The day had finally arrived. Since the early hours of the morning, Ponyville's population seemed to be swelling and exploding exponentially. The thousands and thousands staying in Canterlot for the Grand Equestrian Soccer Cup Championships had begun to make their way into town. Instead of the usual sleepy Saturday the citizens usually enjoyed, there was a constant bustle of noise and voices every which way. Restaurants and cafes were at full capacity, stores and businesses enjoyed a surge of patrons, and the music from the dance clubs echoed out over the sound of the wind on the air.
There was a bustle of activity to the south of the town square as some mares and stallions had taken their children to see the great stadium in the daylight, before the night could fall. There was already a small line forming of excited sports fans, eager to be first the first ones into their seats at evening.
“I've never seen Ponyville this crowded!” Rainbow Dash said in amazement.
She was sitting down over the edge of the stadium's high wall, glancing towards the hustle of life in the town proper. Soarin was sitting next to her, having just finished his meeting with the ponies behind the fireworks display. It was a warm afternoon as the sun blazed overhead. Summer could only be a few short weeks away.
“Well, Dashie... Ponyville wasn't built to accommodate a population that's well over fifty thousand in size.” Soarin explained. “This is to be expected.”
“Duh! I know that, Soarin!” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “I'm just, y'know, surprised to see it anyway!”
“I understand!” Soarin said quickly.
“Feeling nervous yet?” Dash asked, grinning.
“Of course not!” Soarin said in surprise. “I'm a Wonderbolt, remember? What about you?”
“Naw. I mean, I guess I was? Maybe still am? But I've got this creepin' excitement just tingling down my spine!” Dash explained with relish, rubbing her hooves together. “I know it's going to be a little intimidating to be in front of a crowd THIS SIZE...” She trailed off a moment. “... but that's just more spectators to witness the great Rainbow Dash's first show in a Wonderbolt's uniform!”
She watched Soarin smiling at her, feeling herself blush red. She gave him a little smile from the corner of her mouth and noticed him react quite the same. Eyes forward, she tried to hold in a laugh. He was so cute sometimes.
“I had an awesome time last night.” Dash said after a moment of silence. “Really crazy how you guys pulled the wool over my eyes! If I ever go totally nuts and start offin' dudes left and right, I won't kill ya first. How's that?” Dash beamed at him.
“How thoughtful of you!” Soarin grinned sarcastically. “Well, I'm obviously very glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like your nervousness about the show has been cured, at the very least!”
“Yeah, I'm not so nervous anymore...” Dash trailed off, continuing in her head. 'It wasn't the show I was nervous about anyway.'
“Oh! Wow...” Soarin said, checking a watch on his wrist. As he was not dressed in any clothing, there was no way to keep a pocket watch on him. “It's two in the afternoon already. The morning has just flown by, eh?”
“You could say that!” Dash laughed, although she wasn't entirely sure why she did. She twisted around and glanced out over the pitch. “Six hours, Soarin! Six hours and we blow them all away!”
Rainbow Dash got to her feet, stretching out and yawning. She allowed herself to be distracted with happy recollections of the evening before. Merely thinking about how many of her friends had shown up just to wish her luck and make her party a success was enough to make her smile wide again. She truly felt blessed to know such a crowd of great ponies.
“I'm going to go visit Scoots!” Dash decided, flexing her wings. “Sitting around has hit that 'boring as snot' point.”
“Interesting way to put it...” Soarin coughed.
“You wanna come with?” Dash asked him, flapping her wings and rising slowly into the air.
“Sorry, I'll pass! I should probably touch base with Spitfire and the rest before the show.” Soarin said, getting to his feet as well. “Do you want to meet up at your place by six? We can suit up and run through the schedule one more time there.”
“Yeah, sounds legit!” Dash agreed. “See you later, dork!”
Dash dropped a few feet and gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder before rising again and leaving the stadium. She noticed several of the foreign ponies glance up excitedly overhead as she put on a great burst of speed, leaving behind her trail of all the colours of the rainbow. Grinning, Rainbow Dash shot out over the town square, wishing for the same reaction from the much larger crowd there.
Rainbow Dash had felt so elated since the previous day. She had a feeling this was going to be the best night ever. Better than the gala, better than getting to hang with the Wonderbolts for the first time, even better than helping defeat Nightmare Moon! There were only a few nights that really stood out vividly in Rainbow's mind, and she had hoped to add this evening to it.
Rainbow recalled one of them. It was when she had rescued Scootaloo's life. She remembered scolding the foolish filly under the bright moon as relief and anger had consumed her substance in equal measure. Scootaloo had confessed her fears of disappointing Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash had told Scootaloo how she herself used to be scared as a filly. Dash looked sideways to her right wing, flapping in the breeze. She could remember stretching it out to Scootaloo for the first time, and pulling her close, telling the younger pegasus that she would take her under her wing as a big sister figure. Rainbow had not realized at that point that that was the spark that ignited her love for Scootaloo, and her determination to adopt and raise the orange pegasus with all the love and support that Scoot's poor life needed.
