Safely snug in the seat of the air taxi that arrived inside the Cloudiseum for an emergency pickup, Trixie leaned herself out the window to address her company.
"Again, Trixie is very sorry to all of you for getting so carried away with her-" she choked back a sob, "-beautiful wings."
"You miss them already, don't you?" Spike deadpanned.
Trixie took one look at him, and then buried her face into her hooves. "Yeeeesss!" she whined.
And then she was done mourning just like that. "*Ahem* But regardless, Trixie did end up displaying some rather hedonistic behavior that was most unbecoming of her usual charming flair." She then stuck a movie star worthy lip quiver to her friends. "Can you ever forgive her?"
"Oh Trixie..."
"Of course!"
"We're used to it by now."
"We still love you."
Trixie then looked to her pegasi companions on her left. "And as for you three, you really were spectacular today in the competition. Especially you, Rainbow Dash. Trixie is forever and ever ever ever in your debt."
"Yeah, I'm cool like that. Just keep your undying gratitude at non-contact distance only from now on," Rainbow replied with a smirk. Then she lowered muzzle just the tiniest bit. "Would have been a lot cooler if the Wonderbolts had been awake to see me save them too..."
The cyan pegasus then felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see...the Wonderbolts, standing right behind her!
Her wings stood straight up and her eyes widened. "OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH!"
The leader, Spitfire walked right up and extended her hoof. "We're awake now. And we'd like to thank you in pony."
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"
"And by the way, that amazing trick my teammates said you pulled off? Pretty impressive. Fleetfoot gave me the skinny on you even outpaced Daring there. I've seen that mare in action firsthoof, and believe me, it takes a real lot to surpass her."
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"
The Wonderbolt leader lifted her goggles off to show a quirked eyebrow. "Did I break her or something?" she asked Honey.
"Eh, just give her a minute. She had the same reaction with me after she finished reading about my expedition to retrieve the Amulet of Kaboo yesterday."
"Well, putting that aside..." Spitfire marched up to Blossomforth, who scratched her neck a little as Fluttershy shrunk back against her.
"I did wake up in time to see you go on. Gotta say, you've come a long way from that junior weather cadet I met in Manehattan months ago."
"Thanks, but like before, it was really more of a team effort. Me..." the white mare looked to her wingless friends, "My cheer squad..." pointed a hoof at Honey and a still gushing Rainbow Dash, "My coaches..." and pulled Fluttershy up in front of her in a neck hugging motion, "And my one and only flower buddy!"
Fluttershy squeed a meek and sheepish smile.
A flutter of wings sounded the approach of another pony from the southern end of the arena.
"Princess!" Twilight and the others bowed to their benevolent ruler as she cantered over.
"Hello, Twilight Sparkle, and hello to your friends too," she warmly beamed as they lifted their heads.
"Princess Celestia," Trixie began, "Trixie is so sorry she ruined the competition. The real star of this show really should have been Rainbow Dash here. She really is the best flyer in Equestria."
Rainbow Dash, finally out of her giddy stupor, rubbed her forelegs with a slightly bashful smile.
"I know she is, my dear." Celestia raised a hoof in declaration. "That's why, for her incredible act of bravery and her spectacular Sonic Rainboom, I'm presenting the grand prize for best young flyer to this year's winner, Miss Rainbow Dash!"
As the crowd cheered and the winner's crown was placed on her head by the Princess herself, Rainbow quickly suffered a total relapse of excitement overdrive. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"
She continued to ohmygosh as her Manehattan chums lifted her up to parade her around the stadium.
"So Twilight Sparkle," Celestia addressed her faithful student who remained behind near the taxi. "Did you learn anything about friendship from this experience?"
Twilight nodded. "I did Princess, but I think Blossomforth can explain it better than me."
Blossomforth cocked her head. "I can?" She looked to Fluttershy for a hint, but then the point hit home. "Oh, oh! Yes, I get it!
Sometimes, being a friend means doing something with them that's well outside your comfort zone. But as long as you're doing it with ponies that appreciate how much of an effort you're making it for them, even the most difficult and/or scary of activities can seem not so bad as you thought. And even if it is, you can always take comfort in knowing how thankful your friends are that you stuck through it the whole way, and maybe next time they'll do something with you that they don't like much.
