//------------------------------//
// Rivals 
// Story: Better than the Best 
// by BronyDad 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5


Rivals


"I don't believe this!" Rainbow hissed as Hans disappeared behind the black cloth. 

Twilight poked her hard in the ribs.  "Not here."

"I do hope that you are not displeased with these sudden changes, Your Highness," Gideon said.  "I understand that Ambassador Hans may make things more difficult for you, but I must ensure that the panel's neutrality does not become questionable."

"No, I understand completely," Twilight replied with a large false smile.  "I would hate for the judges to have to endure any criticism because of me, and placing Ambassador Hans on the panel will help prevent that."

Gideon inclined his head.  "I am relieved to hear this.  I admit that I was worried that you and your friends would be angry with my decision."

"Not at all."  Twilight turned to her friends.  "I think it's time we got going."  As the others began filing down the stairs, Twilight glanced back at the governor.  "Thank you very much for your hospitality.  This truly was a pleasure."

"You're very welcome, Princess Twilight."  Gideon bowed.  "Please enjoy your stay in Mt. Aerie."   

Overwatch stepped forward.  "If you don't mind, Your Majesty, I'd like to see you to the lift."

"Of course."

Twilight found the others waiting for them just on the other side of the curtain.  Silently, the seven of them made their way down the stairs, past the large statue of Prince Zephyr, and toward the mouth of the cave.

As soon as they stepped out onto the ledge, Applejack snorted in irritation.  "It ain't right that Gideon let Hans have his way.  It's not fair to the two of ya."  

"I know," Twilight agreed, "but there really isn't anything we can do about it."

"Hans did have a very compelling argument," Rarity said.  "And once he'd stated his demands, Gideon had no choice but to agree to them.  Otherwise, he would have been blatantly supporting Twilight."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.  "Yeah, so instead he sided against her.  Because, you know, that makes loads more sense."

"Gideon has not sided against you," Rarity argued.  "He's just doing his job.  If he supports Twilight, then the equality that the competition stands for will be jeopardized.  But by supporting Hans, he's helping to reinforce that equality."

"Except that now we've got no chance of winning.  How's that equality?" Rainbow demanded.     

"Well, that's only if he admits that Hans will actively work against you.  Which, politically, he can't do."  Rarity shook her head.  "I'm not saying that I'm happy with the decision, Rainbow.  I'm merely stating that I find it justifiable."

"I still think it's stupid," Pinkie mumbled as she kicked a rock unhappily.

"I understand your frustration," Overwatch said, "but I can assure you that Governor Gideon will do everything in his power to keep this competition fair."   

Twilight managed a small smile, but remained silent.  She knew that there wasn't much that Gideon could do.  Hans was a judge now, and if the Governor tried to interfere with the panel's score, he would be accused of being biased.

She glanced over at Rainbow's disheartened face and sighed.  She wished that there was something that she could do.  Winning this competition wasn't what Rainbow wanted.  Twilight understood this, but Rainbow was still a competitive pony, and she knew that her friend wouldn't enjoy herself if they had no real prospect of victory.

"Please don't be sad."  Fluttershy's voice was so soft that they could barely hear it over the breeze that blew her mane away from her face.  "I know it's disappointing that you won't be able to win, but at least you'll still be competing together."  She tenderly nuzzled Rainbow's cheek.  "If you both go out there and do your best, then you can go home happy.  Right?"

Rainbow studied Fluttershy for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly lit up.  "That's it!"  Taking to the air, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy into a tight hug and spun with her.  "Fluttershy, you're a genius!"

Fluttershy landed awkwardly on her hooves and began to blink rapidly.  "I-I try."

With a small, excited backward flip, Rainbow rounded on Twilight.  "If the two of us go out there and totally blow the judges' minds, then Hans won't have a choice.  He'll have to give us a high score or risk showing everypony that he's a stupid lame jerk."

"Oh, so delicately put, Rainbow," Rarity said in a sardonic tone.  "I'm sure Twilight is very appreciative that you've taken into account the fact that Ambassador Overwatch is standing right next to you." 

Overwatch laughed.  "You don't need to worry about me.  I swear on my honor that I will not repeat a single word spoken here.  And as for the Princess..."  Overwatch smiled and winked at Twilight.  "I've already formed an opinion of her, and nothing is going to change it."

