//------------------------------// // Cutie marked crusaders // Story: No mare left behind // by Aqua_Breeze //------------------------------// "So, Twi, how good are you at flying now?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Pretty damn good," Twilight said, "Why?". "You up for a race?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Only if you're ok with losing," Twilight said. "HA! As if," Rainbow Dash said. "Then what's the track?" Twilight asked. "Here to the castle and back, five laps," Rainbow Dash said. "You're on," Twilight said, shedding her gear, "Though, I'll need something first". With that, Twilight went inside to get something. When she came back outside, she had a ring snug against the base of her horn. "Don't need you accusing me of using magic when you lose," Twilight said. "Ah thought only the royal guard used those," Applejack said, pointing to the ring. "Void rings are also used when a young unicorn throws a tantrum," Twilight said, "Just ask my mother what happened when I threw a tantrum back then without one of these on". With that, Twilight walked up beside Rainbow Dash and spread her wings. As soon as Twilight had her wings spread, Applejack began the countdown. Before the countdown could finish, however, Rainbow Dash decided to just take off and get a head start. Twilight didn't seem to care too much as she took off when the countdown would've finished. She knew that if she really was going to win, however, she'd need her own edge. With the void ring around her horn, she was unable to cast any spells to speed herself up, but that didn't mean anything. All she had to do was convince herself she was chasing an enemy in a dogfight. Something about being in aerial combat made Twilight fly faster, though she never could figure out what it was. Rainbow Dash wasn't surprised when she passed Twilight halfway back from the castle. She was surprised how fast Twilight managed to catch up. By the end of the fourth lap, Twilight was nose to nose with Rainbow. Now on the final lap, Rainbow gave it her all. With her final sprint, the air around her started to cave in more and more, signaling the start of a sonic rainboom. Twilight had saved up her speed for the final stretch. In combat, you didn't want to go in full speed unless you had no other choice, but you also wanted to be able to keep up with your enemy. When she saw the air around her rainbow maned friend, she knew she'd have to give it her all as well. She put all her focus and strength into her wings, giving her the speed boost equivalent of war emergency power. The short boost in speed was all she needed. As the finish line got closer, Twilight was nose to nose with Rainbow again. As the final lap was completed, there was a very audible bang as Rainbow crossed over the sound barrier and created a sonic rainboom. She didn't even have her eyes open to see the wall coming closer. It didn't take long before she slammed right into the side of someponys house. The residents either weren't home, or they didn't hear anything. As Rainbow pried herself from the wall, she walked over with confidence to her friends. "Not sure what ya'll are smiling about, Twilight won after all," Applejack said. "No she didn't! There's no way she beat me!" Rainbow yelled, "I broke the sound barrier for Celestias sake!". "She crossed the finish line before that, Rainbow," Applejack said. "I've got to say though, I've heard of finishing something with a bang, but I've had it taken so literally before," Twilight said. "You had to used magic, there's no other way you'd have won," Rainbow Dash said. "All I had to do was convince myself that I was in a dogfight," Twilight said, "I'm not sure why that makes me faster, but it does". "You didn't kill the dogs, did you?" Fluttershy asked. "Not that kind of dogfight," Twilight said, "When humans fight each other in the air, it's called a dogfight because of how vicious it can get". "But ah thought ya said they didn't have wings," Applejack said. "They don't. They actually fly in these big metal things called planes," Twilight said, "They're just amazing to watch fly when they aren't in combat". "Uh huh," Applejack said, a tad confused. "Twilight's back!" Yelled a voice from behind. By the time the group turned around to see who was there, Twilight was being tackled to the ground by three fillies. "Ah could swear ah told ya to stay at the farm," Applejack said, obviously not very happy. "But, Princess Celestia brought us here," Applebloom said. "And why would she do that?" Applejack asked. "I figured it would be unfair them to have to wait until you decided to head back to Ponyville," Princess Celestia said as she walked over, "After all, Twilight was their mentor once, so it is only fair". "Well, ah won't argue with ya, ah was just curious is all," Applejack said, "Didn't even take notice of ya till ya said something". "I remember those classes," Twilight said, "Have you been practicing since I left?". "No need anymore, look!" Scootaloo said as she turned to the side, followed seconds later by the other fillies, "We got our cutie marks while you were gone". "Well, congratulations girls," Twilight said, "So, what are your special talents?". "Well, ah'm pretty good at building and fixing stuff," Applebloom said, her cutie mark being a hammer and wrench crossed over top one another. "Rarity kept encouraging me to sing after she heard me singing to myself one day, and I got my cutie mark during the last talent show at school," Sweetie Belle said, her cutie mark being a ribbon of music notes overlaying a pink heart. "And I may not be able to fly, but I'm pretty good at dancing," Scootaloo said, her cutie mark being a butterfly with rather vibrant colored wings. "I'm glad you found your special talent, but why can't you fly?" Twilight asked. "She was born with a rare defect in her wings," Rainbow Dash said, "They'll never be big or strong enough for her to get more than a few inches off the ground". "That sucks, I know how much learning how to fly meant to you," Twilight said, "Must have been pretty hard hearing it'll never happen". "Like everything else, I got used to it," Scootaloo said, "It's no fun not being able to fly, but it's just part of who I am, and I'm never going to let it get me down". "That's some good spirit," Twilight said, "Now tell me, how did you find out dancing was your special talent?". "During the end of the school year party, one of the colts in my class asked me to dance. I didn't really want to at first, but these two talked me into it," Scootaloo said, aiming a hoof at her friends, "And my cutie mark showed up halfway through the dance". "And what's the butterfly stand for?" Twilight asked. "How graceful I am when dancing," Scootaloo said, "Or at least, that's what Cheerilee says". "Well, I can't even tell you three how proud this makes me," Twilight said, "I may not be your mother or anything, but Princess Celestia was right when she said I was your mentor. Nothing makes a mentor more proud than seeing their students succeed. I only wish I could've been there when you all got your cutie marks". "So where have ya been, Twilight?" Applebloom asked. "In another world," Twilight said. "Seriously?" The three fillies asked, "What was it like?". "It wouldn't be my first destination for vacation, I'll tell you that much," Twilight said. "Well, if ya didn't like it, why didn't ya just come back?" Applebloom asked. "I didn't know which spell to use," Twilight said. "Well, then what did you do?" Scootaloo asked, "You were gone a long time, and I know you wouldn't have just sat there doing nothing". "I got involved in a lot of fighting, and it wasn't very fun," Twilight said. "You and fight don't really belong in the same sentence," Sweetie Belle said. "Anyway, other than earning your cutie marks, what've you three been up to?", Twilight asked. "Nothing special really," Sweetie Belle said. "Ah've just been helping out around the farm as always," Applebloom said, "My special talent has helped us Apples out a lot". "And I've just been living with Rainbow Dash, the most awesome mom in the whole of Equestria," Scootaloo said. "Ok, hold on a second," Twilight said, holding her right hoof to her forehead, "Did you just say Rainbow Dash is your mom?". "A couple of months after you vanished, I took her in," Rainbow Dash said, "She needed a good home, and a mother. I figured I could give her both". "It's official, I have been gone WAY too long," Twilight said, lifting her hoof from her forehead. "She was living on her own in a run down shack," Rainbow Dash said, "I couldn't just let her go on like that. Besides, taking care of her helped take my mind off the thought of never seeing my second best friend ever again". "I still say I've been gone too long," Twilight said.