//------------------------------// // Competition // Story: Canterlot Academy: Knights of the Dark Moon // by LordLycaon //------------------------------// Sunlight beamed in through the window, past a crack in the blinds, pouring on the sole inhabitant of the dorm room, who grumbled and turned away from the light as he tried to ignore that it was morning. He pulled his pillow over his head, shielding himself from the light in an attempt to go right back to sleep. That plan was crushed when he heard his alarm clock obnoxiously ringing, like a battering ram to his sensitive ears. Reluctantly, Howling Wind sat up and stretched out his leathery wing, yawning loudly and mumbling under his breath as he climbed out of bed. ‘Everything about this new schedule is just wrong,’ he told himself as he got ready for the day. After fixing his bed, he headed for his floor’s showers, where he usually went to wake himself up with what would hopefully be a sufficient amount of hot water. As he sleepily trotted through the hall, carrying body wash and shampoo under his wings, he didn’t even notice somepony ahead of him, and he collided with a tan earth pony, whose belongings fell and scattered across the floor. Tired as he was, Howl barely even registered that he’d just bumped into someone and just kept moving on ahead as if nothing had happened. “Sheesh, you could at least apologize,” said the stallion he’d bumped. “Wha?” said Howl, facing the gray-maned earth pony, who looked more curious than annoyed. “Whatever. Sorry. Sleepy. No talk.” The stallion raised an eyebrow at the him and shook his head. “Eh, close enough to an apology, I guess,” he grumbled and started gathering his dropped items. Howl rolled his eyes and turned away, making his way back down the hallway. As soon as he arrived at the shower room, he washed off with a rain of hot water, which managed to jolt him into greater alertness, though not by much. He quickly returned to his dorm room, gathering writing utensils, a notebook, and several textbooks and stuffing them in his saddlebags before finally heading out. A yawn escaped him as he made for the courtyard from his room, making him wish he could just go back to bed. For the umpteenth time since arriving at the Academy, he cursed this diurnal scheduling system. This school didn’t even offer anything like night classes. What private school didn’t have night classes? As he pondered on this, he found he’d finally arrived at the courtyard, where a few ponies were giving him odd looks and were sharing hushed conversations while staring at him. It wasn’t something he was completely comfortable with. Back home, thestrals were just about everywhere. They weren’t the only ponies in Hollow Shades, but they made up a decent amount of the population, enough that even the public schools in that area all had night classes out of necessity. He wasn’t used to being the black sheep. “Gangway!” With only one word of warning, he didn’t have time to react. A blurred formed crashed directly into him, both he and his tackler rolling across the ground in a heap until a wall caught them. A low groan left him as he shoved whatever had hit him off of his back, steadily getting back on all fours. Looking down, he saw his “attacker.” “Wait… you again?” he asked in mild surprise as he looked at the rainbow-maned mare, who was rubbing her head with a grunt of exasperation. She turned to him, her cerise eyes suddenly going wide, as she immediately bounced off the ground, hovering a few feet above him. “Hey… uh, Howl, right?” Rainbow Dash rubbed at the back of her head. “Sorry about that. I was in a hurry. Meeting with friends and stuff.” “Right,” he muttered. The last thing he needed was this. He turned immediately and started for the Academy proper. “H-hey, hold on a minute!” he heard the pegasus call after him. She landed in front of him, a serious look on her face. “About the last time we saw each other. Look, I’m sorry if I came off as… well, a jerk. I swear, I’m not like that! I don’t hate thestrals. Heck, I’ve never even met one before you, so I don’t really have much to go on.” The young stallion rolled his eyes, not in annoyance, but in dismissal. “Whatever. I’m over it. You can leave me alone forever now.” With that, he trotted past her, barely acknowledging her any further. He heard a very mild, whispered curse from the mare, who probably thought he couldn’t hear her. Not that it mattered. He had other, more important things to do. Class being chief among them. -o- A frustrated groan escaped Rainbow as she turned away from her chatting friends. The branch she was resting on rattled with the beginnings of new leaves and fresh buds. Were it not for her foul mood, she would’ve been enjoying the warming weather as spring made its return, but the memory of that Howling Wind guy just so rudely snubbing her apology rubbed her the wrong way. “You okay up there, RD?” she heard Applejack ask. “You’re actin’ like you’ve got a bur in your tail and ya can’t reach it.” She glowered down at her friend, that amused smirk of hers only irritating her further. “Oh, go soak your head, Applesnack.” Applejack’s eyes widened before an angry flush spread across her face. “Whoa, now! That was uncalled for, Dash. I was only teasin’ ya.” “Yeah, what crawled up your flank and died?” said Trixie, who’d stopped in the middle of story from her and Twilight’s foalhood. “Seriously, a zombie would be better company at this point.” She looked around as the others gave her stares with raised eyebrows. “What? It’s true.” “Be that as it may,” said Rarity, “I still think it for the best if you don’t say such things. It’s rather uncouth and inappropriate.” “Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “What would our readers think?” Twilight furrowed her brow and looked at her. “Readers?” Pinkie only hummed to herself, not answering the unicorn’s question. “Anyway,” Twilight said, pushing the pink mare’s statement out of her mind, “seriously, Rainbow, are you all right? Something has to be bothering you. Was it because you forgot your quills again?” “No!” Her face flushed, remembering in emotionally painful detail the lecture from Professor Daring this morning. “It’s got nothing to do with that. It’s just…” Again she growled and slumped on the branch. Fluttershy dropped her pencil from her mouth to look up at her friend. “Dashie, do we really need to drag it out of you?” She flicked her mane out of her face. “You know you’ll feel a lot better if you tell us what’s wrong.” “Nothing’s wrong.” With that, she rolled away from her friends, finding the bark of the tree suddenly very interesting. “Dashie…” Fluttershy said with a warning tone normally reserved for misbehaving animals and foals. Still, Rainbow gave no response. The others all gave Applejack a knowing look, and the farm mare nodded. Standing quietly, she walked over to the tree, turned, and brought her back legs back for a buck. The resulting kick shook the tree so terribly that the rainbow-maned pegasus only had time to squeak before plummeting to the ground with an undignified grunt. “Ready to talk now?” Applejack asked with snarky grin. Rainbow blew her tail from her face as she glared up at the smug earth pony. “I am so going to get you back for that, AJ.” Applejack’s grin grew wider. “Ya can do that after you tell us what’s got your tail all up in a twist. Yer groanin’ an’ moanin’ is makin’ our studyin’ that much harder.” “Oh, fine,” she groused, and rolled back onto her hooves, brushing the dirt from her coat. “It’s that Howling Wind guy—” “You mean your knight in shining armor?” Rarity interjected with a wide smile. “He’s not my crush, Rarity!” “Can we please avoid the ‘knight in shining armor’ line, please?” Twilight grumbled, though no one paid her any mind. “Anyway, I tried apologizing to him about running into him again—” “Again?” Rarity’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, Rainbow, you really are hopeless.” “Rarity…” Applejack glowered at the unicorn, who only smiled knowingly and turned her nose up. “—and to apologize for a bunch of… bad stuff I said.” Rainbow sat on her haunches with a huff. “He just blew me off like it didn’t even matter! Honest to Celestia, I tried to apologize, and he just all but insulted me.” Pinkie whistled. “Ooh. If a mean pony did something like that to me, I’d be in a super grumpy mood, too.” Her smile spread across her face. “But then I’d try to cheer him and make him smile! A grumpy mood is always settled with a smile… and maybe cake.” Trixie furrowed her brow and gave the earth mare a flat glare. “Cake is your answer to everything, Pinkie.” “It’s the only answer,” Pinkie said, nodding sagely. “One must never lie about the cake.” Trixie rubbed at the space between her eyes. “My head… I get migraines just listening to you sometimes, Pinkie.” Pinkie then offered her a white cake with the frosted words drawn on it saying, “Get well soon!” “...Thanks, Pinkie.” Trixie sighed and helped herself to a portion of the cake, a small smile working its way on her face.. The others looked at them oddly before Rainbow spoke again. “Anyway, it just bothers me that somepony can be so mean when someone’s trying to apologize.” Her wings ruffled some. “So we can see,” Applejack deadpanned. “What’s got Rainbow’s tail in a twist?” They turned to see Wanderer trotting towards them, his trademark lopsided grin on his face. “She have a hard-to-reach bur again?” Rainbow’s gaze flattened at him as the others giggled. “I don’t have a bur in my tail! Can’t a mare be in a bad mood without someone cracking jokes at her?” “It’s just funny when it’s you, Dashie,” Fluttershy said with a little giggle. Rainbow gave her a suffering look. “Oh, not you, too, Flutters!” “So, if it’s not a bur, what’s bothering you?” Wanderer asked as he set his saddlebags on the ground, sitting next to Applejack and Rarity. “Just that Howling Wind guy. I tried apologizing to him earlier and he was rude about it.” He blinked and tilted his head. “Howling Wind… Howling Wind… I know