Her thoughts drifted to another night. Unlike Scootaloo, it was not one of triumph and the road to a bright future. It must have been around eighteen years ago. Standing there by her mothers side as Heavens Above's comforting words caressed her soul. It was the night the mare had passed away. Rainbow could remember the grief that filled her body, the tears that splashed down her face and into her mother's arms...
“Don't think about that today...” Dash told herself sternly. “Mom said never to cry when the world had become too much to bear... Don't ruin that now by crying, you STUPID FOOL!” She shook her head, squinting hard to prevent the tears. They did not come, and she opened them in time to avoid a rather tall tree.
She was now over the northern edge of Ponyville, in the shadow of the great mountain. Her eyes were peeled, looking every which way as she circled lower and lower. Her heart lifted when she saw Fluttershy's bright coat shining in the sunlight.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo called out in joy, her wings buzzing softly, although Dash was still too high up to hear it. “DOWN HERE, YOU BIG DUMMY!”
“Hey!” Rainbow laughed, diving down and grabbing up Scootaloo in her arms. She gave the child a vigorous noogie. “Who are you callin' dummy, bub!”
“Gaaah! Not in front of my friiiends!” Scootaloo protested, struggling to break free.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rainbow called down to the unicorn filly. “Scootaloo said you should run home and give Rarity a big kiss!”
“Scootaloo! You sappy dork!” Sweetie laughed.
“Sis! Not funny!” Scootaloo groaned. “You're acting all lame and stuff!”
“Now I'm just insulted!” Rainbow giggled, dropping Scootaloo gently on to the grass.
“Oh! Hello Rainbow...” Fluttershy said, walking over.
“I remembered you said you were taking the demons to walk through the park this afternoon!” Rainbow said. “So I came by to see my little devil!”
“I'm an angel!” Scootaloo said, springing forward and twirling on her foot, wings outstretched. “But thanks for coming to see mee!”
“How very sweet of you, Rainbow Dash! You are such a nice sister to Scootaloo!” Fluttershy said in her soft voice, beaming as the fillies began to argue.
“'I didn't know chick'ns could be angels!” Apple Bloom laughed.
“I'm not a chicken! And that hasn't been funny in like a YEAR!” Scootaloo replied in a rage
“I do my best!” Rainbow said back to Fluttershy, casually flicking her wings and buffing the edge of her hoof against her chest “But I might not get much of a chance to see her later! It would suck if I never got to spend any time with her today.”
“Still makes ya red in the face, so I still uses it!” Bloom chortled behind the two mares.
“But we're all coming to your show!” Fluttershy said in surprise. “Won't we all get to see you there?”
“When you think about it, that's not very nice, though!” Sweetie Belle chipped in. “It comes off mean since Scootaloo can't fly! So you get to be loser for the day, Apple Bloom!”
“I'm liking this idea!” Scootaloo agreed, grinning wickedly.
“Me and Soarin might not get a chance!” Rainbow explained. “I can't risk it, gotta see my Scoots!”
"But-but... Scootaloo... I ain't... Didn't me-... aww horseapples!" Apple Bloom sighed.
“You're not... um... scared, are you?” Fluttershy asked meekly.
“No way!” Dash said, throwing out her chest as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were laughing at Apple Bloom. “I'm pretty sure I've done as much as I can to prepare, so why worry?”
Rainbow Dash walked over to the crusaders, and sat down on the grass next to them. Fluttershy floated over with her often disused wings.
“You wanna go see Tank tomorrow, Scoot?” Dash asked, pulling her into a hug.
“Yay! I haven't seen Tank in fore-hey! Leggo of me!” Scootaloo groaned.
“I jes' can't wait to see you flyin' around later, Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom beamed. “It's gonn' be awesome!”
“It sure will!” Rainbow laughed, kissing Scootaloo's forehead and sending the filly into a torrent of rage ('Not in front of the giiirls!').
“That Wonderbolt said he got us all into the top box, right?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking excited.
“Yep!” Dash confirmed, letting go of Scoot, who stumbled away pretending to retch. “Because of Soarin, you'll all be there with your sisters and their friends. Princess Celestia is even going to be there!” The fillies gasped in wonderment.
“What about Princess Luna?” Scootaloo asked, walking back. “Is she going to be there too?”
“Yeah, totally! All the big names will be watching me! Well, there for the actual game, but watching me anyway!” Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow at how excited Scootaloo seemed to be about seeing the Princess of the Night.
She had quite an enjoyable time. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash talked, catching up and reminiscing about the past while the Crusaders played around. Eventually they moved out of the park and returned to the very congested Ponyville. They bought the fillies ice cream, although they had to wait in line for nearly fifteen minutes. They walked through the streets, with Scootaloo on Rainbow Dash's back and Fluttershy holding tightly to the other two's hooves with all her might, trying to walk upright by using her wings for balance. She was not quite as adept at it as Rainbow Dash. The swelling, jam-packed crowd would have been quite easy to lose a kid in. Everywhere they went, the only talk was about the upcoming game.
