Chapter 11
Day one of the try outs dawned bright and clear. After breakfast, the ponies assembled in the courtyard of the Wonderbolt complex. All were wearing some sort of flight suit. Rainbow Dash was wearing her new golden suit, Firewing had on a red and white roll pattern practice outfit. Frost's suit was almost invisible being the same velvety blue as her coat, only the white sequins on the trim betrayed her. Windyday wore a deep purple suit trimmed in silver. Soarin walked up with two other male pegasi.
“Alright ladies,” said Soarin, “it's time to start the trials. Follow me out to the training grounds. Let's go!” He took off and the others followed with the two males bringing up the rear, keeping any onlookers away.
Rainbow Dash's acceleration allowed her to be first in line after Soarin. She was followed by Frost, Windyday, Twister, Firewing and the rest. Soarin's pace was brisk but they could all could easily keep up. Frost flew up along side of Rainbow Dash.
“Still quick off the mark I see,” said Frost with a smile.
“Heh, yeah, just how I am,” replied Dash.
“I just want to let you know,” said Frost in as quiet a tone as their flying would allow, “you should watch out for that Twister. She hates you and she isn't above cheating.”
“I hardly know her,” said Rainbow Dash, “but she seems to hate everypony. Why would she hate me in particular?”
“You can do something she can't and from what I hear, you stood up to her,” said Frost, “not a good combination. She was in a race with Razor's younger sister last year and forced her off course into the woods. No reason for it either. Ask Windyday about it. She was there.”
“Windyday sort of warned me about her,” said Rainbow Dash, “but she didn't say exactly what Twister did. I could tell they aren't friends, that's for sure.”
“I don't think Windyday has ever had a friend,” said Frost. “Excellent flier but she's cold. She's constantly thinking a move ahead of every pony. Strictly honorable though, I have to give her that.”
“Thanks Frost, I'll watch my back,” said Rainbow Dash, “or maybe get Firewing to watch it.”
“I don't know her,” said Frost. “She cool?”
“I think so,” said Dash. “We worked out together yesterday. Traded some secrets too and we're both better off for it. Her father was a Wonderbolt if that helps.”
“Sounds good,” said Frost. “Hey! Look up there. It's Immelmane and Spitfire.”
“He can't fly,” said Rainbow Dash. “He must have had some ponies haul him up there.”
“Maybe,” said Frost, “he can glide you know. He's a master at riding air currents. I've seen him jump off from Cloudsdale and not come back for hours.”
“Nice to know he can still do that even after his getting busted up,” said Rainbow Dash. Not being able to fly, she thought, would be the worst thing that could happen to a pegasus.
“You know the story behind that?” said Frost.
“No,” said Dash, “just rumors. I don't listen to them. Too many different versions.”
“That's my opinion too,” said Frost. “Looks like we're here.”
The ponies landed on a large cloud. There were four more pegasi spread out and flying in the distance.
Spitfire came forward to address the ponies.
“Before we start,” she said, “we need to get an estimate of who's fastest so we're going to have a little race. Line up here. The race is two laps around a level course. The first leg will be to that cloud over there. I'll be on it. After that, fly around Soarin who be on that cloud over there and then back here and around Mr. Immelmane. Then a second lap. You can do a flying finish, no need to land until everypony finishes.”
Spitfire and Soarin took off and headed to their respective points. The ponies took their mark. Dash grinned evilly. Windyday looked at Rainbow Dash and the other contestants. Twister eyed Rainbow Dash with narrowed eyes and a scowl on her face. Windyday smiled to herself and prepared to race, her strategy in place.
Immelmane saw that Soarin and Spitfire were in position. “Contestants ready? Get set, GO!”
The racers took off. Again, Rainbow Dash went out in front and was setting a brutal pace. She slowed only slightly for the first turn but took a surprisingly tight arc. She didn't accelerate immediately which allowed Twister, in second place, to stay close. Rainbow Dash watched Twister's distance carefully and would pull away from her whenever she started to close. Several lengths behind Twister, flew Frost in third place followed closely by Windyday. Firewing paced herself too, flying tightly behind Windyday. Further back from this tight formation flew the Cloudsdale ponies trailed by Starshine and Goldmane.
