//------------------------------// // 18 - Wonder Trial // Story: LOYALTY // by Crowne Prince //------------------------------// “And they lived happily ever after,” Pinkie Pie finished. She closed the book and the Cake twins watched her with great interest, as if they expected something else to happen besides the anticlimactic ending. All of that reading just for that: happily ever after. Where was the confetti? Pound Cake put his forehoof in his mouth. Rainbow Dash thought from her perch inside one of the library’s upper alcoves that maybe she was reading into the situation a little bit. Happily ever after – plplbeh, what sort of amateur ending is that? Pinkie should read more Daring Do books to these kids. The babysitter scooped up the two foals and tossed them up, catching one in her left saddlebag and the other in her right. The tiny ponies cooed. For some reason kids loved being thrown in the air and caught. Pinkie Pie said to her crew, “So that’s what a library looks like. Now we’re going to go see what an arcade looks like.” She bounced out the door to the foals’ delight. Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head over the ledge. “Lovesick” was what Rarity called it. The Wonderbolt-in-training didn’t want to be sick during the Wonder Trial, but she’d really put her hoof in it this time. It’s not like they’d kissed or anything, but she got the feeling if they’d never danced and smooched instead it would’ve been less... less whatever it was! Instead they’d completely abandoned all sensibility to the music and then at the end they tore their eyes from each other and walked off in opposite directions without a word. This highly unsatisfactory finale left a great deal of unfinished business, and if there’s one thing about unfinished business, it’s that if it doesn’t get finished it causes trouble. Rainbow Dash growled in frustration and knocked a dangling hoof against the library wall. Twilight looked up from her writing. “Fine, I’ll do it now! I can hardly focus with you making all that racket. Have a seat over there and I’ll get my notes on the Everfree Forest out.” Twilight’s quill settled in the inkwell and she went upstairs. Oh yeah, that’s what she was here for. She’d forgotten. Rainbow Dash kept asking herself the same question over and over. Why didn’t she kiss Soarin’? She should’ve done it. Should’ve said to heck with being a Wonderbolt and dove right into the relationship and let her jealousy tear them apart after she didn’t make the cut at the Trial because her priorities were all screwed up. Geeze that’s stupid, Dash. Quit thinking about it already. “Here Rainbow, I got the notes. Aren’t you going to come down, er… are you okay?” “I’m fine! Fine. Never been better,” the lovesick pegasus said while she brought herself down to the floor and plopped onto a cushion. “Ooookay then.” Twilight sat on a cushion opposite Rainbow Dash and lay a journal and a stack of separate paper out. “And you’re obviously not fine, but I won’t pry. I highly recommend talking to Rarity.” The unicorn tried to look endearing with a big grin, but it had no effect on Despondent Dash. Twilight had no choice but to move on to the ultimate cure for anything. “Right. Well, I’m sure a lecture will cheer you up.” She closed her eyes and started reciting. “To begin, Canterlot was not always the Royal City.” ~ ~ ~ If Rainbow Dash didn’t pass the Wonder Trial it would be all his fault. He hated himself right now for that. After all of the training they’d put in, for it to all be ruined… If she felt anything like he did right now, it was going to be hard to achieve the deadly focus needed to succeed in the Trial and win the team’s favor. Soarin’ realized he’d left the floor again. He stopped flapping and landed with a clack on the cloud marble, continuing his brisk trot to the next door. Go see Lightning Streak, was what Rapidfire had said. Soarin’ knocked and was lucky enough to catch the elemental pegasus while he was still in. “Ey Soarin’, didn’t expect to yeh ta drop in. What can oi do for ya?” Lightning Streak’s mane was sticking straight up in a static electricity disaster, but neither Wonderbolt paid any attention to it. There were plenty of unusual things like that around here. “I wanted to see if you’ve ever noticed anything strange about Rainbow Dash,” Soarin’ said. The other stallion took this question seriously, mulling it over with a hoof on his chin and static crackling in his mane. “Can’t say oi have. If it wasn’t you, oi might say her colors are pretty different than yer standard pony – now dun give me that face, mate, oi swear oi haven’t been ogling her… can’t get away with it on that personality type. Actually, now that oi’m thinkin on it, oi remember seeing her before. In a painting at the gallery opening. You were there, remember? Or maybe it was on a window. Anywho, if it’s about art, ya better ask Wave Chill.” “Thanks Lighting Streak.” Soarin’ was going to get to the bottom of this today. “Ya sure you don’t want a different kind of advice? Yer lookin’ kinda down in the dumps Soarin’.” “Maybe later. I’ve got to figure this out first.” Soarin’ started walking away but had a second thought. He looked over his shoulder with a grin. “But if you’re talking about that kind of advice, I can hold my own, thanks.” “Never doubted ya.” Wave Chill wasn’t at the base. It took asking High Winds and Blaze to find out he’d gone on a flight over the mountains. Fortunately, the nice thing about being a pegasus was that you could spot ponies pretty easily if you went up high enough, so Soarin’ located the deep blue pegasus from the sky. “Yo Soarin’! What’s up?” “Lightning Streak said you were the guy to talk to about a painting or possibly a window with a rainbow colored pony on it.” Wave Chill laughed and kicked back while he soared through the air. “That guy’s way out of his depth if he’s trying to talk about art. At least he still knows who’s boss! Rainbow pony, huh? Sure, there’s a painting of Rainbow Dash crashing the Grand Galloping Gala at the Galloping Gallery.” Wave Chill stuck his tongue out after saying that. “It’s probably not on display right now.” Soarin’ felt like he’d hit a dead end. There wasn’t much a painting would tell him about Rainbow Dash that he didn’t already know, plus he’d been there that night. Mostly he remembered getting caught in a stampede and ridden around like a bucking bronco by bunnies, of all things. He had a hard time getting them off. The other skyborne Wonderbolt took Soarin’s silence as an opportunity to keep speaking. “If you’re talking windows, you should check out Canterlot Castle. Some of the hallways’ve got these old school stained glass windows. I’d tell you they were classical era, but Princess Celestia just has