//------------------------------// // 4 - The Sonic Rainboom Pony // Story: Mirror Blue // by Crowne Prince //------------------------------// Trouble was afoot in Ponyville. It came on three sets of hooves and it called itself the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Now it can’t be just any pony,” Sweetie Belle said. “Ms. Cheerilee is one of the best mares in Ponyville. She deserves to have one of the best stallions as her very special somepony.” The three fillies exchanged glances. It was time for a song. Sweetie Belle led this one. “Cheerilee is sweet and kind. She’s the best teacher we could hope for. The perfect stallion you and I must find. Want to really make her heart soar.” Scootaloo jumped in at the mention of that word. “Hey, wait, cut the song. You know who’s single and also totally cool?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both groaned as the shadow of a pegasus passed over them, right on cue. “Hey Soarin’!” Scootaloo called out. The stallion did a back flip in the air, spun around, and landed in front of the Crusaders with a bow, wings spread out along the ground. “At your service, for all your troublemaking needs.” Soarin’ lifted his head, still holding his wings open. “Hey Scoots. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom.” Applebloom narrowed her eyes. “You’re in an awfully good mood. You weren’t sneaking cupcakes out of Sugar Cube Corner again, were you?” Soarin’ licked a spot of frosting off his lips. “No.” “Hmm,” Sweetie Belle hesitated, spinning her two friends around so they were facing the other way and Soarin’ couldn’t hear their whispered conversation. “I dunno Scootaloo. Ms. Cheerilee doesn’t like silliness much. Remember that time we put that apple that screams when you bite into it on her desk?” The three fillies looked at their feet. “But on the other hoof,” Applebloom said, “Soarin’ is really nice, even if he’s a little goofy.” Scootaloo chipped in. “Don’t forget he’s the best flyer in all of Equestria!” Soarin’ raised an eyebrow at the secret conversation and waited for the Crusaders to figure out what they needed him for this time. The fillies turned around with innocent smiles. “Hey,” Scootaloo began. “Are you doing anything for Hearts and… Hooves… Day...” Soarin’ laughed as the three ponies seemed to get confused by their own question. Their eyes were wide, like they’d seen a timberwolf. He opened his mouth. “Sorry girls, this one’s with me today.” Soarin’s jaw and wings snapped shut in shock and his ears went straight up. The Cutie Mark Crusaders bunched together in front of him. They all tried to talk at once and the words stumbled over each other. Finally Scootaloo managed to get over the other two. “Oh. Er, we’ll just be over there, actually, I think I see somepony else that can help us.” “Yep! Over there, that one. But…” Sweetie Belle sang, “this one’s too young. This one’s too old.” The sound of the musical faded off down the streets of Ponyville while the three went on with their search. “Looks like I just saved your feathers there. I know mischief when I see it, and those three have it written all over them save the cutie mark. But you,” Rainbow Dash said, pacing around Soarin’ so she was facing the frozen stallion. “You have a cutie mark in something else entirely, Soarin’.” She said the dreaded phrase: “We need to talk.” In one smooth motion the Wonderbolt pushed off the ground into the sky. Either Soarin’ followed her, or he got to find out what happened when you broke Rainbow Dash’s wing and then ignored her. It was going to be option one, then. “Come on wings,” he mumbled. Soarin’ regained his senses and creaked into action. Dash waited for him on one of the clouds above Ponyville. The sparse pegasus air traffic at this time of day flowed above her, while town life below trotted. Soarin’ was certain ponies recognized that mane the instant they set eyes on it, but no one dared approach the rainbow Wonderbolt. She wasn’t wearing her uniform and sported a pair of saddlebags instead. He sighed heavily, accepted whatever fate held in store, and landed next to Dash. She looked out over the sky while she spoke. “I guess I should thank you first for what you did at the gala. Rapidfire says I’m always jumping into action without assessing the situation. If you hadn’t hit me, a broken wing would probably be the least of my worries. So now that that’s out of the way...” Rainbow Dash whirled on Soarin’. “What were you thinking pulling a move like that off indoors? You could’ve set the whole building on fire! Electrocuted half the ponies there! I