'Spirit of Loyalty'
by milesprower06
Chapter 2
Not A Royal Affair
Nopony in the group of five was sure how to feel or what to think at the revelation that Rainbow evidently didn't make the cut for the Wonderbolts, and was now nowhere to be found.
“But...but how? We all saw her do her routine. She was flawless!” Applejack questioned.
“In front of us, maybe. I'm afraid she might've gotten too nervous when she auditioned in front of the Wonderbolts.” Twilight offered.
“This was her life's dream! Oh, she must be devastated!” Rarity said worriedly.
“We've gotta find her! She has to know that we're there for her no matter what!” Pinkie said.
“You guys take the chariot back down and see if Rainbow's anywhere around Ponyville. I'll stay a little while longer and see if the Princess knows anything. I sure hope this isn't one big misunderstanding.”
“Alright. See ya back down in Ponyville, Twi.” Applejack said.
With that, the five friends departed the doughnut shop, Twilight heading towards Princess Celestia's tower.
Princess' Audience Chambers
30 Minutes Later
“Sorry, Twilight. I don't have any authority over the Wonderbolt auditions. They control their own roster.” was the Princess' response after Twilight had explained the situation.
“And even if I could, do you think that would be such a good idea?” she asked her star pupil.
“But she's got it! She won the Best Young Flyer competition last year! She's the only one to do the Sonic Rainboom! She's-”
“She clearly has the skill, but are you so sure she has the nerve?” Celestia interrupted.
“Absolutely! She's the most confident friend I've ever had!”
“Confidence and nerve are two different things, Twilight. The Wonderbolts perform some of the most daring and dangerous aerial moves ever. If Rainbow doesn't have the focus during a performance, she could seriously injure a wingmate, or herself, or worse.”
“Princess, this...this was her lifelong dream. She always talked about being a Wonderbolt...”
“I know Rainbow Dash is a very dear friend of yours, Twilight. But sometimes life doesn't have the ponytale endings we want it to have. Besides, even if I could do anything about it, I'm not sure Rainbow would appreciate it. She'd want to prove herself to get in, not be shooed in as a royal favor.”
“But we haven't seen her since this morning. We're...we're worried about her.”
“Then I suggest that you go down back to Ponyville and help find her, and when you find her, find out exactly what happened, and help her come to terms with it. You've learned a great deal about the magic of friendship since you came to Ponyville, my faithful student, and now it's time to put those lessons to use, and perhaps learn a bit more.”
“Thank you for hearing me out, Princess.”
With that, Twilight gave a short bow, and made her way out of the Princess' chambers, to the next chariot down to Ponyville.