them done up to look that way. There’s three or four of them that’re brand new. A lot of history’s been going down in the past few years. Heh heh. Guess it always is, though.” Wave Chill turned around and started to focus on his regular flight pattern again. “Bet Discord ain’t too happy about it – most of those windows used to be dedicated to him. Now it’s all about the Elements of Harmony.” Soarin’ kept listening, not sure what else to do. He started thinking about who he hadn’t talked to yet. Pony Joe was a mutual friend, so maybe he should check the doughnut shop. “You know, one of em looks like a rainbow pony.” Wave Chill stopped, noticing the other set of wingbeats was fading away. “Soarin’? You alright? Oh. Oh Hurricane. Seriously? It’s her? The picture isn’t spot on, you know. There’re a couple other pegasi with rainbow-ish manes that could fit the bill. Sorry dude, I can’t help you there. You better go have a look yourself or hit up Spitfire.” Soarin’ tore all the way back to HQ before his heart could hit the bottom of his stomach. “Spitfire!” “Soarin’ what the hay – what happened?” Spitfire looked up from her book and put her mug down on the kitchen island. She was tense, ready to spring into action if there was another invasion. “Is Rainbow Dash an Element of Harmony?” Spitfire looked into Soarin’s wild eyes for a while. When the silence so loud you could’ve heard a feather fall did not go away, Spitfire said, “She didn’t tell you?” He dropped his head and pressed his muzzle into the cold, hard floor. “Which one.” His voice quavered when he spoke. “You know what, never mind. I… I’ve gotta go think this over.” He left. All this time and she hadn’t said a word about it. After everything they’d been through she still didn’t trust him enough to say something so simple. Maybe she thought he already knew… no, he could think of the times when his ignorance would have been obvious. Of course an Element of Harmony knew what evil was like. He’d asked if she could handle it before he’d told her his cutie mark story. Oh Thunder, she was an Element of Harmony and he’d told her that story. He thought he was training her to be tested, but maybe she was the one testing him. Was she watching him now to make sure he wasn’t evil? Maybe it was part of her duty to see if he was visiting the Everfree Forest alone. Maybe he was only imagining she was interested in him because that’s what he wanted to see. He’d fallen for a hero. All of the pieces fell together and Soarin’s mind couldn’t handle it. The bruises she’d had at the dance. Her fearless attitude toward a story that should’ve been horrifying. The day the Wonderbolts went to Appleloosa in place of the Elements of Harmony; it was the same day she’d been on the trip north. Her ridiculous ability to pick up flight tricks like it was nothing. Thinking she could take on a magical hurricane all by herself. The mares that were her five closest friends. How in the History of Equestria was it even possible for him to have been so blind? Why didn’t she tell him? Why? Why? ~ ~ ~ “…the taint may very well be irreversible, and the Princess–“ Without warning Rainbow Dash got up in the middle of Twilight’s sentence and headed straight for the door flying. “Rainbow! Rainbow, where are you going!” She needed time to think this over. One important thing about extreme emotions was to wait at least a few hours before doing anything about it, or else it created a mess and hurt feelings. Yeah, she was going to have to sleep on this one. Imagine her surprise the next day when Soarin’ sought her out way before scheduled practice time. She couldn’t tell if he was avoiding her gaze, because she was definitely avoiding his. Something was wrong. She felt queasy. All of the other five Elements of Harmony frowned, but the pony with the biggest frown by far was Rarity. Rainbow Dash couldn’t find the stomach to chug the rest of her drink, so she pushed it away, came out from underneath the parasol over the table, and followed Soarin’ into the air. He drew a course towards her house and didn’t look back. They flew in unhappy silence for a few minutes before he said, “Why didn’t you tell me?” “Tell you what?” Wrong answer. Soarin’ peered over his shoulder and she saw his eyes. She deserved to be punched in the face for the hurt she saw there. He looked away and pulled up a cloud and they sat uncomfortably far apart. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Curse that unfinished business – all of it! She stammered. “I – I should’ve told you.” This was going to result in a letter to Princess Celestia, wasn’t it? “But you didn’t!” Soarin’ wasn’t only hurt, he was also angry. He’d had at least the whole flight from Canterlot to think it over. “How can you even be a Wonderbolt when your Loyalty will be divided?” Rainbow Dash flattened her ears. “This is why I didn’t tell you. Why should being an Element decide my life?" “Because,” Soarin’ said, frustrated. He put his hoof down and sought for words. They spilled out in a torrent. “It changes everything. I’m not even sure I know who you are anymore. How much of you is really you? Did you learn to do the Sonic Rainboom, or is it just a power of being an Element?” He sounded like he was accusing her. “I did the Sonic Rainboom way before I even knew this would happen to me,” she snapped. “Being a Wonderbolt was my first dream! Or didn’t you notice?” “Oh I noticed alright. And if I didn’t know before, I definitely knew after I told you the darkest moments of my life and you made it all seem better. But how was I supposed to know that the whole time it was you keeping a secret,” he demanded. “Me?” Rainbow Dash sputtered. Gray storm clouds rolled from her feet and met the thunder clouds coming from Soarin’s half of the space. “Well you know what Soarin’? Let’s talk about your story for a second. You want to know what was out there all those nights you went into the forest? You want to know who released Nightmare Moon? It was you. You!” Soarin’s eyes went wide before they narrowed into thin slits. “Then you should thank me. If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t even be an Element of Harmony. Princess Luna would still be trapped in the moon.” “Thank you?