You just might even make some new friends in the process."
She looked to the crowned winner completing her victory lap, then to her lifelong flower buddy, sharing her sweet smile. "And some old friends too."
"Excellent. Well done, Blossomforth." Celestia turned her head, making an idle look towards the winner's podium. "That reminds me, we need to get yours and Fluttershy's reward out too."
"R-reward?" Blossomforth was completely taken by surprise. "We placed?"
From behind the ceremonial stand, the solar diarch levitated over a pair of bronze medals, that firmly wrapped around the duo's necks. "Third place to be exact. Congratulations, my little ponies."
Fluttershy and Blossomforth each felt the bronze emblems that emblazoned their chests, their eyes locked, and a wide smile shone through them both.
"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"
"You guys too?" Rainbow jumped off her parade as it return and high hoofed her flying pals. "This really is the best day EVER!"
"Uhh, hey, Rainbow Crash."
The trio turned to face another all too familiar trio.
"Dash!" Hoops nudged Dumbbell.
"Oh! Uhh... Sorry." Dumbbell rubbed the back of his head. "Rainbow Dash. Uhh, we just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition."
"Yeah, and you too Blunderforth, Klutzershy."
Now Dumbbell nudged Hoops. "Fluttershy, Blossomforth!"
"Oh, oh! Yeah, yeah! You both were really awesome with those flowers and birds!"
"Heh, thanks guys," Blossomforth said.
The trio shifted uncomfortably. It was plain was day they were new to apologizing. "Uhh, we're really sorry we gave you all such a hard time before, especially you Rainbow Dash. I guess that Sonic Rainboom wasn't just some made up story of yours after all."
Rainbow flicked a hoof. "Aww, that's okay. Don't worry about it. I'm past that now."
"Hey. Do you want to hang out with us? Maybe you could show us how you did that incredible trick!"
"Sorry boys," Rainbow zipped by them to the Wonderbolt squad awaiting her. "But I've got plans!"
"You ready for your super fabulous ultra fun day as a Wonderbolt roadie?" piped the yellow maned one on the right.
"You know it! Let's get out there and live it!"
As the young champion soared off with her idols hoof and hoof by her side, Honey leaned over to her third place winner. "Blossom? That mare...was that who I thought-?"
Blossomforth gave a grin and a wink. "After today, and knowing her...I wouldn't be 'surprised' if it was."
"So it's agreed. Every second Sunday of the month is going to be our Cloudsdale convene?"
Blossomforth and Fluttershy hugged at the edge of of the city limits. "That sounds nice. I can bring Rainbow Dash too...uh, if that's okay with you, maybe..."
Blossomforth gazed warmly into her first friend's soft blue eyes. "Wow...so much as happened, and yet it still feels like it was so short. Next second Sunday just cannot come soon enough."
"It's alright," Fluttershy assured. "We have a whole lifetime to get together. Flower buddies forever?"
Blossomforth clinked their medals together with a toothy smile. "And now, flying buddies too!"
*Honk honk*
The weather cadet's head jerked around to the cab hovering across the open air.
"Come on, Blossomforth!" Spike called from the window. "The meter's still running in here!"
"Okay! Ah, to be continued...!" Blossomforth flapped off into the open door, and looked behind from the back to the steadily shirking citadel and the still waving yellow pegasus as the taxi pulled off in the direction of Manehattan.
When it was finally out of sight, she turned back and properly sank into her seat, an alleviated sigh of relief that had been held for over three days finally escaping her. Looking down to her chest, she grasped the copper-tin alloy in her hooves, pulling it up to eye level.
"Wow, third place..."
"Not bad for a first timer, huh?" Honey commended.
"I think this deserves a celebration, don't you?" Sherbet asked the group. "How about I make us all a reservation at the Oneighin Restaurant for dinner tonight?"
"No need to go over the top, Auntie," Twilight said. "I'll bet she's just glad it's done and over with, aren't you Blossomforth?"
Blossomforth rubbed her chin with a playful smirk. "I don't know...maybe next year I'll see if I can try for second."