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// Flying High 
// Story: Terminal Velocity 
// by Little Solarflare 
//------------------------------//

Once again proofread by Quillsaga, Mr minimii, and yes, I didn't forget you this time Nightmare =.=
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Your heart thumps as you climb ever higher into the sky. You embrace the chill of the altitude. The higher you fly, the colder it gets.
You knew; if you go any higher, your wings will begin to develop frost. Too hight and they would freeze lock altogether. 

Your wings flap effortlessly with practiced ease, bringing you past the final line of clouds and into the open sky, next to Celestia’s setting sun. 

You stop and contemplate. This was it.
The silence itself was deafening, your heart like a drum, beating away in your chest.

The moment’s peace and stillness. A memory you will never forget, the sun above you, exalting you. The crowd below, immortalizing your name.

This is what the crowd is waiting for below you for. The piece de resistance.
The grand finale. They cheer and scream your name. 

And you will not fail them. 

Your whole life, this is what you live for. The speed, the adrenaline, the cheering adoration.
Your friends. 

They were all there, waiting for you. Cheering, supporting you. 

Though you did not want to admit it, you were nervous. Cold sweat lined your face, however you had no fear. This was it.

One moment. Make or break. 

You close your eyes and picture one thing and one thing only. Your friends, all waiting for you. Them out of all ponies. They are the ones you will hate to disappoint, but you smile. You know you wouldn’t fail. 

After all. You are the best of the best.

The greatest flyer in all Equestria.

This was it. Your moment. Your opportunity to dazzle once more; to live up to the legend of your name.

After all, you are Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty; and nopony will ever take that away from you. 

You stop flapping your wings. This was the height needed, below was an technicolour stadium, filled with adoring and admiring spectators of all ages and species. Down there were your best friends, along with both Co-rulers of Equestria. 
You lean your body horizontally, your face eyeing the ground directly. Everything was so small. So peaceful. Up here, there was nothing but you and the serenity of the moment. Even the spire mountain of the everfree looked like nothing more than little blotches of colour. 

Then it begins. You dipped your nose downward. 
The descent.

The moment of freedom; you are falling. At first, your gut lurches at the feeling, but you have expected it beforehand. You grin as you begin your nose-dive.

Faster and faster you fall, the clouds parting before you, the blots of the ground gaining detail. A cone of air forms in front of you in an attempt to defy you, to rob you of your glory. 

The faster you go, the stronger the cone becomes, a near impenetrable barrier, resisting you as you drop. 

Terminal Velocity, a concept. One of the few you had actually payed attention and learned in the flight school. 

“An object which is falling through the atmosphere is subjected to two external forces. One force is the gravitational force, expressed as the weight of the object.”  Your old teacher’s voice echoes in your head. 

You straighten your body, and retract your wings. You needed minimum drag to pull this off. 
Faster and faster you fall, as the barrier around you grew stronger, wider. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, there is no such thing as breaking the sound barrier!” 
You remember the berating of your head teacher, followed by his stunned expression the first time you had dazzled cloudsdale in the phenomenon now known as the “Sonic Rainboom”. He along many other reasons were the reason why you had dropped out of that school.

After all, it had been nothing but a waste of time to you. Their most advanced techniques, you could do them in your sleep, advancing through the courses with a breeze, although you hated any theoretical work.

Terminal Velocity.

That was the one and only concept which ever stuck in your mind. 
It was the one concept, being put into great practice right here right now.

The cone grows ever wider, but you know it’s weakening; the tips of your hooves were almost touching it, a good sign. There was still much distance between you and the ground. 

You change angle to the 45 degrees downwards, there was now too much drag in freefalling, this is where your challenge truly begins. 

You spread out your wings and begin to pump them intensely. You feel as you push yourself ever ever further, ever faster. You can almost touch it now.

Your breathing becomes haggard as you feel the lactic acid build up in the joints of your wings. But not matter, you push them ever harder. You are so close now, your hooves are touching the barrier itself, you were nearly there. All you need is that...one...final.........
Your hoof tips were on the verge of penetrating that final barrier. This was it, you had come this far, and you know you cannot possibly fail now. 

Your wings are exhausted to the point of pain, and your mind feels as though as it’s going to explode, screaming for you to slow down. 

But you know you will never do such a thing. 

You are the element of loyalty; and you absolutely refuse with all of your soul, to leave your friends and fans hanging. 
You will not disappoint them. 

No.... You WILL live up to your name. 

With a final scream of effort, you give your wings one mighty push and you feel the barrier disappear, a spectrum of light surrounds you and expands outwards. All around you, clouds are pushed away to reveal a bright and shining sun with clear blue skies. 

You smile and pull up.

Just in time. Mere meters away from the hard ground of the stadium. All around you, cheers and gasps of awe emanate and join together into a cacophonous symphony of admiration.

Somewhere out there in the sea of voices, you hear the cheering of your friend Fluttershy. That alone is enough to cause a wide smile to stretch across your face as you soar back up and around the stadium as a single unbroken technicolour beam trailed from your mane. 

Now comes the true feeling of freedom. No longer restrained by the sound barrier, you soar through the skies effortlessly, your stamina refreshed, and the previous pain gone. You are free, and you feel your soul levitated, laughing as you spin and perform a final loop.
Though you wish this feeling could last forever, you know this, like all dreams had to come to an end. 
You fly upwards once more, feeling as gravity slows you down. 

You slowly flap your wings as you begin your descent gracefully. The adrenaline leaving your body, replacing you with exhaustion and another wonderful feeling.
Satisfaction. 

The rainbow spectrum was still expanding ever outward into the horizon. 

You gently ease yourself back to the ground as the sound of stamping and cheering grow ever louder. You look up, everypony is there, shouting and chanting your name, filling you with pride.

After all, this is how it is like to be the best.

This is what it’s like to be....

20 percent cooler

Your hooves touch the ground and you look around the active stadium. Your fans, they scream for you.
But, you knew, that didn't matter.

You had your best friends to see after all.