//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 // Story: The Winning Failure // by marley //------------------------------// Chapter 17 The contestants spent the next morning practicing the routine. During the mid afternoon four Wonderbolts flew in and started taking the contestants up one at a time. Windyday went first and was nearly flawless, she had a slightly wobble when she caught some turbulence from another pony but quickly corrected the problem. Her moves were precise and perfectly performed. Starshine was next and while she was able to perform the routine, it was very shaky. Firewing was snappy and her timing was dead on. Rainbow Dash was nearly as good as Firewing but her technique was not as clean at times. Razor mistimed her starting move and it took her some time to recover. Frost was last and flew with determination as if trying to make up for her past behavior. Her only error was actually getting slightly ahead of the rest of the team but she corrected this and made a good showing. The ponies waited nervously to hear the judges decision. Rainbow Dash laid down on the cloud. “Tired? Dash? I never thought I'd see it,” teased Frost. “Kind of,” admitted the blue pegasus. “That took a lot of concentration. I'm used to just zooming around on my own.” “You did well, Rainbow Dash,” commented Windyday. “I seriously misjudged your abilities.” “Thanks, Windy,” said Dash, “I didn't look as good as you though.” “I don't think any of us looked as good as Firewing,” said Frost. “This might be my last day.” “Maybe,” said Windyday. “The only one I'm sure of is Firewing. They could find a reason to cut all of the rest of us.” “Oh come on!” said Razor, “I know I'm out but all of you were real good.” “Sometimes real good isn't enough,” said Windyday. “I was in a competition and thought I did a perfect performance and still lost.” “You were all better than me,” said Starshine. “I was so nervous.” “I felt pretty good out there,” said Firewing, “but I didn't think I was better than some of you.” “You looked great Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “If they picked you for the job right now, I wouldn't be shocked.” “Yeah, I have to agree,” said Frost. “You were as close to flawless as I've ever seen. Put you in a Wonderbolt outfit and I couldn't have told the difference. Same goes for you Windy.” “Thanks, but I did make that one error,” said Windyday. “I should have anticipated that turbulence from the pony cutting across my path. Stupid of me.” She stamped her hoof. “I couldn't see it,” said Razor. “Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash. “You're being too tough on yourself Windy.” “Maybe,” replied Windy, “but I try to be perfect every time. I was perfect when we practiced this morning. If I could do it then, I should have been able to do it during the test. I find it...annoying.” Firewing laughed and gave Windyday a quick hug. “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to the finals.” Windyday was surprised by the show of affection and couldn't help but smile. As the contestants were discussing their performances, the judges compared notes. “It's not getting easier is it?” said Immelmane. “I think we can agree on the two to go this time though. I would say Razor and Starshine.” Spitfire sighed. “Yes.” “Yes,” said Soarin, “and it's a shame too; a couple of weeks training and they could be just as good.” “How do you rate the others?” asked Immelmane. “We have to keep Firewing, Windyday and Rainbow Dash in that order,” said Soarin. “Frost did very well today but wasn't as crisp as Firewing or Windy. Our only choice would be to cut her and keep Razor. I'm not really sure it would be fair to cut her because of that mess on Monday” “I agree with you on the keepers,” said Spitfire. “I think we should keep Frost even though I don't see her beating any of the other three on Friday. It wouldn't hurt to let her do her routine and it would give Mr. Immelmane another pony to consider. You're right Soarin, the only alternative would be Razor.” “That's fine with me,” said Immelmane, “so we have a consensus?” “Those four? Sure,” said Spitfire. “Sure, okay,” added Soarin reluctantly. “Let's get this over with,” said Immelmane. He called the ponies over and addressed them. “We've reached a decision and only two of you are being let go today. Starshine and Razor, I'm sorry but you just didn't do as well today as the others. You should be proud that you made it this far. The rest of you will start working on your routines for