//------------------------------//
// S1 E16: Sonic Rainboom (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 16 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

In a small clearing not far from the Everfree Forest and Fluttershy's cottage, Rainbow Dash was having a little chat with Fluttershy. More specifically, the brash speedster was "coaching" her fellow pegasus on a matter deemed very important.

Rainbow Dash was now flying back and forth in front of Fluttershy, quizing her friend. "Okay, Fluttershy. Let's run through this one more time," She cleared her throat and asked. "Now, what have we learned?"

Fluttershy had to think for a moment to recall what she'd been told. "Um... let's see... loss of control."

Rainbow nodded. "Good. Good. Keep going."

Fluttershy did so as she added. "Screaming and hollering."

Rainbow smiled. "Yes, and most importantly of all?"

"Passion!" Fluttershy proudly proclaimed!

"Exactly!" Rainbow Dash answered as she flew in front of Fluttershy. "Glad to see you've been paying attention. So, now that you know all the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one. Go ahead, give me your best shot!"

The pegasus with a coat a buttery yellow in color inhaled briefly, before softly shouting. "Yay."

Rainbow groaned and put a hoof to her face. "Ugh! You seriously gonna cheer for me like that?! I know you can do better!" And then she demanded! "Louder."

"Yay." Fluttershy said, only slightly more audibly.

The brash speedster was not satisfied in the slightest by that response. "Louder! I can't hear you!"

"Yay." Fluttershy tried to shout to the best of her ability.

But Rainbow only insisted while yelling at the top of her lungs! "LOUDER!"

So Fluttershy took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then shouted as best she thought she could. "Yay."

Of course, it was still far too soft as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned. In fact, it was such an embarrassing performance that it made her fall over on the ground while groaning. "Ugh..."

Fluttershy blushed. "Too loud?" She asked, apparently unaware of soft her cheers really were.

The rainbow maned pegasus just put a hoof to her face. "Oh, I give up!" She decided it was no use trying to get Fluttershy to raise her volume to anything above a whisper. So instead, Rainbow decided it best to just carry on with her rehearsal. She knew the upcoming competition she'd been practicing for was drawing near, and she would need to perform at her best if she hoped to win.

What Rainbow could not have anticipated was that the competition would take an unexpected turn, and an outcome no one could've imagined happening would happen.



Rainbow Dash was now perched high above the ground on a cloud, unfurling her wings to either side of her body.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was still cheering to the best of her ability (which was still not very loud).

Undeterred by her friend's inability to cheer properly, the rainbow maned pegasus mare sighed and took a deep breath. She had more important things to worry about. "I can do this," She said outloud, mentally preparing herself. "No time like the present: Time to start with phase one!" Phase one consisted of her weaving back and forth along a series of trees like they were columns.

Fluttershy cheered her friend and fellow pegasus on as she watched the speedster perform the routine effortlessly. "Woohoo." She called.

Rainbow just kept on flying, stoping only for a brief second to turn around and position herself properly. "Now for phase two." Phase two involved flying around and sheering off parts of a cloud to mold it into a beautiful object.

Fluttershy briefly became dizzy watching the display, yet she quickly recovered and cheered. "Way to go, Rainbow."

The brash speedster, meanwhile, was just preparing herself for the grand finale and the part of her routine she knew would give her the most trouble. "Here we go. Phase three. The sonic rainboom. I can do this!" She said to herself. Then she began to gather speed, grunting as a cone of energy began to surround her. She pushed harder, and harder, then harder still! Her body began to scream at her to stop, the forces she was generating were too intense!

Fluttershy watched anxiously! She knew her friend had come close to pulling off this impossible move several times before, but had never once succeeded. "Come on, Rainbow!" She thought to herself!

Rainbow Dash had tears in her eyes as her mouth was forced into a most uncomfortable smile by the g-forces! She was so close, she could feel it! Alas, it was too much for her body to take. Just as the brash speedster felt certain she was going to pull it off, she found herself slowing to a sudden halt. That wasn't good! "Uh-oh!" Was all she had time to say, before the resulting forces she had accumilated snapped and flung her backwards across the sky!





Across town, at the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle was unaware of what was transpiring miles away. She was busy using her horn to put a book back atop one of the library's many shelfs. Once done, she wiped the sweat from her brows. "There we go, last one," She said with a sigh, then turned to her three non-pegasus friends who had all gathered here at her request. "Thank you so much for helping me clean up all these books, girls," She sincerely praised them. "Trust me, it was a crazy weekend of studying," She even rolled her eyes in an erratic fashion to emphasize her point. "I would've asked Spike to help, but he's away in Canterlot."

Applejack just smiled. "Our pleasure, sugarcube. What are friends for?"

Then, without warning, Rainbow Dash came quite literally crashing in through one of the library's open windows! Before anypony had a chance to react, she collided with her friends! The resulting impact kicking up dust and knocking all the books that had just been reshelfed back onto the library floor.

