Rainbow looked tentatively over the giant gorge that spanned Rainbow-Koro.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, squirt?" she asked, a little nervously.
"Yeah, it's a great idea, if I do say so myself." the Ponytoran known as Scootaloo grinned broadly at her. Ever since Rainbow had arrived, it had almost been impossible to shake off Scootaloo, who followed her wherever she went. Honestly, Rainbow would have preferred looking after a baby Ursa-Nui than deal with Scootaloo. Her heart was in the right place,no doubt about it, but she was just straight up annoying sometimes.
"Very well." Rainbow sighed. Her blades had been strapped to her back by Pinkie, and Fluttershy stood ready to give her first aid, in case something happened to her. Rainbow still couldn't believe it. How was she supposed to fly through this? Even if there was a Mask on the other side of the gorge, surely walking around it and climbing down would be less dangerous. The time to argue, however, was past.
The plan was for Rainbow to run at the gorge, then jump and see if she stayed airborne. It was at this point, Rainbow thought, that she desperately hoped Pinkie's bonds would keep the blades on her back, and she actually would fly.
You know, you should really have more faith in your sisters. Something in her mind said. Harmony, promise, future.
"I know, I know." she muttered, dismissing the thought with a casual flick of her wrist. "Hey, Pinkie, you ready?"
"Almost!" the pink Toa said cheerfully. "I brought some friends along to watch. Come on out, she's ready!"
What appeared to be the entirity of Pie-Koro had turned up, including Turaga Puddinghead. They were emerging from the line of trees beyond the gorge. Rainbow sighed. So many people were going to watch her fail. She would be dead before she could ever take on Marekuta...
...no, she wasn't. Not yet. She wasn't going to die at the bottom of some gorge. She wanted to go out with a bang. Today wasn't the day for her to die. She stood still for a moment, letting the cheers of the Ponytoran, Turaga Puddinghead, and even her fellow Toa, fill her up to the brim. They had confidence in her, and she wouldn't disappoint. It wouldn't be great if she did.
Gathering her breath, she jumped backwards to the point where Pinkie had marked as her starting line. With the eyes of several Ponytoran on her, Rainbow took a deep breath...and ran. She ran straight for the edge, not stopping for anything. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a pink blur keeping up with her. Since Pinkie had already aquired a Mask of Loyalty, Rainbow assumed it was her. And she was most likely carrying Fluttershy. Poor Fluttershy must be frightened out of her mi...
No! Concentrate! Rainbow thought to herself as she drew closer to the edge. As she drew closer, she jumped.
Her jump sent her soaring right through the air. She even surprised herself as she soared right over the edge. Clamping her eyes shut, Rainbow expected to fall through the air and hit the bottom of the gorge.]
Nothing happened. Rainbow opened one eye, and noticed that she was still flying through the air, at a slower speed than her running, but flying nonetheless. She could hear the cheering voices of the Ponytoran getting higher and lower pitched as she raced past them.
Okay, I can fly. Rainbow thought. But can I control it? As a test, she leaned to the left, and immediately banked left towards the wall of the gorge, yet she pulled herself back just before she could collide with it. She soared up, and down, then began to spin. At one point, she almost lost control and crashed, but she recovered herself.
She could see the end of the gorge, and, unless her eyes were deceiving her, something that looked very similar to a Mask of Magic. Keeping her eyes on the prize, Rainbow darted forward, extending her hand. The moment she grabbed hold of the mask, she swooped upwards, keeping a tight hold on the mask. A large amount of cheering ensued from the Ponytoran crowd as she touched down lightly.
"Wowee! That was the most splenderificous flying Toa I've ever seen!" Pinkie practically screamed with delight, dragging Fluttershy with her, who seemed apparently dazed.
"Wow, Rainbow, you rock." Fluttershy said meakly, raising one arm half-in the air and muttering "Woo-hoo."
"Thanks, you guys." Rainbow said as she put on the Mask and experienced the surge of power that came with it. "I wonder how Rarity's getting on in Shy-Koro."
"I, um, hope that the villagers are treating her okay. I don't want to see her angry." Fluttershy mumbled.
"You worry too much, Fluttershy." Rainbw clapped the Toa on the back, almost knocking her over. "She's capable, despite being..." she made a funny face and put on a very Rarity-like voice "a lady!"
Pinkie burst into a fit of giggles and had to lean on Rainbow for support. Fluttershy just smiled weakly.
"Anyway, let's go and get Fluttershy's Mask of Generosity." Rainbow said, leading the trio of Toa past the cheering and whooping Ponytoran into the forest.