Friday, starting tomorrow.” “Razor and Starshine, thank you for coming to the tryouts and we will be sure to keep you in mind for next time,” added Spitfire. “You'd both make great teammates someday.” “The first hour tomorrow will consist of a workshop on setting up a routine for your individual performance,” said Immelmane. “Then you will choose the music you will use from a list. All the music is exactly three minutes long. That is how long your routine should be. The rest of the day and Friday morning will be spent practicing your routine. You will be able to ask us for advice or critique on anything you plan on doing.” “That's it for today,” said Soarin. “I imagine you're all anxious to get started working on your routines but try to relax a little. It won't do you any good to work so hard that you're exhausted by Friday afternoon. We'll see you tomorrow.” “Going to work out?” asked Firewing to Rainbow Dash. “A little,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let's take a swim first. I need to unwind.” “Can I come too?” asked Starshine. “I'm out of it now so I can't steal your moves.” Firewing and Dash look at each other. Rainbow Dash nodded and Firewing said “Okay.” The three ponies flew towards the lake. “I know you two have been practicing on your own,” said Starshine. “I just want to see what you've been doing.” “Are you going to show her?” Firewing asked Rainbow Dash. “If she promises not to tell,” said Rainbow Dash after a moment. “I promise! I won't tell anypony,” said Starshine. Firewing grinned and gave a little chuckle, “You're in for a treat then.” “First I'll show you how to get in a lake,” said Rainbow Dash as she peeled off and started a dive. “What?” said Starshine, not sure that she heard correctly. The other two ponies followed Rainbow Dash but not at her speed. She performed the same 'skipping stone' trick as before. Starshine and Firewing laughed at her antics. “Can I tell anypony about that? I wish water was part of the routine. That would be awesome,” said Starshine still laughing. “I'll show you awesome in a little while,” said Rainbow Dash. “I'm going to warn you Starshine,” said Firewing, “this is not for the faint of heart. I've been trying to talk her out of doing this since she told me about it.” “Dangerous?” asked Starshine. “A little,” said Rainbow Dash. “A lot!” said Firewing emphatically. Rainbow Dash splashed her and she splashed her back. “Are you going to tell me or what?” asked Starshine. They both splashed her. “Hey!” They played in the water for a while and then got out to dry on the bank. After Rainbow Dash's wings were dry she got up. “Okay Starshine, prepare to be struck by awesome!” She took off and flew up to start her trick. “Over the lake!” Firewing called after her. Rainbow Dash didn't answer and continued to climb. “What's she going to do?” asked Starshine. “Something amazing but really crazy,” said Firewing as she watched Rainbow Dash climb. “Why over the lake?” asked Starshine. “Because it's slightly less crazy that way,” replied Firewing nervously. Rainbow Dash got into position, did the half Immelmane and dropped into her dive. It wasn't long before it became apparent that she was not doing the move over the lake but was heading towards the edge of the lake where her friends waited. “Oh feathers!” breathed Firewing, “she's not doing it over the lake. Starshine, this is going to be scary but don't do anything.” Starshine watched spellbound as Rainbow Dash started slowly spinning in a steep and fast dive. Rainbow Dash neared the ground spinning and went into her inverted flat spin. Starshine gasped as Dash flipped into the flat spins and swooped up into the stall. She landed, adding the bow that Firewing suggested. “What was that?!” exclaimed Starshine. “Haven't you ever seen a flat spin before?” said Rainbow Dash smugly. “Sure but only during class when they were teaching us how to get out of one!” Starshine exclaimed. “And never that close to the ground! That was on purpose? You're crazy...awesome...crazy awesome!” “Pretty cool huh?” said Rainbow Dash. To her, Starshine's shock was the highest praise. “I saw it and I still don't believe it!” said Starshine shaking her head. “Told you it was scary,” said Firewing. Rainbow Dash laughed, “You want scary, try doing it.” “No thanks, I prefer my body the way it is,” replied Firewing. “That is the wildest thing I've ever seen,” said Starshine. “That's in your routine isn't it?” “Yep,” said Rainbow Dash. “The most awesome ending ever.” “It could be an awesome