to fly with us."

"Of course, this means you won't be able to fly for Ponyville," Fleetfoot pointed out with a serious expression, which softened as she said, "But don't worry about it, it still is a tough team with two alicorns among its ranks. They'll qualify for sure."

"So, what's it gonna be?" asked Spitfire with an excited smile. Rainbow realized that what Fleetfoot said was true: to fly with the Wonderbolts meant to leave the Ponyville team. As a result, her excitement vanished and was replaced by indecision. The Wonderbolts's Captain noticed it and quickly said, "Take some time to think about it."

When both aces left, her indecision seemed to fade away as she joyfully flew toward Twilight and exclaimed, "They want ME to fly with THEM!" Then, she reclined on the grass field and happily stated, "It's like a dream come true!"

The lavender princess, however, didn't seem to agree, "If you fly for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for. Rarity's uniforms will never be seen. And Applejack will have slaved over those Apple Brown Bettys for nothing."

"Of course Pinkie will have somepony to cheer for," retorted the speedster, "You and Goku are strong flyers! And I wouldn't worry about Applejack's cakes since we've got two food-eating black holes."

"But we joined the team just to help you," replied the princess, "Besides, without a third member, we're disqualified. We could ask Fluttershy to join, but you know it's not guaranteed she'll accept."

"Oh, but I really wanna fly with my heroes! What would you do?"

"I think this is a decision you have to make on your own," Twilight answered as she began to leave with a slightly sad expression, "The race is tomorrow, so you'd better make it soon."

Rainbow was left alone with her thoughts and passed the rest of the day trying to figure out what team she should choose. However, it was too difficult as she didn't want to disappoint anypony, so she thought about the easiest way to escape from that situation: to not choose.

The next day, every team was getting ready for the tryouts that would begin in the afternoon. Twilight was teaching Goku how to hold the horseshoe as it was the only thing yet to master. Their training, though, was suddenly interrupted by somepony's groaning. It was Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus was in a wheelchair, and each part of her body was bandaged as she groaned louder, making everyone present to chatter in concern.

When a worried Fluttershy asked her what happened, she explained or tried to explain that she stripped on a foam hoof and landed on something that wounded her like that. Goku and Twilight, however, understood that there was something off. The former was sensing her Ki, and it wasn't as weak as it should be for her to be that injured, while the latter thought that it was just too convenient to be true.

[Rainbow Falls Hospital]

Rainbow Dash was brought to the town's hospital where the doctors took a look at her wounds, but she seemed perfectly fine to them, so they didn't know why she was groaning so much. They thought that maybe she just needed some rest and allowed her friends to see her.

Once in her room, they saw her on the bed with all of her hooves lifted and held by leg slings. Most of the crew had concerned expressions, but Goku had a confused one, while Twilight had a skeptical one. As they gathered around her, the lavender alicorn said, "So, the medic pony isn't sure what's wrong with you."

"Everything!" exclaimed Rainbow with a slight tone of pain, "Absolutely everything!"

"Nothing says 'get better' like a little medical pizazz!" exclaimed Rarity as she pulled out a piece of glittering fabric and wrapped it around one of the speedster's legs.

"That might help," Rainbow said.

"This'll cure everythin' that ails ya!" stated Applejack, as she put an Apple Brown Betty in her mouth.

"Thank you," she munched, "I couldn't have done that on my own."

Twilight just sighed in frustration as she already had enough of this farce, but she didn't want to talk about it with the others around. As she was trying her best to not express her thoughts, Fluttershy spoke, "We just wanted to let you know that we're so sorry you're hurt, but you shouldn't worry a bit about not being able to be in the tryouts. I will join the Ponyville team, so it won't be disqualified. And we promise that, if we qualify, make it to the Equestria Games, and all win gold medals, you can have ours because we know how much a gold medal means to you."

"Yeah," confirmed Goku with a smile, "You can have mine. I never competed for prizes anyway."

Rainbow Dash was touched by those words, and all she could say was, "Thanks..."

The moment, however, was interrupted by Twilight, who cleared her throat to draw attention and said, "I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more." Spike and the Mane 4 left the room as they wished her a good rest. Goku was about to express his doubts regarding Rainbow's wounds, but Twilight raised her wing to say that she would have taken care of the matter. Goku nodded in response and exited the room. Once they were alone, she said in a low tone, "You know, choosing not to choose isn't really a decision."

After those words were spoken, the princess left the room. However, Rainbow didn't have time to think about what she said as Soarin, who just happened to be her roommate, suddenly commented, "You sure have nice friends." Then he added in a sad tone, "Nopony's been by to visit me. Eh, too busy practicing, I guess."

"Well, hopefully, your wing will be better soon," she reassured.

"Oh, it's fine," he replied, "I-I'm just keeping it warm in case my team wants me back."

