There wasn’t much I could do for “Sleepless In Ponyville.” After all, I couldn’t access other ponies dreams like Luna could, and I would’ve been an odd one out if I went camping with the others. I doubt Twilight would be into camping anyway.
The next episode to come up was “Wonderbolts Academy.” That was when Rainbow Dash got accepted into a week’s worth of Wonderbolt Training. She gets paired up with another daredevil named Lightning Dust, but soon discovers she’s rather reckless. I don’t know what I can do to change this episode, but I really wanted to call Lightning out for trying to harm the girls with that tornado.
The girls and I were having a picnic just outside of Rainbow Dash’s house. She invited us because the outcome of her application to the academy was supposed to come today, and she wanted all of us to witness her acceptance.
“Ooooh, I wish the mailpony would just come already!” Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped around the mailbox like a jittery joey. “I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!”
“Pinkie Pie, you're more nervous than Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said.
“Heh, I'm not nervous at all,” Rainbow said. “When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy...”
“If you get in?! If you get in?!” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow Dash. “Don’t jinx it!”
“I'm telling you, it's in the bag.”
“DON’T JINX IT!!”
“She is the best flyer in Ponyville,” Applejack said as she munched on an apple.
“Well, given how she performed two sonic rainbooms, as a filly and as a grown mare, there’s no debate,” I said. “Especially when she saved the lives of three Wonderbolts and Rarity while doing so.”
“Do we really need to bring that up every time?!” Rarity squeaked in embarrassment.
Rainbow zoomed up and created a slide made of clouds. “I'm probably the best flyer in all of Equestria.” She then slid down the cloud slide. “I wouldn't be surprised if they just went ahead and made me a Wonderbolt on the first day.”
Suddenly, Rainbow bumped into a mailpony, who gave her a letter from the Wonderbolts. She instantly opened it and read through the letter. A wave of disappointment swept across her face.
“I...didn't get in.”
Everypony gasped in shock. I pretended to be shocked as well, but…
3...2...1…
“Gotcha!” Rainbow showed us the letter of approval. “Ha, you guys are so gullible. Like I wasn't gonna get in!”
I saw that coming.
Pinkie quickly glomped Rainbow Dash and squeezed her. It was pretty clear she was proud of her for being accepted.
“Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow grunted. “I kinda need to get going.”
Pinkie gave one last hug before Rainbow took off for Cloudsdale. We all waved her goodbye and wished her good luck. That’s when Pinkie pulled out a megaphone. I knew what was going to happen next. I quickly covered my ears.
“DON’T FORGET TO WRITE!!”
After the echoing subsided, I uncovered my ears.
“Do you think she heard me?” Pinkie asked the distressed girls.
I was going to sarcastically reply that Dash didn’t, but I was afraid she would take it literally.
“I’m sure she did,” I said.
The girls and I spent the rest of the day checking to see if Pinkie’s shouting caused any collateral damage. Thankfully, there were only minor incidents.
The next day, I decided to hang out with Rumble and Button Mash. It was going to be a couple of days until the girls visited Rainbow Dash, and I couldn’t think of any episodes that might happen between now and later.
“I heard Miss Rainbow Dash was also accepted into the academy,” Rumble said.
“That’s true,” I said. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘also’?”
“My brother Thunderlane got accepted yesterday. He applied a few weeks ago.”
“Oh, great. Say, why didn’t you apply? I’ve seen how your wingpower matched some of the adult ponies back at tornado training. You’d be perfect.”
“Well, I couldn’t because...”
“...because you need to be at a certain age in order to qualify,” Button Mash said without looking up from his Game Colt. “They don’t let school-aged pegasi into the academy.”
“Right.”
I guess that makes sense. I wouldn’t think the fillies and colts would handle getting yelled at by a Wonderbolts captain. It would be like if a drill instructor shouted at a bunch of middle-schoolers in my world.
“I really hope both Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash do well at the academy,” I said. “I heard the Wonderbolts are really tough stuff, and I don’t want to see either of them coming back early acting like Fluttershy.”
“I’m sure my big brother can handle it,” Rumble said. “He can be nervous sometimes, but he’s not afraid of a challenge. I bet Miss Dash is the same.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Say, was anypony else in your class interested in becoming a Wonderbolt?”
“Not that I know about. There was one pegasus who liked watching the Wonderbolts, but...well...”
“None of us have seen her fly at all,” Button Mash said. I think I know who he was referring to.
“Of course you wouldn’t see it,” I snarked. “You never take your eyes off your game for more than a minute.”
Button quickly shot me a glaring look before looking back at his game.
“It’s best not to talk about it around her,” Rumble said. “She’s probably really sensitive about her wings.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
A couple of days have passed since Rainbow left for the Wonderbolts Academy. I’ve been helping Twilight with some of her spells. Celestia gave her a lot lately. I wondered if it had anything to do with Twilight becoming an alicorn soon. Given how complex the spells were, it was plausible.
I don’t know what was with Pinkie Pie. Ever since Dash went away, Pinkie’s been sitting at the mailbox waiting for her to send a letter. The only times she didn’t, at least from what the girls told me, was to either use the bathroom or let the mailpony deliver the mail. We were getting a bit worried.