would tell you to just knock it off, but if you had any control of your abilities, you’d have done that move back in Cloudsdale! And to make matters more complicated, you’ve got this on your flank.” She jabbed a wingtip at Soarin’s Wonderbolt cutie mark. Despair sank a pit in Soarin's stomach. He didn’t get to decide what his cutie mark was, and it was obvious Dash didn’t think he was good enough to be a Wonderbolt. “I…” “So I’m going to train you,” Rainbow Dash finished. “You—what?” She grinned. “Just for today. Normally I’d make you prove you can keep up with me first, but this one’s on the house. I get the feeling if I told you to avoid doing that move, you’d ignore me and end up getting hurt or destroying a village. Part of my job is keeping Equestria safe, after all.” She stood. “So, Soarin’. Do you want to be a Wonderbolt?” Confused and shocked, Soarin’ could only answer that question on reflex. “Yes.” “Then what are we sitting around on a cloud for? Come on, I’ll show you how to control that move. What do you call it?” Dash dropped off the cloud and Soarin’ followed her. “Thunderwings.” Dash recalled the loud explosion that created shimmering wings in the air. “Heh. Good name. We’re going to go out where we won’t bother anypony. The Everfree Forest is around here someplace. The skies above that forest should be good.” Dash noticed Soarin’ fell in perfect formation to her rear left flank. He knew where he was supposed to be and had the ability to maintain spacing. She increased her speed to see if he’d be able to match her pace. He did, keeping the same distance between them regardless of how fast or slow she went. Soarin’ wasn’t sure how to break the news to Dash about her choice of training location. The weather there was unpredictable and the clouds were unusual. “Er, Rainbow Dash, I’m not so sure about that place. The Everfree Forest sounds like a bad idea.” “Which is exactly what makes it a good idea! No one will follow us out there.” “No one will hear us scream, either.” “Afraid of a little Nightmare Moon?” Soarin’ bit his lip. Dash hadn’t seen what a pony with fangs looked like, let alone had to battle one. “I’m not scared. I just don’t want to be responsible for another broken wing or something. Once was enough.” “Yeah, you know, most of the time when I break things it’s my fault. Way to switch things up.” Soarin’ started to relax. It didn’t seem like she was out for revenge. Still. Uniform or not, the pegasus in front of him was a Wonderbolt, and all the time he spent with her better be with his best wing forward. No pony could apply to the Wonderbolt Academy unless they got an invitation first, after all. The stallion shook his head. Wonderbolts mentored ponies from time to time like this. No need to get excited. One flap at a time. The two pegasi entered official Everfree Forest airspace. Ponyville vanished from view and thick clouds took over. Most had a slight pink tinge, but every so often he saw gray or black ones. This was the best case scenario in terms of Everfree weather. Rainbow Dash set foot on a pink cloud. “Watch the stickiness. You know, these clouds kinda seem familiar.” “Oh. Did you get cotton candy over by Canterlot too?” “Some of it. Most of it was gum clouds, though. One of my teammates, Surprise, tried making a gum cloud after the Princess’ guards cleaned up that Discord business, but so far she hasn’t had any success. It’s probably for the best.” Dash lifted a hoof and watched the cloud stretch. She released her magic grip and the pink puff snapped back into place. Dash set her saddlebags down and started sorting through them. “Now, explain your technique for Thunderwings.” “I’ve managed to do it twice. The first time was when I was still a colt in flight camp. The second was at the Grand Galloping Gala. I think the wings show in the sky because I open mine the instant before impact, but my problem is speed. There’s a certain velocity I have to reach for it to work. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong, or how to go any faster other than waiting for a life or death situation to pop up.” Dash passed Soarin’ a container that looked like one of Rarity’s face creams. “Rub this over your forehooves and let me tell you a little something about what they don’t teach in flight school: magic. Oh, don’t let it get on your wings. Use your hooves to put it on.” Soarin’ screwed off the top of the container. The stuff inside looked like water, but when he poked at it, it stuck to his hoof and created a transparent shell over it, like he’d dipped his foot in melted wax. “That’s resistance reducer, a little something a unicorn can whip up with the right ingredients and the know-how. You’ve gotta watch where you put it. I’ve been told if you nosedive while coated in it, it works so well you won’t be able to use your tail and wings to get out of the dive, and you’ll crash into the ground at supersonic speed.” “Will I always have to use this?” Soarin’ finished spreading reducer over his front hooves. He could barely see the clear coating, but he could sure feel its oily presence. Dash looked at Soarin’s coat. “Nah. If you were super fluffy, maybe. Fur causes air drag, so the reducer will solve that issue. Today you’re using it so you can get a feel for how fast you have to be.” “Right. Okay, now I’m going to give it a shot.” Soarin’ crouched and prepared to launch. “Whoa, slow down there speedy. I’ve gotta tell you some more about pegasus magic. It’ll be quick, I promise. I like lecturing about as much as I like being lectured to, and trust me, as a rookie Wonderbolt I got plenty of that second part. “Pegasus magic is what lets us walk on clouds with no effort. All we have to do is concentrate to cut the flow of magic and we can pass through clouds. And that’s all there is to it, right?” Soarin’ couldn’t avoid rolling his eyes. “Right.” “Wrong! What do you think creates signature trails, like Wonderbolt smoke? Magic. Yep, now you see where I’m going with this. A Sonic Rainboom isn’t caused by pure speed. It’s the same with your Thunderwings. Unleash a burst of pegasus magic and it takes form in wings, or a rainbow, or showers of firework-like sparks if you’re talking about one of our airshows. “‘Course most pegasi never need to know this, so you only learn the most basic magic control in flight school. The best moves take magic, and to get magic to work you need to harness emotions. If you’ve ever seen a unicorn cast a challenging spell you know what I mean – their eyes get all glowy and they make funny faces.” Soarin’ picked up one of his hooves and looked at it. He’d never paid much attention to his ability to manipulate clouds. It came naturally. “So I’m supposed to feel something, and then… concentrate on it?” “Uh-huh. And for a supersonic move you need one thing only.” Rainbow Dash strode right up to Soarin’ and poked him in the chest with her wingtip. “Determination. You cannot doubt yourself. You’ve gotta have complete focus on getting what you want to the point where you don’t think you will do it, you know you will do it.” She removed her feather. “So when you’re flying, act like you're going to pass through a cloud and turn your magic off. Right when you do that, pour in the emotion and unleash it. Bang. Instant awesome.” “You make it sound easier than it is.” “Pretty much.” With that, Rainbow Dash fell through the cloud. Soarin’ heard her call out from below. “So start by paying more attention to what the control feels like.” Soarin’ shut off his magic. The cloud whooshed around him. He relaxed and prepared to land on the cloud below, but when he looked down there was nothing but trees. He scrambled in the air and threw his wings out, flapping to regain height. “Heh heh. Gotcha.” Rainbow Dash peered down at him from where she was sitting on the underside of the cloud. Her mane and tail hung straight down. Soarin’ floundered in the sky again. “What the. How are you doing that?” “Control. It’s actually harder to teach this than the Sonic Rainboom stuff. But it’s possible.” She yawned. “So go ahead and work on moving through clouds some more. I’m gonna take a nap. Let me know when you’re ready.” Soarin’ gaped at the pegasus curled up on the bottom of the cloud, napping. Was she for real? He stuck his lower lip out and huffed. Oh, he’d let her know when he was ready. Rainbow Dash nearly shed all her feathers when the bang blew up right next to her napping spot. She unstuck to the bottom of the cloud and toppled for a few seconds with a yell. Some leftover Thunderwing sparks zapped her coat and she jerked out of the way. A blazing gold trail zipped over the Everfree. Rainbow Dash shouted at it. “Alright, I totally deserved that!” She took a breath and smirked, but judging from the position of the sun that was all the fun she was going to have today. It was time to go home. --- For a while, things went rather smoothly, considering it was a country filled with magical creatures. Thanks to Ponyville’s weather team, Cloudsdale had enough water to supply Equestria for the coming year. The Crystal Empire, a long-lost country, and its entire population reappeared after 1,000 years of banishment. Nopony was sure if