//------------------------------// // Shining Rainboom // Story: One Wish // by Scribblestick //------------------------------// Cloudwing's hot air balloon arrived bright and early from Cloudsdale. The filly's eyes were wide with wonder as she stepped out of the basket and onto the runway. A few Wonderbolt squadrons were practicing at a distance, careful that their exercises didn't disturb the young pegasus's visit. Her parents followed her out of the balloon. Fluttershy was the first to greet them, as planned. Winter Gust stood beside her. “Welcome to the Wonderbolts Academy,” she said with a smile. She hoped it didn't look too strained. “How was the trip from Cloudsdale?” “Smooth sailing,” Cloudwing's father answered. “We can't thank you enough for this. Little Cloudwing's been bouncing off the walls since she heard the news.” Fluttershy's smile twitched, but she otherwise retained her composure. “I'm sure you have,” she said to the little brown filly. Cloudwing beamed up at her. The filly didn't seem to notice the metal braces running along her wings as she fluttered into the air. “I can't wait! Where's Rainbow Dash?” “She'll be along soon,” said Winter Gust. Fluttershy completed a few quick breathing exercises to steady her nerves. “For now, how about a tour of the Academy? Rainbow Dash gave you permission to look at her trophies.” Couldwing squealed with glee as she followed Winter Gust and his entourage toward the building. Fluttershy let out a long breath. So far, so good. “Thank you,” Cloudwing's mother said softly. “This means so much to her.” Fluttershy gulped. It had been decided that she should break the news to her parents first, so they could help when the time came to tell Cloudwing. She had grown comfortable discussing business plans and grants, but this was something else entirely, and she had to fight to keep her natural timidity from overwhelming her. “I know it does,” she said once Cloudwing was comfortably out of earshot. “I'm so happy for you all. There's... a problem, though.” In her pause, the parents' smiles fell, and her heart sank with them. “I'm afraid Rainbow Dash won't be able to perform the Sonic Rainboom after all. Everything looked to be on track, but...” Her voice lost its strength as Cloudwing's parents frowned at each other. “Is there any chance of rescheduling?” the father asked. Fluttershy shook her head. “I'm so sorry. I know she has her heart set on a Rainboom, but I'm afraid I just won't be able to deliver on that promise.” A trio of pegasi landed nearby. Fluttershy recognized them as the squad Rainbow Dash had been training. “Morning,” the biggest one said. “You must be Cloudwing's parents. We've been excited for your visit.” “Is it true?” the mother asked. “About the Rainboom?” The three Wonderbolts exchanged glances. “I'm afraid coach—Rainbow Dash, that is—won't be performing a Sonic Rainboom today, but don't let that get your hopes down,” said the mare with a smile. “We've been working on something special for Cloudwing. I think it'll do the trick.” Cloudwing's parents looked at the Wonderbolts, then at each other. Fluttershy held her breath. “Well, it's not exactly what she asked for,” the mother said at last, “but I know you wouldn't have asked us to come here without a plan.” They smiled. The tension Fluttershy had carried all morning finally melted away. “As long as she's happy, that's all that matters.” Rainbow Dash paced nervously in her office, which was hard because she didn't have a lot of extra room. She'd seen the balloon land from her window and watched Cloudwing come her way. Take it easy. You got this. She heard hoofbeats coming down the hall. She took a deep breath. Winter Gust was pointing out some of the banners celebrating the Wonderbolts' many achievements. She took another look at her own trophy case, wondering for an instant if there was one she'd forgotten to polish. Nothing you can do about it now. Just have to roll with it. The hoofbeats stopped outside her door. “This is Rainbow Dash's office,” Winter Gust's voice said from outside. “She's our head coach, you know. A lot of our best fliers owe her their thanks for their success.” The door swung open. Cloudwing's mouth fell open when she saw Rainbow Dash standing there in her flight suit. “Hey, kid,” she said. “Heard you were coming to see me.” Cloudwing squealed and rushed into the room, stopping just short of ramming into Dash's side. “I can't believe it! It's really you!” She