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “You don’t even know what I’ve been through.” She stood up. “Nightmare Moon tried to trap me with Shadowbolts. Sound familiar? Where do you think she got that idea, huh? How did she figure out how to twist so perfectly the honor and glory Wonderbolts are supposed to represent? I always wondered.” Soarin’ hissed through his teeth. He didn’t like hearing that, not out of her mouth and not the way she said it. Both pegasi had their ears back and anger crackling in their eyes and in sparks at their hooves. If there was anything to be said about this fight, it was that epic-level ponies never did anything half-assed. The stallion found he was standing up also. “So now I’m the villain? Well I’ve got news for you, Rainbow Dash, I’ve put it behind me. At least my mistakes are in the past!” Rainbow Dash glared. “Oh but it gets worse.” Thunder boomed. “There are things that are still out there, Soarin’, things not even the Princess can remember now. Think of all the horrible stuff you saw in that forest. I can only imagine what a Nightmare could do with real anger and bitterness right from the heart of a pony that was supposed to be true to Equestria. Where do your loyalties lie, huh Soarin’?” She kept pushing. “Think about it every time you hear about ponies who’ve disappeared in the Everfree Forest never to return.” Soairn’ lashed out. "You will never be a Wonderbolt." Those were unthinkable words to say. One moment Rainbow Dash was on her side of the field and the next she was right in front of him, a mere breath away. "Never be a Wonderbolt," she said, casting a withering gaze into the depths of Soarin's soul. He was the only pegasus in all of Equestria able to meet that look without flinching. "We'll see about that." ~ ~ ~ "Like this," Soarin' finished his sentence to the empty air. "You'll never be a Wonderbolt like this." A flurry of thunderclouds trailed off in the direction Rainbow Dash had gone. He kicked his own cloud and made it rain. The weather forecasters were going to have their hooves full explaining this one. He was still mad, but he felt a lot better, like maybe his heart had been cut out and now it didn’t matter. As far as he could tell, their fight solved two problems. One: it got everything out in the open. Two: it made Rainbow Dash focus on the Wonder Trial. He'd meant everything he said except that last bit at the end. Soarin' wasn't one for clever social tactics, but he had a sense for what made Rainbow Dash tick and what would set the ticking time bomb off. Today he discovered that was a two way street, because she'd really turned his dials by bringing up his past in such a nasty way. Soarin' had half a mind to go into the Everfree Forest right now and tear the place apart until every evil twisted creature was dust in the wind. You will never be free of me, Nightmare Moon said. He'd made a mistake with consequences that would follow him the rest of his life. He hoped he hadn’t made a second as he stormed his way back to Canterlot, sending billowing clouds out for weather teams everywhere to deal with. ~ ~ ~ A small crowd gathered to watch. It was at once both very scary and extremely funny, like watching a cotton pillow suddenly explode. A blue blur raged around the sky beating up clouds and making new ones just so it could beat them up again. Audience member Applejack stared at the impossible display of energy. “Ya think maybe we should go talk to ‘er?” “Uuummmm.” Fluttershy watched Rainbow Dash headbang a cloud to death. “That’s okay, I think I’ll stay down here.” “Well all right then. I reckon she just wants ta burn off some steam anyway,” Applejack said while the rainbow pegasus stomped on a cloud. It was hard to believe the sound coming from that direction was a pony and not a bloodthirsty lion. Rarity joined them with an elaborate parasol fastened to her back. “Is Rainbow Dash putting on a show?” “Ah suppose ya could call it that.” Rarity hummed to herself while her pegasus friend massacred clouds. “Classic lover’s tiff. I was afraid that might happen after the Royal Wedding. It’s not healthy to contain your feelings like that. Why, it’s even driven some ponies mad.” Doctor Rarity assessed the situation. “She’ll be fine, but Rainbow Dash is not the easily forgiving type.” Said pony roared something about her life being ruined and threw a cloud across the sky, where it hit another one. Both clouds burst. Pinkie Pie was suddenly involved in the conversation like she’d been there the whole time. “What they need is something super duper crazy to bring them back together again! Like a big battle! Or a shipwreck on a deserted island and oh – oh – a sea monster attacks them!” Applejack stuffed an apple into the mouth before it could say more. “Enough with the foreshadowing Pinkie. It ain’t helpin.” The pegasus of the hour was now panting and swatting at a fat cloud, finally having reached the limit of her energy. Her hooves bounced off the cloud with no effect. “Never… Wonderbolt… Show.... Him…” “C’mon gals. Ah know RD, and she’s probably gonna sleep this one off now. Any of you got plans fer the Summer Sun Celebration?” ~ ~ ~ Soarin’ stared wordlessly at the words on the page. He was sprawled on the floor with the latest installment in the Wings and Blades series. After a few minutes he turned the page and realized he’d looked over the one before it without actually reading it, so he flipped back and gave it a few more tries before the story stuck. The problem wasn’t that the book was bad, it was that there were so many other books scattered around the room. The previous two Wings and Blades were by the bed, half-read comic books spread face open on the floor, crunched up balls of paper with Soarin’s drowsy scrawling on them jumbled around the awards display, and a trail of paperbacks led from the sofa to the doorway. In fact, there were books everywhere but in the bookshelf, which should now be called a pantry. He’d tried using it as a refrigerator, but the melted bowl of ice cream was testament to how well that went. The good thing was he’d stopped drinking coffee. He’d also stopped sleeping – or at least, he thought he had, but sometimes the time of day suddenly changed in the middle of what he was reading. Lightning Streak barged into Soarin’s room and nearly gave him a heart attack. "Alrighty Soarin', you had your time off. Now it's back to work with ya! No more of this moping about. Come on then." The next thing he knew, he was being dragged down the hallway by his tail. "I wasn't moping, I was reading!" "Moping." Everypony watched Lighting Streak go by, dragging a stunned pegasus behind him. "Whoa whoa watch out for that-" Lightning Streak pulled him around the sharp turn without thinking. "Wha?" "-corner," Soarin’ whimpered. Lightning Streak pulled onward a little further and let go. "Here he is, jus like ya wanted Fleetfoot. Alright then, oi'm off to the trial. See ya later." Fleetfoot didn’t question Lightning Streak's methods of 'go get Soarin' before you leave.' She waited for Soarin’ to stand on his own four legs before she said, “Welcome back to the world of the living. Today’s task is simple.” The uniformed mare reached into a bag and put two envelopes on the table, each sealed with a winged