Rainbow Dash passed Soarin and lengthened her lead on Twister. Stubbornly, Twister tried to catch Rainbow Dash and she was using a lot of energy in the process. Frost started to increase her speed and Windyday matched her. Seeing Frost increase her speed, the Cloudsdale ponies, Razor, Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover, started to catch up to the lead group as if on cue. Firewing was at a loss as to what to do. Should she pass or just keep pace? Windyday didn't like the situation either and decided to pass Frost. She did this and Firewing followed her. Frost, Windyday and Firewing were now closing rapidly on Twister. They were upon her as Twister passed Immelmane to complete her first lap but by then Rainbow Dash was halfway to the next turn. Windyday, Frost and Firewing passed Twister near Spitfire's turn. The Cloudsdale trio also gained on Twister as did Goldmane and a rapidly advancing Starshine.
Frost, Windyday and Firewing passed Soarin and sprinted for the finish. By now, Rainbow Dash had finished and was circling watching the race play out. Firewing waited and then swung out in an attempt to pass Windyday. Frost used her power and put on more speed, overtaking Firewing and closing in on Windyday. The Cloudsdale group passed the tired Twister who was trying futilely to keep up. Starshine and Goldmane also caught her. Twister tried to block but both squeezed by. Windyday, Frost and Firewing passed the finish line with only a body length between them. Starshine, much to her surprise, had enough acceleration left to pass the Cloudsdale ponies and finished fifth. Razor led the Cloudsdale group ahead of Sunrise Cloud and Sweet Clover. Goldmane couldn't pass them and finished ninth. Twister could only try valiantly not to fall any further behind.
Rainbow Dash swooped down beside Firewing.
“That was a great race!” said Rainbow Dash happily. “You were fourth Firewing! And those are fast ponies! You did great. It was so close too!”
Firewing couldn't respond as she was out of breath but managed a smile. They flew to the cloud they started from and landed.
“That was a fun way to start the day,” said Frost. “Good race Firewing, Windyday. Where did Twister finish?”
“Dead last,” said Rainbow Dash. “She burned herself out trying to catch me. Ha!”
“Good,” said Frost, “I wonder what's next?”
Spitfire landed next to Immelmane. “Mr. Immelmane, the results please.”
“Rainbow Dash, Windyday, Frost, Firewing, Starshine, Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover, Goldmane and Twister,” he said. “All the times were adequate. Rainbow Dash obviously outclassed the others by a large margin. She doesn't even look tired. The next three were at least as fast as the present Wonderbolts. Even the last place mare was fast enough to do most of our routine moves.”
“Good job ladies,” said Spitfire to the assembled group, “even the last place time was adequate. We'll let you rest for a bit and then we'll play a little follow the leader. I'll take you up in two groups of five in the order that you finished the race. You are to follow me and mimic my moves as closely as possible. If some pony isn't keeping up, you are allowed to pass them. No blocking allowed. You five fastest will be first.”
“Rainbow Dash, Windyday, Frost, Firewing and Starshine be ready when I call for the first group,” said Immelmane.
The contestants gathered a short distance away from the judges and talked amongst themselves.
Twister walked up to Rainbow Dash. “You little maniac,” she hissed. “I tired myself out trying to keep up with you!” She glared at the other ponies. “Why didn't you tell me she was so fast?”
Rainbow Dash took a step forward but Windyday spoke first.
“As I recall,” said Windyday calmly, “you were told more than once. I knew she could do a Sonic Rainboom and I knew I couldn't so I didn't try to beat her. If you had flown a better race maybe you'd be in the first group.”
“I won't forget this,” said Twister glaring at Windyday.
“Walk it off Twister,” said Frost, stepping up beside Windyday. “No pony is going to hand you anything here. You did it to yourself. Windy is right.”
Twister stalked away, unwilling to challenge Frost.
“Thanks for the back up,” said Windyday. “There's something disturbing about her.”
“No problem,” said Frost. “What did she expect? You don't try to beat an opponents strength. You beat them by attacking their weaknesses.” She looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled.
“Well said,” Windyday said. “I'm going to float around for while, keep the cramps away.”
“Good idea,” said Rainbow Dash, “come on Firewing.”
