Chapter 70
Rainbow Dash was awoken by Windyday the next morning. To her surprise, Windy then immediately left after informing her that she had one hour to get to the field. That was enough to get her moving and soon she was on her way to the dining hall. The hall was even more vacant than it had been the previous day but Spitfire was there so Dash sat across from her.
“Good morning,” said the team captain, “I was about to send some pony to your room to make sure you were up.”
“No problem,” said Dash, “Windy was up early and woke me before she left.” She began filling her plate.
“You came home later than we did,” said Spitfire, “I thought you said you were going home to rest.”
“Yeah,” said Dash, “but it didn't quite work out that way. We saw Mr. Immelmane home and then went to some fancy club for a while. We bumped into three stallions from the cast from the show and had a few dances with them. First time I ever sky danced with a stallion like that. I felt a little out of place but I guess I did okay. Windyday might have found a coltfriend though; Nimbus Strongwind.”
Spitfire sat back and blinked. “Wow,” she said, “I'm impressed. Did you dance with him too?”
“No,” replied Dash between bites, “I danced with Two Stars and Fluttershy danced with Forest Fog. It was fun. How was your non-date with Soarin?”
“It was...interesting,” said Spitfire. “I met some of your old friends last night. Frost took us to a place down below.”
Dash stopped eating in mid-bite and looked at Spitfire. She swallowed what was in her mouth and gave a sheepish smile. “Really? Um, who did you meet?”
“Let's see,” mused Spitfire, “there was Meteor, Lightning and Misty. I remember them for sure but there were quite a few ponies there. Frost wanted to make sure the word got spread around. They said they'd help.”
“Yeah,” said Dash, “if they said they would, you can count on them. I can't remember the last time I saw any of them. Maybe I should try to meet up with them sometime.”
“I think they would like that,” said Spitfire. “Go with Frost though if you do go. Most of the ponies you used to know have moved on too. Frost was a little disappointed.”
“Yeah,” said Dash, “I guess they have. I know that a couple of them are married now and some have moved away; Manehatten, Baltimare and I don't know where else.”
“I think I'm starting to understand you and Frost a little better now,” said Spitfire. “Those ponies I met last night might be a little rough but they aren't really bad. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd grown up the way you two did.”
Dash shrugged. “I think you'd have survived. You don't get to be a Wonderbolt without being pretty tough. I guess there's a little luck involved though. I know a guy who was a really good aerialist but he got cut up in a fight. He can still fly but it ended any career he might have had. He does maintenance at the weather factory now.” She took a long drink of juice.
“Was that what it was all about? Survival?” asked Spitfire. “I thought it was more like a bunch of unruly kids trying to have fun.”
“It was that too, I guess,” said Dash, with a smile. “It varied from pony to pony. I didn't have to be there; I just wanted to hang with that crowd. Others didn't have much choice.”
“What made you want to hang out with them?” asked Spitfire. “Surely there were ponies in your school that you could have had as friends.”
“A few,” admitted Dash, “especially when I was little but the ones my age couldn't keep up with me and the older ones didn't want me around because I was younger than them. With Frost and her friends, that didn't matter. They cared more about what you could do and if you could be counted on in a tough situation. I liked being with them a lot more than the kids at school. It was more exciting too.”
Spitfire looked at Rainbow for a second. Dash was grinning as she toyed with some food on her plate. She wondered what memories she was recalling. She thought about asking but reconsidered, unsure if she really wanted to know. She was about to find out anyway.
“I sure learned some things they don't teach in school too,” said Dash. “I found out how to forge permission slips so I could enter races. I didn't get caught until my dad found my trophy’s in my closet.” Dash paused to laugh. “He didn't know quite what to do. On one hoof he was mad that I disobeyed him and on the other he was proud of all my wins. I got grounded for a while but it wasn't a big deal and after that he signed all the permissions himself. I guess he figured I may as well stick to what I was good at.”
“Where is he now?” asked Spitfire. “I know your mother died when you were young but your dad is still alive.”
“Las Pegasus,” said Dash. “He remarried while I was in weather school and his new wifey and I don't see eye to eye. I'm willing to see him again but I won't be caught dead in the same room with her. Which reminds me, if I crash, keep her out of my funeral.”
“I'll do my best,” said Spitfire, grimly. “Finish up. We'd better get going.”