looked up at Dash with a beaming smile that Dash tried to return. “Is it true? Are you going to do a Sonic Rainboom?” “Slow down there, kid,” Dash said with a laugh. “How about you look at my trophies?” Cloudwing walked over to the display, eyes wide. “There's so many,” she said. “Did you really win all of these?” “Win, earn, same thing,” Dash answered. “Here's the one from when I won the Best Young Flyers competition. You won that yourself, didn't you?” “Yeah.” Dash noted the way her smile drooped when she answered. “Yeah, I did. That was a lot of fun.” “I'm glad to hear it,” Dash said. “And look at this one. That's the first one I got from the Equestrian Grand Prix.” Cloudwing's excitement had tapered, but her spirits were still high. “What about that one?” “Oh, that's a medal of honor for saving Equestria from...” She had to pause to read the inscription. “Oh, yeah. That was when King Sombra attacked the Crystal Empire.” She double-checked the date. “The first time. Man, that was a crazy adventure.” Cloudwing looked up at her. “Which one's your favorite?” “My favorite?” Dash thought about it for a moment, scanning the shelves. “Hmmm. I think it's that one, right there.” Cloudwing peered at the marks etched in the plaque. “Equestrian Athletics Hall of Fame,” she read. “Oh! When you were named one of the all-time greatest athletes of Equestria.” “Take another look, kid,” Dash said. Cloudwing obeyed. “Being named an all-time great athlete was awesome, but that one's for something different.” “Liftetime Coaching Achievement Award,” Cloudwing read. “What's that?” “It's for being an awesome coach.” Cloudwing stared at the plaque. “Huh.” “Something wrong?” “I just... I thought you'd pick one you got for, like, actually flying, or something.” “Now, Cloudwing,” her father started to say, but Rainbow Dash held up a hoof and smiled. “A long time ago, I definitely would have,” she told the filly, “but when you get as old as me, you start to enjoy other things, too.” “Like coaching?” Cloudwing pondered out loud. “I dunno. Wouldn't you rather be doing the stunts?” “Sometimes,” Dash admitted. “Here, let's go outside. I want to show you something.” Cloudwing's mouth opened in a wide grin. She looked at her parents, who watched Dash with some concern. Cloudwing practically hopped down the hall. “You know, when you get older, your body doesn't work as good as it used to,” Dash said as they walked. “Your wings slow down. Your joints don't bend like you want them to. A lot of things are just harder. And when you try to push against those limits, you can really get hurt.” They stepped outside. The day was warming up. The Rainboom Squad stood to the side, waiting for their arrival. In the distance, she saw Twilight landing. “But not you, right?” Cloudwing said. “You're Rainbow Dash. You can do anything.” Rainbow Dash looked down at the filly, her overconfident smile, the trusting spark in her eyes. She sat down and looked the filly head-on. “From the moment Fluttershy told me your wish, I wanted to make it come true for you, more than anything else,” she said. “Maybe more than I've ever wanted anything in my whole life. But wanting something, that's not enough to make it come true. It takes hard work, practice, and above all, guts.” Dash looked out at the training grounds, and the uniformed Wonderbolts running their drills. “I started training the moment I heard your wish. I hoped that with enough determination, I'd be able to get one more Rainboom out of these old wings. But the whole time, I knew there was one thing I couldn't control. Nothing lasts forever. Time goes on. And sometimes, you just run out.” She looked back down at Cloudwing. Her smile was gone, replaced by an inquisitive frown. “I know I don't need to tell you what that feels like,” Dash said. Cloudwing looked at the braces on her wings and nodded. “You're a great flier,” Dash continued. “When I saw you win the Young Flyers Competition, I could tell it's what you loved more than anything else in the world. That's how I feel, too. But...” She took a deep breath. “I'm afraid my time ran out a long time ago. As much as I want to, I just can't do the Sonic Rainboom any more.” Cloudwing looked down and squeezed her eyes shut. Little drops of water slipped out from beneath her eyelids. “It's not fair,” Dash said. “Not to you, or me, or anypony. But I want to tell you something, and I want you to listen.” Cloudwing nodded and looked up at her with