they’d been on the moon with Luna or what. So this changeling invasion was small stuff compared to that. Rainbow Dash kicked another one in the face. Rapidfire, Spitfire, and Surprise battled alongside her while they carved a pathway to the Elements of Harmony. They were supposed to meet the bearers there. Those six ponies were definitely going to need back up. The two groups of battling equines merged and Rainbow Dash had one of the more bizarre experiences of her life. “Soarin?!” She was nose-to-nose with the familiar face. It hissed at her. “Whoops,” she said, ducking under the vicious bite the changeling Soarin’ tried to take out of her muzzle. She swept the legs out from under the bug and bucked it out of the way. She whirled around and faced another Soarin’. He reared and got ready to stomp down. The hooves slammed a hairs-breadth from her face. “Rainbow Dash?” “Huh?” They both sputtered in confusion. Rainbow Dash said, “You’re here to back up the Elements of Harmony too?” Soarin’ said, “The Wonderbolts are here to back us up?” Both ponies threw rear kicks that knocked out the changelings sneaking up behind them. “What?” they said in unison. “I am an Element of Harmony!” Soarin’ was forced to clarify. “What?” Rainbow Dash repeated in disbelief. The two were thrown back into the fight among the mass of pony replicas. “You know,” Soarin’ shouted over the noise, “The last thing we need right now is more confusion!” A herd of Pinkie Pies swarmed him and multiples of all the present Wonderbolts got mixed in with the copies of everypony else. “To horse’s hay with this!” Rapidfire complained. The real Rapidfire disappeared into thin air, and all the mimics glanced around, confused, unable to copy what he’d just done. Surprise immediately set to taking them down. Elsewhere changelings began to fall in defeat for no visible reason. Twilight Sparkle threw the doors to the Hall of Magic open and a fresh swarm of changelings attacked. The bearers of the Elements charged into the fray, trying to reach the secondary doors where the elements were stashed. “Really?” Spitfire groaned, noticing the lack of military forces inside. “Celestia leaves those gems out, unguarded?” “Cover me!” Soarin’ called from the herd. He tore down the hallway, wings wide open, plowing everything in the way over. Rainbow Dash leapt out of the chaos. “On it!” Nothing like a tornado to mix things up. The mare threw herself into an insane spin, kicking up a whirlwind that grew into a small cyclone. Keeping the rotation, she started to move down the aisle. Every pony in her path got whipped into the gale and thrown across the room. “Watch it! Coming through!” The Elements and the Wonderbolts blew through the next set of doors. “Twilight,” one of the many Applejacks called out. Her voice was edged with worry. “Don’t reckon you know how to open this door?” Well, this was just pony fluffing great. The box was protected. A great door with a horn lock on it stood in their way, a lock that only one pony could open. Twilight bit her lip. It was the closest any pony ever saw her come to cussing her mentor out. Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. “Oh, no big deal. If Discord can break it, anypony can.” “Hiyah!” Rarity shouted out of nowhere, hitting the door with a punch. Nothing happened. After a second she pulled her hoof away and held it to her lips. “Ow,” she whined, fussing over the injury. Twilight had to act now. They were outnumbered. “Might as well give it a try,” she said before putting her horn into the lock. A faint blue glow shuttered on and off around the lock’s protection spell. The other five Elements crowded around the door, forming a defensive circle that was falling apart fast. “Oh give me a break.” Rainbow Dash rammed into Twilight, pushing the unicorn's horn fully into the lock. Blue light burst from the pattern on it and it opened. Dash noted the box, opened it, pulled out the necklaces, and shoved each one onto five ponies there. The sixth element was a crown. Dash slapped it onto whoever didn't have an Element yet. “Hey, this one’s not mine!” Pinkie Pie fiddled with the crown. “Shiny.” There wasn’t time for that. “Whatever, figure it out on the way unless you want to know the wrath of twenty Spitfires!” The Spitfires crowded around them, hissing. Together they bulldozed back out of the building. The city was a wreck. Fortunately the fighting prevented any more changelings from joining the swarm that chased them all the way to the castle where the wedding had, uh, failed. Fleetfoot united her squad of Wonderbolts with Spitfire's and