The pair flew out to the practice field to meet Immelmane. They found him by his litter reading through some notes. He rose stiffly as they landed.
“Good morning,” said Immelmane, “let's get started. Rainbow, get into your flight suit and get warmed up while I go over a few things with Spitfire.”
Rainbow Dash did as she was told and watched Spitfire and Immelmane talk and look through some papers. She took off and began her warm ups. Soon Immelmane called her down.
“Alright Rainbow,” said Immelmane, “your short routine is set. There will be no more changes except for one very slight change I made this morning. I want you to turn only forty-five degrees into that first flat spin maneuver instead of ninety. It will give the audience a different view of it and it will allow for a wider, smoother turn after you do the move. Your speed will carry you through to the next move and give you a little break.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said.
“Go ahead and practice it a couple of times,” said Immelmane. “Spitfire will be flying above you to get a different angle on the move. After that, you'll run through your full routine once and we'll do a critique.”
Rainbow Dash browsed through her copy of the routine briefly, trying to picture it in her head. Dash took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes. She walked over to Immelmane and gave him her copy of the routine. “Okay,” she said, “I'm ready.” With a slight smile she turned and took off.
Spitfire took off and swiftly climbed above the level Dash would be flying. Spitfire hadn't done this in a while and she realized that she was enjoying herself. It was a welcome change of pace from the formation routines she was used to. She adjusted her goggles and concentrated on what Dash was doing. Dash was flying slowly to practice the turns and the spin, far slower than she had done in any practice or demonstration. Her speed increased as she practiced the change. At last satisfied, she looked up to Spitfire as if to ask 'Was that okay?'. Spitfire nodded and Dash flew out to her starting point. Spitfire flew back down to Immelmane.
“I think your protege is starting to use her brain,” said Spitfire. “She tried the maneuver slow and to do it perfect before she moved on to full speed.”
“I noticed,” said Immelmane. “I wonder if she's been talking to Windyday. It seems like something she would do.”
“I was thinking that too,” agreed Spitfire. “She's quick to pick up on anything she thinks useful. You know, I believe all she thinks about is flying. Any little thing she sees another pegasus do is snatched up like a bird grabs a bread crumb.”
Immelmane chuckled. “That is a good analogy. And now we are giving her focus. She will become the best ever.”
“Is that what you set out to do when you agreed to train a soloist?” asked Spitfire.
“No,” said Immelmane, “of course not. I hoped for a talented pegasus that I could teach but I did not expect her. She has speed, maneuverability, daring and the will to succeed but she doesn't know how to perform. Now, I think, she is starting to work on that. I do not think anypony will see a pegasus like her for a long time. Perhaps your great grandfoals might see another when they are old, if they are lucky.”
“That's a bit much, don't you think?” said Spitfire. “She's good but not that good.”
“When I was young, my grandfather told me about a pony called Ball Lightning,” said Immelmane. “He said that Ball was the greatest flier he'd ever seen. He wasn't a Wonderbolt but he did make his living as a racer and aerialist. There's no documentation that I could find but it was rumored that he once did a sonic rainboom. There hasn't been another pony come close to that since then and Ball has been dead for well over a hundred years. That means Rainbow Dash isn't a once in a generation flier or even once in two or three generations. She is a once in six or seven generations pegasus. We have the chance to make her great.”
“You have the chance you mean,” said Spitfire. “She's your student.”
“But I could use some help,” said Immelmane. “It's why I asked you to come out here in the first place. I know you're not the type to ride on another pony's coattails but if she turns into the kind of pony I think she will, I'll be very proud to say that I was a part of her success. You could be a part of that too.”
“It isn't that,” said Spitfire, “and I would be proud of it. We can talk later. She's ready to start.”
Immelmane gave a wave and Rainbow Dash rose into the air to simulate the start of the routine. She reached the point where the actual display would start and accelerated to performance speed. The routine was every bit as good as it had been the day before but there was something different about it.
“She's slowed down,” said the team captain. “Do you think she might be tired out from yesterday?”
“I'm not sure,” replied Immelmane. “She's definitely trying out some new style elements.”
“Yes,” said Spitfire, “I noticed. Look! That one was in the show last night.”
“Alright,” said Immelmane, “now she's just getting cute. Having style is one thing but that doesn't mean going overboard.”