lightning bolt. She placed a hoof on them and pushed the letters in his direction. “Can you deliver these two invitations?” The question sounded challenging, mocking, and rhetorical all at once. Of course a pegasus could deliver some mail. Soarin’ appreciated both of his friends’ directness. It was about time somepony kicked his butt into gear. “Yeah I got this.” He picked up the two invitations in his mouth like he hadn’t taken the last few days off and Fleetfoot described where to find the pegasus for the first letter. The second needed no explanation. He didn’t have much time to spare, so he went back to his room and suited up. He also cleaned up the ice cream soup and shelved some of the books that were the biggest trip-hazard candidates. The rest would have to wait. Calm summer breezes marked the journey to Los Pegasus. It was still very early on this day, the longest day of the year. The sun wasn’t due to rise for a few hours yet. Delivering the first invitation turned out to be uneventful, but Rapidfire had always said Star Breeze was a very level headed pony. She accepted her note with thanks, opened it, and excused herself to go prepare. Soarin’ turned toward Ponyville and flew. - - - At that point in time, a number of things happened. Far away on Equestria's coastline the Princess of the Sun raised the day over the ocean expanse behind her. It was the most breathtaking Sun Summer Celebration any pony watching had ever seen. The sun itself almost felt different - warmer in a new way, as if it were reminding them of all the good friends in their lives and the times they'd spent together. It was going to be a perfect summer's day. What they did not know was that as a test of everything her student had learned over the years and as by way of apology for a Royal Mistake, Princess Celestia had asked Twilight if she would like to help raise the sun with her. This request had floored the little unicorn when her mentor brought it up months ago. That any pony besides the sun’s Guide should be involved in the sacred rite, it was completely preposterous – preposterous to every pony but the Princess herself, apparently. Princess Celestia had the patience of a thousand years, so after she broke the news and Twilight’s worldview, she waited with a smile for her faithful student to calm down. It was a secret just between them, of course. Twilight had only done an infinitesimally small part of it. After months of study she'd managed to capture that one fraction of a moment on a horrifically long scroll and bring it to life with ancient magic. Back in Ponyville, Applejack was out checking on a newly planted apple tree that wasn't fairing so well. She added some of her magic to it and the young tree perked up a bit. Some saplings were stubborn like that - they needed lovin' care every day until they got big and strong enough to live on their own. Applejack was about to move on when a bunch of birds started making a ruckus. They lifted out of the treetops over by the forest and flocked toward the farm. Now she'd have to go make sure they didn't eat the seeds out of the sunflowers before the harvest. On the way to the field she found Fluttershy taking small, forced, quivering steps toward the apple orchard. Her teal eyes darted around until she saw Applejack, who went over to her immediately. "Sugarcube, what's wrong?" The pegasus stammered through chattering teeth. "I - I don't know." Over at the edge of the woods Princess Celestia herself warned the founders of Ponyville not to enter, a unicorn appeared in a burst of magic. She looked around and cursed under her breath. This was not the border she’d been trying to get to. Wretched magic. In another burst she was gone, leaving nothing but pink sparks and smoke. Two guards at Canterlot Castle had already settled into the routine they'd been following for over a week: stand by Princess Luna's room and make sure no weird letters arrive. If it was unusual that the Princess was spending a morning sleeping in her room for once, nopony commented on it. It was well known that both royal sisters were often extremely busy, and the darker one was prone to disappearing for long periods of time. The sun breached the horizon and marked another four hour shift where absolutely nothing would happen while the guards stood in front of a door. Princess Luna opened that door three hours later much to the surprise of everypony involved, including herself. The frightening bit was there was not much that shocked somepony who'd been to the dark side of the moon and back. She commanded, "Fetch Morningstar and Equinox. Now." - - - Soarin’ didn’t know about any of this, though he had seen the sun come up. “Dash?” he called into the open doorway of her home. She wasn’t responding, and the turtle wouldn’t let him inside. No matter how he moved it was somehow in the way. “Look,” he hollered past the turtle’s head, “maybe you’re still angry at me, but at least come get this letter.” Still Rainbow Dash was silent. He hadn’t come all this way for this to happen. Soarin’ peered into every window he could find until he realized that she wasn’t at home. Gah, Dash, do you think we figure out where to deliver these invitations by magic? Where are you? In fact, it was quiet around Ponyville. There weren’t many ponies out even in this wonderful weather. Most of them probably packed their bags and were at the Summer Sun Celebration. Rainbow Dash hadn’t forgotten about him and decided to skip the Wonderbolts to go to a party instead, had she? He seriously doubted it, so he started flying around in order to find her. The Everfree Forest seemed like a good start, but Soarin’s gut instinct told him not to waste his time traveling into the cloudy mess. She wouldn’t want to go back there in case she ran into him, he was sure. Or… maybe she would because she wanted to? A part of him inside cried for that to be true, but no, first he’d search where it was easy to see. Then he’d go to the forest. They were running out of time. Soarin’ was going to neigh if things got messed up because he couldn’t deliver one stupid piece of paper. Right when he was reaching his wit’s end he saw a rainbow far from town. There was only one pegasus he knew of that could make a rainbow like that. Rainbow Dash was out training, of all things, honing her skill right until the bitter end. Soarin’ started to feel sicker the closer he got to the unnatural whorled sphere of clouds out over the countryside, but he didn’t stop. He had to see her again. The thin cirrus sweeping around the area like one of those swirly marbles loomed before Soarin’ and he pressed forward. The moment he came out the other side of the cloud barrier there was a flash of light and blue electricity poured from the