Luckily, no one had been hurt.

Fluttershy came flying in through the open window a minute later, apparently not noticing the mess Rainbow had generated as she was instead busy cheering to the best of her ability. "Rainbow Dash, you rock! Woohoo," But then she happened to finally lay eyes upon the mess of books on the floor as her friends were all busy picking themselves up. "Oh my!" She gasped and blushed. "Did my cheering do that? I didn't think I was that loud."

Rainbow Dash, for her part, just nervously laughed and tried her best not to look guilty. "Sorry about that, girls," She sincerely apologized. "Guess I overdid it a little," Then she turned to Fluttershy. "But that was a truly feeable performance."

Fluttershy sympatheically remarked. "Oh come now, Rainbow, it wasn't all bad. Really. You were doing so well. I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin. I know I could never do something like that."

The brash speedster shook her head from side to side and pointed a hoof. "I'm not talking about my performance, Fluttershy, I'm talking about yours. Your cheering. It's so... so... feeble! I deserve better!"

Twilight glanced towards the two pegasi and inquired. "What are you two arguing about now? I thought you got along."

The animal loving pegasus immediately looked guilty as she apologized. "Oh, were we arguing? I'm sorry. We didn't mean to cause a fuss."

But Rainbow played it off. "There's no need to apologize, Fluttershy. I guess it's silly of me to expect you to be good on cheering, especially when I just started teaching you how to do it today," Then she let out a sigh as she turned to the four other mares in her presence. "I really wish all of you could come to Cloudsdale and see me compete in the Best Young Flyers Competition."

"What's that?" Twilight questioned.

Pinkie Pie was more than happy to explain while she zoomed about the library in a rather clumsy fashion. "It's where all the greatest pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles to see who's the best. Some are fast, and some are graceful." But then she misjudged her step, lost her balance and tumbled backward into the pile of books.

"Yeah, what Pinkie said," The brash speedster confirmed with a nod. "Of course, that's only because she heard about it from me. But I've made it no secret that I've longed to be in that competition, to strut my stuff on Cloudsdale's best stage. It's been a dream of mine almost as long as my dream of joining the Wonderbolts," She dreamily sighed. "I even heard they'll be on hoof this year as celebrity judges, along with none other than Princess Celestia herself. And now, finally, my years of training are going to pay off! I'm finally ready to get out there and show them all what I can do!"

"I'd sure love to see ya strut your stuff in that there competition, Rainbow," Applejack commented afterwards. "I've seen for myself how good of an athlete you can be."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I really wish you could be there. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational," Then she frowned. "But you can't. Only pegasus ponies can get to Cloudsdale. Well, except for Princess Celestia, but that's because she has the wings of a pegasus. And even then, you have to be able to fly or have some other way to get up there."

Pinkie Pie excitedly chirped as her eyes filled with wonder! "Ooh! I'd love to see you pull off a sonic rainboom! It's like, the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean come on! It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?! I'll bet it'll be even more spectacular than strange rainbow I saw once when I was a filly."

"Uh, what exactly's a sonic rainboom?" Twilight pondered. "I've never heard of it before."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh Twilight, you really need to get out more. You can't learn everything from books. Some things can't be explained in words. Some things you just have to experience for yourself."

And Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "Well, if there's anypony who can explain it, it's probably me. After all, I did pull it off once, long ago," She put a hoof to her chin. "How can I explain it? It's basically like this, try to picture it in your mind if you can," She shut her eyes, recalling a vague memory from long ago. "If a pegasus like me goes fast enough, we can break the sound barrier in more ways than one. And then boom! All that energy gets released all at once: A sonic boom and a rainbow happen at the same time! You go so fast you barely even have time to think, let alone react."

Applejack chuckled as she told Twilight. "And Rainbow Dash here is the only pony who's ever pulled it off. Ask any other pegasus though, and they'll all tell ya there's no such thing. But if you ask me, I think they're just jealous. Anypony who can make the impossible possible, well now how do you expect to compete against that? You really can't."

Rainbow nodded. "My thoughts exactly," Then she massaged the back of her neck with a hoof. "But the thing is, since I only did it once when I was a filly and haven't done it since, it's kind of hard for me to pull it off again. I mean, I've been trying. But as they say: Canterlot wasn't built in a day."

"But you're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie asked in a hopeful tone of voice. "That's your ace up your sleeve, your trump card, whatever you wanna call it! If you can pull that off, you're sure to leave everypony else in the dust!"

The brash speedster pegasus mare chuckled as she boasted. "You're darn right I will! I've been practicing, and I'm pretty sure I'm close to pulling it off again. And when I do, it'll be so easy I'll wonder why I wasn't doing it in my sleep all the time!" And then she gazed longily out of the window as she added. "Did I mention that the grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts? A whole day of flying with my lifelong heroes, my idols, my inspiration. They're Cloudsdale's finest, and for a good reason," She excitedly exclaimed! "Oh, getting to hang out with them would be a dream come true!"