ending alright,” said Starshine. “I'm glad I'm out. I could never compete with that. I'd crash if I tried.” “That's why I wanted her to do it over the lake,” said Firewing. “Better to splash than splat.” “I've got it down Firewing,” said Rainbow Dash. “That one was almost perfect.” “That's just it Dash; they all have to be perfect or you're gonna crash hard,” said Firewing, her voice full of concern. “You could do it twenty times perfect and if you mess up the twenty-first there won't be a twenty-second.” “Well, I'm going to use it in my routine,” said Dash obstinately, “and I'm going to practice it twice tomorrow and once Friday. Lets just take it easy for now. Just do some stunts on the way back to town like before.” “Now that was fun!” said Firewing. “You can join in too Starshine. We had a little crowd watching us last time.” “Yeah! That was so cool. I loved it,” said Dash. “Okay, sounds like fun,” said Starshine. “Hey Rainbow Dash, did you ask if it was alright to use that move in your routine?” Rainbow Dash laughed, “Are you kidding? There's no way they'd let me do that if they knew.” “She's crazy, not stupid,” said Firewing. “Come on! Lets do some flying.” “Same as before?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Take turns calling out numbers and then perform on the count of three?” “Yeah,” said Firewing, “but lets do something special if there are any ponies watching when we get to Cloudsdale.” “Like what?” asked Starshine. “What if we just tried to synchronize a move and do it in a line?” suggested Rainbow Dash. “Okay, that would look good,” said Firewing. “What do we do?” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. “How about we fly in and get parallel to the city. We do a right wing barrel roll, then a loop and then on the second loop just climb into a hammerhead stall and twist so we drop backwards into a dive and then do three left wing full snap rolls.” “Snap rolls after we level out right?” asked Starshine. “Yeah, forgot that, sorry.” “Okay,” said Firewing, “but lets break formation when we're done. Center pony flies straight while the outer ponies circle and come back to form a vee.” “Firewing, you sure know how to add the special touches,” said Dash. “Thanks, lets fly!” said Firewing. She took off and the others followed. They practiced the formation move they developed and started back to Cloudsdale playing the game that Rainbow Dash and Firewing had played the previous day. As they neared Cloudsdale they saw a much larger crowd near the edge of the city. They went into their formation and did their stunt. The crowd cheered, wanting more. Of course, Rainbow Dash couldn't resist and pulled up as if to do a loop. At the top of the loop she leveled out dove slightly, tucked her body and somersaulted several times before recovering and flying back to the compound. Not to be outdone, Firewing did a few snap spins, stopping briefly on each quarter point. The crowd noise gained the attention of of Soarin, Spitfire and Immelmane who watched the show from a window in Immelmane's office. “We'd better hire her before she starts her own team,” said Soarin. “Which one?” asked Spitfire with a smile. “Rainbow Dash was who I meant,” said Soarin, “but I suppose it could could have been Firewing.” “That actually looked good,” commented Immelmane, “and they couldn't have practiced it much. Even Starshine was dead on.” “That was a cute little move by Rainbow Dash at the end,” said Spitfire. “The somersaults? Yeah, but not the kind of thing for a serious performance,” said Soarin. “The crowd liked it,” said Spitfire. “It could have an interesting effect if you're trailing smoke too,” added Immelmane thoughtfully. “I wonder whose idea it was to do that formation? Rainbow Dash?” said Spitfire. “Maybe,” said Immelmane. “That Firewing loves the spotlight too. Remember, part of her answer to 'Why do you want to be a Wonderbolt?' was 'A chance to perform in a great group'. As impressed as I've been with Rainbow Dash this week, I must say that I think Firewing is more of a team oriented performer.” “Yes, but I don't know if we can pass up an athlete like Rainbow Dash,” said Soarin. “And don't forget Windyday, she isn't the most friendly pony I've ever met but she is as close to being a perfect flier as I've ever seen.” “I haven't written off Frost yet either,” said Spitfire. “That's what the individual exercise is for. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a real showcase of talent.” Immelmane smiled. He was looking forward to Friday.