Twilight's cheeks began to glow, but before she could reply, Rainbow swooped over Overwatch's head and landed between them.  "What do you think, Twilight?  You ready to show them that we're the best?" 

"Well...um..."  Twilight hesitated.  She doubted that she could perform so well that she would 'blow the minds' of anypony.

Applejack forced her way between them.  "Now, hold your horses there, Rainbow," she said, casting a concerned glance at Twilight.  "Remember that Twilight ain't exactly the most experienced flier."  

With a dismissive wave of her hoof, Rainbow replied, "She can handle it.  I trained her, after all."

"Wouldn't it be good enough if she just tried her best?" Pinkie asked as she stepped up to Twilight's side.

Rainbow flashed her a cocky grin.  "We're gonna do better than our best."

"That's a dreadful amount of pressure to put on Twilight, Rainbow Dash," Rarity stated.  "Perhaps you should rethink your strategy."

"Pfft, Twilight performs great under pressure."  Rainbow gave Twilight an expectant look.  "Don't you?"

"I suppose, but—"

"See?  She's totally gonna rock it!" Rainbow exclaimed.  "Now, let's go!  We've got some practicing to do."

Without another word, Rainbow rocketed off.  

Twilight turned around in time to see the others glancing at one another worriedly and said, "It's okay, girls.  I'm going to have a talk with her.  Go check out the city and have a good time, and don't worry about us."  As her friends voiced their affirmation, she turned to Fluttershy.  "Do you need my help crossing the lift?"

Fluttershy smiled sweetly.  "No, Rainbow's right.  If I want to visit the Falconers, then I need to do this on my own."

"I'll go with ya," Applejack offered.  "I'd like to see how they managed to train them birds to be so useful.  Maybe I can learn a few tips for some of the pests back home."  

"They're not pests..." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Yo, Twilight," Rainbow called, "while we're young!"

Twilight rolled her eyes.  "I'll see you later."

"I'll be rooting for you, Princess," Overwatch said with a bow.  

"Thank you, Ambassador."  With a final wave, Twilight took to the air.  

As she neared, Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.  "What took you so long, anyway?"

"I was making sure Fluttershy would be all right without us," Twilight replied, giving Rainbow a meaningful look.

"Oh..."  Rainbow turned her gaze away and scratched her head.  "I forgot."

"Yeah."  Twilight nodded.  "You tend to forget a lot when you get like this."

"When I get like what?" Rainbow asked defensively.

Twilight answered with another question.  "Why did you want to enter this competition?"

"I already told you, Twilight."

"I want to hear you say it again."

"Why do you—"

"Repeat it," Twilight pressed.

Rainbow sighed.  "Fine."  Crossing her forelegs, she turned her back to Twilight and said, "I entered it when I was younger with my dad, and I wanted to experience it again with you because...well...you know."

"Tell me."

With a snort of irritation, Rainbow finished.  "Because I've been feeling close to you.  Happy now?"

"Almost."  Twilight circled around Rainbow and studied her face.  "So, if that's true, then what's with all of your talk about us doing better than our best?"

"I just wanna get back at Hans," Rainbow answered.  "I want to win just to shove it in his face, and I know that you're good enough to do it."

"It's great to know that you believe in me so strongly, Rainbow, but I don't think that I'll do as well as you think I will."

"Of course you will," Rainbow insisted.  "C'mon, Twi, I trained you.  You're gonna be awesome."

Twilight shrugged.  "Maybe you're right, but if I am going to be awesome, I want to do it for you.  Not to get back at Hans."

Rainbow's ears drooped.  "I get ya."  She glanced back at the others as they climbed onto the lift.  "I guess Rarity was right, huh?  I am putting a lot of pressure on you."

"It's all right."  Twilight smiled warmly.  "I can handle it.  As long as we're doing it for the right reasons."

"Right."  Rainbow grinned.  "Forget Hans and forget winning.  Let's just go out there and have a great time."

Twilight threw her forelegs around Rainbow's neck.  "Now, that's the Rainbow I know and love."

Rainbow pried herself from Twilight's grip.  "Knock it off, Twilight.  You're embarrassing me."	 

"Sorry," Twilight said with a giggle.

"Whatever."  Rainbow rolled her eyes but was unable to hide her smile.  

"So, should we start with corkscrews?  You said on the train that I still needed some practice at them."