The two friends took off and cruised gently around.
“I think Twister is nuts,” said Firewing when they were away from the others. “I'd be worried about Frost too if I were you.”
“Frost is okay,” said Dash. “She gave me another warning about Twister as we were flying out here. That's one reason I flew like I did. I didn't want her anywhere near me.”
“And...?” prompted Firewing.
“I wanted to win,” said Dash.
“You're not even tired are you?” asked Firewing.
“No, well, I could take a nap I guess,” admitted Rainbow Dash. “I get bored waiting around.”
Firewing laughed. “So you could have beat us all even worse if you had wanted?”
“Of course!” said Rainbow Dash, “I just kept my distance until I figured she was getting tired and then I pulled away. I told you she was going down. Besides, I figured it would help you and the other ponies get past her too.”
“I'm so glad we became friends,” said Firewing. “You are not a pony to mess with. And what you taught me about speed yesterday didn't hurt either. There's no way I could have kept up with Windy and Frost flying the way I used to. Thanks.”
“Two pony race,” replied Rainbow Dash. “We'll have to wait and see if your lessons are going to help me.”
“First group get ready!” boomed Immelmane.
The first group lined up behind Spitfire and she gave them some final instructions.
“Alright ponies,” she said, “I want four pony lengths between all of you. We're going to be moving fast and I don't need any collisions. We'll circle climb to gain altitude and then we'll start. Get ready when I level out.”
“How will we know when you start?” asked Starshine.
Spitfire smiled as she adjusted her goggles, “Oh, you'll know.”
The line of ponies took off and began climbing. Spitfire leveled off and waited until all the ponies were in line behind her. Rainbow Dash watched every movement of her wings. Slowly Spitfire's right wingtip raised and she rolled over into a dive. For ten minutes Spitfire led the group on a series of loops, spins, rolls, dives and climbs. Sometimes fast, then slow.
At last, Spitfire flew back to the cloud to land. Suddenly she pulled up into a stall and landed on the cloud. This was not an expected maneuver. Rainbow Dash managed to pull off the trick but lost her interval and nearly landed on Spitfire's tail. Windyday aborted the move, spun to her left and landed a bit awkwardly. Frost managed to duplicate the move and landed behind Dash. Firewing had allowed her gap to widen and completed the move easily. Starshine botched the landing by stalling too soon and landed heavily, sinking into the cloud.
Soarin watched the confusion with a smile on his face. He'd seen Spitfire do this before. “I know that was a dirty trick at the end,” he said, “but it was just to test how you react to the unexpected. No collisions and three of you actually managed to pull off the move. Not bad at all. Rainbow Dash, I'm glad you can stop as fast as you take off. Spitfire often gets clipped by a hoof at least. Windyday, that was quite a move, it's always better to abort than hit a team mate. Frost, you had the advantage of a little extra space and pulled it off. Firewing, you anticipated the landing and gave yourself extra space. That is not good when flying with a precision team but you're not a team. That kind of trust comes only through practice. It will come in time. Starshine, you panicked a bit but managed to land without hurting anypony. On the whole, good job everypony.”
“Second Group get ready,” said Immelmane. “Spitfire needs to rest a bit and then she'll take you up. Don't anticipate a landing like you just saw. The whole exercise will be different.”
“I wonder if they'd let me tag along at the end of the line,” said Rainbow Dash. “That was fun.”
Immelmane was within earshot. “No, Rainbow Dash, but you'll get to do more flying. The day's not over yet.”
Firewing spoke as Immelmane walked away. “You want to do that again? Aren't you tired yet?”
“A little,” admitted Dash, “but I'll be okay by the time Spitfire is rested.”
“Nice stall landing,” said Frost. “That was a little surprising. I think they were testing more than just our endurance.”
“Thanks,” replied Dash with a laugh, “I almost landed on her tail.”
Even Windyday laughed. “She's pretty brave to do that with a bunch of unfamiliar ponies behind her. It might have been a way to test our focus when we're tired.”
“Maybe,” said Frost. “I wonder how many they're going to cut today? I was thinking maybe two.”