Fluttershy nodded. "I'm sure it will be. And with my cheering, you're guaranteed to win," Then she cheered again to the best of her ability. "Yay."

With that, Rainbow turned her back to the others as she insisted with a sassy look and a confident grin. "Well, I'm gonna go rest up, now. Don't wanna over prepare myself, y'know," Before leaving, however, she pointed a hoof to Fluttershy and told her. "You, on the other hoof, might wanna work on your cheering some more. It's not gonna cut it if I can't hear you over the roar of the crowd! My cheering should match my spectacular performance!" Then she unfolded her wings and took off, leaving through the same window she had flown through earlier.

Fluttershy watched her fellow pegasus fly away, and once certain Rainbow was out of hearing range she looked back to the others and confessed in a nervous tone of voice. "I don't know, girls. She's practiced that move a hundred times already, and she's never even come close to doing it. I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her. Oh, I wish I could believe she'll pull it off at the competition, but I don't know. I really don't know." Then she too departed.





Once both pegasi had left, Twilight unhappily sighed and groaned as she had to resist the urge not to curse under her breath. "Well, guess we'd better get this mess cleaned up, again." She lamented.

Rarity, however, seemed to have more imminent and important concerns on her mind. Without saying a word she swung her tail round and pushed Twilight into a pile of books, catching the studious unicorn off-guard. All Rarity had to say in reply was. "Go on. What are you waiting for?"

Twilight poked her head up from the pile of books and blinked slowly in confusion. "Waiting for what?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Get to work on finding a spell that'll get us non-pegasi into Cloudsdale! I know you can find one, you can find a spell for anything. And I've never seen anypony with the raw magical power you have."

"But what do we need a cloudwalking spell for?" Twilight pondered.

The fashionista snorted. "Isn't it obvious? I didn't think I had to say it out, but apparently I do. You saw how nervous Rainbow Dash was just then."

Applejack was hardly convinced of such an argument. "Nervous? You need to get your eyes checked or somethin', Rarity? Rainbow was tootin' her own horn louder than the brass section of a marchin' band! She seemed pretty confident to me."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh, Applejack, I thought you of all ponies could spot a lie as obvious as Rainbow Dash's when you see it. I guess she's just that good at fooling you," She sighed and explained. "Trust me, I know stage fright when I see it. Rainbow can put on a pretty good mask of confidence, but her tone of voice made it perfectly clear how nervous she really is. We simply must find a way to be there for her, no amount of cheering from Fluttershy will be enough to make up for our absence. We owe it to our friend to be there for her in a time of need," And then she demanded of Twilight. "So go on, Twilight. Find something we can use to get into Cloudsdale! And be quick about it!"

The book loving unicorn groaned and had to resist the urge to frown. "Well maybe I'd have an easier time looking if this place wasn't buried in books! I had everything perfectly organized, and then Rainbow Dash had to come in and mess it all up. So how about you help me put things back where they belong instead of just telling me what to do? I'll never find a cloud walking spell in this mess."

But Pinkie Pie simply replied. "Oh, a flight spell? No problem!" She zipped over to a pile at the other end of the library, stuck her head into the thick of it, and pulled out a dark blue book that she promptly pushed over to Twilight with her nose. "Page twenty-seven, you can thank me later."

Applejack and Rarity were rendered briefly speechless by the display they'd just seen. Applejack even saw fit to ask her fellow earth pony. "How'd you do that, sugarcube?"

Pinkie giggled and swished her tail in chilidsh fashion as she gave a knowing wink. "It landed on my face when Rainbow Dash knocked me into the bookcase. Twilight and Rarity talking about spells reminded me of it."

Twilight used her magic to open up the book and turn to the page Pinkie had specified. Sure enough, she saw a picture and some words that looked promising. "Aha, here we go!" She exclaimed. "A spell that allowes non-pegasi to fly for three days," But upon closer examination she frowned. "Ooh, I don't know! This looks really complicated. I'm not sure I could pull something like this off."

"You've got to try, for Rainbow's sake!" Rarity pleaded.

Twilight shook her head from side to side. "Sorry, but I'm not risking anypony's safety over a spell I just discovered. If it fails prematurely, that could cause lots of problems. Besides, it looks like it would take everything I've got just to do it once," She closed the book and tossed it aside. "I'll have to set it aside for further study. Now help me look for something that'll work for all of us."

The fashionista unicorn humphed as she just used her magic to bring the discarded book close to her. "Well, why don't I take a look at it?!" She firmly insisted. "I may not be as magically talented as you are, Twilight. But I am a unicorn."

"Be my guest, study it to your heart's content. Just please don't do anything drastic!" Twilight pleaded, before going back to searching for another spell.





The day of the competition had arrived. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were now flying into Cloudsdale, both of them fully anticipating what was to come and what it would mean.