"Yeah, you do!  They were the sloppiest I've seen in a long time."  Rainbow laughed at the expression on Twilight's face.  "I'm just messing with ya, Twi!  They weren't that bad, and with a little more practice, they'll be perfect."	

As Twilight looped away from Rainbow and prepared to make her first attempt at the problematic corkscrew, she felt a sudden surge of gratitude toward her.

It was Rainbow's nature to push herself to her limits and strive to be better than the rest, but she had chosen to give up the prospect of victory for Twilight's sake.  The difficulty of reining in the desire to win for somepony with as strong a competitive spirit as Rainbow was not lost on her, and Twilight appreciated it more than words could express. 

For the next half hour, Twilight trained with her friend, but then began to feel an uncomfortable pinching in her wings.  Although it didn't hurt too much, she had been experiencing this particular pain on and off for the last few months, and slowly came to a halt.

"Why'd you stop?" Rainbow asked with concern.

"There's something that I've been meaning to ask you," Twilight answered.  "I keep getting these odd pinching pains in my wings.  It doesn't hurt much, and it usually goes away after a while, but I don't know what's causing it.  I've looked through every book I have on wing ailments, but I couldn't find any mention of my symptoms."

Rainbow frowned.  "Have you seen a doctor?"

Twilight shook her head.  "To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed about it.  I mean, they're my wings, and yet I know so little about them."  She turned away, suddenly feeling very insecure.  "I just figured I was doing something wrong, like sleeping on them funny or something.  I wanted to ask you what you thought it could be, but I'd always get busy doing other stuff and would end up forgetting about it."

"Is it just one wing?  Have you ever fallen on it, or bent it the wrong way?"

"No, I don't think so.  And it's been both wings, actually."

"You want me to take a look?" Rainbow offered.  

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not!" Rainbow replied with a grin.  "I may not be a doctor, but when it comes to proper wing care, I'm pretty knowledgeable."

"I know you are."  Twilight smiled.  "Thanks, Rainbow."

"No prob."  Rainbow looked around for a moment and then began to descend.  "Let's head for that river over there."

Twilight couldn't help but feel self-conscious as she followed her friend down toward the river.  These wings were a part of her body, but she was now relying on Rainbow's help to discern the problem.  How could she be so ignorant of her own body?

Once they landed, Rainbow went straight to the river and dipped her head into the clear water.  As she watched her friend drink, Twilight felt her unease grow and began to pace in a circle around a fallen log.

"This is really bothering you," Rainbow stated suddenly.  When Twilight slowed to a halt but didn't answer, she smiled.  "I don't think you should worry.  From what you described, it doesn't sound like anything serious."        

Unsure how to explain what she was feeling, or even if she wanted to, Twilight simply nodded.

"All right," Rainbow instructed, "fully spread your wings."  

Twilight did as she was told, and as Rainbow approached, she heard the Pegasus mumble, "Doesn't sound like the primaries are a problem, so maybe the secondaries..."  Rainbow paused for a moment and cocked her head.  "Geez, Twilight, when's the last time you preened these suckers?  You've definitely got to do that before the competition begins tomorrow.  It'll help your performance a lot."

"Preen?" Twilight repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Rainbow said.  "You know, when you remove the old, damaged feathers so the new ones can grow in?"  Gazing into Twilight's puzzled stare, Rainbow's eyes slowly widened.  "You...didn't know you needed to preen, did you?"

Twilight turned away as her face began to burn.  How could she have been so stupid?  She knew that birds and other feathered creatures often preened.  She had even seen Fluttershy doing it a couple of weeks ago.  How had it not occurred to her?  

"That's what's causing your pain, the wind is ripping the damaged feathers loose."  Rainbow looked at her incredulously.  "Oh my gosh, Twilight.  You've got to preen.  That's like the basics of the basics of wing care."

Twilight hung her head.  "I know..."

"So, what?" Rainbow asked.  "Did you forget that your wings are made up of feathers or something?"

Slowly shaking her head, Twilight poked at the dirt with her hoof.  "I...guess that it's difficult for me to think of myself as an Alicorn.  I mean, I'm still the same Twilight, but my body's changed, my magic's grown stronger, and everypony is treating me differently."  Twilight walked over to the riverbank and stared at her shimmering reflection on the clear surface.  "It's been a lot to cope with.  Learning to fly, teaching myself restraint when using my magic, and dealing with the pressures of being a princess."  She turned and met her friend's concerned gaze.  "It's hard sometimes, you know?"     