middle of the clearing in beams and waves. The brightness burned and there she was at the center of it all: a pony born of sky and rainbows. She was an ebony pony turning head over heels in slow motion, her brilliant mane and tail streaming against the counterpoint of blackness everywhere. A rainbow in the dark, that’s what Rainbow Dash was. Soarin’s jaw dropped and the letter fell; he caught in on reflex in a hoof without taking his eyes from her. As quickly as that moment happened it was gone and the mare was her usual aerial blue self. Rainbow Dash whipped out of the slow circle in the middle of the cloud sphere and was about to twist into a new maneuver when she suddenly jerked to a standstill. He remembered where he was and what he was doing and picked the invitation back up into his mouth and held it out. Rainbow Dash said nothing as she approached in strong, deliberate flaps as if she’d just realized there wasn’t any more time to practice. The Wonder Trial was now. She nipped the envelope between her teeth and took it from him; the crests of their manes touched. Rainbow Dash pulled away and tore the envelope open. Her eyes darted over the writing. Soarin’ urged her on. “Dash, you have to hurry. I –“ The chain reaction of events that started with the sun reached the last link and the ground quaked. Rumbling cut off Soarin’s voice and both pegasi turned to see the green smudge that was Everfree Forest shedding crows like feathers. Impossible as it should have been at this distance, the thing that rose out of the cawing birds saw the two ponies. Soarin’ knew it was looking at him because he felt the horror of the experience in his chest. Batlike wings lifted it out of the depths of the forbidden forest. Rainbow Dash took one look at the black monstrosity and fled. All that remained at Soarin’s side was a lingering contrail of colors. The Element of Loyalty didn’t have a place for him and had left him behind without a word. It broke his heart. Soarin’ whipped around and roared at the top of his lungs, “Rainbow Dash!” She didn’t come back. No matter how far he looked the only thing left was a rainbow. She would never, ever forgive him for what he’d said. It was over. The winged beast charted a course towards Cloudsdale. Soarin’ turned around with fire in his eyes. Determination burned away every last trace of weariness in his tired body. He was a Wonderbolt, and if he had to fight alone he would. He’d fight for Equestria until it killed him. He’d fight knowing it was he who had helped bring this terrible being into the world, because for once he knew what it was. ~ ~ ~ Not even Rainbow Dash would dare take on a mythic creature of old wars and ancient grudges alone. By the time she was well on her way she noticed Soarin’ did not follow her. Her only hope now was to be fast enough to get back up in time while he kept the foe occupied. The facts were these: something of unknown strength was going to attack Equestria, something that radiated hate in a way that suggested it would not toy with ponies or play psychological games like intelligent villains did. Her friends were the first ponies she trusted to help her, but they were scattered around Equestria and couldn’t slap on the Elements of Harmony without permission. Getting royal permission was a royal pain and Rainbow Dash was too lazy to deal with it. The one pony who wasn’t too lazy – Twilight – was cities away at the Summer Sun Celebration. Without the power boost from the gems they needed extra help, and Rainbow Dash knew exactly who that help was going to be. Rushing to the Wonderbolts and making a huge dramatic scene about an attack would be about as effective as rushing into your blood relative’s wedding and accusing ponies of being evil in front of a live audience, and heck, Rainbow Dash didn’t even have lifelong friendships with the Wonderbolts on her side of that deal. But she could win that bond today. If she showed she was serious, they would listen. The plan was simple: top the Wonder Trial, become a Wonderbolt, find Twilight, rush everypony to Ponyville, stop the Everfree Forest thing. Was this plan over the top, insane, likely to fail, and completely lacking in carefully rationalized thought? Yes. Which is what made it the perfect Rainbow Dash plan. Equestria dropped off into a sheer cliff where waves churned against broken rocks below. The ocean was speckled with twisting rock formations, many of which towered out of the water in arches and disheveled spires. Some had enough of a ledge for grass and trees to grow; others were pierced with tunnels you could see all the way through to the other side. With clear skies all around it was easy to see the cloud overlooking the natural obstacle course and the group of winged ponies lined up on it. There were four competitors; Rainbow Dash made them five total. As soon as she skidded into place next to a pink-tinged mare, Fleetfoot launched into a greeting. Most of it slipped through Rainbow Dash's thoughts while she tried to override the screaming urgency in the back of her mind and size up her competition. Every pegasus there was a force to reckon with, but her biggest concern by far was Rook, a cinnamon stallion with a pitch black mane streaked by a few white bands. The pegasi next to him were tense to the point of almost having their wings out, but Rook was focused on Fleetfoot, calm and ready. His interested, bright eyes made him feel friendly and approachable. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was glaring at the sea cliffs with her wings out and ready to go. She was here for only one thing today: to win. "...not a test of pure skill. Ponies of your level have no need to prove their skills." Fleetfoot was saying. Her shining white mane crested the blue curves of her flight suit like the waves cresting the water behind her. "The Wonder Trial is never the same twice." Lightning Streak landed next to Fleetfoot on cue with a round blue ball in his mouth. "This," Fleetfoot said, "is a rubber ball." Lightning Streak dropped it and stepped aside. Rather than falling the ball stayed suspended in the air exactly at the same level it was before. It took on a faint metallic shine. "You will have a hard time finding it and an even harder time capturing it, but it won’t travel outside this area.” Fleetfoot gestured with a wing that encompassed just about everything from the cliff on out. “The last thing you need to know is there is no guarantee any of you will pass.” Fleetfoot gave that comment a moment to sink in. “Go.” Lightning Streak struck the ball with a rear kick so hard it chipped off part of a rock pillar far away and winked out of existence. Where the enchanted object was now was anypony’s guess. Rainbow Dash stopped