They watched Dash for a couple more minutes and Spitfire checked the time. “She's forty seconds slower than her slowest run yesterday.”
“At this point or overall?” asked Immelmane.
“At this point,” said Spitfire.
Immelmane shook his head. “Bring her down.”
Spitfire flew up to near where Dash was flying and waved her down. Dash was puzzled but obeyed. When she landed in front of Immelmane, he addressed her.
“Are you feeling alright?” he asked first.
“Sure,” said Dash, “I feel fine.”
“Then what were you doing up there?” asked Immelmane. His voice was harsh now. “If we had let you continue, you would have been at least a minute and a half over your target time. Also, when I told you to add style to your routine I didn't mean for you to add every move you've ever seen in a haphazard manner.”
“I didn't know I was so slow,” said Dash, “I'm sorry. I don't really know about the style stuff either. I'm just guessing.”
“Then guess like you did yesterday,” said Immelmane. “That looked much better than that mishmash you were doing just now. It was part of the reason you were so slow too. Now get out there and try it again. Be sure to get your breath back before you start.”
“Yes sir!” said Dash. She took off, eager to get away. Rainbow Dash did not take criticism well and this time was no exception. She was, however, at a loss as to how to deal with it. This was Immelmane and Spitfire, not just some pony that didn't like her act. Part of her wanted to throw a raging fit and part of her wanted to cry. A few tears formed but she tried to calm herself and concentrate on what she about to do. She landed at her starting point and spent a few minutes getting her breath under control. She tried to remember every detail from her previous performance. At last she wiped her eyes, adjusted her goggles and took off to try again.
Her second effort was much better. After her bow at the end she trotted over to Immelmane and Spitfire.
“Better?” she asked.
“Much better, yes,” said Immelmane. “That looked good enough to perform in public. Now, lets try to improve on it. Spitfire, do you have anything you'd like to add?”
Spitfire thought for a moment. “Yes,” she said, “here, take your copy and a quill. Now write down all the style elements that you used during the routine in the places that you did them. That will give you a written record of what you have so far. When you're done we can review it and add in or change things to punch it up.”
“Sure,”said Dash. “Thanks Spitfire. This won't take long.”
Dash plopped down on the grass where she was and began writing. Spitfire and Immelmane looked at her and then at each other. She looked like a foal with a new coloring book. Spitfire bit her lip to keep from laughing. The baffled look on Immelmane's face didn't help Spitfire maintain her composure.
It didn't take Rainbow Dash long to do her work since there weren't very many stylistic moves to write down. When she was finished, she offered it to Spitfire. After reading through it with Immelmane, Spitfire and Immelmane sat down with Rainbow Dash and went over it with her again. Both of her teachers offered suggestions and Spitfire demonstrated some from time to time. When they were finished, Rainbow Dash did the routine again. There were two more attempts followed by critiques. They decided to call it a morning and went back for lunch.
Before breaking for lunch, Immelmane gave Rainbow Dash one last instruction. “I'll meet you in the hall after lunch,” he said. “We'll do a little class work before we head back out. I'll show you how to break down your act into parts so you can practice each element individually.”
“Sure,” said Dash. “One o'clock?”
“Yes,” replied the old pegasus, “I should be there before you but if I'm not, just wait.”
“Okay, Mr. Immelmane,” said Dash. “I'll see you then.”
Dash headed for the dining hall while Immelmane watched her go. Her head was up but her ears were down and she lacked her usual swagger. He wondered what was wrong but decided it could wait until after lunch.
Dash entered the dining hall and sat by herself. There wasn't any option as there were no other ponies there except for the cooks. She ate a salad which perked her up considerably. She drank a lot of water and picked idly at some fruit as she read through her routine. When she thought back to her aborted routine that morning she grew angry with herself. 'Stupid! Stupid!' she thought, “I must have looked ridiculous up there. No wonder Mr. Immelmane was angry. That WILL NOT happen again!' Her appetite gone, Rainbow Dash stalked out of the dining hall.
Dash was unsure of where to go. She didn't know where Windy had gone and feared that a return to their room would lead to a nap meaning she might be late for practice. She couldn't waste energy on flying with an all afternoon practice coming up. Frost was probably at the Golden Sun tryouts. This was going to be a long hour.
“You look lost,” said a voice.
Rainbow Dash turned to see one of the masseurs, Southern Breeze, leaning in a doorway.