"Twilight, I—"

"I know I have wings, and yes, I realize that they are made up of feathers, but it didn't dawn on me that I would need to take special care of them.  I wash them regularly, and scrub pretty vigorously too, but just the concept of me preening my wings seems so strange.  So...foreign."

"I get ya," Rainbow said.  "But it's really nothing to fret about, Twilight.  Now you know what the problem is and how to fix it."  Rainbow lay on her back and turned her gaze to the sky.  "Go ahead and take care of your business.  I don't mind waiting."

"Uh, okay," Twilight replied hesitantly as she studied her outstretched wing.  

She didn't even know where to start.  The entire wing just looked like a clump of ruffled feathers, and she had no idea which ones needed to be removed and which ones could stay.  Trying to recall everything she had read about the preening habits of birds, Twilight studied the feathers closely, but soon sighed in frustration.

"Rainbow," Twilight began, feeling foolish, "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.  Would you mind helping me?"

Rainbow made a face.  "I'm sorry, Twi, but this is something that you're gonna have to do on your own."  When Twilight only blinked at her, she explained, "Look, you're totally cool and everything, but I'm not gonna preen your wings."  She sat up and brushed her mane out of her face.  "That's like a short trot away from doing each other's hair and shining each other's hooves.  I'm just not into that girly stuff.  Count me out."

Twilight nodded as she turned her attention back to her wings.  She understood Rainbow's reluctance to help.  The Pegasus had always acted finicky toward just about anything that would make her seem feminine.  Twilight vividly remembered the time at the spa when Rainbow had bolted from her chair the instant that Lotus Blossom had touched her hoof.  Still, Twilight was a little disappointed that Rainbow had refused to help her.  

As she stared at her wing, Twilight felt her patience begin to slip away.  Never in her entire life had she felt as insecure and inadequate as she did right now.  She could see Rainbow watching her from out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but wonder what her friend must be thinking of her at this moment.  

Finally, Twilight tilted her head toward a feather that was bent in half, gripped it in her teeth, and gave it a hard tug.  Almost immediately, she yelped at the sharp pain as several droplets of blood accompanied the feather on the ground.  Just as suddenly as they came, both the pain and the bleeding stopped.

Clearing her throat and casting a nervous glance at Rainbow, Twilight muttered, "Obviously, that one wasn't ready to come out yet."

"You know what?"  Rainbow quickly climbed to her hooves.  "I got this."

"W-what?" Twilight stammered.

"Come here," Rainbow said, gesturing her forward with a hoof.  "I'll do it."

Twilight shook her head as she folded her wings.  "No.  I know that this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable, Dash.  I'll be fine."  She forced a smile.  "I just need a little bit of time."     	

"Don't worry about me, Twilight," Rainbow pressed.  "I'm cool."  When Twilight opened her mouth to argue, Rainbow quickly elaborated.  "This is different.  You're a special case."  She suddenly grinned.  "Seriously, there aren't too many ponies that magically sprout wings after a spell that's never been completed before suddenly blasts them into a scorch mark on the floor."  

Despite her embarrassment, Twilight chuckled at her friend's words.  "I don't sound nearly as dumb when you put it like that."

Rainbow's face turned serious.  "You're not dumb, Twilight.  I'm sorry that I acted so insensitively.  I was just surprised that you've never preened before."  Her ears drooped as she scratched her head.  "I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if I suddenly sprouted a horn one day.  My whole life would be totally flipped upside down.  I would be relying on you a lot to help me figure out how to control my magic, and you sure as heck wouldn't turn me away because you thought helping me might seem too girly."

Deeply touched, Twilight smiled broadly.  "Thank you, Rainbow."

"So...you going to let me preen you or what?"	

Twilight unfurled her wings.  "I can't possibly say no, now."

Rainbow spent the next several minutes smoothing out Twilight's feathers, and then began to instruct her which feathers needed to be pulled.  She showed her how to tell when a bent feather was damaged and when it should just be straightened out, and gave her preening tips on how to keep her primary feathers in optimum condition.

Once Rainbow had finished her instructions, Twilight began to work on her other wing.  Keeping in mind everything her friend had just told her, she moved through her feathers at a moderate pace, smoothing out the salvageable feathers and removing the damaged ones. 