“At least that many,” said Windyday. “I think it's going to be more like three or four. There are ten of us. If they weed out a third on each cut day that would be three and a third ponies each cut day with the best third for the final day. I guess it depends on if they want three or four ponies on the last day.”
Frost nodded. “That makes sense. Do you think all of us in the first group will make the cut and they'll just take one or two from the second group?”
“Hard to say,” said Windyday. “Remember, all the race times were adequate.”
“I need to talk to my group,” said Frost. She left and went to talk to the Cloudsdale ponies who were preparing themselves for the exercise.
“Think we should warn Goldmane?” said Dash.
“Yeah, I'll do it,” said Firewing. She walked over to Goldmane who was standing by herself.
“Waste of time,” said Windyday. “Look at her. She still isn't recovered from the race. She'll be lucky to finish the exercise.”
“You don't like her, do you?” said Rainbow Dash, feeling a sudden dislike for Windyday.
“I have nothing against Goldy; I'm just stating the facts,” replied Windyday in a calm voice. “If you want to warn her about anything, warn her to watch out for Twister. I'm sure she's figured out the situation by now.”
“Oh, no! You're right,” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “and she starts right behind Goldmane. Thanks Windy!”
Windyday looked a little surprised at Dash's gratitude. Why should she care about a pony she just met? “Oh well,” she thought, “another distraction for the competition.”
“Hey Goldmane, how are you doing?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Kind of tired,” said Goldmane. “That was some race. Firewing told me I have to do well in this exercise or I'm probably out.”
“Look. Just keep up and keep it clean,” said Rainbow Dash. “That's all you can do.”
“That's what Firewing said,” said Goldmane.
“Listen,” said Rainbow Dash, “there's something else; Twister is going to be behind you. If she tries anything, just get out of her way.”
“Great,” said Goldmane with a grim smile, “no pressure at all. I should have known I'd be outclassed.”
“You're good, Goldy,” said Firewing, trying to comfort her, “you just need a little more training.”
“Group two, get ready,” said Immelmane.
“Good luck Goldy,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Do your best,” said Firewing. “go get 'em.”
“Line up behind Spitfire in this order,” said Immelmane, “Razor, Sunrise Cloud, Sweet Clover, Goldmane, Twister.”
The ponies lined up. Spitfire gave the same instructions to the second group as she did the first and they took off.
“I saw you talking to Goldmane,” said Frost. “Is she okay?”
“Tired and a little scared, I think,” said Firewing as she watched the ponies circling upward.
“Gave her a heads up too,” said Rainbow Dash, “you know; Twister.”
“Ah,” said Frost, “I hope she steers clear of my ponies.”
“What do you mean 'my ponies' ?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“We're all in the same flying club and I'm the leader,” said Frost. “If Twister tries something, I'd feel obligated to step in.”
“Better let the Wonderbolts and Immelmane handle it,” said Rainbow Dash. “you don't want to get thrown out.”
“Doesn't sound like the Rainbow Dash I remember,” said Frost. “Developed a respect for authority have you?”
“Something like that,” said Dash. “I just don't want to see you get tossed on account of Twister.”
“She's right,” said Windyday. “I can't think of a better way to get eliminated than fighting.”
“Lets hope it doesn't come to that,” said Frost.
Rainbow Dash looked at her old friend with concern. She knew Frost had a temper and was a pony that took her responsibilities personally.
The ponies started the exercise. All went well until Sunrise Cloud missed a move. She nearly hit Razor and dropped out of line.
“Ugh!” exclaimed Frost, “Sunrise, what are you doing?”
Sweet Clover closed the gap but Goldmane wasn't as quick and Twister attempted to pass her. The gap between Sweet Clover and Goldmane was big enough to do the pass but Twister cut in early and hit the tip of Goldmane's nose with her flank and her forequarter with her rear hooves. Goldmane veered out of line and fell back to the rear behind Sunrise Cloud.
“What was that?!” shouted Firewing. “Mr. Immelmane, are you going to let her get away with that move?”
Immelmane didn't stop watching the exercise. “She has gotten away with nothing,” he said coldly.
Firewing started to protest but Rainbow Dash held her back. “Immelmane will take care of this, trust me.”
Frost stamped her hoof in frustration as the exercise continued.