Dash was shocked when she saw the clock on the post office tower. Where had the day gone? It was as if time was on fast forward, moving by more and more rapidly the closer they got to that evening. Eventually Rainbow gave Scootaloo a hug and told them all she'd try to see them later, and flew off for home.
“Been dreaming... I've been waiting...” Rainbow Dash was singing softly, brushing out her hair and mane in her mirror. “To fly with that great pony...”
She placed down the brush and walked to her closet, removing her flight suit from its hook and laying it out over her bed.
“That Wonderbolt, his daring looks...” She continued, sliding the zipper down and taking a deep breath as she realized she would be wearing it from now until the show was over. “Soarin's grace is... like a... a... dammit!”
Rolling her eyes at herself, she picked up the suit and slipped her legs in. She pulled it over her back, poking her wings through the holes on either side. She put her left arm in first, and then the right, and pulled the mask over her face. Zipping it up, she picked up the goggles and snapped them over her face.
“Go out there and KILL, Rainbow Dash!” She told her reflection, grinning.
She proceed down the stairs and into the living room. Soarin had already suited up and was standing by the bookshelf, goggles on his forehead. He was looking at the two photographs, one showing Rainbow Dash as a filly with her parents, and one showing her and Scootaloo. Dash moved her own goggles to her forehead, as they were steaming up indoors.
“These are really nice...” He said, picking up the one of Rainbow Dash's family. “Wow, your hair was messy as a kid!”
“Messy? Pssh, my dad LOVED it!” Dash grinned, giving her mane a tug to make sure it was all pulled through the slits on the suit.
“Your mother looks amazing. I can see where you got your good looks!” Soarin complimented, placing the frame back on the bookshelf.
“Thanks!” Rainbow said earnestly. “Someone's gotta continue her legacy! She passed away when I was still a filly, but I'll always remember how amazing her coat looked. It used to shine moon bright!”
“I'm... I'm sorry to hear that.” Soarin said solemnly. “If you don't mind me asking... actually... nevermind, it's not important.”
Dash smiled at him, albeit a little sadly. “It's fine, Soarin... Don't worry, I'm not offended or anything. It was... cancer...”
Soarin shook his head sadly. “I'm sorry to bring it all back...”
“I told ya! It's fine!” Dash said, shaking her own. “If she's watching over me, I know I'm going to make her super proud tonight!”
Soarin smiled back, patting her on the shoulder. “Most definitely. Do you want to recite the schedule quickly one more time or anything?”
“No way! We've already gone over it three times since you got here! I got it memorized now, it's time we do this!” Rainbow Dash said confidently, snapping her goggles back on over her eyes. “Let's do it!”
Soarin beamed warmly at her enthusiasm. “I was right to think that you would be my star pick to succeed in those try-outs. I think I'm actually more nervous than you are!”
Dash laughed as she proceeded out of the room and into the hallway, moving to her front door. “But Soarin! You're 'a Wonderbolt, remember?'” She said, repeating his own arrogance back to him.
“Cute.” Soarin said, rolling his eyes. “But you're right! Let's do this!'
“Of course I'm right!” Dash said, throwing open the door.
They flew high over Ponyville. Dash smiled as the sun sank lower and lower over the horizon, painting the landscape and clouds pink and orange. The darker it was, the more amazing their trails and fireworks would look. The streets below had finally been cleared of the dense crowd. Ahead of them, spotlights could be visible, moving through the dimming sky. The stadium was illuminated brightly with lights, both magical and physical, incandescent against the sky. As they drew nearer, a torrent of noise greeted their ears as fifty four thousand strong laughed and cheered with each other, anticipation running high.
Standing out clearly against the dull beige of the stadium's walls were a group of Wonderbolts and security pegasai, standing guard to ensure no pegasus decided to jump the fence, so to speak.
“It's about time you morons got here!” Spitfire said, lowering her sunglasses and glaring as Soarin and Rainbow Dash touched down beside them. “If you two weren't on the field when the announcer spoke, it would be a public relations nightmare. You are our public image, Soarin, so I expect the idiot on the Wonderbolt promotional posters to do better in future.”
“It's my fault, Spitfire!” Dash said quickly. “I took too long getting ready, I gues-”
“Of course it's your fault! It's both of your faults. Don't go running off thinking you were in the clear, cadet!” Spitfire snarled. “Now get out there and show them what the Wonderbolts are made of!”
“Yes ma'am!” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes very obviously, although it was completely hidden due to the fact that her goggles were reflecting the light from a spotlight.
Dash approached the edge of the wall and looked into the bowl. The seats were filling up fast. Ponies of dozens and dozens of different colours, scores of nationalities and backgrounds, and other creatures such as griffons stretched out as far as the eye could see. Rainbow felt a surge of excitement. This was really, really happening.
Dash spread her wings wide and jumped into the stadium, gliding across hundreds of heads as she made her way toward the centre of the pitch, which was dark in comparison to the rest of the structure. She glanced over to the top box on the opposite side, alight with magical luminescence. She thought she could make out some ponies like Twilight or Pinkie Pie because they stood out clearly against the white light, but the distance was too great to catch a glimpse of Scootaloo.