"See?" Rainbow said as Twilight folded her wings against her side, "you caught on in no time."  

"Well, it really helped that you were so informative and explained it very thoroughly."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.  "Don't downplay this, Twilight.  Yeah, I helped you, but you did a fantastic job on that wing all on your own."

"But—"

"But, nothing!" Rainbow interrupted.  "You're good at everything you try, and this is the proof.  That's why I was going on earlier about us blowing the judges' minds.  I know you can do it!"

Not wanting to get dragged back into that topic, Twilight quickly lifted into the air.  "So, should I get back to my corkscrews?"

"Nah."  Rainbow shrugged as she followed her into the sky.  "You were doing pretty well.  I don't think you need any more practice."  She drifted slowly past Twilight and scanned the forest below.  "You wanna go check out the competition grounds?"

"Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah, I think I can see them from here."  Rainbow started off.  "C'mon!"

The two of them headed toward a clearing several miles from Mt. Aerie, and as they drew close, Rainbow suddenly swooped into a steep dive.  Twilight followed without hesitation, but broke off as she neared the ground.

"This is it," Rainbow stated as Twilight spiraled to an easy landing beside her.  

They were standing in a large field teeming with wildflowers of various vibrant colors.  A cool breeze wafted the alluring scent of daisies and prim roses to her nose, and Twilight inhaled deeply as she watched the flowers sway as though they were enjoying a festivity all of their own.  

On the far side of the field were several large wooden bleachers.  Although they looked as though they could seat many spectators, Twilight couldn't imagine that they would be enough for the crowd that would surely be attending the competition.  

"There's not much seating available," Twilight observed with a frown.

Rainbow cast a quick glance toward the bleachers.  "That's only for the Unicorn and Earth ponies, but there's usually not too many of them.  The main bulk of the crowd will be the Pegasi and Griffons.  A whole weather team from Cloudsdale is sent here on the day of the competition to set up clouds for them."  She lifted off the ground and swept her hoof over the field.  "Just imagine, Twilight!  Clouds will encircle the entire edge of this field, all of them full to bursting with cheering fans!"

"Cheering fans?  As if!" a voice suddenly said from directly above them.

With a start, Twilight looked up to find someone that she hadn't seen for several years.  Although she hadn't really gotten a chance to actually meet her, Twilight had seen enough to know that she didn't much like her.

"Hey, Gilda!"  Rainbow smiled.  "I haven't seen you in, like forever!  How you been?"  She held out a hoof for the Griffon to bump.

Gilda glared at Rainbow and crossed her talons over her chest.  "I've been great.  I made a new friend, one that is way more awesome than you could ever hope to be.  And I don't have to worry about her suddenly going lame on me."

Rainbow blinked.  "C'mon, G.  You're not still sore about that welcoming party, are ya?"

"Of course I am!"  Gilda began to grind her beak.  "You let that little pink dweeb make a total fool out of me in front of that whole stupid, pathetic town, and then you chose her over me!"  

Without warning, a Pegasus pony swooped over their heads and came to a halt beside Gilda.  

"That seems to be the running theme with our friend here."  Lightning Dust sneered.  "Anypony who hangs with Rainbow ends up getting completely humiliated."

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow said in surprise.    

"What?  You surprised we're friends?"  Lightning Dust laughed.  "I ran into Gilda here the week after you got me kicked out of the academy.  It didn't take us long to realize that we both had a score to settle with you."

"Seriously?!" Rainbow snapped as her eyes narrowed.  "There's nothing to settle, Lightning.  You got kicked out of the academy because you were reckless, and you cared more about yourself than you did being part of a team.

"And Gilda, all that 'little pink dweeb' did was throw you an awesome welcoming party.  You did the fool thing all on your own."

Lightning cocked an eyebrow at Gilda.  "Isn't it amazing how everything is always somehow somepony else's fault?"

Gilda smirked.  "Yeah.  I wonder who's fault she thought it was when she got kicked out of flight school."

"Oh!  Sick burn, dude!"  Lightning held a foreleg up in the air.  With a grin, Gilda balled her talon into a fist and bumped her hoof.

Noticing the flash of anger in Rainbow's eyes, Twilight quickly lifted off and positioned herself between the rivals.  "That's enough, all of you.  You've all said your bit, so let's just go our separate ways now."

"Who the hay are you?" Lightning demanded as she crossed her forelegs.