If Rainbow was at all worried about her inability to pull off a sonic rainboom, she didn't show it outwardly as she instead looked across to Fluttershy and told her fellow pegasus. "Fluttershy, listen, you've got to learn to be assertive. And not just when you're cheering. Speak up!"

The animal loving pegasus forced back a gulp. "I'll try, Rainbow."

The rainbow maned pegasus mare breathed a small sigh of relief. "Guess that's about as good as I can ask for," Then her eyes fell upon a trio of very familiar looking pegasus stallions. "Oh great, look what the cat dragged in." She muttered and cursed under her breath.

From left to right, the three pegasi consisted of: A stallion with a light brown coat, a grayish-brown mane and tail with the mane being unstyled and the tail having straight locks, brilliant sea green eyes and a cutie mark depicting three basketballs. A stallion with a dark-grayish brown coat, dark blue eyes, a light grayish-brown mane and tail in a shaggy style and a cutie mark depicting a dumb-bell. And a stallion with a persian bluish-gray coat, a dull shaded reddish-brown mane and tail (the mane obscured his eyes), and a cutie mark depicting three hoofballs.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew at once who these stallions were. They'd interacted with them as children: The stallions were none other than Hoops, Dumb-Bell and Score. And just by looking at them, it was clear they were not here for pleasentries.

"Well, well, well," Dumb-Bell chuckled. "What do we have here?"

Hoops snickered as he chimed in. "It's our old pal from flight school: Rainbow Crash!"

Rainbow bristled and snorted as she tried her best not to look intimidated. "Come on, you know my name's Dash. Or did you forget the time I whooped your sorry flanks in flight school?"

Score just snorted back. "That was then and this is now."

Dumb-Bell then promptly asked. "So, what's new with you, eh Crash? Get kicked out of any flight schools lately?" And he and the other two stallions laughed and laughed.

The rainbow maned mare was quick to retort. "I didn't get kicked out. I simply decided I had better things to do with my life."

Dumb-Bell just laughed harder as he got up in Rainbow's face. "Oh please, just admit it, Crash!" The last part of the sentence was practically dripping with venom. "Flight school had too many rules, and not enough naptimes for you. No wonder you're stuck on the weather team instead of working at the factory like us."

"At least I actually have some time off. Time I've spent on far better things, like being a hero!" Rainbow boasted.

"You? A hero? As if!" Hoops coldly retorted. "You think you're special just because Princess Celestia says you defeated some old mare's tail? You're still stuck on weather duty last time I checked. Oh, and we can't forget about that sonic rainboom. Still chasing after that old mare's tail?"

Dumb-Bell narrowed his eyes as he told Rainbow. "You don't have the skills to pull off something like that! And I don't care what you say about flight school! I saw nothing, you just won because you played dirty and pushed me!"

Fluttershy had heard enough. Something inside of her snapped as she narrowed her own eyes and glared at the bullies, angrily scolding them. "Now wait just a minute, Dumb-Bell!" But then her confidence seemed to leave her as she sheepishly added. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to come off so forceful there. I'm trying to be more assertive," She tried to recover to the best of her ability as she cleared her throat. "Anyhow... Rainbow is going to do a sonic rainboom!"

Dumb-Bell only retorted. "No she's not, 'cause there's no such thing!"

The pegasus mare with a beautiful yellow coat then suggested. "Then show up at the Cloudeseum and see for yourselves!" Before she blushed and added. "...If you're free, that is."

Dumb-Bell nodded. "As a matter of fact, I'm not just free, I'm going to be competing in that Best Young Flyers Competition. I was about to tell old Crash here that, before a certain somepony interrupted me," He snorted and swished his tail. "Can't wait to see you go down in flames, Crash! You got lucky at flight school, but luck won't save you this time. At least Mommy and Daddy won't be there to see you fail!" And as he laughed in his throat, he along with Hoops and Score flew away.





Rainbow's earlier projection of confidence immediately left her once the trio of bullies had disappeared. "Just great, now I have to compete against one of them!" She gulped. "Oh, those guys are right, I'll never be able to do a sonic rainboom! And without it, there's no way I can win!"

Fluttershy, however, tried to reassure her friend. "Oh come now, Rainbow Dash. There's no need to be hard on yourself. Just because you've failed the sonic rainboom a hundred thousand times in practice doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in front of an entire stadium, full of impatient, super-critical sportsfan ponies." She didn't seem to realize how little her attempt at a "pep talk" was actually helping.

Indeed, Rainbow Dash began to hang her head as a thousand horrible scenarios began flashing through her mind, playing over and over again like a broken record. "What was I thinking?! I should've just backed out while I had the chance! Everypony's sure to see me fail now! The Wonderbolts will never want me on the team, they'll never let a loser like me join! And worst of all," She gulped and swallowed hard as she started to break out into a cold sweat. "Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest because I'll be such a disgrace!" She buried her head in her hooves as she loudly wailed! "My life is ruined! RUINED!"