“Hi Breeze,” said Dash, “I just have an hour to kill before my afternoon practice and I don't know what to do.”
“Tell me about it,” said Southern Breeze, “I hate this shift. No ponies around and I'm bored out of my mind. How about a rub down? You look kinda tense.”
“It shows, huh?” said Dash. “Sure, I may as well. Just make sure I'm not late for practice. I have some class work in the Hall first.”
“No problem,” said Breeze, “I'll get you loosened up in no time.”
Soon Dash lay on the table and Breeze started to work. He was good at his job and Dash felt a lot of her tension melt away and she began to relax. He aligned and rubbed her back and neck, worked her leg muscles and began working on her wings. Rainbow loved this and when he was through her wings draped limply over the edge of the table.
“Almost done,” said Breeze, “do you want me to work on your tail?”
This was new to Dash. “My tail?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Breeze, “some ponies like it and some don't. Basically I pull on your tail a vertebrae at a time and move it in a circle in both directions. I use towels to avoid pulling any hairs.”
“What's it supposed to do?” asked Dash.
“Well, there are muscles in there and since your tail is the end of your spine those bones can get out place too. Some ponies think it helps and others don't,” explained Breeze. “I think that some don't like it because it's a little...um, intimate.”
“Oh, right,” said Dash. “Well, you seem to be able to behave yourself so I guess I'll give it a try.”
“Okay,” said Breeze, “same advice as before; just relax and let me do the work.”
Breeze laid a towel across her just above her tail. He lifted her tail, slid another towel under it and made a loop. He wrapped one end around his left hoof and took the other in his teeth. He leaned on Dash's lower back near her tail and pulled. Dash heard several pops and her eyes opened wide. Breeze moved her tail in a circle, first one way and then the other. Breeze slid the towel down one vertebrae and repeated the process. She didn't know if this was actually helping her to relax but it certainly felt good. As Breeze worked his way down towards the thinner part of her tail he abandoned the towel and gently moved and massaged her tail using just his hooves. The last one tickled and Rainbow Dash giggled.
“Sorry,” said Breeze. “So what did you think of that?”
“It felt good, especially the first few,” said Dash. She got up and used her wings to lift off the table and land on the floor. She stretched. “Yeah, I think it did do something for my lower back too. Good job. How much time do I have before practice?”
“Twenty minutes,” said Breeze. “I might have gone a little fast but you said you didn't want to be late.”
“Thanks, Breeze,” said Dash, “I'll see you next weekend, if you're working.”
“Saturday,” replied Breeze, “but not Sunday. See you then.”
Dash draped her flight suit over her back and headed for the hall. As she drew near she saw Immelmane land at the base of the steps. She gasped in surprise. Where had he come from? She trotted over to meet him.
“Nice landing,” said Dash as she met her instructor.
“Ah!,” said Immelmane, “thank you. I just floated down from the balcony outside my office. The courtyard is usually a little crowded to risk it but I do it sometimes. You certainly seem more yourself now.”
Dash smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I guess I was a little off this morning. Sorry about screwing up. It won't happen again. I got a rubdown after lunch and I feel better now.”
“No need to apologize,” said Immelmane, “it's happened to all of us at one time or another. Just remember: don't get upset, get better.”
Dash smiled. “I'll try to remember that. Do you want to get started now or do you have something else to do before we start?”
“Let's get started,” said Immelmane. “This afternoon is going to be a little different. I'm going to teach you how to use your time more effectively by practicing each move individually. Come inside, this won't take very long.”
Once inside, Immelmane invited Dash up to the stage to get a closer view of the blackboard. He quickly broke down her routine into parts and explained how he wanted her to practice them. When he was through, he decided it was time to head to the practice field. Dash put on her flight suit and met Immelmane in the courtyard just as his litter carriers were taking off. She flew ahead and began to warm up.
By the time Immelmane landed at the practice area, Rainbow Dash was ready to go. She landed and asked what she should do first. Immelmane told her to practice her first move ten times. After that, and after a short break, they moved on to the second move. So the afternoon progressed until all the moves were done. They took a longer break and discussed various aspects of the routine drifting from topic to topic in no particular order. After that Rainbow ran through the entire routine four times with Immelmane giving a critique after each one.
“That was a good days work, Rainbow,” said Immelmane. “I think you are well on your way to making a great first debut.”
