For two straight days Rainbow Dash coached Trader. They started before sunrise and ended after sunset, with little in the way of breaks for either of them. And the cyan-coated mare worked him hard.
From the basic exercises that he had done on their first day, to preforming different tricks and aerial maneuvers while still burdened with the training vest. Time and time again Trader's strength and stamina were put to the test. Each time moment of success was only met with harsher directions, Rainbow Dash never letting up or showing mercy, but being gracious enough not to try the birds again.
Pushed to the breaking point and beyond it, there were times he could barely continue, feeling his body ready to collapse on itself. It took Rainbow's words of encouragement, or occasional forceful hoof, to bring him back up and be ready to go on. Despite his haggard breathing and numbing body, Trader did as he was told and pushed himself as hard as he could. Eventually, things began to be easier.
The weight of his vest no longer hindered him, oftentimes forgetting he was even wearing it. His body stopped tiring out as quickly, feeling as though he could go on even further than ever before. Each challenge that the mare gave him was met with an increasing vigor to succeed, surprising even her.
On the third day Trader went to meet with Rainbow Dash, he was shocked to hear that she wasn't there to train him, but to offer congratulations for all of his hard work, telling him she had nothing left to show him. As icing on the cake, the suddenly generous mare decided to treat the stallion to a hearty and well deserved breakfast as a reward. Of course, he wasn't about to voice a complaint to the plan, following Rainbow Dash toward Cloudsdale for the eatery of her choice.
The sun had just crawled up over the horizon when they reached the floating city. They made it to the restaurant just as it was opening, a simple place that had several tables set outside for them to enjoy the morning air. With the cool air blowing through their manes, hearing the soft murmur of the waking city coming to life, they ate their food while enjoying the company of the other.
Even though it took them no time at all to finish their meal, they didn't leave quite as quickly. Several other ponies came and went from the restaurant as they both sat there, sipping lightly on their morning coffee and conversing with one another. Rainbow Dash remained the dominant speaker through most of it, regaling her companion with tales of her adventures alongside her friends. From Nightmare Moon to the changelings, with only a few parts embellished for her sake.
Though she wouldn't admit it, the cyan pegasus did enjoy the attention. With a meager amount of disbelief and growing amusement, Trader listened with genuine interest and an insatiable curiosity. But eventually, things wound down and Rainbow Dash found herself tired of talking about herself, as odd as it was, finishing with telling the stallion of when they defeated Discord.
All Trader could manage was a weak chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief. “Wow... I still can't believe it,” he said. “You... and Applejack, and the others of course, all Elements of Harmony. All living right in Ponyville.”
Rainbow Dash merely eyed him questioningly. “You didn't figure it out when you met Twilight?” she asked. The weathermare knew well enough that the lavender unicorn was the more recognizable one of their group.
“I guess not,” Trader replied, unable to stop smiling to himself. “Didn't even recognize the student of Celestia herself. Heh... I figured such heroes of Equestria would be living in Canterlot, living it up.” Tilting his head back, he then let loose an eruption of laughter, as if he had just heard the greatest joke. “I feel like such a fool.”
Rainbow Dash merely shrugged as she took another sip of her drink. “It's not like anypony bothers us about it. Good thing too. I want everypony to remember me for being the best flier in Equestria, not for wearing some glowing necklace.”
“Element of Loyalty has to count for something though, eh?” the stallion murmured, smiling as he looked at the mare across from him. “Makes a bit of sense now, considering you didn't give up on training a lost cause like me.”
The smile was returned as Rainbow Dash matched his gaze, saying, “Well... I said before, you needed a lot of help, but I was glad to be the one to do it. I already told you how I was the one who trained everypony in Ponyville to give Cloudsdale their rainwater. You were in good hooves.”
There was a chuckle from the stallion as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I remember. Though, to be honest, I was kind of skeptical.” A brief pause occurred as the rainbow-manned mare eyed him intently for a moment, causing him to smile weakly. “Okay, I actually thought you'd be the death of me. But still, Rainbow Dash, I really do want to thank you for what you did.”
“It's fine, really,” Rainbow Dash replied, waving the pegasus' gratitude off. “You helped me out with the Wonderbolts, I wanted to return the favor.”
Trader merely chuckled lightly as he shook his head. “What I did doesn't come close to that,” he disagreed. “To be honest, as sad as it sounds, I actually feel like a full-fledged pegasus for once. My body feels as light as a feather and my wings feel strong enough to lift wagons.”
As Rainbow Dash listened to him, she felt sudden shock as Trader reached across the table and placed his hoof over hers, their eyes meeting as he continued to smile brightly at her. “Look,” he said, his tone as serious as it could be with the unbreakable smile he wore, “I know there aren't a whole lot of ponies who would do something like that for me. I... just want you to know how much it means to me. So again... thank you, for everything.”