Fluttershy was about to say something to try to cheer her friend up, when her wandering eyes happened to spot a sight she had not been expecting to see. Her mouth hung open as the pegasus pony found herself at a loss for words.

Only once she was done feeling sorry for herself did the brash speedster think to take her head out of her hooves, and in doing so she saw the utterly shocked and speechless look frozen firmly on her friend's face. "What?" She questioned, hoping to get some kind of response.

"B-behind you..." Was all the animal loving pegasus could bring herself to say.

Slowly but surely, Rainbow did as instructed. And when she did her modest violet could hardly believe the sight she was seeing!

There were Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie all walking directly towards her. And none of them had wings or any other means of flight attached to their bodies. Heck, Pinkie Pie was bouncing from cloud to cloud without a care or concern in the world.

Rarity was the first to greet the two pegasi when the group came close. "Hello there, darlings," She cheerfully greeted with a sincere smile. "Surprised to see us?"

Rainbow found herself unable to think of what to say. "But... how... I mean... why... I mean..."

Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted. "Aw come on, Dashie. Isn't it obvious? Twilight over here made it all possible!"

Twilight nodded and happily confirmed. "I found a spell that lets non-pegasus ponies walk on clouds. Figured it would be less taxing than a spell that could give non-pegasus ponies wings."

Rarity then commented with amazement. "So this is the lovely city of Cloudsdale?" Her eyes scanned every inch of her surroundings, taking in the magnificent structures perched atop the clouds, including the abundent use of marble white pillars. "My word, it is absolutely gorgeous!"

"Well don't forget the reason why we're here," Applejack pointed out to Rarity. "We're here to cheer on Rainbow Dash together."

Rainbow Dash smiled as she confidently proclaimed. "To be honest, I was starting to get just the teeniest, tiniest bit nervous. But I feel a lot better now that you guys are here," Then she had an idea. "Hey, I've got some time before I need to get ready for the competition. And it's not everyday you get to visit Cloudsdale. Why don't I show you girls around?"

Rarity happily nodded. "That would be lovely, Rainbow Dash! Please lead the way!"





The presence of so many non-pegasus ponies in Cloudsdale attracted quite the throng as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy led their friends on a quick tour of Cloudsdale. Pegasi of all ages could be heard chattering and whispering amongst themselves. Some even started taking pictures.

"Oh, this is simply wonderful!" Rarity happily exclaimed as she basked in the crowd's adoration. "Forget Canterlot! I'm starting to think Cloudsdale is the jewel in the crown of Equestria! Oh, I should start coming up here more often! Maybe I could even open another boutique here?"

Twilight groaned and audibly whispered in a strained tone of voice. "Rarity, we're here for Rainbow Dash! This isn't the time to be showing off!"

Rarity waved a hoof and dismissed her fellow unicorn's concerns. "Oh, relax, Twilight. If it helps takes the pressure off Rainbow Dash, why shouldn't I enjoy myself? This cloud walking spell of yours is working like a charm! Now if only I had more time to work on that wing spell. I'm quite curious to see what it could do!"

Applejack rolled her eyes at the display. "I'd tell ya to get your head out of the clouds, but seein' as we're walkin' on 'em I reckon there's no point," She then commented. "Me personally, I think I prefer my hooves on solid ground."

Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, continued to happily bounce along as she commented. "Aw come on, this is so much fun! Walking on these clouds is like walking on cotton candy! It's just too bad they don't taste like cotton candy! I've always felt like I'd be right at home as a pegasus," And she added. "You don't know how lucky you and Fluttershy are, Rainbow Dash. You get to come to this city whenever you want."

Fluttershy nodded back. "It is pretty nice. But I'll always be a Ponyville pony at heart. Ponyville's nice and quiet, most of the time."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Even a pony like me appreciates some peace and quiet when she's trying to get some rest," Then she got an idea. "Hey, while we're here, why don't I show you all where the weather's made?"

"What a great idea!" Twilight suggested. "I've always been curious to see what the weather factory's actually like!"

So it was that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took their friends on a tour of the weather factory, leading them through room after room as they showed off the various places responsible for things like snowflakes, rain, and even rainbows. The rainbow room stood out in particular for the fact that it had liquid puddles of rainbow all over the place.

Pinkie Pie, being a curious pony, dipped her hoof into one of the rainbow puddles and licked the concentration. Without warning, her taste buds were assaulted by a strong barrage of intense color and flavor! "Spicyyyyyy!" She whimpered.

Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, rainbows aren't exactly known for their flavor."

Just then, who should show up but Dumb-Bell? He was now clad in a white worker's jacket and matching hard hat. "Oh, hey, look, it's Rainbow Crash and her friends!" He greeted in a mocking tone of voice. "Did you all come here to cheer her on? Well I wouldn't waste my time if I were you! You're looking at the best flyer Cloudsdale's ever produced! I'm guaranteed to win the Best Young Flyers Competition."