together they held the rear guard, protecting the Elements of Harmony so they could reach the changeling Queen. Moments later a rainbow blast rocketed the Chrysalis all the way to the dead woods. Her minions fled after her. --- Soarin’ sought out Rainbow Dash at the real wedding reception. “You really saved our flanks back there. Makes up for that fiasco with the rampaging dragon in Ponyville,” he said. “Hey,” Rainbow Dash defended herself. “I wasn’t there, and plus they told us it was a teenage dragon, not a full-fledged adult. Fleetfoot would’ve sent a different team for that.” “Maybe my friends and I handled the dragon, but I have no idea what the changelings would have done if they’d caught us back there. I might not be here.” “Oh, don’t worry, you wouldn’t have died or anything. They’re changelings. The Wonderbolts have dealt with them before. They probably would’ve just captured you and drained you of all positive feelings for the rest of your life.” Soarin’ snatched a drink off a passing platter and took a swig. “You’ve dealt with changelings before. Is life with you always this crazy?” “Hey, I could say the same. Seriously though, would you be able to be a Wonderbolt and the Element of Loyalty at the same time?” “That’s… I don’t know. I mean yes. I mean, I don’t know. Can’t say I’ve tried it yet.” Soarin’ held the champagne glass in his wing and swirled it around, avoiding Rainbow Dash’s intense gaze. “I’m a little envious of you, you know. You must’ve had it so easy getting in.” He realized that was a poor choice of words as soon as they left his mouth. Now it was Dash’s turn to snatch a fizzy drink off the next tray a waiter brought around. Her brow furrowed. “You think it’s been easy for me.” The mare took a long drink and looked away. “You and everypony else," she said. She tossed her glass straight up, stepped aside, flourished her wings, and caught the drink with a back hoof. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, the magnificent Sonic Rainboom pony. She’s so radically amazing. Why wouldn’t she be a Wonderbolt when she can do that awesome move?” Soarin’ knew he’d hit a nerve, but he didn’t know the details and wasn’t sure what to do. Dash kept talking. “I wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but I wasn’t ready. I basically got onto the team because of one technique. I was so far behind in everything else. I was arrogant and couldn’t see past how cool I thought I was to understand that my teammates were also great ponies. I couldn’t fly in a formation. My flight patterns weren’t precise enough. And so while everypony else got to fly together, I only showed up to perform that one move by myself, alone.” Her voice turned bitter. “The Sonic Rainboom. That’s all anyone ever knows me for.” Just like that, the wall was back up. Dash didn't continue. Soarin’ pondered his own personal development. He’d been afraid he would fail to live up to his cutie mark. He’d been discouraged by the fact he still wasn’t there yet. In the past, becoming an elite flyer was a dream so ridiculous it felt okay to go after it since it probably wouldn't happen anyway. In the present he knew he could be a Wonderbolt. Back then, what Soarin’ lacked was confidence. He had it now. He had the confidence to say aloud, “You changed all of that, Rainbow Dash. Maybe that was the case when you first joined, but it isn't now.” The Wonderbolt drained the rest of her drink. “Heh. You’re right. I still think about it sometimes, though. What might have happened if nobody took my signature move seriously back then.” Soarin’ set his empty glass on the table next to them. He took a risk. “I have no idea what that alternate reality looks like, but I do know one thing.” The music shifted out of the melancholy tone of the royal couple’s first dance into something with a beat. “You probably wouldn't be asking me if I wanted to dance.” Rainbow Dash put on a daring grin and narrowed her eyes to that challenge . “Oh, is that so?” She put her glass down too. “I’ll bet I can dance circles around you, Soarin’.” Soarin’ turned around with a tail swish and made his way to the floor. “I’d like to see you try.” If there was one thing Rainbow Dash could not resist, it was a competition. --- Spitfire put a forehoof to her head. “You did give Soarin’ the letter, right?” Rainbow Dash pulled out the invitation to apply for the Academy. “Whoops.” “Darnit Dash, you had one job.” “Look! Look! I’m mailing it, see? No big deal. He’s still got plenty of time to apply.” The Academy week went well. It was what happened after that would test the web of fate.