Soarin landed beside her and the two pegasai walked to the dead centre of the field. There was a microphone on a stand there. They moved to stand on either side and waited, half concealed in the semi-darkness. They were there for another fifteen minutes or so, until the vast majority of the crowd had finally been seated.
“Ladies... and gentlecolts!” A voice rang out over the stadium's impressive sound system, causing a wave of cheering to erupt from the gathered fans. “Welcome to the final match of the eighty eighth Grand Equestrian Soccer Cup Championships! Baltimare against Dragonspire!” Even louder cheers and screaming as the fans of either team roared their approval for their side, waving flags and sporting jerseys.
Spotlights from the upper levels of the stadium were powered up, the glare hitting the field and illuminating the two blue-suited pegasai, standing sentinel by the microphone. A beautiful earth pony was strolling out on to the field, her curly golden hair and bright green coat making her a lavish sight to behold. She approached the microphone, and stood waiting.
“An airshow performed by Equestria's most famous flyers, the Wonderbolts, will precede the match.” The announcer said, inciting more cheers from the crowd. “Now please rise for the Equestrian National Anthem, sung by the lovely Tiara Shores of Manehattan!” A huge roar came from the crowd, some of them chanting her name.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin both stood up, backs straight and heads bowed, with their front hooves crossed over their chests. Tiara Shores began to sing in a soft and elegant voice. It was deep but very tender. A silent hush fell throughout the stadium but for her voice. On the last quivering note, she gave a bow and the stadium briefly rang with applause. A couple hands came out to remove the microphone, leaving the two pegasai standing alone, each with their wings extended fully and completely still.
“Ladies and gentlecolts, fillies and boys, and children of all ages!” The announcer began in a cheerful and excited voice. “Please put your hooves together for the Wonderbolts! We can expect quite a show this evening from the duo before you! Introducing first... First Officer Soarin, SECOND-IN-COMMAND OF THE FAMOUS BLUE BOMBERS!”
A massive eruption from the crowd greeted these words as Soarin's wings quivered. A few of the spotlights went out as he lifted his head and shot straight into the air with a streak of dark blue, glowing dimly. As he rose, Rainbow Dash could hear the sound of three firecracker-like bangs.
“And his partner...” The announcer continued, the crowd falling silent again as Soarin floated still in mid-air. “Born in Cloudsdale, but MADE RIGHT HERE IN PONYVILLE! She has been called the fastest flier in all of Equestria, please give it up for RAINBOOOW... DASH!”
Dash gave a flap of her wings and echoed Soarin's movement. Her heart lifted as a roar of excitement came from the crowd. It was not as loud as the cheer for Soarin, who was better well known across Equestria as a long-time Wonderbolt, But Rainbow Dash's spirits lifted higher regardless. It was the loudest she had ever heard her name chanted. As she rocketed straight into the air, her mind was focused on making her trail as bright and long as possible. Like Soarin, she thought of fireworks three times, an explosion of sparks and sound from the trail occurring with each thought.
“The show will begin in just mere moments! Please put your hooves together again in honouring the benevolent and regal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who have graced us with their presence!” The announcer spoke, all eyes focused on the top box as the two sisters greeted the crowd, their ever-flowing manes quite visible as they stood side by side, waving. “Also within this stadium we have the ruler of the Crystal Empire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! Please join me in greeting the Ambassador of Griffon Peaks, Razorbeak, and the Ambassador of Dragonspire, Hephaestus!”
Rainbow Dash and Soarin joined in the clapping, both hovering in the air. Gradually the assembled spectators fell silent once again.
“Thank you all! Please enjoy the airshow and the great match to follow! Your commentators for the match will be Rusty Buckets of Manehattan and the famous Wilderblaze of Las Pegasus!” The announcer concluded, and his voice fell silent as the lights illuminating the stadium itself went dark.
It was quite dark out by this point. Rainbow had only noticed when the light of the stadium had been extinguished. The only source of luminescence came from two spotlights, both controlled by unicorn magic. Dash gave a little grin to herself, wondering if magic could possibly track a speeding pegasus.
“Phase One!” She heard Soarin call out to her.
The two pegasai turned and flew directly at one another. As they approached, Soarin flew high, and Rainbow Dash flew low. They crisscrossed, their streaks long and clearly visible, and an explosion of fireworks accompanying them. There was a collective 'Ooh!' from the crowd. They flew away from each other, and the spotlights went out, plunging them into darkness. Rainbow focused on thinking about her lightning and clouds. As she flew, expanding dark clouds had begun to form behind her. Her streak was visible through transparent pockets, arcs of crimson-coloured lightning jumping from cloud to cloud. A cheer came from the spectators.
Slowly, the two pegasai reached the edge of the pitch and each turned to their left. They began to circle the stadium, slowly dropping in altitude only to shoot back up again, their clouded and electrified trails rolling up and down with them like hills on a roller-coaster track. Each time Rainbow rose high enough to see over the edge of the outer wall, she caught a glimpse of the other Wonderbolts standing guard. She could just make out Spitfire in the darkness, nodding in approval as she rounded the edge closest to the Captain.