"So you say, but I reckon RD here could beat you any day!" Applejack declared with narrowed eyes. "You talk a big game, but you should know that it takes more than talk to win."

Dumb-Bell just humped, swishing his tail. "Whatever. If Rainbow tells you she beat me in flight school, she's lying! There's no way a drop out like her could beat a champ like me! If she were smart, which she's not, she'd quit now and save herself the embarrassment of losing in public!" Then he trotted off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get ready for the big event." And after unfolding his wings, he flew off.

Twilight was the only one to take notice of how visibly shaken Rainbow Dash appeared to be. And to the pegasus she inquired. "Rainbow Dash, are you okay? You don't look so good. Don't let what that guy said get to you, he's just trying to get under your fur."

The brash speedster could only shake her head from side to side. "No, Twilight, he's right. He actually made it out of flight school, I didn't. And if I can't pull off a sonic rainboom, there's no hope for me. Nothing I do will be a match for him. I was hoping I wouldn't have to face him. But now that I do, my chances of winning have gone right out the window! Sorry, but it looks like you and the girls came all this way for nothing."

"Rainbow." Twilight sighed, but couldn't think of anything else to say.





A short time later, everypony gathered inside of the Cloudeseum for the Best Young Flyers Competition. Many ponies had taken their seats atop clouds positioned in rows directly above each other. At the other end of the stadium was a curtain, and behind it was a place for all the contestants to stay until it was their time to perform.

All of Rainbow Dash's friends had found a suitable location, and Pinkie Pie was holding up a strange, giant foam object with the number one on it. The whole thing was colored a light yellow.

Soon, a pegasus stallion with a light purple coat and a white mane and tail in the same whispy style as the clouds rose to speak to the audience. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick, black sunglasses. And he wore a jacket in alternating stripes of black and white. Positioned in his left ear was a device that enabled him to speak and be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" He spoke in a loud, proud and booming tone of voice. "Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved ruler: Princess Celestia!"

All eyes fell upon the mighty alicorn as she appeared on a reserved stand high up in the stadium, to either side of her were positioned two royal guards with their spears at the ready.

Then, with a whoosh and a roar, a trio of pegasi clad in navy blue suits and wearing flight goggles soared overhead. The stallion from before spoke up again. "Please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Wonderbolts!" There was a burst of thunderous applause as the elite flyers took up their seats a ways back from the center of the stadium, making it easy for them to see each performance.

It was time for the competition to begin.

Backstage, a pegasus mare with a poofy orange mane and similarly colored tail styled straight began speaking up. She had a brownish-yellow coat, green eyes, purple glasses, and she wore a light pink jacket with white trim on the collar. "Okay, contestant number one, you're up." She instructed. Each flyer taking part in the competition had been assigned a number, said number was on a strip of paper attached to their flanks.

Rainbow Dash was horrified when she saw that she had the number two on her flanks, meaning she would be next! She was in no mood to go out and compete!

The coordinator pegasus didn't care. She was just impatiently barking out. "Okay, number two, let's go. Get a move on, will ya? We ain't got all day!"

Thinking fast, Rainbow swaped her number with that of a competitor, a light brown coated pegasus stallion with a chestnut brown mane and tail. She then nudged the stallion as she told him. "Hey, she's talking to you!"

"Oh, sorry." The stallion sheepishly apologized and took to the air.

The brash speedster breathed a small sigh of relief. Yet she knew that even if she kept swapping numbers when the other contestants weren't looking, she'd eventually run out of numbers and would have to go on. And that did nothing to calm her nerves. Going out on stage was the last thing she wanted to do right now!





As the competition began winding down, Fluttershy and the non-pegasus ponies began chatting amongst themselves about who they regarded as their favorite competitor.

"I loved number seven," Twilight happily proclaimed. "Doing fifteen barrel rolls in a row can't be easy. But he made it look like he could've pulled it off in his sleep."

"Well my favorite is number ten," Fluttershy willingly confessed. "She just seemed like such a nice pony. So gentle and graceful, like me."

But Applejack couldn't help but speak up about something she'd found hard not to notice. She even put a hoof to her chin. "Hmm... Wonder how come we haven't seen Rainbow Dash show up yet. The competition's nearly over."

"I told you she was having stage fright." Rarity humphed in a matter of fact tone of voice, all the while she seemed to be concentrating on something other than the competition.

Twilight frowned when she noticed Rarity's behavior. "Rarity, I told you that spell was too dangerous! It's too much magic! The cloud walking spell works just fine!" But Rarity didn't respond with an answer.

Meanwhile, backstage Rainbow Dash was shaking and shuddering with fright She couldn't bring herself to move, even though by now there was nopony left to swap numbers with to get out of having to perform.