Suddenly, Spitfire went into a steep climb. After a slight bobble, Razor adjusted and regained her interval. Sweet Clover had a hard time keeping up and the gap between her and Razor widened. Twister thought she saw an opening and accelerated to try to pass her. About the same time, Spitfire began to level out.
Twister was now out climbing the rest of the line and was slightly off to the right. Sweet Clover followed the line and had nearly closed to the proper interval but was unaware of Twister's position. Twister now used her higher altitude to complete her pass and dove in front of Sweet Clover who was startled into slowing abruptly nearly causing Sunrise Cloud to ram into her. Goldmane was far enough back to adjust her speed.
As this was happening, Twister's speed had carried her into Razor's tail but not enough to seriously disturb her flight. At that moment, Spitfire went into a spinning dive and Razor followed. Lacking the room to react or maneuver, Twister overshot the dive point and Sweet Clover and Sunrise Cloud dove beneath her and closed up on Razor. Goldmane had all but given up but was determined to finish the exercise and followed Sunrise Cloud though there was a considerable gap between them.
Angry at missing the turn, Twister dove violently and spun in an attempt to get behind Sunrise Cloud. She did this but also passed through the line before she regained control. The ponies were now spinning down in a near vertical dive and some were having a hard time maintaining control. Only Razor still followed Spitfire in any kind of good form. Spitfire stopped spinning and started to pull out of the dive in an inverted position. This caught all but Razor off guard. Sweet Clover tried to do the proper maneuver but badly overshot the line and leveled out well beneath Spitfire and Razor.
“Mr. Immelmane, Soarin,” pleaded Firewing, “you have to stop this. Some pony is going to get hurt!”
Frost looked at Rainbow Dash and took wing towards the ponies in the exercise. Rainbow Dash hesitated and then followed but by this point there was very little any pony could do.
Sunrise Cloud began to pull out inverted and closed in behind Razor but Twister, going faster and on the wrong line, hit her from above. It was a hard hit. It threw Sunrise into a spin and knocked the wind out of her. Her excess speed now scrubbed off, Twister fell in behind Razor. Goldmane, well behind but at least under control, maneuvered in behind her but kept her distance.
Frost and Rainbow Dash dove towards the stricken Sunrise Cloud. They saw her recover from the spin uncomfortably close to the ground and land immediately. Rainbow Dash continued towards Sunrise, unaware that as soon as Frost saw her friend land safely she veered off and went in pursuit of Twister. Firewing and Starshine had flown after Rainbow Dash and Frost but followed Dash towards the injured Sunrise Cloud.
“Alright ponies, end of the exercise. Return to the...” Spitfire gasped as she looked back and saw the chaos behind her. She also saw a very angry Frost closing rapidly on her group. “Every pony land NOW!”
Razor instinctively folded her wings and went into a nose dive, pulling out in time to land safely. Twister did a lazy half turn and headed down also, unaware that she was being pursued.
“Twister!” shouted Spitfire, as she discerned Frost's intended target, “Get your tail on the ground now! Move it!”
Spitfire banked hard to intercept the enraged Frost.
Glancing back, Twister now understood her peril and obeyed Spitfire's order. She landed and got under cover.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had landed by Sunrise Cloud. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“No, I did something to my wing when I pulled out of that spin,” she replied, wincing. “And my side hurts bad.”
“You have a scratch down your tummy and another on your ribs. Doesn't look too bad. Which wing is hurt?” said Rainbow Dash, as she examined her injuries.
“The right one,” said Sunrise. She turned so that Rainbow Dash could see better.
“You want the good news or the bad news first?” asked Rainbow Dash, trying to keep up Sunrise's spirits.
“Ha Ha,” said Sunrise Cloud sarcastically, “just tell me what's wrong.”
“Everything is still there but the second bone looks out of joint,” said Dash. “I know it hurts but you should be okay.”
“It was Twister wasn't it?” said Sunrise Cloud. “Frost warned me about her.” She sobbed in pain.
Rainbow Dash looked around for the medical team. “Yeah, it was. Frost was behind me... oh no! Gotta go!”
Spitfire was doing everything she could short of attacking Frost to keep her away from Twister. Rainbow Dash flew to them.