Eventually they soared closer together again, increasing their speeds and shooting past one another only to turn sharply and repeat the movement. Each time they crossed, they used their firework effect. With each spark, they were illuminated in the sky, drawing cheers and gasps from the audience. After the fifth fly-by, Soarin dropped low in a spiral and rose rapidly under Dash, a spotlight re-lighting to hit them, his arms giving the illusion of lifting her up.
“Barrel roll!” He said in a low voice.
“Yup! Three, two, one, gone!” Dash said, rolling to her right.
She heard Soarin give a grunt as he rolled to his left. Immediately, she slowly shifted her body ninety degrees to her right, accelerating forward as she rotated continuously, her mind fixed on maintaining a bright trail. A loud 'Aaah!' from the spectators told her that the move had been executed correctly. Rainbow Dash and Soarin would both be spinning, flying further and further from each other diagonally across the vertical length of the field.
Once she reached the edge of the grass below, she stopped her rolling and began to fly around the stadium once more. Glancing across the span of the field she saw Soarin doing likewise. They repeated their roller-coaster movements, this time in the reverse direction. The crowd was still cheering and whooping, but the noise was beginning to dim. Clearly, this wasn't wowing them as the pegasai had hoped. Fortunately, they had a strategy worked out.
Rainbow Dash let out a stream of fireworks and heard Soarin do the same immediately after. They had decided that if it seemed that the audience was losing interest, they would signal by way of fireworks to the other to abandon the present move and proceed to the next, the other pegasai confirming with their own explosions.
They both turned to face the middle of the field and rushed together again. Grasping hooves, they flew straight up for a moment and went into a tailspin, their streaks of colour spiralling down like ribbons of silk. The crowd gave a roar of delight and a shower of applause echoed throughout the stadium.
“That last fly around the field did NOT impress. Good call on abandoning it, Dashie!” Soarin said quickly as they rocketed down in formation. “Hang left, LIGHTNING!”
The pegasi twisted to the left and shot up again, crimson and yellow lightning sparking and crackling together, circling their mane streaks. Another cheer from the crowd.
“There's more fly arounds in Phase One... What's your call, Soarin?” Dash asked as her hair rippled with the rush of air.
“We'll cut them, that's all. We'll move to Phase Two after the next move. What these folks need are real fireworks and some agile movements, I think!” Soarin yelled back. “Split and reform!”
They separated and Rainbow Dash rushed across the length of the field again. Her speed began to accelerate. As she reached the edge, she twisted in midair and shot down at an angle. Looking across she saw Soarin doing the same. They were perfectly synchronized. So far so good. Dash continued racing to the ground, landing briefly before kicking off hard again, shooting back up as if she had ricocheted off the grass, her extended trail bending sharply like a check mark. Across from her, Soarin's blue streak had done likewise. They were racing back toward each other, Rainbow hearing the whistling of the air rushing in her ears. Rainbow Dash listed a little to her left, Soarin to her right, and they grasped hooves again and both accelerated, spinning through the air in a yin-yang shape. Their trails seemed to move through the air like waves of fire as the crowd screamed their approval.
“This... is... a... firework... cue...” Soarin panted, struggling to maintain his grip on Rainbow Dash.
“Yep... any... second... now!” Rainbow Dash gasped back, her arm straining.
The pyrotechs had picked up on the cue, and a flurry of fireworks were launched into the air. They exploded in a shower of red and golden sparks, which rained down over the pegasai. A roar of cheers erupted from the spectators. They let go of one another again, and shot away as a dozen lights from the arena lit up.
It was time for Phase Two. Rainbow Dash could spare no thought for Soarin as she zoomed forward, her speed increasing more and more. Her wings beat rapidly, slowly beginning to ache, but Rainbow Dash did not care. The faster she went, the louder that cheer from the audience grew. She heard a faint echo of her name here and there, and she felt elated. Rainbow turned sharply and flew near the edge of the field, directly over the spectators. There was a sound of a faint breeze on the air from her suit. She flew high in an arc and twisted midair, zooming off to the other side of the pitch with a loud 'whoosh!' She repeated the maneuver on the opposite side, gradually moving faster and faster until she was tumbling through the air, crossing the centre again and again, twisting all over and touching the air over every section of the stadium bowl.
Eventually, she turned sharply and plunged down the length of the field, twisting at the end and reversing direction. The stadium around her was a blur due to her speed. She did this until Soarin noticed her, at which point they could move to the next move. Eventually she saw the other pegasus approach and prepare to collide with her by accelerating into her from the opposing direction.
As they drew closer, Dash flexed her wings and held them solid to catch the air, rapidly losing speed. She held up her limbs and they connected with Soarin's. Their hooves all touched as the two pegasai drew close together, slapping their wings off one another in sync with another cascade of fireworks from the technicians below. They both began to free fall away, catching themselves with their wings after three seconds and flying off in opposite directions, only to collide once more.