The pegasus mare from earlier had by now lost all patience, she was poking and proding at Rainbow with a hoof to try to get her to move. "Number fifteen, let's go! I told you, we don't have all day!"

Just then, out trotted Dumb Bell, swelling with confidence as his mane and tail seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Ah, forget about her, she doesn't have what it takes and she knows it," He boasted. "She's just a little fish in a big pond."

Dumb Bell's comments stirred something deep inside the brash speedster, enough to make her momentarily forget about her stage fright. She stood up and locked eyes with the stallion, glaring harshly at him. "You think I'm scared?! Find out how wrong you are!"

The other pegasus mare could only sigh. "Look, I don't know what to tell you two, we've only got enough time for one more performance thanks to a certain somepony," It was clear who she refering to, but neither competitor said a word as she just explained. "So if you're both looking to compete, you'll just have to go out together!"

"Fine by me!" Dumb Bell insisted, and then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Best of luck, Crash! You're gonna need it!"

Rainbow was too intimidated by stage fright to think of a good reply. She just swallowed hard and tried not to let her nervousness show through outwardly, all the while she flew out after Dumb Bell as the two pegasi exited the curtain, much to the surpise of everyone.

"Sorry they couldn't play your rock 'n roll," Dumb Bell taunted as the music started to play, sounding strangely calm. "Still think you can take me?! If you want to just run away like a coward, now's your last chance." Then without bothering to wait for a reply, he flapped his wings and started his performance. He flew around the entire arena with ease and with grace, every move he made projected the utmost confidence in himself.

Realizing she was sure to lose if she just stood there, Rainbow did her best to concentrate and gather her thoughts. "Just gotta clear my mind and focus. I can do this!" She said, trying to sound more confident than she actually was. Then she launched into the routine she'd been practicing specifically for this competition. "Phase one." She proceeded to weave back and forth along the cloud columns set up for her. Unfortunately, she misjudged her position relative to one of the columns about midway through, bounced off of it and smacked into the side wall by the stands.

Hoops (who was sitting next to Score) looked down and laughed at the display he'd just witnessed. "Hah, nice one, Crash!" And he and Score snickered to each other.

The brash speedster recovered as best she could, deciding to move on to the next phase. "Okay, I can still recover. Time for phase two." She zoomed up and started working her magic on some clouds, sheering off the tops of them and molding them into all sorts of shapes.

"Look!" Fluttershy shouted to her friends and gestured a hoof. "Phase two is working. I think she's gonna pull this out of the bag."

Yet just seconds after Fluttershy had said that, Rainbow Dash lost control of one of the clouds she'd been working with! It zipped away from her, flew across the stands and almost impacted Princess Celestia (who just barely thought to duck out of its way).





So it was that Rainbow was left with only one possible way to salvage her performance and even have a chance of winning the competition. And this was the part she'd been dreading. "Looks like this is my last chance to turn things around. Phase three," She gulped." The sonic rainboom. Come on, wings, don't fail me now!" Then, with her wings fiercely flapping she ascended, trying to gain as much altitude as possible in preparation for what she would need to do.

Rarity had seen more than enough, and was convinced there was only one thing to do. Without saying a word, she lit up her horn. There came a bright flash! And then suddenly, ponies gasped audibly as Rarity could now be seen with a pair of beautiful baby blue butterfly wings to either side of her! And she wasn't content to just display them, she actually flapped them and took off from her seat as ponies started whispering and murmuring unto themselves.

"Rarity, get back here!" Twilight furiously demanded as she stood up! "And put those wings away!"

"How can you ask me to put away such beauty?!" Rarity retorted. "Can't you see this is the perfect distraction for Rainbow Dash?" Then she got an idea as she noticed her wings reflecting the sun's rays. Flapping her new wings furiously, she flew higher and higher until she was able to bathe the entire Cloudeseum in light reflected from her wings! "Now's your chance, Rainbow Dash!" She shouted. "Nopony's gonna notice anything you do now!"

Unfortunately, the fashionista's little "display" had an unintended side effect. The glare from the intense light took many ponies by surprise, but none more so than Dumb Bell who screamed as he shut his eyes! "Gah! I can't see!" And because of his momentary blindness, he had no way to know he was fast approaching a side of the Cloudeseum! The stallion bumped into it, and he began to fall at a frightening speed! He tried to flap his wings and stop (or at least slow) his descent, but in his panic-stricken mind he couldn't concentrate on flapping them correctly and they became as useless as wet paper. He flailed his hooves about in helplessness, desperate to grab something, anything to prevent him from impacting the ground!

The Wonderbolts immediately jumped into action! All three of the members who'd been made celebrity judges rose at once from their spot high above the action. They spoke not a word as they all flew down in formation, trying desperately to catch Dumb Bell before he could hit the ground! Unfortunately, they didn't anticipate just how frantic Dumb Bell was or how powerful his flailings hooves were! A single strike stunned all three of them and knocked them out cold, now they too were in need of rescuing!