“Do you want me to do it again?” asked Dash. “I'm not tired, really.”
“No,” said Immelmane, “that is enough for today. I want you to put in some solid work with your friends this week but I have one thing that I demand that you do.”
“Name it,” said Dash.
“You will rest,” said Immelmane. “No running back and forth to Cloudsdale, no flying from dawn till dusk, not even spending an entire day or two answering fan mail; you will rest. I'm not grounding you, I know how fruitless that would be but you need some time off. When you leave here tomorrow, I don't want you doing any strenuous flying until Wednesday. It's alright to do your routine a few times a day but that's all. Your friend Firewing will be arriving Tuesday as will Frost. Windyday will be flying in Wednesday morning but I want her to take it easy too. She'll have her instructions from me before she leaves. You will have Wednesday through Friday to yourselves to do your work. I don't want to see any of you before noon on Saturday. You'll have a light workout in the afternoon and a full day on Sunday.”
“That is the best order you've ever given me,” said Dash, with a laugh. “You can count on me to follow it to the letter. I do have a little business here tomorrow but I plan on being in Ponyville before lunch.” After that, I want to check to see if any letters have arrived about my endorsement offers and then I'll rest. No more fan mail, no worrying about my house, no crazy flying, you have my word.”
“That will do,” said Immelmane. “Is there anything else that you want to ask me before you leave? I doubt if I will be able to see you tomorrow.”
Dash thought for a moment. “Just two things,” she said, “first, I'll be bringing along someone next week to handle my music. At least I hope to. I'll deal with the costs. Second, I'm going to have to start work on my long routine soon. Do you have any ideas on that?”
Immelmane smiled. “Go ahead with your first request. It might be interesting to see what you pick out for yourself. For the second, what makes you think I haven't been working on it already?”
Dash started to laugh herself. “Guess I should have seen that coming. Okay, are you going to dinner soon? I'm hungry.”
Immelmane laughed. “So am I. Alright, let's go to the dining hall. I'll meet you there in an hour. Go get cleaned up.”
Dash smiled and took off. She flew quickly back to Windy's room and found her roommate sitting by the window reading a book.
“Well hello,” said Windy, “did you have a good practice?”
“Hi Windy,” said Rainbow, “this morning was kind of crappy but the afternoon was awesome. I'm going to get cleaned up and meet Mr. Immelmane for supper. Where were you all day?”
“I went for a little excursion into the hills. I needed some peace and quiet,” said Windy. “Where are you and Mr. Immelmane going for supper.”
“Just the dining hall,” said Dash. “You coming?”
“Sure,” said Windy, “unless you don't want me interrupting your date.”
“Unfortunately it's not a date,” replied Dash.
Windy was shocked. “Really? You'd date him even though he's so much older than you?”
“Well, no,” said Dash, “but I would date him if our ages were closer.”
“I think you'd be good for each other,” said Windy. “He's smart, serious but he has more of a sense of humor than most ponies think. Most importantly, he'd be able to keep you in one piece.”
Rainbow Dash said nothing as she pulled off her flight suit. Windy hoped that her kidding hadn't made Rainbow angry.
“You know what I think it is?” said Dash at last. “He respects me and I respect him. It isn't a stallion looking for a ride and it isn't me looking for a hot young hunk for a little fun. He was pretty hot when he was young though, check out his picture the next time you're in the museum.”
Windyday raised an eyebrow. “He must be rubbing off on you,” she said. “That is about the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say.”
“Maybe you're right then,” said Dash, “we're good for each other. I'll be right back.” She headed into the bathroom for a shower.
Windy got up and began touching up her appearance. After a quick brushing, she curled up on the bed and began to preen her feathers. As was usual, she had difficulty getting at the ones closest to her body.
She looked up to find Rainbow watching her as she dried herself off.
“Need some help?” asked Rainbow.
Windyday sighed. “Yes, please. I'm about done preening but it's hard to get at these smaller feathers.”
“I know the ones,” replied Rainbow. She tossed the wet towel on the floor and joined Windy on the bed. She went to work quickly and Windy sighed with pleasure.
“Thanks,” said Windy, “they were starting to bug me. Would you like me to do yours?”
“Sure,” said Dash, “that's another drawback of not being on the weather team anymore. No pony to help me preen.”