Rainbow Dash had barely noticed the noise the crowd had been making. What, with the wind in her ears, the explosion of the fireworks every time they clapped wings, and her own focus on both her flying and maintaining thoughts of extending and illuminating her streak, the crowd had gone unnoticed to her. As she focused on listening, she caught a loud 'Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!' chant working its way through the crowd.
“Ohmigosh, ohmigosh...” She said to herself, her chest full with satisfaction. “They're loving it!”
“Tornado time, Dashie!” Soarin said as they came together for a fifth time. “I'll descend through it!”
They split apart once more, but Dash did not fly away from him as before. She hovered in the air, arms and legs held out wide, making an 'X' shape with her body. A cheer from the spectators met this pose, and Dash beamed to herself. As Soarin flew around the edge of the stadium, his elevation increasing with each passing second, Rainbow Dash started in fly in tight, dizzying circles, picking up speed all the time. Her powerful wings kept the air within the circle trapped and spinning, and slowly a tornado of colour formed as she widened her circuit and added her dark cloud special effect into the mixture of mane colours.
“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” The crowd shouted in wonder and excitement.
Rainbow caught a glimpse of Soarin plunging down through the centre, at a perfect position to avoid being sucked up by the swirling mass of air. As the stallion passed, his ears bent back and a look of determination on his face, Rainbow broke out of the tornado and backed away quickly, before rocketing through the middle of it, cutting it horizontally and making the cloudy twister dissolve. She couldn't risk having it break lose and tearing the arena to pieces.
She resumed her rapid and agile flying, twisting every which way and changing her altitude constantly. The fireworks had returned, this time Rainbow Dash threw in her own suit generated ones. By now, the screaming from the audience had reached a point where there was always a constant sound. By the time one group had stopped shouting, Dash had performed another feat of skill in conjunction with the fireworks to pull another cheer from a different group. Meanwhile, Soarin was doing the exact same thing on the opposite side.
A rapid flurry of bangs from Soarin caught her attention, and she repeated the effect. The pegasai came together and clasped hooves again for some more formation gliding for a little cool down. This also afforded them a chance to speak to one another.
“Dashie, you're doing so well!” Soarin yelled happily as the pair of them went into another dizzying nosedive. “Let's move on to Phase Three now. They are loving this, but let's not push our luck!”
“Gotcha!” Dash agreed as they pulled out of it and shot around the pitch again. “But I feel like I'm beat! Let's cut our little ballet short. Wanna just skip ahead to the throw?”
“On to the throw, then!” Soarin said as they continued to flash around at excellent speeds. “Once we break, I'll rush to the centre of the field!”
They split apart and Dash spiralled off to the edge of the pitch and over the wall. She paused in midair, panting with exhaustion as more fireworks exploded behind her.
“Doing great, kid!” came Rapidfire's voice, him being the Wonderbolt positioned on that part of the wall.
Dash smiled to herself as the spectators before her twisted around to gaze up in her direction. Looking ahead to see Soarin twist in the air to stare her down, Dash only now noticed how excited she was feeling. She had not registered precisely how wonderful this all had been. She had been working so hard, but was having such a great time doing so. The crowd continued to cheer and scream, even though both ponies were now stationary. Clearly, their anticipation was mounting.
'Two moves left, Dash. Make them perfect!' She thought to herself as she began to fly forward, amused at a ridiculously loud 'YEEES!' that a stallion below had shouted.
She accelerated toward the centre of the field, her wings flapping hard, burning from the excessive workout she had put them through. Her arms were wide as she moved, and she focused on her streak as it extended from her current position back to the wall, fading very slowly. She saw Soarin raise his arms, preparing to catch hold of her. Dash's hooves snapped together and she felt a tug as Soarin grabbed them. With a great flap of her wings, she immediately shot downward as Soarin's own wings beat hard against the air, determined to keep him in place. Soarin did not let go as she moved, flying upside down and then coming around right side up again. As she moved, he rotated on the spot.
Dash gave a great pull and Soarin shot forward, twisting in midair so his underside was facing the pitch again. Immediately, Dash allowed her momentum to spur her forward as she dropped to the ground in a diagonal dive. Her landing was perfect. With that one knee bent, other leg flat to the earth, she stretched her arms out and flexed her wings, bowing her head. She took deep breathes, knowing the finale was going to require her to recover as much of her stamina as possible right now.
She waited, focusing on the smell of the grass and her own deep and gentle breathing. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but it was essential to calm its beats. There was a gradually growing round of applause from the audience and an even louder 'Rainbow Dash!' chant. She waited quietly, not moving an inch aside from her chest as it expanded with great lung-fulls of air. Rainbow would need to wait until Soarin was finished with his own finishing maneuver before she proceeded to the finale.