Rainbow Dash had seen everything, and without hesitation she turned around in mid-air! "Hold on, guys!" She shouted as she dove down after them! "Help is on the way!" The brash speedster proceeded to flap her wings harder and harder, and she flew faster and faster. Her angle of descent became so intense a noticeable cone of energy started to appear around her.

"Oh, I can't look!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she watched the scene unfold! At any moment, she was expecting to hear a horrifying thud sound!

Meanwhile, Rainbow was desperately pushing her body past its limits! "Come on! Gotta beat the clock!" She thought to herself, even as her entire body was screaming at her to stop! She could feel it, she was so close! And then suddenly, a deafening roar split the air as a powerful rainbow shock wave burst outward in all directions! A trail of solid rainbow was left in the pegasus' wake as she flew so fast you could barely see her!

Everypony was shocked and surprised! Rainbow Dash had done the impossible!

Fluttershy, by chance, had opened her eyes upon hearing the roar! And what she saw was enough to make her jump up and down while shouting passionately and loudly at the top of her lungs! "A sonic rainboom! She did it! She actually did it! Woo!"

As for the pegasus pony who had performed such a move, she could hardly believe it herself! In fact, up until she had successfully snatched The Wonderbolts and Dumb Bell in mid-air, she hadn't given much thought at all. When she finally realized what she'd done, however, she could only say. "Wow, I amaze even myself." Then she flew back up, carrying all four pegasi like it was nothing. She didn't stop until the Wonderbolts and Dumb Bell were all helped to safety.

Dumb Bell was most grateful for the last minute rescue. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash." His tone of voice was sincere and full of gratitude.

"Hey, it was no big deal, really." Rainbow insisted even as her tone of voice betrayed her modest intentions.

"Well, not only did you save me, but you also won the Best Young Flyers Competition," Dumb Bell pointed out. "No way anypony can top that!"

The realization slowly sank in for Rainbow Dash. All her hard work had paid off! "Oh yeah, I guess I did that too!" She chuckled as a small golden crown was soon adorned atop her head! "Best day ever!" She proudly proclaimed, basking in the audience's thunderous applause.





A short time later, as Rainbow Dash's friends all gathered to celebrate her victory, a now wingless Rarity profuesly apologized. "I'm terribly sorry about that little... mishap back there," She remarked as she looked down at the clouds in shame. "Although, in my defense, I was merely trying to give you a much needed confidence boost. But I suppose there is such a thing as being too prideful and too vain. I let myself get wrapped up in that silly spell after I realized I could pull it off. I never stopped to consider if maybe I shouldn't use it."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Applejack pointed out. "It happens to the best of us, sugarcube. Nopony got hurt, that's the important part."

Rarity nodded quite slowly. "All the same, I think I'll leave the flying to the pegasi and the spell casting to Twilight. I've most certainly learned my lesson about tinkering with untested spells."

Just then, who should come trotting up but Dumb Bell? And much like Rarity, he seemed to be feeling rather sorry for himself if the slow way he carried himself was any indication. "Hey, Dash," He spoke up, using Rainbow's proper name for once. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you today. And I'm sorry I made you doubt yourself."

Rainbow blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? Even I didn't think I could pull off a sonic rainboom. I was convinced I was just imaging things the one time I thought I did it. I wasn't even thinking about trying to attempt it when I did do it. All I could think about was saving you. Not even a jerk like you deserved to go splat on the ground."

But Dumb Bell shook his head and explained. "You actually did pull off that sonic rainboom as a filly, and you beat the boys and I fair and square," He blushed as he sheepishly confessed. "We just didn't wanna admit we got beat by a filly. But there's no way anypony can deny it now. You truly are the best pony to come out of Cloudsdale since... well... I don't even know when," And he then added. "I hope maybe we can start over. You know, as friends."

The brash speedster was happy to agree. "Sure, I guess," Then she sighed. "I just wish I'd had the chance to meet the Wonderbolts while they were awake. But that'll never happen now," However, she'd no sooner spoken those words than suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around fast, and saw three very familiar looking ponies clad in navy blue flight suits and wearing flight goggles. She was beside herself and at a loss for words! "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! This is happening!"

The orange maned and tailed pegasus in the center spoke up in an obviously female sounding voice. "So you're the little pony who saved our lives. We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks. It's not every day we're the ones who need saving," Then she added. "You've definitely impressed us, Rainbow Dash. I can't make promises, but I think you just might have a chance at joining the team some day."

Dumb-Bell then proposed to Rainbow Dash. "Hey, you think maybe you could teach me how you did that sonic rainboom just then?"

Rainbow chuckled as two of the Wonderbolts approached her. "Sorry," She told Dumb-Bell as she then flew off with her idols. "But I've got plans." After all, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for her. Something she'd been dreaming about for a long time. No way was she going to miss it.