midair. She’d shot after the ball and wasn’t fast enough to get it. Each of the other four pegasi rocketed off in different directions. Every muscle in her body was tense while she flew higher and higher trying to spot the small speeding circle. Take too long to find it, and somepony else would. Take too long to catch it and the others would notice and have the chance to intercept. It was a dangerous high speed game of hide and seek and fetch with big stakes. One tiny glimmer below and Rainbow Dash was off. She swept down at top speed and banked at the ocean level. It wasn’t the ball, only the reflection off a wave. There wasn’t time for this. She needed to win now. Rainbow Dash swept in an arc to return to the air when a blur caught the corner of her eye. It was the black-flecked coat of Star Breeze. Rainbow Dash followed on low and checked to see if her opponent had found the object of the game already. No, the mare had her nose turned to the sky. Why was she down where you had to navigate around the rock formations that blocked your view? The water: the ball was the same color as the water. If you flew along the waves and looked up it would be easier to spot. Star Breeze had figured it out right away. Rainbow Dash bit down and forced herself to be patient. This would be much faster if she could just speed around above and find the thing. Instead she copied Star Breeze and raced around the bases of the seacliffs. She was challenged to keep her eyes to the sky and not run into the cliffs at the same time. Ocean spray misted her fur. She glided through an arch so low to the water it was almost a cavern. The lack of direct sunlight made the brief underpass cool. She whooshed out the other side, tipped to avoid the column directly ahead, and saw it. The ball was no more than a blue speck racing against the backdrop of the sky. She lunged upward, quick as rainbow lightning, never letting the growing dot out of her sight. It sparkled and shimmered in the sunlight. Without regard for pony limitations it jerked to the left, keeping the same breakneck pace. Rainbow Dash zoomed around the sharp turn and her wings wanted to rip from her body in protest. The ball took off over the sea and the desperate pegasus raced after it. Her ears and cheeks burned. Everything, all her hopes and dreams and the fate of Equestria curled into raw determination to snag the thing in front of her. It wasn’t a ball, it was the manifestation of her future in pure Wonderbolt blue. All she had to do was reach out and take it. The blue circle shot straight up along a jagged rock tower. The pegasus following close behind curved after it. Only a little bit more and she could reach out and chomp down. It was right there, straight ahead, directly above the blur of rocks rushing by. Blue magic flashes shot from the rubber item and it disappeared. Rainbow Dash cut her flight short and landed on top of the pointy stone spire. She balanced herself on all fours and scanned the area. No sign of it; it was completely gone, like a teleporting unicorn. On the far side of the arena Rook’s flight pattern tore into a full speed attack. The cinnamon flash was hard to see as it weaved out and around the rocks. Rook kicked off a pillar and pieces of it fell into the sea. Rainbow Dash flew ahead to cut him off and steal the prize out from under his nose. She found the stallion stalled and looking around in confusion. Rainbow Dash laughed despite the enormous pressure to succeed crushing her down. “Got away from you too, huh?” “I had it but it disappeared when I was only wingspans away. Saw the same happen to one of the others.” At that moment Rainbow Dash suffered a brilliant stroke of inspiration. Old Rainbow Dash would never have considered it, but New Rainbow Dash was even more brash than her predecessor. “Hey Rook, let’s team up for a little bit.” “Huh? Why?” “C’mon, do ya really think getting into the Wonderbolts is as easy as catching a ball?” She could hardly believe it herself. Rook didn’t need to think about it. There was clearly a trick to this game. “Sure, just for a few minutes though.” Not like they had much time to work with anyway, not after spending it trying to find the magical nuisance. Rainbow Dash had Rook point out the pony he saw go after the ball first. The two pegasi camped out in some tall grass on one of the rock spire ledges and watched. They weren’t the only ones watching, though – Rainbow Dash saw Star Breeze playing lookout on a pillar. The lone pegasus was more interested in the two flyers left in the sky than anything else. What they were doing was risky and could cost them the spot in the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash’s heartbeat pounded in her ears when she saw the pink mare from before lock onto a fast moving object. Dash could practically feel the tension racking Rook’s wings while he watched. They both stood there and waited to see their dreams yanked out from underneath their hooves while they did nothing. They watched. The pink mare put on a sudden burst of speed and closed the distance between herself and the ball and lunged. In an instant the pegasus stopped vaulting through the sky and threw a fit. Clouds of steam fanned out from her thrashing limbs. The prize was gone, but she’d gotten closer than any pony so far. Rainbow Dash realized she’d been holding her breath and exhaled. “Man I’d be ticked,” Rook said. “So close.” Rainbow Dash came out of the grass. “We need more help.” “More help? But there’s only one ball!” “I know.” ~ ~ ~ Gargoyles were the stuff of nightmares: constructs of unfeeling stone impermeable even to unicorn magic, capable of nothing but death and destruction, powered by ancient sorcery sharpened with hatred. They were invented by a brilliant, long-forgotten storyteller and only ever mentioned when your parents really did want to scare you. Gargoyle tales had to run in the family because otherwise the knowledge died the next generation. There was only one problem. The storyteller didn’t make up gargoyles. Soarin’ raced to cut the monster off before it got any closer to its goal. As he approached he saw that its size rivaled that of a dragon, a dragon of solid gray-flecked granite. Moss and dirt tore from crevices in its surface and showered the sky. Its head had little resemblance to any living creature. Even though it had no eyes, it bore an expression of twisted rage through a mouth full of jagged, overhanging fangs. Horns sprouted at the back of its skull, its feet were mostly claws, and its whole angular body prickled with spines and points coming off at impossible angles because it didn’t matter if it impaled itself on its own limbs – it wouldn’t feel it. A powerful tail ended in a hooked blade and its demonic batlike