I’ve heard that name before.” “He’s hard to miss,” Twilight said as she looked up from her homework. “He’s the only thestral in the Academy.” His eyes widened before he nodded. “Ah, him. Yeah, he’s like that. Being a jerk seems to be his thing. Guy bumped into me in the hall earlier and gave what might pass for an apology in a blunt, unfriendly kind of way.” “Now hang on a minute,” Twilight said. “We shouldn’t judge him just because he’s a little rude. What if he’s just very solitary?” “That’s no excuse for rudeness, darling,” Rarity said, turning her head up at the notion. “Maybe so,” the lavender unicorn admitted, “but he may also be dealing with sleep deprivation. Thestrals are nocturnal after all. That could be why he’s so grumpy.” “I know I’d be in a right foul mood if that were the case,” said Applejack, as she caught her hat from being blown off. “I’d definitely be grumpy if I lost my sleep,” Wanderer said with aplomb. “Still, a little more consideration never hurt anypony.” His smile brightened again. “But I have the perfect thing to make your evening that much better, Rainbow.” Her eyebrow inched up. “Challenging me to another race?” He blew a raspberry at her. “I know better than to race you when you’ve got a bur in your—” Applejack whapped him upside the head with a hoof. “Right. I deserved that,” he muttered as he rubbed at the back of his head. “Anyway, apparently there’s a competition coming up, and for fliers only.” He removed a flyer from his saddlebags and passed it over to Rainbow. Curious, the pegasus took the flyer and read through it, a grin starting on her face. “This is a flyer for the annual Young Fliers’ Competition!” she announced excitedly. “It’s being held over Canterlot this year in a few days, and the grand prize is…” She stopped, her jaw slowly falling agape before she let out the most uncharacteristic, girlish shriek of joy anypony present had ever heard. So excited was the cyan mare that she dropped the flyer as she squealed to herself. Twilight’s horn lit up, picking up the flyer and letting her read whatever had gotten Rainbow so excited. “‘The winner of this year’s Young Fliers’ Competition will have the opportunity to spend a day with the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire.’” The unicorn blinked at that, then giggled. “Well, I guess it’s a safe bet that that’s what’s got her so giddy.” “I don’t get it,” Applejack stated with a quirked brow. “What’s the big deal? Ain’t Spitfire just some fancy flier?” There was a pause in Rainbow Dash’s excited squeals, and all turned to see the pegasus giving Applejack a glare that was somewhere between baffled and indignant. “Uh…” “‘Just some fancy flier’?” Dash parroted in a tone that betrayed how offended she was. “Spitfire isn’t ‘just some fancy flier!’ She’s only the single greatest flier in the whole world! That’s why she’s the captain of the Wonderbolts! Not to mention she’s the pony who inspired me to join the Wonderbolts someday in the first place!” “So, she’s kinda your hero?” Applejack asked as she munched on an apple. “You know it!” Rainbow flipped her mane out of her eyes. “But she’s more than my hero. Seeing Captain Spitfire fly around pushes me to fly harder and harder so that, one day, I’ll be an even better flyer than she is.” Rarity raised an eyebrow at her, a faint smirk on her muzzle. “My, my. Somepony is certainly ambitious.” Rainbow lifted her head haughtily. “Go all in, or don’t go at all.” “I can respect that,” Wanderer said as he dug out his books from his bags. “So, Rainbow, if you’re going to enter, got any tricks you’re going to show off?” Dash’s grin spread across her face wildly. “You know it! I just gotta put together a good routine, and I’ll be guaranteed to win! Just you wait and see!” As Rainbow Dash bragged to her friends, they were all unaware of a golden-maned pegasus listening in from behind the tree that Dash had been pouting on. When she’d heard enough, she quietly took flight, briefly glancing back to make sure nopony noticed her as she snuck away. A smirk crossed her face as she made a mental note to keep an eye on Rainbow Dash. -o- Mathematics and algebra were not subjects Howling Wind was particularly enthralled by. Crunching numbers just wasn’t his specialty. Regardless, he found himself in the library anyway, reading up on all the mentally stimulating applications of a plus b as he kept telling himself that this would be useful at some point in the future. Probably. ‘Probably not,’ he confessed, his head falling onto the desk he was studying at. A low groan escaped him as he felt the need to just take a nap right there, but he countered that fantasy with the reminder that a library was no place to sleep. Who in their right mind would sleep in a library of all places anyway? “You didn’t carry the four.” His ears perked and swiveled as they caught a mare’s voice. Lifting his head up off of the desk with an eyebrow raised, he saw a purple unicorn with fairly dark mane that had a pink streak running through it. “Can I help you?” The mare stepped back slightly. “Sorry. I just noticed that equation you’re working on. You didn’t carry the four.” Howl stared at the mare briefly, then at the equation he’d been working on. It was something his algebra teacher had passed out to everypony in the class to solve before tomorrow. After a moment, he found what the mare was talking about, starting from scratch and carrying the four she’d mentioned. As it turned out, that was the deciding factor that cracked the problem. The instant he realized this, he heaved out an immense sigh of relief. “Thanks,” he said as he closed the books on the desk. “Now I can call it quits for today.” “It’s nothing, really,” the mare replied with a smile. She eyed him with a curious look for a few moments. “I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t happen to be Howling Wind, would you?” With a mildly annoyed sigh, he said, “Yeah, that’s me. Why?” The mare shuffled her hooves a moment before clearing her throat. “I’ve heard about you from a friend of mine, and I just wanted to talk to you myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” “Mm,” was Howl’s only reply. Again, Twilight looked uncertain. “Do you know my friend Rainbow Dash?” He quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the name. “Yeah, I’ve run into her a few times. Although, technically, she ran into me. Or… flew.” He shook his head. “Whatever. Why do you ask?” “I understand that the two of you aren’t on the best of terms,” Twilight explained. “Listen, of all ponies, I know that she can be a bit… let’s say abrasive at times. And… maybe a bit annoying with all her bluster and what have you, but I can assure you, she really is a good pony. She just takes some getting used to is all.” He scoffed. “That’s what everypony says about everypony.” He let out a breath. “Look, It’s not like I hate her or anything. I even don’t know her well enough to feel anything toward her.” This time, Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Well, why not try talking to her then? Figure out whether she’d make a good friend or not.” She put a hoof on the table. “You really hurt her feelings earlier today. She told me and the rest of our friends that she tried to apologize about something to you, but you completely blew her off.” The stallion blinked. Had he heard that right? “Wait, she said I blew her off? I figured we’d settled that.” “Not according to Rainbow,” the unicorn huffed. “Just talk to her, okay? I guarantee, if you befriend her, you won’t regret it.” For a brief moment, Howl wanted to just say no and walk away. Rainbow Dash hasn’t exactly been the most courteous of ponies, so why should he give her the light of day? ‘Then again,’ the more reasonable part of him said, ‘I might’ve overreacted. I never really gave her much of a chance.’ With a sigh, he said, “Fine. I’ll talk to her. At some point.” Twilight shined a smile at him. “That’s all I ask.” As the unicorn turned to leave him to his own business, Howling Wind let out a low sigh. The Academy was quite a bit more personal than he’d expected or would’ve liked. Social situations were not his forte. -o- There was little else that Rainbow Dash loved more than blasting through the air at mach speeds, feeling the wind in her face as it ripped through her wild mane, the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she flew faster and faster. Few others could claim to know how that felt. The freedom, the rush, the unquestionable awesomeness of ever escalating speed; she didn’t just want to go fast. She needed to go fast. It was something she couldn’t possibly live without. Of course, the adoration of her friends and the (inevitable) prospect of screaming fans cheering out her name didn’t hurt either. “Go, Rainbow!” Pinkie Pie hollered as she waved a banner bearing Rainbow’s cutie mark, screaming excitedly as the pegasus tore through the sky, performing countless loops, spins, and barrel rolls. She even flew low enough to the ground to skip across the field on her hooves like a stone over water. “Well, you can color me impressed,” Applejack admitted with a grin. “Dash has a real knack for flyin’, even for a pegasus.” “You know it!” Rainbow said as she landed near her friends, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I’m so amazing that I impress myself!” “Wow,” said Flash. “Be careful there, Miss Modesty. Pat yourself on the back any harder, and you might break something.” Rainbow chuckled at that. “Relax, Sentry. What point is there in being talented if you can’t compliment yourself?” “She’s got ya there, Flash,” said Applejack. “Depends on how much someone ‘compliments’ themselves,” Wanderer said as he munched on a pear. “If Rainbow keeps complimenting herself, I might lose my lunch.” Rainbow glared at the smirking earth pony. “You know, Wanderer, you keep trying to be funny, but you fail… badly.” He turned his nose up in mock arrogance. “At least I’m charming.” “Like a moth tryin’ to pass for a butterfly,” AJ quipped, earning a laugh from everyone but Wanderer. “...Ow,” he muttered, giving her a suffering look. “That’s my pride you just hurt.” “It’s okay, Wanderer,” came the small voice of Fluttershy. “Moths are nice, too.” That only got a groan out of the earth stallion, much to Fluttershy’s confusion and everypony else’s further amusement. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Rainbow put a hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Nah, you’re good, Shy. Wanderer just can’t take a joke.” Wanderer muttered something under his breath, which caused Applejack to snort and try to hold back her laughter. Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the two snickering earth ponies. “What’d he say?” When Wanderer started chuckling harder, Applejack nudged him before shaking her head at Rainbow. “Nothin’ important, Dash.” “Oh, oh, Rainbow, Rainbow!” Pinkie chirped giddily. “What are you gonna do next? Your Fantastic Filly Flash? The Buccaneer Blaze? OH, WHAT ABOUT A SONIC RAINBOOM!?” A snort escaped Flash’s muzzle. “Come on, Pinkie. Even for you, that’s ridiculous. Nopony can pull off a Sonic Rainboom. It’s impossible.” “That’s not true.” The five of them turned their eyes to Fluttershy, who winced at the sudden attention. “What did you say, Fluttershy?” Flash asked. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes before casting her gaze to the grass. “I said it’s not true. Rainbow almost—” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Wait, Fluttershy, you’re not talking about that time in flight camp, are you?” “Mm-hm. You almost had it then, Rainbow Dash, and I bet you could do it now.” Feeling her cheeks flush, Rainbow rubbed at the back of her head, chuckling nervously. “Come on, Shy. We both know that was just a fluke. I didn’t even pull off the Sonic Rainboom during that race with those guys.” “But you were so close, Dashie. You almost blew me off the cloud I was standing on when you flew past me.” Flash furrowed his brow. “Wait. Did you actually almost pull off a Sonic Rainboom?” he asked, looking back at Rainbow. “Well, kinda,” she said as she sat down, taking a drink from her water bottle. “I came close.  I felt the Rainboom surrounding me, but just when I thought it would go off, it stopped me before flinging me backwards.” She sighed. “I was so close to being the first pegasus to pull it off in centuries.” “But that was when you were little, Dashie,” Fluttershy said as a little white bunny finished putting a flower behind one of her ears. “I bet you can pull it off now that you’re such a great flier.” “It would be something to see,” Wanderer said as he rolled to scratch his back on the ground. “Yeah, well, no use thinking about moves I might be able to do and start perfecting the ones I do know.” Rainbow stretched her wings out wide. “Now it’s time for the Fantastic Filly Flash!” With a flap of her wings she shot into the air. Or she would have, if not for the pony she’d ended crashing into. They both rolled across the ground briefly, Rainbow ending up on top, and she looked down to see Howling Wind rubbing his head with a hoof. Her face turned beet red the instant she realized the kind of position she was in, and she scrambled away, while Howl picked himself up with a grunt. Rainbow thought she spotted the faintest hint of a blush on his face, but it was quickly replaced with the dark-maned thestral’s usual, detached expression. “We need to stop meeting like that,” he said, trying to play off what had just happened. “Y-yeah,” Rainbow answered, clearing her throat somewhat awkwardly. Her ears flicked toward the sound of snickering, and she saw Flash and Wanderer chuckling, no doubt at her expense. She fumed at them, but forced herself not to respond to the two stallions, returning her attention to the thestral in front of her. “So, uh, what brings you here? You made it pretty clear you didn’t want to talk to me.” “I spoke with a friend of yours,” he replied. “Twilight, I think. She… convinced me to give you another chance.” He glanced past her, looking over at her friends with raised eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?” “Nah, this is more interesting,” Wanderer said with a wide smile before AJ whapped him upside the head. Rainbow huffed before brushing her mane out of her eyes, her blush finally fading from her cheeks. “Just practicing for the Young Fliers Competition.” Her cocky smile returned. “Something I’m gonna win with flying colors..” Howl’s eyebrow rose. “The Young Fliers Competition? Isn’t that usually held in Cloudsdale?” Rainbow shrugged. “They go to different towns every now and then. Some ponies can’t afford the trip all the way to Cloudsdale, I guess.” “Or the cloudwalking spell for non-fliers to be able to see it,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Yeah, that, too,” Dash said with a brief roll of her eyes before returning to Howling Wind. “So… you’re here to talk, I guess?” “Something like that, yeah,” the thestral affirmed. He turned a look at everypony else, who were all watching them eagerly, especially a certain grinning, pink earth pony. “And I’d prefer it if we didn’t have an audience.” Rainbow blinked, but quickly nodded her head and turned to her friends. “Could you guys give us some privacy?” “You could try to find an empty classroom,” Flash quipped. “Plenty of space for whatever you wanna do.” “I am going to skin you if you say anything like that again, Flash” Rainbow warned, unable to stop her face from turning red yet again. Fluttershy waved a hoof. “Come on, everypony. Let’s go get a snack.” Pinkie Pie immediately perked up at the mention of snacks. “Oh, let’s go to a bakery! I found one just down the street from the Academy that makes the greatest eclairs ever~! And it’s run by a griffin with a Prench accent!” She bounced off ahead, undoubtedly leading the others to the aforementioned bakery, Fluttershy giving one look back to Rainbow Dash before heading off with the rest of their friends. “So…” Rainbow said slowly as she and Howling took a seat on the bleachers. “What’d you wanna talk about? Aside from the whole apology for brushing me off, I mean.” “I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead, to be honest,” he confessed with an almost ambivalent shrug. “In hindsight, I probably could’ve worded our last conversation a bit differently.” He sighed. “I’ve never been a great conversationalist.” Rainbow rubbed at the back of her head. “Well, as long as we’re being honest, neither am I. I tend to just blurt out what’s on my mind.” She looked back at him. “I might have said something without really thinking it through.” “That possibility had crossed my mind,” Howling said rather flatly. “Don’t take this wrong way, but you seem to be rather… impulsive. Which, now that I think about it, kind of makes sense, since pegasi came from a warrior society known for—” “And you lost me,” the pegasus interrupted. “Keep talking like that, and ponies will think you’re a racist.” Howling Wind stared at her a moment, probably processing both their words, before planting a hoof on his forehead and groaning. “And that’s why I don’t talk to others.” “Maybe you just need to talk to ponies more so you know what to say and what not to.” Her ears flicked. “If you don’t talk to anypony, you could end up like my friend Twilight, and that’s saying something.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “She seemed nice enough.” “Yeah, probably because she wasn’t eyes-deep in a book or ten.” “Ten?” “She reads really fast. Like, world record fast.” Once again, Howl stared at the polychromatic pegasus. “I don’t know if that’s impressive or disturbing.” “She’s my roommate. How do you think I feel? She leaves stuff all over the floor sometimes if she’s found herself a good enough book. Half the time, they’re not even stories. Just math, science, history, boring stuff like that. Like she’s trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe through books or something.” “...I’m not quite sure what to say about that.” She snorted quietly. “There’s not much to say. The word I use is ‘egghead.’” Howl shrugged with a scoff, small smirk just visible on his face. “As appropriate a term as any, I guess.” “What about you?” Rainbow asked. “Got a roommate that drives you crazy sometimes?” “No roommate at all, actually.” Howl was quiet for a moment. “Well, I did have one at the start of the semester. He transferred to a different room, though. Guess he was afraid that the scary ‘bat pony’ would drink his blood while he was asleep.” Dash snorted. “What, like a vampire?” Howl’s only response was to flash his teeth at her, revealing a set of long fangs. “They’re not just for show, but they’re not for drinking blood, either. Thestrals evolved them to fight off nocturnal predators.” A shiver coursed through her spine. “Um… don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but do you eat meat or anything with teeth like that?” Howl gave a small nod. “We’re… sort of omnivorous.” “What, like bears?” “Kind of. We mostly eat the same things any other pony eats. Hay, oats, grass, flowers, that kind of stuff. When we do eat meat, it’s usually small animals, like mice, rabbits, and some birds. We also go for fish sometimes.” He glanced away for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Come to think of it, I could actually go for…” He trailed off when looked back at Rainbow, whose expression was one bordering on disgust. “Nevermind. Sorry.” “I-it’s cool,” Dash bluffed, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “I’ve just never met a pony who eats meat. I can’t imagine that stuff tastes that great.” “Actually, if you put a little salt on—” A blue hoof clamped over his mouth. “I really don’t need to know the recipes,” she deadpanned as she removed her hoof. Howl couldn’t stop his face from turning red. “Sorry. It’s just been a while since I had a home cooked…” He stopped when Rainbow gave him a glare. “Sorry.” “How about we change subjects?” She gave her mane a toss again. “Where are you from?” “Hollow Shades,” Howl