“Stop it Frost!” shouted Rainbow Dash to her friend. “Sunrise Cloud will be okay. Just a couple of dings. Come on Frosty!”
Frost was having none of it. “Stay out of my way Dash!”
“Calm down Frost,” yelled Spitfire. “Let us handle this! It hasn't gone too far yet.”
“You have to stay in this Frosty,” said Rainbow Dash in a calmer tone. “You represent Cloudsdale, remember?”
Frost glared at Rainbow Dash but broke away and retreated. Rainbow Dash followed her. “That's it, Frost,” she said, trying to calm her friend. “Stay in the game. Come on, Sunrise Cloud is down there.”
Frost was silent and seething with rage but flew with Dash to her friend on the ground. Firewing and Starshine were with her. Windyday could be seen approaching with the medical team. Soarin joined Spitfire and spoke to her.
Goldmane, Razor and Sweet Clover walked over to the group. Twister was not to be seen. Two more watch ponies flew up to Soarin. Together, with Spitfire, they searched for Twister.
Rainbow Dash and Frost landed near the others. The Cloudsdale ponies crowded around their friend.
“Good thing you and Spitfire stopped Frost,” whispered Firewing. “she was looking for blood.”
“Ya think?” replied Dash in as low a voice as she could muster. “I've never seen her like that! I guess that's it for Twister, Sunrise isn't hurt too bad. Could have been a lot worse.”
“That's for sure,” said Firewing. “Sunrise said she hurt her wing during her spin recovery. Still want to add that move to your routine?”
“I've done that a hundred times and never even stressed a wing,” replied Dash. “She must have been in an awkward position, that's all. Besides, it might have been the collision.”
“That maneuver is an awkward position,” said Firewing, thinking to use the situation to bring Rainbow Dash to her senses.
“I don't want to argue right now Firewing,” said Dash. “The first chance we get I'll show you how to do it. It's not that dangerous.”
“Deal,” said Firewing, “I'll drop it... for now.”
The medics were attending to Sunrise. She cried out once when they popped her wing bone back into place. Frost stamped and looked around for Twister but couldn't see her as Razor blocked her from taking off. Spitfire and Soarin landed and talked to the medics and Sunrise. They stepped away and addressed the other ponies.
“We'll want statements from all of you regarding what just happened,” said Spitfire. “Soarin and Mr. Immelmane saw everything so the first pony to be eliminated is Twister. We found her hiding beneath the trees. She is not injured and is presently being escorted back to her room. The security ponies will allow her to pack her things and escort her out of the compound. What happens after that depends on the official inquiry. A litter crew will come pick up Sunrise and will be here shortly. Everypony back up to the cloud.”
The Cloudsdale ponies reluctantly left their comrade with the medical team and followed the others up to the cloud where Immelmane waited. Soarin and Spitfire spoke for a while with Immelmane, out of earshot of the contestants. When they finished their discussion, Spitfire addressed the contestants.
“I suppose it's an understatement to say that the exercise did not go as planned,” said Spitfire. “We did, however, learn enough to decide who will advance. Razor demonstrated excellent proficiency during that fiasco. She stayed under control and executed every maneuver and command. She will be joining all of the ponies from the first group in advancing to the next round. Congratulations. The rest of you did not make the cut this time, but keep working at it. I would not hesitate to invite any of you back. And next time we will make sure no pony like Twister gets in.”
“We've decided to spend the rest of the morning taking statements from all of you,” said Immelmane. “Head back to your rooms and wait to be called. We'll break for lunch and resume training afterward.”
The ponies gathered to console those that failed and congratulate those that didn't. They flew back to Cloudsdale rather quietly.
Nearing the city, Firewing spotted an unusual looking pony near a cafe. “Look at that! What an odd looking pony!”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, Oh! wait, that's a flight suit, black suit with a yellow coat. And a pink mane? Hmm, aw it couldn't be.”
“What?” asked Firewing.
“That's the same coat and hair combination as Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “But it can't be her, she doesn't have a flight suit and she never wears black. She wears her hair different too.” All the same, Rainbow Dash eyed the strange pony suspiciously for a moment before following Firewing to the Wonderbolts' compound.