wings sliced the sky with audible strokes. The lone Wonderbolt threw himself in front of this monstrosity and flared his wings. Behind him the sun shone so he looked like a black shadow barring the way. He realized in retrospect that this probably did nothing to help him because the gargoyle had no eyes, but it was still pretty cool. “No!” Soarin’ shouted at the monolith. “Not today.” It worked. Now he had the equivalent of an entire rock farm launching itself at him full throttle. Fortunately, the gargoyle did not have the speed of a Wonderbolt. Soarin’ hoped he could tire it out, so he paced himself and stayed barely out of reach. It was a nerve-wracking experience. He did not know how long he flew in front of that hulk of knife sharp rock. The whole time he felt like he’d been tied to a set of train tracks and could see the train coming. It was right there chugging and whistling full steam ahead, but for some reason it never got any closer. In the end pegasus wings could not keep up with a demon. Fatigue crept into Soarin’s movement and he realized that even if the gargoyle did not have the intelligence to pick an easier target, it was relentless. It would never run out of energy. You will never be free of me. A blast of air knocked Soarin’ sideways as thick stone sung down within a tail’s length of where he was. Adrenaline shot through his system and woke him up. He regained control and plummeted to the ground, trying to get away from the gargoyle. It followed and swung again, missing because he rolled into an evasive maneuver. The ground was suddenly very real. Soarin’ banked hard and pulled up. Dirt exploded upward from the monster’s landing and stinging granules pierced Soarin’s coat. He’d run out of options. If he kept doing what he’d been doing, he’d be done for within an hour tops. If he flew away, it’d follow him directly to where the ponies he wanted to protect lived. Alone, he didn’t have the tactical intelligence or power to subdue the gargoyle. Even if he could buy enough time to build a storm, the chances it would work against an ancient powerful construct chiseled by hundreds of years of plotting were slim. He’d created his own demise. Soarin’ despaired. He took a breath and looked one more time at the emblem on his uniform. The Wonderbolt turned around and put his hooves out. They were dangerous on their own, but with enough speed they could cut through a dragon’s spines like butter. He tilted in time to avoid a slashing set of claws, but it threw him off and he landed on all fours nearby. “Don’t like that, huh?” His side burned, and he realized maybe he hadn’t avoided the claws as well as he hoped. Pass after pass Soarin’ couldn’t find a clear shot at the gargoyle. He’d come so close at one point, only to have a sharp spike graze into the fabric on his hind leg. A stony wing moved out of the way and suddenly Soarin’ could clearly see the demon’s head. He fired forward and noticed the engraved runes right before his hooves impacted one of the two crooked horns. The moment of truth where he either broke his legs or succeeded came and went. A jagged rock pierced the dirt, severed clean off the gargoyle’s head. Soarin’ saw the red on his hooves and to his horror found that a gargoyle could bleed. Not green, not blue, red. Rocks should not bleed. His insides twisted. This was not what he’d signed up for. He was so very tired. The gargoyle did nothing about its missing horn. There was no pause, no death defying roar, no thrashing around the trees it had already killed, no reaction at all. It kept going. ~ ~ ~ “Star Breeze,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s a low tunnel we can chase it under over there. One of us can bring it through and then the other two will head it off if it splits left or right. Otherwise it’ll be forced to go up because there’s a rock in the way.” The two contestants missing from the alliance of three wouldn’t join forces. They needed to do this on their own, they said. There could only be one winner. While Rook, Star Breeze, and Rainbow Dash wasted their time on a plan to capture the ball, the other two searched for it. Rook indicated they needed to assign roles. “So after we find it and signal, who’s going to chase it and who’s going to wait?” The chaser would have the best shot at grabbing the ball out of the air if it went straight and then up. If it banked left or right, the chaser’s shot at the Wonderbolts was gone. “I’ll do it,” said Rainbow Dash. They split up and went hunting. Soon Star Breeze’s contrail rose out of the far side of the arena. Rainbow Dash answered the call while her two partners went to take their positions at either side of the low arch from earlier. All of Rainbow Dash’s view was filled by the sparkling ocean racing close beneath her. She could reach a hoof out and touch it; behind her the water trailed in a V with her passing. Stones rising from the sea swung back and forth and flew behind her while she coursed around them. At the center of her vision was that small shining point. It banked around a rock wall. Rainbow Dash went straight for the rugged brown crags and they grew until they were all she could see. She turned and the wall rushed off to the side, opening to the blue ocean again. Wind breezed in her ears, flowing through her mane and over her coat. Ahead the mouth of the arch gaped, with a round blue sphere headed straight for it. Everything came down to this moment. She gained on the prize. The shadow of the arch darkened the water and the ball sparkled brilliantly, wrapped in its magic glow while it spun forward. It didn’t disappear this time. Two more seconds and she’d have it. They exited the tunnel and the sphere did the unexpected. It zigzagged left and right over and over, throwing their plan off. “Rook!