"My name's Twilight, and I'm Rainbow's friend and partner for the competition," Twilight answered matter-of-factly.

"That's Princess Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow said curtly.  "So try showing some respect."

"Princess?" Gilda breathed before hurriedly bowing her head.

Lightning didn't move.  "Never heard of ya."

"Light, she's the fourth Equestrian princess," Gilda told her.  "Her inauguration was just a couple of months ago."  

"Whatever."  Lightning snorted in irritation.  "I knew that Rainbow Dash was all talk.  You can't live up to your hype.  Who do you think you're fooling?  Everypony is going to see that you're hiding behind your partner's title."

"I brought Twilight because she's my best friend," Rainbow retorted.  "That's the only reason I brought her."

"Right," Lightning spat.  "Your best friend who just happens to be a princess.  How convenient."

"I'm not here as a princess," Twilight stated evenly.  "I'm here as Rainbow's friend.  And as to your other concerns, know that a fourth judge has been added to the panel to ensure that the judges will not be biased toward me."

Gilda, who had been studying Twilight intensely, suddenly asked, "Have we met?"    

Twilight paused, unsure if Gilda was being sincere or perhaps setting her up for an insult, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.  "Well, sort of.  I was at your welcoming party in Ponyville, but we were never properly introduced."

"That's right."  Gilda's eyes widened with recognition.  "You were the one with that little dragon that just dug straight into my cake."

"Yeah."  Twilight couldn't suppress her smile.  "Spike sometimes has trouble controlling himself around sweets."  

"So...what?  You just grew a pair of wings overnight or something?"

"Well, it's actually a pretty long story," Twilight began.  "But I—"

"She earned them through study and lots of hard work," Rainbow interrupted.  "She was Princess Celestia's star student."

"Okay, so it's a short story," Twilight said.  "But that's not—"

"So, in other words, she was a huge nerd," Lightning stated with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" Rainbow countered.  "Well, this 'huge nerd' has accomplished more than you ever will!"

"Rainbow, please—"

"I would have accomplished plenty if you hadn't ran off crying to Spitfire the moment things stopped going your way," Lightning retorted.

"You nearly killed my friends with that stupid tornado!"

"That tornado was awesome.  I can't help it if you weren't able to control it."

"Neither were you!"

"I could have if I'd had a better wing pony."

"I'll show you better."  Rainbow raised her hooves.  "Let's go!"

"Bring it!"

As Rainbow started forward, Twilight quickly restrained her with her magic.  "Rainbow, calm down.  This isn't like you."

"C'mon, Light, we'll beat her in the competition."  Twilight glanced up to see that Gilda was restraining Lightning Dust as well.  "She's paired with a freakin' newbie.  Twilight hasn't been flying longer than a few months.  We're totally gonna wipe the floor with them."

"Yeah, we will."  Lightning grinned wickedly.  "You hear that, Rainbow Dash?  We're gonna humiliate you and your precious little princess tomorrow.  And I won't stop until you've gotten a taste of what I felt when I was escorted out of the academy!"

Without warning, Lightning spun and rocketed away.  Gilda hovered there for a moment, looking as though there was something she wanted to say, but then she turned and followed her friend out of sight.  

As soon as Twilight released Rainbow from the spell, she rounded on her.  "What the hay, Twilight?"

"I had to stop you," Twilight explained.  "You were only going to make things worse."

"No, I was just gonna put that arrogant, featherbrained idiot in her place."  

"You've got to calm down, Rainbow," Twilight urged.  "You can't let them get you this upset."

Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  "You're right.  I'm sorry, Twilight."

"It's okay."  Twilight smiled.  "Why don't we head back to Mt. Aerie and grab a bite to eat."

"We'll eat later, Twi," Rainbow stated.  "We've got some practicing to do."

The smile froze on Twilight's face.  "I thought you said that we didn't need to practice anymore."

"Yeah, well, I was wrong."  Rainbow gritted her teeth.  "I am not gonna lose to those two.  Now, c'mon!"

Twilight sighed as she watched Rainbow soar across the sky.  This was not the same pony that had asked her to enter the competition two weeks ago.  Her pride and desire to win were beginning to take over, and Twilight recognized that she would only get worse as long as Lightning Dust and Gilda were competing.  

Taking flight and following in Rainbow's wake, Twilight began to regret her decision to enter the competition.