The speedster found that answer weird and asked, "What do you mean, 'wants you back'? Spitfire and Fleetfoot told me that you were still too injured to fly!"

"And they told me that they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent by the tryouts," he realized, "So they were going with somepony else!"

"That somepony else was me!" she exclaimed, but then she realized what she said and added with a nervous smile, "Until, uh, well, until I got hurt, that is."

Soarin just sighed and reclined on the bed as he said, "Well, at least Ponyville found a replacement, unlike my team. Too bad..."

Rainbow had a sad expression as she was thinking about the whole situation. Spitfire and Fleetfoot lied to have a better flyer among their ranks, meaning that they never really needed her help. So, this farce was for nothing. She was about to leave her team for nothing. She wondered what to do now, and as if to answer, the rays of Celestia's sun hit the nearby pitcher, creating a small rainbow that reached the Ponyville flag that was left on the floor by Spike. Her irises turned rainbow-colored for a moment as all of her doubts magically faded away.

[Aerial Relay Training Camp]

As Spike, the Mane 5, and Goku were having lunch, Rainbow Dash showed up and walked toward the Wonderbolts with a serious expression. Of course, she didn't go unnoticed by her friends that were surprised to see her there. However, she wasn't alone: Soarin was right behind her and had the same expression as her. Once they were close to Wonderbolts enough, they stopped, as both Fleetfoot and Spitfire had surprised expressions to see them there.

The speedster showed and admitted that she faked being hurt, much to everyone's surprise. Even her friends heard and saw that. She explained the reasons behind the farce, but then she accused her heroes of deception as they lied to her to acquire a stronger flyer. A team able to willingly put aside one of their members just for the sake of victory wasn't the one she wanted to be part of.

Both Spitfire and Fleetfoot were surprised by her statements, but then they agreed with her and praised her, for she just taught them a valuable lesson. Again. The first time was in the Wonderbolts Academy with Lightning Dust, and now she was doing the same with Soarin. They apologized to the latter and quickly resumed their training.

After that, the cyan pegasus stated that she wanted to resume training too, as the tryouts would have begun in a couple of hours. Twilight and Goku agreed with her and quickly restarted training, as a real team this time. When the tryouts finally concluded, Ponyville's Aerial Relay Team had the best timing among all of the present teams, winning the gold medal. There was no need to mention how Goku's speed impressed the competition: they could swear he was as fast as lightning.

At the end of the medal ceremony, Spitfire gave Rainbow the golden Wonderbolts Insignia as a 'thank you' and to show how much she respected her as a flyer. The whole ceremony concluded with a photo of each team that qualified for the Equestria Games. Ponyville Team's photo was then used to fill one of the pages of the Book of Friendship as Rainbow wrote right below how much she loved to be loyal to her friends over winning. The golden Insignia mysteriously turned rainbow-colored for a moment when the speedster, or anyone else, wasn't around.







[Manehattan, Taekwondo Dojo, Sports District]

Meanwhile, Manehattan's Martial Arts Team was training for the qualifications that would have begun in a week. The three stallions were confident that Manehattan would qualify, for their team was the strongest in all of Equestria, and their victories in the previous editions of the Equestria Games were proof of that. The only unknown opponent was the Crystal Empire team, as it was the first time they attended the games, but they were sure that they could defeat them.

Suddenly, the door of the dojo was opened, revealing a spiky-maned pegasus with what seemed like a mad expression. Though, it was just his usual face. Vegeta entered and silently directed toward the martial artists and their master, as he was looking around, almost as if he was analyzing the place. Once close enough, he stopped as he looked at them with his trademark stern look.

"What's your business in my dojo, mister?" asked their master.

"I heard that the Equestria Games also have a Martial Arts event," explained Vegeta, "So I came here to join Manehattan's team."

They were all surprised by his statement, but then the members of the team started laughing as one of them asked, "You really think it's that easy?"

"Martial Arts are a serious thing," mocked another, "You can't just improvise and hope to win."

The ponified Saiyan understood that these worms were thinking he was a weakling and thus not deserving to be part of the team, but he smirked and stated, "Of course. Clowns like you should stay among the spectators, watching real fighters deal with martial arts."

The three stallions were taken aback by his statement, but one of them shook his head and approached him with a mad expression, "Don't be so full of yourself. You wouldn't last ten seconds against any of us!"

"At first, I called you clown," said Vegeta with the same smirk, "I was wrong. You're the entire circus!"

His teammates were about to reply, but their master stopped them from doing so and said, "Well, mister..."

"Vegeta."

"What about a little demonstration of your skills against one of my disciples?"

The black-maned pegasus smirked at this, for those fools were about to behold the might of the prince of all Saiyans. He just hoped they were good enough to serve him, at least as a warm-up.