After around thirty seconds, Soarin finally touched down in front of her, face to face and in the exact same position. Immediately, he rose to his feet, standing tall with both arms over Rainbow Dash. His wings gave a great flap, causing the blades of grass the flatten in a wave. A single firework exploded overhead, sending green sparks all over the field. Another flap, another firework. And again. All the while, Rainbow Dash did not move. She was counting silently in her head. After the fifth firework, she threw her head back, staring directly into the sky.
Soarin looked to the sky as well, quickly moving his arms up to match his gaze, pointing to the heavens. Very slowly, Rainbow got to two feet, arms down, face still skyward, and began to flap her wings in the same way.
“Bring it home.” Soarin said loud enough for Dash to hear over the crowd.
Most of the audience were now on their feet, screaming their support and roaring the pegasai on. Dash jumped straight into the air, Soarin remaining still this time. She beat her wings hard, twitching her tail into position. All the spotlights on them immediately went out again, save for a single one still focused on Soarin. Dash accelerated, bringing her arms sharply together, forming a point with her hooves. She had never done this completely vertical before. She was completely invisible as she rushed into the sky, save for her trail, still illuminated by her suit. However, her thoughts maintaining it would need to cease in order for this to work. Visually, it would be to her advantage, as she would appear to vanish into thin air completely.
Faster and faster she went, her wings beating a violent tattoo against her back. That tell-tale funnel of focused and solid air was forming around her body as she went higher and higher, her speed increasing tremendously. The spectators below would not be able to see her at all, and would only see Soarin finally falling to his knees, bringing his arms crashing to the ground, as if summoning Rainbow down from the heavens.
A bright spark, a prismatic flash of colours, a colossal explosion of sound! As Dash's body had contracted enough to break through the threshold of her signature move, her thoughts, razor sharp in her head, were of her crimson lightning. As the shimmering ring of colours, bright as the moon, expanded throughout the heavens, there was a twisting storm of thunder and red lightning at the centre, jumping from cloud to cloud. As it touched each one, the cloud dissolved. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was glowing brightly, a great rainbow forming from the point of the Crimson Lightning Sonic Rainboom and straight down back toward the stadium, visible only by that single spotlight that was focused on Soarin.
Dash touched down on to the grass softly, about fifty feet ahead of Soarin, who was still flat to the ground and pointing straight out. As a final spark of lightning rippled through her body, Rainbow dropped down on all four hooves, and bowed her head toward Soarin's figure. As the rest of the fireworks began to light up the night sky, the great wave of colour above was still expanding in that ring, tearing apart the heavens.
The sound coming from the spectators was tumultuous. Fifty four thousand creatures who had never witnessed the Sonic Rainboom before roared and stamped, screaming themselves hoarse. From all sides, Rainbow Dash's name was shouted and cheered.
“Well... that was fun!” Soarin said in a winning voice as the pair of them walked off the field, the two soccer teams running past them to begin the game. The deafening shouts of Rainbow’s name was still pounding on their ears.
It would not be until the next day before Rainbow's head had fully appreciated the success of the show. Her adrenaline kept her grinning, but focused as she made her way to the top box to see Scootaloo and her friends.
It was a 12:45 AM as Rainbow Dash opened her front door and waddled in a little haphazardly. Soarin came in behind her, stretching.
“What a night!” Dash groaned, walking into the living room and dropping on to her couch.
She spotted the flight suit she had taken off just after the airshow, lying in a heap on the floor. After seeing Scootaloo and receiving accolades from Princess Celestia herself, Rainbow Dash and Soarin had left the stadium. Fluttershy had offered to foalsit Scoot, so when the Wonderbolts offered to take the two performers out for another few rounds at the Vinyl Scratch, Rainbow and Soarin left for Dash's house to drop off their suits. Dash's memory was still a blur from the start of the airshow until then. So much had happened that it was difficult for anything to sink in. It didn't help that she had maybe just a little bit too much to drink in the last couple hours.
“Phew... I'd say!” Soarin agreed, stumbling a little as he sat down next to her. “All in all, though... I think the night was a success! They loved you!”
“They loved us, y'mean!” Dash said, her head feeling a little wobbly. “But mainly me. Mainly me.”
“You going to be alright?” Soarin asked her, a little concerned as he tried to focus on her in the semi-darkness. It looked difficult.
“Yeah, I'm fine...” Dash yawned. “Just tipsy, s'all. Man, did you see the way Scootaloo was bouncing all over the place? I have never seen the kiddo so excited!”
“She was impressed with her mom!” Soarin chuckled, giving a yawn. “I should probably head home soon...”
“Whenever you feel like leaving, just get up and leave!” Dash grinned. “I ain't your mother!”
“Speaking of... I think you would have made your mom proud tonight!” Soarin praised her.
“I hope so...” Dash trailed off. “Hmm... do you wanna see my photo album? I got more pictures of Mom in there.”
“Sure, why not!” Soarin agreed, settling himself more comfortably on the couch.
Dash slipped off the couch and moved the coffee table aside. Dropping to her knees, she reached under the couch and pulled out a dusty old leather photo album.
“Always under my butt!” Dash beamed, dropping down on the couch with her feet up on the arms of the sofa, head across Soarin's lap. “If you're gettin' comfortable, I am too!”