answered. “Small town out east of Canterlot, deep in a forest. You?” “Cloudsdale,” Rainbow said with a proud grin. “Best city in the skies! Any family back home?” He nodded. “My dad and little sister. Ponies who know us say that Chipper Breeze - my sister - and I are too different to possibly be related. She’s rambunctious, to say the least.” “Sounds like my kinda filly,” Dash joked with a friendly jab at Howl’s side. “I’ve got my mom and dad, and my little sis Scootaloo. She’s pretty wild, too. She mostly just emulates me, though.” “I get the feeling that that’s not actually very reassuring.” “Actually, I love the idea. She’s got all those dreams of hers.” Her ears flattened. “What I don’t like is the two ponies hiding in the bushes spying on us!” A nearby shrub suddenly jostled around, a spy suit-clad Pinkie Pie leaping from her place of concealment, a set of night vision goggles on her forehead. “Balloons to Spyglass, we have been compromised! Repeat, Operation: Spy-On-Rainbow-Dash has been compromised!” “Spyglass to Balloons, affirmative,” said a similarly clad Wanderer as he jumped from the shrub. “Run away, run away!” The two would-be spies scrambled away as fast as they could, while Howl stared at them and Rainbow fumed slightly. “When did they dress up like that and hide?” he asked, baffled. “And where did she get night vision goggles? “I’ve learned that when Pinkie Pie is involved, you just shouldn’t question it.” She glowered after the two before turning her gaze to him. “You hang out with us, you get used to seeing weird stuff all the time.” Turning his gaze away from the two retreating ponies, he raised an eyebrow at her. “You actually want me to hang out with you and your friends? You know I’m not the friendliest of ponies, right?” “Hey, nopony’s forcing you. If you wanna hang out with us, that’s cool. The more, the merrier. If not, that’s also cool. Just make sure to stop by and talk every once in awhile, all right?” He stared at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond. He hadn’t really expected anyone would want him to spend time with them. Thestrals didn’t have the best reputation, even in this day and age. As a result, making friends wasn’t high on his list of priorities. Still, he supposed it couldn’t hurt. “I guess,” he said simply. “Can’t make any promises, but I suppose it might be decent way to kill time. Better than just reading a book for hours until something happens.” Rainbow laughed. “Don’t let Twilight hear you say that. She’ll lynch you. With magic. Lots and lots of magic.” Howling Wind arched a brow. “And she’s your friend?” Rainbow nodded, and Howl gave a short groan. “Wonderful.” -o- By the time Rainbow had arrived at the track for the usual practice, pretty much everypony had already gathered around. It was odd, as she was usually one of the first ponies to show up for practice. Did she miss some kind of memo or something? Was the coach about to give some speech about the upcoming fliers’ competition? Whatever it was, it had her curious. “Yo, AJ,” she called to her friend as she walked up behind the farmpony. “What’s going on?” “It’s Lightning Dust,” Applejack answered. “She apparently told Coach Iron Will that she has some flyin’ tricks she wants to show off to everypony. Word got out, an’ he decided to let the whole track team see.” “Lightning Dust?” She tilted her head for a moment before she nodded. “You mean that one pegasus with the yellow mane who gives me the evil eye all the time?” “Ah, guess so.” AJ shrugged. “Don’t see what the point is. The competition is tomorrow anyhow.” Rainbow scoffed and sat next to her. “As if she could ever outdo me. My moves are awesome.” She flipped her mane out of her eyes, looking over the chatting crowd. “Wonder why the coach thought it was a good idea for the whole team to watch?” Before AJ could respond, the booming voice of Iron Will sounded out, “All right, you weak little fillies. One of our star fliers, Lightning Dust, has asked me to let her show off a few of the tricks she’ll be pulling off in tomorrow’s Young Fliers Competition. I want some of you to take note and actually learn a thing or two.” He turned to the familiar sea green pegasus, who wore a grin on her face that was so cocky it bordered on outright arrogance. “This had better not be a waste of everyone’s time, Dust.” “Don’t worry, Coach,” Lightning said, her grin never faltering as she began stretching out her wings. “This’ll be quick and awe-inspiring.” Once again, Rainbow scoffed, smirking at the absurd idea that anypony short of a Wonderbolt could fly better than her. If anything, once Lightning was done, she could take the opportunity to show everypony here what a real flier could— “First off, my Daring Dash!” Lightning Dust suddenly blasted off into the sky at admittedly impressive speeds. She climbed high up into the sky, before swooping down in a maneuver that looked disquietingly similar to… “That’s my Fantastic Filly Flash!” Rainbow called out, but Applejack was apparently the only one who heard her, as everypony else seemed to caught up in their awe at Lightning’s stunt. “It does look a mite similar,” AJ confessed, “But it could just be a coincidence.” As the rest of the team sat in awe of the show, Rainbow watched the display in the sky with a deepening furrow. Was it really her Fantastic Filly Flash Lightning was using? Or was it just her imagination? Maybe she just made her own move that was similar. Yeah, that must’ve been it. Lightning hovered above the team and smiled down at them. “And now for my next move: the Hyper Sonic Swagger!” Rainbow blinked with her mouth agape as Lightning zipped across the ground at high speed, her hooves skipping along the field with impressive dexterity that was very clearly a direct rip-off of Rainbow’s own Super Speed Strut. “Okay, now that’s suspicious,” Applejack said with a small scowl. “Suspicious!?” Dash growled, her hackles standing. “She’s stealing my moves! I can’t believe this! What, did she steal the Buccaneer Blaze from me, too!?” “And as for my final trick, the Awesome Onslaught,” Lightning boasted as she stopped in midair, “you’ll all just have to wait until tomorrow! Can’t go showing all my cards, now can I?” With a groan of disappointment, the crowd slumped at the news. “I’ll admit, rookie, that was some amazing flying skills,” Iron Will said as Lightning Dust landed. “Pull some stunts like that, and you might actually win the competition.” A sneer crossed Lightning Dust’s face. “Oh, please. I’ve got the whole competition in the bag, Coach.” Before Iron Will could respond, Rainbow pushed past the crowd. “Yeah, because you stole my moves!” The crowd gasped, while Lightning scowled at the prismatic pegasus as she pointed a hoof at her. “You stole my moves, Lightning Dust! They were mine, and you know it!” Lightning looked at Iron Will as he crossed his arms. “You see this, Coach? Rainbow Dash is jealous of my moves.” She turned her sneer back at Rainbow. “She couldn’t begin to compare to what I can do, so she has to throw baseless accusations at me.” Rainbow gritted her teeth, and the two mares were snout to snout, glaring at each other. “That’s a lie and you know it! You must’ve been spying on me while I was practicing and decided to copy me!” Lightning’s lips turn in a snarl. “As if!” “Shut it, both of you!” Iron Will bellowed, the two mares and crowd all quieting down at the shout that nearly shook the ground. “Rainbow Dash, do you have any proof that she stole your moves?” “Yeah, my friends saw me practicing them the other day. They can vouch for me.” “She ain’t lyin’,” Applejack said, Wanderer and Flash Sentry both agreeing with her, having joined up with the girls after Rainbow’s calling out. Lightning snorted. “Ha! That barely counts for anything. Her friends’ll say anything for her.” “You callin’ me a liar?” Applejack snapped, glaring fiercely at the pegasus. “No, I’m calling you a toadie. You three are lackeys at best.” “I’m very close to breaking my ‘no punching girls’ rule,” Flash muttered. “You mean she’s a girl?” Wanderer snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.” Lightning Dust scowled and turned back at Iron Will. “See, Coach, they can’t be believed.  Rainbow is just jealous and is making a scene.” “I am not!” Rainbow turned a pleading looking to the minotaur. “I’m telling the truth, Coach.  She stole my Fantastic Filly Flash and Super Speed Strut! And I bet her Awesome Onslaught thing is just a rip of my Buccaneer Blaze!” “Ha! Even the names are cheap knock-offs!” Rainbow whirled, her cerise eyes practically blazing. “You take that back!” “Shut up!” bellowed Iron Will, promptly silencing the bickering pegasi. “Rainbow Dash, consider yourself on thin ice until you can prove that Lightning Dust stole your moves. And Dust, I recommend not antagonizing a fellow athlete, especially one on the same team as you.” “B-but—” Rainbow stammered. Iron Will quieted her with a harsh glare. “Not another word out of you, Dash! Hit the benches. You’re out for today.” Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself under the minotaur’s piercing glower. Reluctantly, she turned and headed for the nearest bench, getting sympathetic looks from her friends while Lightning Dust simply gave her a smug grin, as if she’d won some kind of contest. And as far as Lightning was concerned, that’s exactly what she did. -o- Normally, Howling Wind would always stay in his room or go to the library to read a book, but for some odd reason, he had the urge to fly around the campus today as he read the latest entry into his favorite adventure series, The Legend of Epona. This one had him particularly engrossed, as this time around, Epona was in an adventure with two other mares who claimed to be chosen heroes as well. It was a rather odd choice on the part of the author, he felt, considering Epona had also been split into four separate personalities before, but it was intriguing nonetheless. He’d reached a scene in which Epona and her two companions were fighting a horde of cycloptic monsters when he wandered into the field. His ears twitched when he heard the sound of somepony grunting and growling to themselves, and he looked up to see Rainbow Dash pacing around the field and muttering angrily. His first instinct was to just leave and let her vent whatever was apparently frustrating her. A little voice inside him, however, demanded that he at least consider seeing what the problem was. With a small groan, he marked his place in his book, touched down on the ground, and stowed it under his wing. Silently, he hoped he wouldn’t regret this. Rainbow hadn’t noticed him yet, too distracted by her own rantings to see him approach. Howl could hear her say something about lightning and stealing, but other than that, he couldn’t quite make out what she was mumbling about. Sighing to himself, he spoke up. “Dare I ask what this is about?” Rainbow’s gaze snapped to him and she huffed. “Oh, hey there, Howl. Sorry, I was just… venting.” “I couldn’t tell.” She rolled her eyes a bit before brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “So what are you doing out here?” He shrugged. “I was out reading when I heard your grumbling. Figured I’d see what it’s about.”  Making sure his book was still secure, he sat on the ground. “So, what has you so upset?” Her scowl spread across her face. “It’s that jerk Lightning Dust! She totally stole all the moves I was going to use at the Young Fliers’ Competition, and no one believes me!” The thestral raised an eyebrow. “No one? Not even your other friends?” She sighed. “They believe me, but no one else does.” She flopped to her haunches with a groan. “Worse yet, if I use my moves at the competition, everypony will think I’m just copying her! I’ll be disqualified and laughed at.” Howl rolled his eyes. “I hardly think that that’s the worst case scenario.” “Maybe to you!” Rainbow growled. “I’ve worked a long time to build up the reputation that I have! I’m at a point where that rep is the only thing that has anypony taking me seriously! I can’t afford to lose it!” “Looks to me like you’re close to losing it already,” Howling muttered under his breath. He hummed in thought as Rainbow stewed in her frustration. “Why not just use different moves? You’ve got to have more than what this Lightning Dust stole.” “But the moves she stole where my best moves,” the pegasus huffed. “I can’t just create new moves on the spot, and the competition is tomorrow!” She moaned and flopped on her belly. “I’ll never come up with anything in time!” “Hmm…” he hummed, seemingly in disinterest. “What about your other moves? Why not work on those instead? I could probably help you figure a few ways to perfect them.” Her ears lay back on her head as she stared at the ground. “All I have left is… the Sonic Rainboom. But… there’s one problem: I’ve never actually… done it.” “The Sonic Rainboom…?” Howl whispered to himself. Well, that was an aspiration and a half. Most ponies just thought that to be a myth, some breezy-tale made up by some delusional pony once upon a time. It definitely wasn’t worthwhile to put all her chances on what was most likely just a rumor at best. He racked his brain for a moment, looking for the right solution until something clicked. “Why not show off all the things that a pegasus can do?” he suggested. Rainbow glanced at the young thestral with a raised eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” Howl shrugged. “Just do pegasus magic. Shoot lightning, moved clouds, make weather. Do it in a way that’ll impress.” For several moments, Rainbow kept staring at him, the gears turning in her head until realization hit her like a falling anvil. She suddenly beamed, zipping toward the thestral and grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him as she said, “That’s it! You’re a genius, Howl!” “Yeah, great, thanks. Please don’t break my neck. I need that.” “Huh?” Her face went red from embarrassment as she released Howling. “Oh, er, sorry about that.” He rubbed at his sore neck, surprised at just how strong she was for a pegasus. “It’s fine.” He turned to leave. “I gotta head off. Got some stuff I need to take care of.” “H-hang on!” Howl faced Rainbow. “I, uh… I need someone to tell me how it all looks as I work on my new moves.” “Couldn’t you get one of your friends to do that?” he asked with a quirked eyebrow. “Well, yeah, I guess,” Dash admitted, rubbing a foreleg awkwardly. “I just think that if my new moves can impress somepony like you, they could impress anypony.” “Somepony like me?” Rainbow waved a hoof. “N-no, not like that! I just mean that… well, you don’t seem like the type that’s easily impressed. My friends are great and all, but they’re almost too supportive sometimes. Only Applejack is ever completely honest with her opinions, and even she sugarcoats it at times.” Howling Wind took a deep breath through his nose before letting out a long sigh. “All right, fine. I’ll stick around and help you put a new routine together. But I have to head back to my room before curfew.” “Well, duh,” Rainbow snarked with a grin. “Come on, let’s get started! I’ve already got a few ideas!” With that, she took off into the sky gathering up a few clouds to get started while Howl took a seat on the nearby bleachers, laying the book he’d been reading earlier down next to him. On the bright side, this could at least be interesting. He’d never seen the Young Fliers’ Competition, and this could prove to be an exciting diversion from his usual routine. -o- The sun was bright, the bleachers packed with excited fans—even Princess Celestia was in attendance—and the word had gotten around that this year’s competition was going to be the best ever. None of it, however, did anything to alleviate Rainbow Dash’s nervousness. She gulped down a little bit of her anxiety, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. There was no way of knowing just how well her new routine would be received, and even with Fluttershy and Flash in the stands rooting for her, she had doubts she’d be able to beat her old routine. She gnawed on her hoof nervously as she peered past the curtain to the arena where the competitors would show their stuff. ‘Oh man! Oh man! There’s so many ponies in the audience! And all I’ve got are moves I only just figured out yesterday!’ Letting the curtain fall back in place, she looked at the other competitors as they stretched and did their warm up exercises. Her cerise gaze fell instantly on the smug-looking Lightning Dust as the other pegasus was gloating to some other competitors. Feeling her hackles stand on end, she forced her gaze away from Lightning Dust, before she could do something she would later regret.. “It’s all her fault,” the prismatic pegasus grumbled. “She stole my moves. All of those moves I’ve been practicing for months!” She sighed and looked down at her hooves. “If I copy her, I’ll be laughed at.” Her eyes widened and slapped herself. “I didn’t copy her! She copied me!” She noticed that a few of the nearby athletes were giving her odd looks. Feeling a hot blush creep over her, she gave a nervous laugh. “Uh, sorry. Just, er… psyching myself up for the big competition.” When they shrugged and moved off, she blew another sigh through her nose and flopped on her belly. “What am I gonna do?” “I thought we went over this already.” She turned to see Howling Wind make his way backstage, looking at the other competitors with an disinterested gaze before settling his cat-like eyes on her. “Oh, hey, Howl,” she said, standing back up. “I didn’t think you’d come.” The thestral shrugged rather dismissively. “I figured it was only right. I did help you put together a new routine. Might as well see if it takes.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Besides, you looked like you were about ready to give up yesterday, even with all the hours of practice made me watch you run through.” Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah. Lucky you’re good with time. We were almost out past curfew.” He bumped her foreleg lightly with a hoof. “Relax. You can do this. You may not have book smarts, but you’re quick on your wings. Metaphorically and literally. And while Lightning Dust may have your moves, there’s one thing she can’t take from you.” “What’s that?” asked Dash. “Your friends’ support.” He rolled his eyes when Rainbow snorted in laughter. “Yeah, yeah. I know it sounds corny, but it’s true. Ponies like her always end up getting found out, and they always crumble under pressure. You? You’re the opposite. I haven’t known you for long, but I like to think I’m good enough at reading ponies to know that you’re a hard worker, especially when that work involves something you’re passionate about.” Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise when she saw him smirk. “As the old saying goes, cheaters never prosper. As far as you and Dust are concerned, you’ve already won.” The sudden cheering of the crowd had them both turned back at the field, where one of the competitors waved to the cheering masses. Her ears laid back. “Yeah. Easier said than done.” He lifted his chin. “Then when you’re out there, get it done. It’ll put Lightning Dust in her place.” “Right. Yeah, okay.” She stood back on her hooves, her chest puffed out. “I can do this! I’ve got this in the bag! That Lightning Dust is gonna eat my dust!” A faint grin inched on his face. “That’s the spirit.” Their ears stood erect as a loud fanfare rang through the stadium, silencing all conversation as Princess Celestia stood tall from her perch in the stands, her multicolored mane billowing in the stiff breeze. “Fillies and gentlecolts, I welcome everyone to this year’s annual Young Fliers Competition!” A cheer rose through the stadium, Rainbow quick to join in. “This year’s competition promises to be a hotly contested one, with many young and promising flyers hoping to show all of us here the efforts of all their hard work.”  