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Victory would now go to the pony with the fastest reflexes. She pulled up at the last moment to avoid crashing into the spire in front of her. Rocks whistled by and she threw her head back, pulling into a backward loop. Upside down, through the vanishing strands of her tail, she saw her victory disappear. Rook clasped the ball between his teeth. The alliance returned to Fleetfoot without a word. They knew only one pony could pass the Wonder Trial when they joined wings. They also knew if they didn’t cooperate nopony would catch the ball that day. She’d lost. And still the world went on. In a moment she would find Twilight and together they’d face a monster more sinister than they’d ever known. ~ ~ ~ A new sound of destruction met Soarin’s ears with a crunch. An empty house on the outskirts of Ponyville flattened. He couldn’t allow this to happen. Where was everypony? He needed help. Please… Soarin’ took yet another spine off the gargoyle and landed unsteadily again. He didn’t have enough strength to keep up flying plus constant bursts of speed. Every sweep he took a few seconds on the ground to recover. The breaks got longer and longer. Again he took to the sky and clipped off a spine on the beast. Blood leaked from its wounds but it showed no sign of defeat. The gargoyle reared and purple, almost black, fumes poured from its mouth in clouds that obscured the sky and billowed down. Soarin’ got caught in the screen and expected to die when he couldn’t hold his breath and inhaled the toxic fumes. They had no effect. He could barely see as he zoomed around the gargoyle, trying to lure it away from Ponyville. He kicked it and regretted the pain of striking solid stone without enough sheer force. The rocky surface heaved and he moved before a sideways curved spike could sink into his chest. Rows of long fangs opened up the smoke in front of him. He beat his wings frantically to gain altitude and get away from the snapping jaws. Claws followed and he evaded, putting enough distance from the swing to be safe. The world went red and his ears rang. Everything felt so far away: the absence of the strap holding his goggles in place, the earth tearing into his side, how exhausted he was. It was a direct hit. He couldn’t catch his breath. The tail. I forgot about the tail. When the red faded into the ground and midnight purple clouds all around, Soarin’ rallied himself to get up. Oppressive blackness crowded the edges of his vision and his legs barely stirred the sticky earth. He fought and railed against his mind, beating invisible wings against a cage that wasn’t there. He wanted to burst into tears and curse his bad timing and mistakes, but it served for nothing. Any moment he could be crushed by a mountain of immovable stone. Then he realized that it didn’t matter. He’d fallen. He wasn’t going to get back up. Exhaustion won and around him the symphony of destruction went on, crushing and crackling. Purple smoke swirled. He understood the most important things he ever had were his friends and family. An unbelievable sense of calm took over. They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. They were wrong. Life flashing before your eyes, heh. Isn’t that what it did when you lived it? His life was nothing but a very long flash. Now it was over. Through the sliver of vision he had left, a blue-clad hoof touched the ground: a Wonderbolt. Soarin’s view grew a tiny bit more. No, not just one Wonderbolt. The purple miasma parted in the wake of the leader’s strides, revealing more hooves. More, and more and more. Purple and white and every color imaginable. The Elements of Harmony headed the battalion, cutting through the fog and pushing it away as if their mere presence commanded a clear path. An approaching roar announced the Wonderbolts in full force, minus two: himself and the newest member standing before him, leading an army of ponies the likes of which Equestria hadn’t seen in centuries. Rainbow Dash. ~ ~ ~ There is no horror in this world that rivals watching the one you love die, knowing it is your fault. None. She knew the moment she saw him he wouldn’t survive. There was too much blood. It was on her hooves, the blood. On her uniform. Pooling under the feet of the irrevocable decision to go for all of the help she could find. If only she’d flown faster. If only she’d said no to the honor of returning to her home with her lifelong dream fulfilled, there, stuck on her body in painted blue and gold strokes. Those minutes alone could have saved him. He’d sacrificed everything to get her this far and they’d fought and she’d killed him by not turning around. Why hadn’t she said what she really wanted to say and instead let it blow up in the exact opposite direction? All of those tiny inconsequential moments, those seconds, if any of them had been different she would have made it in time to save him. This was all her fault, and he did nothing but look at her with those eyes the same color as those feathering apples in those great big damned pies he loved so much. He did not speak. What was there left to say? ‘Sorry I died while you were out?’ Soarin’ looked into her eyes until he was looking beyond them. He’d lived to see her dream come true. That was enough, and his eyes closed. Rainbow Dash lowered her neck and pressed her muzzle into the navy fabric covering the side of Soarin’s face and smelled the freedom of the skies. She snapped. Somewhere far away Spitfire broke formation and exchanged quick words with Twilight. Fluttershy rushed medical ponies onto the scene. Nopony looked at her because it wasn’t real, she wasn’t really there, it was a nightmare. She stared at the blood soaked earth and didn’t realize she was screaming in rage until a hoof touched her shoulder. Her silence revealed the din of stone crushing wood and bone. “Rainbow Dash,” Fleetfoot said. “Join your friends.” She removed her hoof and launched into the destructive gale. For once in her life Rainbow Dash did what she was told. Her mind was full of cold steel and knives. - - - For a long time she stood there. She stood there while unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies carried away chunks of broken rock now faded to the color of a tombstone. She stood and ponies with healing cutie marks moved past her like a stream flows around a boulder. Friends helped comrades limp away. She stood until there was nothing left, until she was staring at an empty patch of broken ground in the blackened and bloodied clearing. The last pony standing should have been the first one there. After there was no more to be done and everypony else left, the five she counted on most remained behind. “You didn’t know he would stay and fight,” Fluttershy said, resting her head on the crown of Rainbow Dash’s mane and embracing the lost pegasus with a wing. Applejack removed her hat and did not speak. Rainbow Dash’s voice was dull. “I should’ve known. If we hadn’t fought, if I hadn’t said what I did.” Once spoken, words couldn’t be taken back. None of the friends knew what to say, so they hugged the pegasus who’d died inside. “It’s not your fault darling,” whispered Rarity, “and we’re here for you.” The comfort of all those warm, caring ponies wrapped around her was too much. It was too much knowing the one pony she so desperately wanted to be held and comforted and forgiven by never would. She would never know Soarin’s love. Rainbow Dash took a steadying breath and parted from her friends. “Thank you guys. If you need me, I’ll be around.” Five sets of eyes watched her fly away. That night, even after ponies had fallen asleep to the sound of soft rain outside, Equestria’s skies continued to cry.