“What about Fluttershy?” asked Windy, as she started to preen Dash's nearest wing.
“Sometimes,” said Dash, “but I was with the team more than her. I preened her a lot more than she did me. The spa ponies claim that they can do it but I'd rather have a pegasus working on my wings. Also, I'd have to pay them.”
Windy laughed. She went back to preening Dash's wing. Dash extended the wing so she had better access. Being this close to Rainbow's powerful wings gave Windy a new appreciation of Rainbow's physique.
“Sweet Celestia Dashie,” said Windyday, “your wing muscles are massive. No wonder you're so fast. Your feathers are really strong too.”
“The better to fly circles around you, my dear,” laughed Rainbow Dash.
Windy responded by ducking her head under Dash's wing and blowing a raspberry against her ribs. Dash rolled away laughing.
“Come on,” said Dash, “we both have another wing to preen.”
They went back to preening and were soon done. Feeling better, Windy helped Rainbow Dash with her brushing and they went to the dining hall.
Immelmane was talking to Soarin as they entered so they went to a table and began to fill their plates. Immelmane soon joined them. He was smiling and humming to himself.
“Good evening ladies,” said Immelmane, “You're both looking lovely tonight.”
This was somewhat out of character for Mr. Immelmane and caused Dash and Windy to exchange glances. He seemed to be in an inordinately good mood.
“Thank you,” replied Windyday, “Dash must have done well today to put you in such a good mood.”
“Yes,” said Immelmane, as he filled his plate, “she is doing quite well. Not perfect, mind you, but quite well.” He winked at Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, well, that's good,” said Windy. She took a bite of food and looked at Dash who was staring at Immelmane with a confused look on her face. It was clear to Rainbow Dash that Immelmane's current mood had nothing to do with her performance that day.
If she was nothing else, Rainbow Dash was direct. “What's going on?” she said. “You know something that we don't and that's what making you so happy right now.”
“I know a great many things that you don't, Ms. Dash,” replied Immelmane. “As to the particular bit of information that I find amusing, you will just have to wait and see. It would be indiscreet of me to reveal anything at this time.”
“Uh huh,” said Rainbow Dash, “I'll figure it out. I might not be as smart as Twilight Sparkle but I can figure things out pretty well. Your secret won't be a secret for long.”
Immelmane chuckled. “Oh, I have no doubt about that but it will have nothing to do with your intelligence.”
“That's very cryptic,” said Windy. “Does it have anything to do with Soarin? You two seemed to be having an important conversation when we walked in.”
Immelmane said nothing as he was eating a plate of fruit salad with gusto. He reached for some greens but Rainbow Dash moved the bowl away from his hoof. He reached again and Dash moved the bowl. This game might have gone on longer but Windyday interrupted.
“Dashie,” said Windy, “doorway.”
Dash turned to look at the door and Immelmane grabbed the bowl. Dash didn't notice as she was more interested in the two ponies walking in the door. Soarin and Spitfire were entering the hall together and they seemed to be on very friendly terms with one another. Dash understood at once.
“Wow,” she said. Nothing more came to Rainbow's mind.
Immelmane looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled. “I hope that didn't tax your brain too much,” he said.
“Do not, either of you, say or do anything that might jeopardize this relationship. Do you understand?”
“You got it,” said Dash, who was still staring at the Wonderbolt leaders.
Windyday simply nodded and went back to her meal. She kicked Dash to get her attention and keep her from staring.
“So tell me, Mr. Immelmane,” said Windyday, “is there anything special that I should help Rainbow with in Ponyville?”
“You might help her with her style,” replied Immelmane, “and you're a good critic so look for the little things she might be doing wrong. Then there's her music. Apparently there is a pony in Ponyville that is talented enough to provide proper music for her performance at Princess Luna's party.”
“I do need help there,” said Dash, “I have no idea what a Princess might like.”
“Why don't you ask her?” said Windyday. “This is a contracted performance after all and the ponies requesting the performance should certainly have some input into what they're paying for.”
“That would be a dangerous precedent,” said Immelmane, “I'd rather have you develop the music to suit yourself but also take into account that there will be a wide variety of ponies listening. ”
“Um, okay,” said Dash, “I can do that. Maybe I'll just do the routine and let the DJ come up with something. She did a great job when Firewing and I performed.”
“Very well,” said Immelmane, “I'll look forward to next weekend.”