Celestia’s smile was visible even from where Rainbow stood, and she felt her confidence swell with the Princess’s words. “The winner of today’s competition will be rewarded not only with the knowledge they have proved themselves the best, but they will enjoy a day with the one, the only, Equestria's own Azure Angels of the Sky, the… Wonderbolts!” On cue, dressed in formfitting azure flight suits, flew five of the illustrious Wonderbolts. Rainbow had to (painfully) hold in a girlish squeal as she spotted her fillyhood hero at the head of the V formation. Spitfire smirked and banked to the side, the other Wonderbolts following suit, each of them flying within inches of each other. The formation veered sharply upwards, and each Wonderbolt broke apart, doing two spins and reformed their formation as they dived. “Celestia’s mane…” Rainbow heard Howling breathe. She tore her eyes off the display long enough to note his look of wonder before she looked back. The Wonderbolts then started doing an aileron roll, while still in formation! There was no stopping her squeal as she witness the most epically awesome move EVER! Images of her pulling the same stunt ran through her mind, making her almost giggle like a little filly. “I so wanna be up there…” she whispered to herself. Howling glanced at her for a moment before looking back up to see the Wonderbolts take their seats on the balcony below Princess Celestia. He had to admit, they were impressive to say the least. The cheers of the audience were proof enough for him to realize he wasn’t the only one to think so. As the cheers died down, the manager showed up, carrying a number of small cloths, each one bearing a number. “All right, contestants, step up and get your assigned number. Whoever’s first, ya’ll go on in three minutes. So get your number and get ready to show everypony whatcha can do.” Howl turned to Rainbow again. “I’m going to the stands. Good luck, Dash.” He headed off while the mare nodded and waved hoof at him. Rainbow felt her throat tighten, but she was quick to get in line with the other contestants. Just as she was to take her place in line, though, Lightning Dust roughly claimed the spot in front of her, nearly causing her to stumble out of her place. “Hey!” the prismatic pegasus complained. “Watch where you’re going!” Dust scoffed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t notice you there. Can’t believe I did, either, considering that ridiculous mane of yours.” Rainbow Dash recoiled slightly, briefly running a hoof through her mane. “There’s nothing wrong with my mane,” she said. Dust smirked and flicked her tail to smack Rainbow in the snout before turning away. If there was ever a time Rainbow really wanted to hurt a pony, she couldn’t remember it. Lightning Dust was just begging for her to start a fight, which, Rainbow realized, was what the other pegasus was probably after. What better way to get rid of the only real competition than by getting her disqualified before she even has a chance to compete? Gritting her teeth, she got in line behind the infuriating pegasus and soon claimed her number. “Twenty-three,” she muttered before she heard an arrogant scoff. “And I’ve got twenty-two,” Lightning said, her chin held up high. “You may as well go home, Dash, because after I’m done, you won’t even be relevant.” “Oh, yeah?” Rainbow butted heads with her. “This just means they saved the best for last! My moves will blow yours out of the air!” Lightning’s lip turned up in a snarl. “Big words for a copycat.” Rainbow felt the fur along her spine stand on end. “Those were my moves and you know it,” she whispered past gritted teeth. “Not like they’ll ever know,” Lightning sneered back. “You should’ve never upstaged me. This is what you get.” Rainbow blinked. “Upstaged you? What are you—” “All right, contestant number one, you’re up!” They heard the manager yell. With a shout of “YEEAAHH!” the impractically burly pegasus with the number one cloth bulldozed his way past the curtain to the cheers of the audience. Somehow, his tiny wings still managed to carry his colossal form. Lightning sneered at Rainbow one more time before turning her back on her. As the contestants made their way to and from the arena, Rainbow kept glancing at Lightning Dust, though not with the hostility she had earlier. What did she do to Dust to deserve this kind of treatment? What did she mean about upstaging her? Soon, though, as the number of contestants ahead of her the dwindled—each earning their own respective cheers from the audience—Rainbow felt her earlier nervousness creep up on her once again. Would her new routine be enough to measure up to her old one? A part of her doubted it. Those were her best moves, and she was so sure that they would work that she neglected to come up with anything else.   When the pegasus before Lightning Dust stepped past the curtain, Rainbow could’ve sworn—but would never admit—that her knees were shaking so badly that she almost couldn’t stand. It was a true challenge to have not jumped when the stage manager approached her and Lightning Dust. “Gals, there’s been a schedule conflict with our plannin’ today, and we don’t have time for the both o’ ya to show off your talents separately. So the two of ya are gonna have to go out at the same time.” “What?!” the two shouted in unison. “You can’t do that!” Lightning snarled. The manager gave them an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, girls, but if Princess Celestia is going to have time to judge everyone fairly, it’s gonna have to be this way.” Rainbow’s ears pinned back. “But how can we do that?” The manager bounced her pen off her lips, a pensive frown on her face. “Just go out there and take turns. I’m sure the two of ya can work together to make an impressive show, don’tcha know?” The two pegasi groaned in unison before glaring at each other as the manager trotted off. Looking at Lightning Dust caused the hackles on Rainbow’s back to stand on end again. “Just stay out of my way, Dash. If you ruin this for me, you’ll regret it.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “The only thing I regret is that not all of my friends will be here to watch me totally kick your flank.” Before Lightning could retort, the crowd erupted in cheers and the contestant before them flew past the curtain, a proud smile on his face. “All right, you two, get out there and put on a show for everypony to remember,” the manager said. Lightning Dust flew ahead, and Rainbow followed with a small growl. This was totally not what she wanted to happen during this all important competition!   “Break a leg, don’tcha know?” Rainbow half-smirked, half-glowered at the manager as she flew after Lightning Dust, the crowd cheering loudly for the two. She saw Flash and Fluttershy waving excitedly at her, which she gladly returned. That was until Lightning Dust hip bumped her out of the way and threw her forelegs out wide to the cheering crowd. Raising her voice for all to hear, she shouted, “I hope you’re all ready for the real show, because it’s about to begin!” The roar of the crowd was enough to make Rainbow want to rub at her ears. It should’ve been her they were cheering for, not Lightning Dust!   Raising her own voice, she shouted, “If they want a show I’ll be the one to give them one!” The two pegasi glared daggers at each other before Lightning Dust flapped her wings to get higher into the air. “Now, everypony, watch my awesome Daring Dash in action!” With a final flap of her wings, Lightning turned sharply downward and sped off, leaving a golden trail of light behind her. As she flew below the ring of the midair stadium, she turned sharply back upwards at speeds that would threaten to break a pegasus’ neck! The amazing mobility earned a roaring cheer from the audience. As Rainbow watched, she knew for a fact she could have pulled the same move—her  Fantastic Filly Flash—with even faster speeds. Not only was Lightning copying her, she was making her moves look lame! As much as she wanted to show the crowd the real move, she knew that copying would not endear her to the crowd. Instead, she flew for a collection of clouds that had been gathered for the participants to use in their show. Pushing her wings, she gathered a bunch of the clouds into a single mass and began flying around them, setting them to spinning. The crowd ‘oohed’ and ‘awed’ at the display of speed and surprising attention to detail as she molded the clouds into the shapes and sizes she required. Hearing those sounds of approval sent a thrill through her, urging the prismatic pegasus to keep on going. Maybe this new routine would work after all! From where she hovered, Lightning Dust could only gawk as the prismatic pegasus performed. A scowl crossed the blonde mare’s face as she prepared for her next move. “Now for the Hyper Sonic Swagger!” she called to gather the crowd’s attention. As all eyes fell on her once more, she flipped a quick U-turn and burst for Rainbow’s cloud collection. Having just finished her last lap, Rainbow smiled wide at her clouds before they burst apart. “Hey! What gives?” she yelled as part of her cloud covered her face. Muttering, she wiped the nimbus away to see Lightning Dust skip from cloud part to cloud part, dissipating each one at near breakneck speeds.  Rainbow’s eyes widened as Lightning Dust was using her own Super Speed Strut to break each cloud in her formation! “You are not gonna use me to win!” Rainbow shouted after her. Growling to herself, Rainbow took off. Reaching the center of the airborne stadium, she banked sharply to the side. Faster and faster she turned until a small tornado started to form between her loops. Faster and faster she spun, the tornado growing in size. The crowd oohed at the display, but then gasps erupted as Rainbow tilted a little more with her spins. In response, the tornado would move with her movement. The crowd cheered as the tornado began to spin in place like a needle on a compass. Rainbow winced at the increasing force of holding the tornado in its place, but she couldn’t stop her grin as the cheers reached her ears. ‘Yes! It’s working! I can’t believe this is actually working!’ Her ears swiveled as she heard Lightning Dust shout overhead. “And now for the grand finale: The Awesome Onslaught! Get of the way, Dash, this requires some room!” “It’s the sky! You’ve got all the room you need!” she yelled as she directed her tornado over the stadium to vanish harmlessly into the sky. A part of her enjoyed Lightning’s angry flush as the crowd laughed. With a sneer, Lightning shot straight up into the air, hundreds of feet above the arena. With a shout, she sped straight downward, the crowd awed at the daredevil move. Flying downward wasn’t something that was ever recommended to any but the most experienced and skilled of fliers. Rainbow was about to start the next phase of her routine, but was nearly clipped when her opponent blitzed past her like her namesake. For a moment, she shot a glare at the other pegasus until she realized what she was risking. “Dust, stop!” she shouted, but Lightning either didn’t hear her or didn’t listen. At those speeds, there was no doubt that Lightning would hit terminal velocity, if she hasn’t already, and that was a lethal prospect, even for pegasi. She needed to act fast, or Lightning really will be dust. With a powerful flap of her wings, she flew up as fast as she could, over the wall of the arena, and shot ahead at as downward an angle she could manage. Rainbow flapped her wings harder, the wind whistling in her ears. She followed behind Lightning, but the other pegasus only flapped her own wings harder, putting on another burst of speed. “Dust, you’ve gotta stop! It’s too dangerous!” “Shut UP!” Lightning growled. “I’m not gonna be upstaged by you again!” “When did I ever upstage you!? If I did, I didn’t mean it!” Rainbow flapped her own wings, trying to keep up the ever-increasing speeds. “It’s not worth killing yourself over!” Lightning lowered her head and burst forward again, causing Rainbow to take after her. Looking past Lighting, she could see the ground approaching quickly! “Dust!” “Shut u—” It was then Rainbow saw the other pegasus jerk before slumping, no longer in control of her descent. “No-no-no-no! Don’t pass out!” Rainbow put another burst of speed on, trying to catch up to the free falling Lightning Dust, even as the ground got ever closer. Gritting her teeth against the g-forces, her eyes watered from the sheer pressure.  “Come on… almost…” Her wings screamed at her to stop, aching like never before. She didn’t register the shocked gasp of the crowd, nor the cone that began to form around her. Seeing only the unconscious pegasus and the ground that was really getting too close for comfort, Rainbow shut her eyes and gave it one more burst. It was almost surreal, she told herself. How suddenly the world around her seemed to slow to almost a crawl. She could see Lightning Dust—her eyes shut and oblivious to the ground that was just feet away—move sluggishly, almost like she was falling through gelatin. With another flap of her wings, Rainbow caught her and spun around—her back hooves just inches from the ground. As she flew back for the stadium, she could see things gradually returning to their normal pace. The wind howling in her ears, her mane whipping violently from the force, but more so than that, she saw the rainbow color spread around in a wave. All eyes were wide, all mouths were agape as the rainbow washed over them. The force of it caused all of them to hold onto their seats as Rainbow Dash flew back up for the safety of the stadium, carefully setting Lightning Dust on the cloud floor and shouting for a doctor. Paramedics rushed onto the scene, carrying Lightning away for further care after making sure she still had a steady pulse (which, thankfully, she did). As soon as the doctors left the arena, the crowd suddenly burst into cheers, crying out Rainbow’s name in praise. The young mare looked around in confusion. Why were they all so excited? Suddenly, a cream-colored form tackled her in a hug, Fluttershy grinning giddily. “Oh, my goodness, Rainbow, that was incredible! You actually pulled it off! That’s amazing!” Now Dash was even more confused. Fluttershy was never this overjoyed. “What are you talking about? I just saved Lightning Dust.” “Rainbow,” said Flash as he hovered over, joined by Howling Wind. “You pulled a Sonic Rainboom.” Her lashes fluttered. “I-I what? A Sonic Rainboom?” Fluttershy nodded quickly as she hopped back. “It was amazing, Dashie! You actually did it! The Sonic Rainboom, just like I knew you could! There was a big ring of rainbow lights and the boom almost knocked me off my cloud!” Rainbow suddenly found herself staring at them blankly, her mind trying to process what she was being told. She remembered how everything seemed to slow down for a time, which allowed her to catch Lightning Dust. There was also that odd coloring in the sky, but that couldn’t have been it. Could it? Her eyes swept the still-cheering crowd, to see even the Wonderbolts applauding her. Princess Celestia herself was smiling wide. She then looked at Howling, her face still shocked. He nodded softly. “It was like Fluttershy said. Ring of colors and a loud boom.” A small smirk played at his lips. “It looked like every Rainboom story I was told.” She looking at her hooves, her shoulders slumped a bit. Fluttershy shot the two stallions a quick look. “Dashie?” A soft mutter escaped her. “What was that?” Flash asked. “I said…” She looked back at them, an impossibly wide smile on her face. “I did it! A Sonic Rainboom! I’m awesome!” Wrapping her three friends up in a tight hug, and she didn’t care how much Howling squirmed. “There’s the Rainbow Dash we all know,” Flash snickered even as Rainbow let them go to do a victory strut. “Uh-huh, oh, yeah, I’m awesome!” The prismatic pegasus danced in the air as she praised herself. All cheers died down, and even Rainbow—begrudgingly—quieted down as Princess Celestia stood tall from her perch. Her radiant smile was visible even from the other side of the stadium. “Fillies and gentlecolts, today we have seen many amazing flyers display their abilities in the pursuit of showing who was the best among them. We have seen amazing stunts, breath-taking risks, and even the legendary Sonic Rainboom performed right in front of our very eyes.” Celestia turned her smile to Rainbow, and Rainbow felt herself puff up with pride. “But today, we have also witnessed a feat of bravery. A willingness to put oneself at risk to save another. Such bravery is something that does us all a great honor to have witnessed.” Celestia looked back to the crowd and flared her wings. “I am proud to present to you this year’s Young Fliers’ Competition Champion: Rainbow Dash!” As the crowd erupted once more in deafening cheers, her friends among them, Rainbow felt the elation well up in her.  With a jump and hoof thrust into the air, she yelled, “YEEEAAHHHH!” -o- “What a day…” Rainbow sighed as she pushed open the door to her dorm room. Between the competition, performing the Sonic Rainboom, and her day flying with the Wonderbolts (Spitfire was an amazing flier), she was certain she was going to sleep the next month away—two months actually. Certainly the champion of the Young Fliers Competition would be allowed some down time, right? A nice, two-month long nap sounded just, as Rarity would put it, absolutely spectacular. Walking into her room, she saw Twilight relaxing in bed with a book. Big surprise there. The unicorn peeked over the edge of her book as Rainbow flopped on her bed with a groan. “I heard the big news,” the unicorn said. “You won the competition and performed a Sonic Rainboom. That’s pretty impressive, Rainbow Dash. But I’m sure that last part has to be an exaggeration on Fluttershy’s part, though.” Despite the bone-deep weariness, a proud smirk spread across her face. “So you’d think, egghead. But I actually did pull off the Sonic Rainboom. Right in front of hundreds of spectators. Including Princess Celestia and the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow peeked over her shoulder to see Twilight raise her eyebrows at her. “You actually did a Sonic Rainboom?” Twilight’s book fell from her magic, forgotten. “You have to tell me how you did it! What was it like to move so fast? What did the shockwave do? Was it really rainbow-colored? Are you suffering any lingering effects? Tell me! Tell me!” Her eyes widened. “Wait, let me get paper and quill first!” Rainbow lifted a hoof halfheartedly. “Questions later, sleep now. I’m tired.” “Oh, come on, Rainbow,” Twilight all but whined. “You can’t tell me you actually did something out of legend and not describe it in detail! Think of the knowledge that could be used for future generations! You have to tell me!” “You can ask me after my nap,” Rainbow said as she rolled over, pulling her blanket over her head. “How long are you going to nap?” Twilight asked with a huff. Rainbow gave a broad yawn. “About two months sounds right.” Rainbow could’ve sworn the room got hotter. “That’s not fair, Rainbow! Not to mention physically impossible unless you somehow put yourself into a coma!” “Can’t hear you. Napping.” She snuggled with her pillow, fully intending to sleep no matter how many times Twilight would blast her with magic. Just before she could doze off, a knock came at the door. Rainbow lazily opened an eye and turned her head to look at Twilight. “Can you see who it is and tell them I’m napping?” Sighing, Twilight put her quill and paper away and nodded. “Fine.” Rainbow got comfortable again, even as she swiveled an ear towards the door as Twilight opened it. She heard her roommate greet their guest, but didn’t really pay attention to what was being said. Just as Rainbow had gotten comfortable, she heard Twilight call her name, and with an annoyed groan, she turned to face her and whoever was visiting. She blinked in surprised when she saw Howling Wind standing just outside their room. “Bad time?” he asked, his head tilted slightly. Rainbow stretched, her wings flaring out. “I was about to nap. What’s going on?” “Thought I’d have a word with you before you pass out.” He glanced at Twilight before looking back at her. “Got a moment?” As much as she wanted to just lay her head down and sleep, she knew that Howl wouldn’t have come to the mare’s dormitory at this time of day if he didn’t have something important to talk about. “Yeah, give me a second.” She sat back up and yawned again, a small squeak escaping her. Her eyes widened as she slapped a hoof over her mouth, her cheeks reddening. “Uh… totally meant to do that.” Twilight rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing across her muzzle. “I’m sure you did.” Howling, for his part, kept his usual stoic expression, even if Rainbow did catch the corner of his mouth twitching for a second. “Whatever, egghead,” Rainbow muttered and hopped off the bed. Stepping out into the hallway, she closed the door to her room behind her. “What’s wrong with being an egghead?” Howling asked after checking down the hall to see if they were alone. “Well, I guess there’s nothing wrong with it. Twilight just takes it to extremes. Like… a lot.” She brushed a lock of her mane from her face. “She actually wanted me to explain in detail everything that happened during the Sonic Rainboom for ‘future generations.’ Like it’s for some big paper she needs to write.” A pensive frown crossed his face. “That’s a good idea, actually. You should tell her about it sooner or later.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you serious? She’d have me…” When she noted his faintly amused smirk, she trailed. “You’re hilarious.” “Even I have to make a joke every now and then,” the thestral stated with a shrug. “Anyway, I just wanted to say that what you pulled off was pretty impressive, to put it mildly.” “Awesomely is the best word for it,” she said, a wide smile finding its way on  her face. “Not only did I win the competition, I beat Lightning Dust, and I got to spend the day with the Wonderbolts.” A shudder ran up her spine—just saying it gave her the chills. “So we saw. You were quick to abandon us for the Wonderbolts.” “Hey! That’s not true! I…” Again she trailed, glowering at him. “I’m gonna hurt you if you keep doing that.” He hummed and nodded. “Well, that’s all I really wanted to say. You did good out there, despite all of your worrying. It all turned out like I said it would.” “Yeah…” she glanced away for a moment, biting at her lip. He looked at her for a moment, before he spoke again. “I see you’re tired.  I’ll let you sleep.” As the thestral turned away and Rainbow bit at her lip again, wanting to say what was on her mind, but couldn’t find her voice to speak. ‘Baka!’ “Howl, wait,” she called after him, still not entirely sure what drove her to speak. “Hmm?” He looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at her. “What is it?” “I… uh…” She took in a quick breath and snorted it out. “I wanted to… thank you. For everything. I’m not sure if I could’ve gone out there if you hadn’t have sat with me while I practiced and gave me all of those pep talks. I hadn’t really been off my game like that since… well, a while now,” she said, averting her gaze again for a second before looking back. “So… thanks for being there.” He looked at her for a moment, those piercing amber eyes blinking once before he spoke. “You’re welcome. You needed somepony to help you out of your funk and I just happened to be around to do it.” Shrugging, he continued. “Think nothing of it.” She nodded, a sliver of disappointment prickling at her. “Still, thanks a ton.” Just as she reached for the handle of her door, he spoke again, a slight waver in his tone. “...Rainbow.” “Hmm?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “What?” “It was… nice to have done that for you.” He shifted his weight, his hooves scraping the floor a little. “And… I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime.” A smile slowly spread across her muzzle as she noticed the faint darkening around his cheeks when he spoke. “I might just let you.” She gave her mane a toss before smiling at him again. “See you tomorrow?” “Tomorrow.” With a small smile on his face, and a final look at her, the thestral took wing and flew down the hallway. Rainbow watched him go, and let out a slow sigh once he had left.  She tilted her head as she considered the warm feeling she got in her stomach. “Maybe I’m hungry. Some food does sound nice.” Just as she was to turn the knob, her ear flicked at a sound. Turning her head, she saw Rarity looking at her from the unicorn’s doorway, a wide, giddy expression on her face. A wide, giddy expression that also held no small amount of smugness to it.  As if saying ‘I told you so!’ Groaning, Rainbow slammed the door after her, her cheeks burning. -o- A pained groan slipped past her lips as Lightning Dust glared at the ceiling. The nurse had told her that she would need to stay in the infirmary for at least another day or two. She’d already bemoaned how stupid that was. She felt fine. Better than fine, even! But nope, she had to stay in bed. Staring at the ceiling could only prove interesting for so long before her thoughts drifted back to the competition. Her eyes hardened as she recalled waking up a few hours later, not only to find out that she had a nasty sprain on her wing muscles, as well lingering dizziness from blacking out, but also to learn that that upstart Rainbow Dash not only won the competition, but did so by saving her at the same time! Lightning growled before her wings gave a twitch, causing another hiss of pain to escape her. “It isn’t fair! It’s not! I should’ve won that competition! Not her! I worked so hard for it! She shouldn’t have won!” Another pained moan, and she settled on her bed, slumping. Her glare harshened at the tears that threatened to fall down her face. “I should’ve won. Not that… nag!” She turned her glare to the door of her hospital room. “Nurse! I need you!” When the nurse didn’t come, she felt a scowl grow across her face. “Nurse!” As the minutes ticked by with still no sign of the nurse, Lightning’s frown lessened. “Where is she? She’s always around.” Sighing to herself, she took in a breath and called out again, without the anger in her tone. Just as she thought she was going to have to get out of bed herself, she heard the handle to her door click, and the door opened as a nurse pushed in a cart to her room. “Finally,” she mumbled.  “Nurse, my wings are aching again, can you give me anything?” “Of course, but maybe I can offer you something else.” Lightning frowned and looked again at her nurse. The mare’s pure white coat seemed to blend perfectly with the nurse’s outfit she wore. The redness of her irises matched that of the medical symbol on her hat. “You’re… not my nurse. Who are you?” The red-eyed mare approached her bed and casually sat down on its edge. The way she looked at Lightning, sent cold shivers down her spine. “I’m… a fan. I’ve been watching you for a while now, Lightning Dust, and I want to say one thing: I feel you were cheated.” Despite it, Lightning growled. “I was cheated! Rainbow Dash did something to throw me off! I had that competition in the bag! I should’ve—” The mare raised a hoof to calm her, though it was the brief flash of irritation in those crimson eyes that caused Lightning to stop her emotional tirade. “I know, and I agree with you. Cheaters should never be allowed to savor their victory.” The mare floated over a cup of water from her tray. “But then, you would know this, am I right?” Lightning gulped down her water, but turned her glare at the nurse. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have to cheat to win.” The mare gave her a knowing smirk and Lightning, for some reason, couldn’t hold her stare. “You and I both know the truth of the matter, Lightning Dust. However, I can appreciate a mare who is willing to do anything necessary to achieve her goals.” Her smile grew a bit more. “Even if the methods can be… dirty hooved, at times. I myself am not above such tactics, I’ll admit.” Gritting her teeth, Lightning turned her glare back at her. “What do you want? Just get it out already or get lost.” “I have some friends—fellow fans—who think that certain things should be done in fairness for everypony, and we are looking for more to join us in achieving our goals. Would you be interested?” “Not in the least.” Lightning huffed and looked away. “Now get lost.” “And what will you do now?” the mare asked with a curious tilt of her head—if she was phased by Lightning’s curt tone, she didn’t show it. “Continue your pointless rivalry with that Rainbow Dash? That would be akin to banging your head against a stone wall. Or are you going to try to get some sort of revenge against her? You’ll never get anywhere if you’re always following after another, trying to outdo them.” “You don’t know anything.” “Don’t I?” The mare smirked. “My friends and I can show you a different way, a way to not only beat your rivals, but to surpass them.” She leaned forward a bit, causing Lightning to squirm at the nearness. “We can show you how to be a winner, to stand above the rest, to take your rightful place as the best of the best.” Lightning averted her gaze, a soft frown on her features. Could it be true? Could this mare do what she promised and help her to beat Rainbow Dash and all the others who challenged her? It sounded too good to be true. Remembering some of the lessons her dad taught her, she turned a narrow-eyed gaze at the smug mare. “What’s the catch?” “No catch. At least, none that would be worth your time to worry about. We all want is to work together to make things right.” The mare smiled a bit more. “What do you say, Lightning Dust? Are you ready to leave them all, especially Rainbow Dash, in your wake like the lessers they are?” Lightning looked away again, a pensive expression on her face. Dreams of grandeur and pinning Rainbow Dash down under her hoof filtered through her mind. The image alone causing her expression to change into a sneer. She turned back to the mare and gave her answer. “Where do I sign up?”