She opened it up and began to flick through it, showing Soarin all the pictures within. She pointed out distant family members. Her aunts and uncles, her cousins and her grandparents. With each photo, Rainbow tried to remember the story behind where or when it had been taken. Soarin was a great audience, Dash thought. He was quiet, speaking only to enquire about specific photos. Otherwise, he just listened intently, his flattering interest causing Dash's spirits to soar even higher. She talked about her old life in Cloudsdale and her old house. Memories of her time together with her mother, which was all that she had left of her aside from old photographs.
“Heavens Above, her name was...” Dash trailed off after recounting her father's story about how he and Rainbow's mother had fallen in love. “I used to think she was an angel sent from the heavens... She even looked like one. Her wings, Soarin! So beautiful... I've never met a pegasus with wings to match my mother's. Every feather was perfect in shape and size...”
Dash trailed off, sighing again. This was going to be the third time in two days that she had come close to crying. She would need to try harder next time. She closed the album with a snap and dropped it gently off the couch, exhaling.
“Not a day goes by that I don't miss her...” She continued, feeling Soarin's hooves on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. “My 'greatest treasure' is my family. That was the last lesson she had taught me before she passed. It was when... she... Eh, nevermind...”
“You were lucky to have such a great mare as a mother, I think...” Soarin said softly to her, still massaging her shoulders.
“Yep...” Dash sighed, adjusting herself so she was more comfortable, sitting up a little straighter but staying in Soarin's lap, quite enjoying the idea of half cuddling with him as the last vestiges of her drinking left her. “So I surround myself with the people I like to mask my sorrow!”
Soarin grinned at her in an almost embarrassed sort of way. Rainbow quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. They both fell into silence, and Rainbow Dash immediately felt herself drifting off. Shaking her head, she sat up completely straight, and just leaned her shoulder into Soarin instead.
“Soarin...” She asked after a considerable pause, turning to look him in the face.
“Mm... hmm...?” Soarin responded, looking as though he himself was quite drowsy.
“Do you think we could still... y'know, hang out? Now that the show is over, you know...”
“I...” Soarin began, looking wide awake all of a sudden. He looked straight into Dash's cerise eyes. “I... think I would like that...”
“You would?!” Dash asked in surprise.
“Sure...” He said, smiling at her. “I think you've earned the right to hang out with someone way more famous than you!”
“Oh, please!” Rainbow chortled. “Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Wonderbolt!”
She leaned away from him and punched her hoof hard into his arm. He gave a grunt of pain and sunk down on the couch slightly, his body more horizontal than it had been before.
“Takin' up all my room, Soarin!” Rainbow snarled playfully, falling on top of him and pushing his face with her hoof. “How rude of you!”
“Gerroff!” He said, blushing scarlet.
“Naw!” Dash laughed, taking the hoof off his face but cuddling into him anyway.
It took her a full five seconds to realize what she was doing. Rainbow Dash felt a tinge of horror. She was doing it all over again! If she kept this up, she was just going to scare him away. She made to get up off him, but he stretched out a little more comfortably on the couch and made no attempts to move her as he did so. He was merely getting more comfortable. Dash began to blush very red indeed, her breathing rapid in her chest.
“You... impressed me today...” Soarin said after a pause, causing Dash to lift her head off his chest and look at him.
“Yeah...” She said softly. “That's... kinda what I do, Soarin!”
“You've been doing that since I first met you, you know...” He trailed off, blushing again.
Rainbow said nothing. Her eyes were fixed on his emerald ones. She could feel the ticking of her heart against her chest, like a bomb waiting to go off.
“That's good... I've been trying to!” Dash said in a quivering voice.
“I'm sorry...” He said suddenly, blinking but not breaking his eye contact with her. “If... I've been a bit weird lately...”
“Weird in... in what way?” Dash asked him, her mouth slightly parted.
“I... I mean to say... shy. I've felt... shy.” Soarin confessed. “Shy and... it all felt awkward...”
“I... see...” Dash croaked, leaning in closer to him. “And now?”
“Not so much, I... I guess!” Soarin grinned a little, his cheeks darkening.
It had been such a strange week. However, her depression earlier did not matter at that moment. Her worry about the future was irrelevant in the now. Her head was blank as they stared into one another's eyes. Dash's mouth was beginning to feel dry as she breathed through it sharply.
All she knew was a great rush of happiness. It was as if all of her dreams had come true in the last few hours. It had been ages since Scootaloo had an anxiety attack. Dash's depression had been squashed. The airshow was a complete success as thousands and thousands had cheered her name. She had her friends and she had a wonderful little filly. There wasn't really much else that she wanted
Except for this. There was nothing more she wanted except for the explosion going off in her heart and brain, euphoria flooding her mind. Nothing she wanted except for the tingling spreading down her spine as every nerve ending in her body lit up with feeling. She felt like she had everything she would ever want as her lips pressed gently against his, his hoof caressing her hair, her hooves on either side of his face, his breath catching in her lungs.
End of Act 1