“I just wish we could help her,” Fluttershy said.
“Help me?” Pinkie zoomed up to us. “The only thing that could possibly help me right now is a letter from Rainbow Dash! It's been three days already!”
It was clear Pinkie was too obsessed with missing Rainbow Dash. Twilight proposed the idea of Pinkie sending a letter to Dash, but then Pinkie came up with the idea of sending a care package in person. We all agreed on that.
Later that day, we prepared the balloon. Pinkie quickly arrived with her care package.
“This should help Dashie remember us!” Pinkie declared. “There’s photos, snacks, I even got a Daring Do book in there. She has to remember that given how we introduced the series to her.”
We all hopped into the balloon. Twilight undid the ropes, and we took off for Cloudsdale.
“I’m gonna cast the cloud-walk spell again,” Twilight said as her horn glowed. “Just in case we need to make an emergency landing.”
“Say, isn’t it illegal to enter military areas unauthorized?” I asked.
“There’s an area just outside the academy where we can land.” Twilight casted the spell.
As we rose above the clouds, the wind suddenly picked up.
“It’s a twister!” Applejack shouted.
We saw a tornado swiftly approaching us. I had an idea that I hoped would work. I quickly climbed up and blew fire into the balloon. The extra hot air made the basket rise faster and faster.
“Hurry, Spike!” Twilight yelled. “The tornado’s getting—!”
But it was too late. The tornado sucked up the balloon like a vacumm cleaner. I jumped down and huddled with the girls.
“Hold on!” Twilight screamed.
“Can’t you teleport us out?!” I hollered.
“I can try!” Twilight’s horn glowed again. “Hold on, girls! I’m gonna—”
SNAP!
The ropes attaching the basket to the balloon snapped like rubber bands. We were all flung out of the tornado, screaming to our deaths.
“RAINBOW DASH!! WHERE ARE YOU?!” I shouted.
I knew that Rainbow would come and save us, but falling so far and so fast without any sort of parachute or wings was still frightening.
I was so thankful that Twilight cast that cloud-walking spell, because within a second, we landed on a soft cloud, which suddenly sprung us upwards. The other Wonderbolt trainees were able to catch us immediately and place us on the ground. Rainbow quickly appeared on the runway.
“Are you guys okay?!” Rainbow frantically asked.
We all nodded in agreement and hugged Rainbow. I was a bit shaken up from what happened, but I was alright. It was a good thing I knew stuff like this would happen. Otherwise, I would’ve been traumatized.
“What are you all doing here?” Rainbow asked.
“We wanted to bring you a care package,” Applejack said. “Didn't realize you'd be in the middle of some crazy tornado drill.”
“That...was...awesome!” A teal pegasus with a yellow mane appeared from the group. This was Lightning Dust, the reckless pony who lacked more empathy than a corrupted dictator.
“Awesome?!” Rainbow asked. “My friends could have been smashed to pieces!”
“Yeah, but they weren't, right? Can't say the—”
“What’s wrong with you, you stupid pony?!” I shouted.
Dust’s eyes widened. “Woah! Woah! Take it easy on the language, kid. I didn’t mean...”
“Shut up, you idiot! You could’ve killed us, and you act like it’s no big deal! How the Wonderbolts could ever accept a reckless freak like you into the academy is beyond me! I have a good mind to—”
“Spike, relax!” Twilight quickly interrupted. “What she did was terrible, I’m sure. But there’s no need to lash out on her.”
“Oh, yes there is,” I retorted. “If this is how they allow ponies to become Wonderbolts, then I don’t see how Rainbow Dash would want to join them so much.”
Rainbow looked at her pin strapped to her jacket.
“Spike, darling,” Rarity said, “how could you say that? In front of Rainbow Dash, no less? You know how she is about Wonderbolts, and regardless of what happened, you shouldn’t speak so disrespectfully about...”
“Excuse me,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew off. “There’s something I need to do...”
A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash returned with her saddle bags. She told us that she decided to quit the Wonderbolts.
“You did what?!” Applejack gasped.
“But being a Wonderbolt was your dream!” Rarity said.
“Not anymore,” Rainbow sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Rainbow!” I said as I put a hand on her back. “I-I didn’t mean to crush your dreams like that. I just wanted Dust to know how...”
“It’s okay, Spike,” Rainbow said.
We all shared a group hug.
“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire called out. “How dare you storm out of my office without giving me a chance to respond!”
The scene played out like in the show. Spitfire explained to Rainbow Dash that while the Wonderbolts were looking for the best fliers, it shouldn’t come at the expense of others. She decided that Dash was better as a lead pony than a wingpony. She tore the pin off Dust’s jacket and gave it to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was clearly excited to be accepted back in the academy.
“Now get out there and give me twenty!” Spitfire commanded.
“Yes ma’am!” Dash saluted, took off her saddlebags, and flew off with the others.
I was a bit relieved. Part of me thought with my rant to Lighting, Rainbow would quit the Wonderbolts permanently. I didn’t know what might’ve happened if she did. At least it was satisfying to let it all out on Dust.
“Wait! You didn't even get to open your care package!” Pinkie called out to Rainbow.
“Give it time, Pinkie,” I said.