watery eyes. “I might not be able to fly like I used to, but that doesn't mean I have to give up flying.” She motioned for the Rainboom Squad to step forward. “I want you to meet Gale, Skypuff, and Stratus.” Cloudwing gave them all a weak smile. “I've been teaching them my tricks, and they have a little show they'd like to do for you. Would that be all right?” Cloudwing nodded. “Yeah. That's okay.” The Rainboom Squad grinned at each other, then prepared to take off. “Watch closely,” Dash told Cloudwing. Then, to her team, she said, “Taking off on three. One, two, three!” The trio launched into the air, sending a gust across the training ground. Dash made sure to brace Cloudwing to keep her from falling. The pegasi soared up high, then looped around, creating a three-leafed clover with their contrails. Next, they twisted around each other in a kind of braid, with barely a trot between them. Cloudwing smiled. “They're good.” “Heh. Just wait. You haven't seen anything yet.” The three performed tight rolls, then shot back into the sky, higher and higher until they were barely specks. “Did I mention I call them the Rainboom Squad?” Dash whispered in her ear. Cloudwing frowned, then gasped, then stared at the distant pegasi with rapt attention. The three specks slowed, then floated in the distant blue, and then dove. Faster and faster they fell. If Dash squinted, she could make out their furiously beating wings, and the Mach cones forming around them. Come on. Push through. You've got this! It happened quickly, one right after the other. Gale's cone burst, sending waves of light flying across the sky. Skypuff followed, riding the wave of Gale's boom directly into her own. Last of all, Stratus's cone exploded, and a third Sonic Rainboom blasted across the training grounds—high enough not to harm the filly who was now grinning from ear to ear. “That was amazing,” she gasped once she'd caught her breath. She looked up at Rainbow Dash with newfound adoration. “You taught them that?” “Sure did. Like I said, you don't have to give up flying just because you can't fly,” Dash said. “You've heard of Princess Twilight, right?” Cloudwing nodded. “A long time ago, she taught me that knowing stuff is just as important as doing stuff. So even though I can't do the tricks any more, I can still share what I know with others. That's why that trophy is my favorite. It's not just about me—it's about how much I've helped others.” Dash looked at her team, expecting them to land nearby. To her surprise, however, all three of them pulled out of their dives and shot into the sky once more. They did a long loop, then flew through a passing cloud and angled themselves straight at Dash and Cloudwing. At the last moment, they flared their wings, coming to a dead stop in the air. Water droplets flew off their feathers and fur, and for an instant, each was surrounded by a halo of multicolored light. Dash gasped. So did Cloudwing. When she found her voice, she whispered. “That's my move.” The Rainboom Squad fluttered themselves to the ground. Cloudwing's shock turned to ecstasy. “That's my move! You did my move!” She turned to her grinning parents. “Did you see that? They did my move!” Skypuff stepped forward. “You might not remember this, but I was one of the judges when you won the Best Young Flyers Competition. That finale always stuck in my mind. When I heard you were coming, we decided we had to do it for you.” Skypuff grinned at the wide-mouthed filly. “We're calling it Cloudwing's Shimmer. That all right with you?” Cloudwing could only nod. “I can't believe it,” she whispered. “The Wonderbolts are doing my moves!” “It's all thanks to you,” Stratus said. “You showed Skypuff how to do it, and she taught it to us.” “We know you've been feeling down,” Gale added, “so we wanted you to know that your moves won't be forgotten. Even if you can't perform like you used to, we'll carry on your legacy.” He looked at Rainbow Dash. “Both your legacies.” Rainbow Dash gave Cloudwing a moment to take it all in. Her parents were crying quietly, grins shining through their tears. Fluttershy wiped her own face as well. Winter Gust gave her a quick salute. Twilight just nodded with a soft smile. Dash felt a pair of limbs wrap around her foreleg. She looked down into Cloudwing's beaming face. “Well, how about it?” Dash asked. “I know it's not what you wanted, but is it a good substitute?” Cloudwing nodded. “Thank you. It's everything I hoped for.”