Managing to break eye contact, Rainbow Dash gave her own weak smile as she nodded. “Y-yeah, you're welcome,” she then let out, finding it difficult to speak her own voice. “I was just happy to help... is all.”
Tilting her head forward slightly, her mane obscured some of her face, feeling a sudden warmth surge through it. “Um... uh, Trader,” she forced out, “you know, I was just... wondering- If it was cool with you, I mean. I was wondering if you-” Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped talking, cutting herself off as she heard the painfully familiar sound of a trio of laughter coming their way. By the time she looked in the right direction, there was a group of three stallions landing right next to them, wide grins plastered across their mugs.
“Well if it isn't Rainbow Crash and Trader the Danger,” said one with a dark-brown coat. “I didn't know you two knew each other.” Trader and Rainbow each glanced over to the other for a brief moment, silently wondering the same thing.
“Oh... hey guys,” Trader murmured in meek reply, nodding slightly to each of the. “Dumb-Bell, Hoops, Score... It's been a while.”
Hoops chuckled loudly as he faced the white pegasus. “My cousin said you were kicked out of the PDS in Manehattan,” he jeered. “Delivering mail's too much for you now? Or did you set fire to the place again?”
A light murmur escaped the stallion as he stared down at the ground, muttering, “It wasn't like that...”
“Remember back when he worked in the weather factory?” Dumb-Bell said to his two companions. “He fell into the vat of rainbow coloring and it died his coat for weeks!” They each burst into laughter at that, bringing a red tint to the pegasus' cheeks.
“Just leave him alone, guys,” Rainbow Dash demanded, her eyes set into a glare. “We were actually having a good time until you three oafs showed up.”
Dumb-Bell merely huffed as he eyed the mare and matched her gaze. “What are you even doing with this guy?” he asked, point a hoof toward the dejected stallion.
“Everypony knows that Trader the Danger's the worst flier in Equestria,” Score said.
Hoops nodded his head in agreement. “He's not even a pegasus, just an earth pony with a couple of feathers sticking to him.”
Rainbow Dash's teeth clenched as she continued to glare daggers at the group of annoyances. Though Trader resigned himself to simply sit there and remain silent, she wasn't going to stand for it. “Well not anymore,” she shot back proudly. “I've helped train him into a bigger and better pegasus. He could fly circles around any of you!”
The three stallions all burst into fits of laughter again, gasping for air by the time they were finished. Dumb-Bell looked at her with clear amusement on his face. “That'll be the day,” he returned. But his expression flattened as he shook his head. “You might have done some cool stuff like the sonic rainboom, Rainbow Crash, but then you start hanging around pathetic ponies like him. It's no wonder you'll never join the Wonderbolts.”
Score let out a small chortle as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I bet that's why she does it. Has to be around all the bad fliers to make herself look better.”
“Heh-heh, yeah,” Hoops said. “Just like with Fluttercry, huh? Trader's even worse than she is!”
Again, they all laughed at their own quips, not noticing the furious mare just a few feet away from them. Rainbow Dash's anger and frustration had reached a peak, every muscle in her body tensing up. She bolted upright, ready to give the three pegasi a harsh and painful piece of her mind. But just as she was about to, she was stopped by the sound of Trader smashing his hoof against the table, causing her and the others to look at him in shock.
“That's enough!” he barked, the three stallions all caught in his infuriated gaze. “Say what you want about me, but you will not insult my friends!” Rainbow Dash and the others all stared at him blankly, mouths slightly agape, having never seen such a reaction from the pegasus before.
Dumb-Bell was the first to break away from it, grinning ruefully as he stepped up to the stallion. “Oh yeah?” he taunted, sensing the challenge. “So what happens if we do?”
Trader stood up from his seat and matched his gaze, their noses just hairs away from touching. One could almost see the burning static crackling between them. “I can think of a few things,” he replied, almost sounding threatening.
A bemused chuckle left Dumb-Bell then. “Is that right?” he questioned coyly, treating him like he would any other joke. Though the white-coated pegasus was rather scrawny compared to the three heckling stallions, with his time spent working the fields at Sweet Apple Acres, it was hard to say who would best who physically.
But Trader developed a toothy grin as he said, “How 'bout a race then?”
“What?!” the three stallions said in bewilderment, alongside Rainbow Dash who was just as stunned as they were.
“You heard me,” Trader said, not backing down in the slightest, their reaction only causing his grin to widen. “You're all so sure of yourselves about how awful I am. So when I trounce you, maybe you'll learn to shut your mouth!”
Dumb-Bell looked ready to burst into another show of amusement, but instead he simply matched Trader's expression and nodded his head. “Fine. I'll be happy to help you embarrass yourself.”