After dealing with the ordeal that was Discord and his cohorts, the girls relaxed at Sugarcube Cafe with some cold, refreshing milkshakes. Strangely, none of them felt like talking about the events that had just transpired, they were far too exhausted and desperately required a temporary return to normalcy. This proved to be rather difficult when Pinkie’s Stand, Birthday Train, was stuffing it’s face with cake, which to the onlooking customers, appeared as if Pinkie was eating her cake without physically touching it.
“Pinkie.” Sunset whispered. “Will you put her away, people are staring.”
“Yeah, yeah, in a minute...” She answered, preoccupied with her world record attempt at keeping a straw balanced across her nose.
Sunset sighed, as Sky Should Be High, lifted Birthday Train by the tail, dragging it away from the cake, causing a sudden jolt of pain in Pinkie’s backside which forced her to leap out of her chair, disrupting the delicate balance of the straw on her nose. She stared at it, heartbroken that her efforts were all for naught. “No! Just a few more seconds and I would have had it!”
Pinkie slumped back into her chair, her face crashing into her cake, lamenting over the record that almost was.
With Pinkie finished with her dramatics, Rarity felt it was time to address their current situation. “Well then, any plans on what we should do next?”
Sunset shrugged.
“You can’t just shrug like that." Applejack asserted. "We need to find where these guys are hiding, march right up to them and teach them a lesson for attacking us and disturbing the peace in our town!”
“I’d love to, but we don’t even know where they’re hiding or what they’re even planning.”
“Then, how do we fight them?”
“Gilda made it clear that they aren’t interested in telling us anything, but still see us as obstacles. I think, for now, we just keep our eyes peeled and wait for them to make a move.”
“I don’t really like the idea of waiting around to be attacked like a barrel of apples.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “You mean, “barrel of fish”.”
“I know what I said.”
“Still...” Dash continued, getting back on topic. “Why would Gilda and Discord work together and with whoever these other guys are? They have nothing in common.”
Sunset sipped her drink in thought. “That is strange... makes me wonder if someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
“You mean like some kind of secret boss? Any idea who it might be?”
She took another slow sip, pondering Dash’s question.
“Nope.”
It wasn’t the most reassuring answer Sunset could have given, with the girl’s agitated expressions forcing her to elaborate a little. “Well, if they’re really planning something, then they’ll have to act on it sooner or later. If we can catch them and thwart their plans in the moment, eventually whoever’s in charge will have to reveal themselves, to try and stop us, or at the very least reveal their motive. It’s not a great plan, but it’s all we've got, other than taking random shots in the dark.”
"You really think we can just "thwart" their plans like that? You make this all sound easy." Applejack questioned.
"As long as we stick together, everything should be fine. We beat Discord, right?"
"I guess..."
“So, just sit back and wait for something to happen?” Dash asked.
“Yep.”
“Fine with me, gives me more time to catch up on my sleep.”
“Didn’t you have running practice or something to do this afternoon?” Applejack asked, calling her out on her laziness.
“Nah, it was probably cancelled after the school got wrecked this morning.”
Not a moment after she made her assumption, Dash received a call on her cell phone from her coach, Spitfire.
“Sup.” She answered, obliviously.
“Dash! Where the heck are you!? Training started thirty minutes ago! Are you playing hookie, again!?”
“N-no, ma’am, coach, sir! I just assumed we weren’t doing it today, what with all the commotion at the school. I thought you might give us a break, for once.”
“That’s your excuse!? I sent text messages to other trainees! The Crystal Prep coach is letting us practice at their school this week! Now get your butt over here, ASAP!”
“Y-yes, coach, sir, ma’am, sir! Welp, guess I gotta get going, Fluttershy, cover for my order will you!”
“But, I..”
“Okay, thanks, gotta go, or the coach’ll kill me! Bye!”
“O-okay...”
With that settled, Rainbow Dash kicked into high gear and bolted as fast as she could to Crystal Prep Academy.
After a long jog, she finally arrived, where Coach Spitfire and her fellow trainees from the sport’s club had gathered on the field, with practice already in full swing. There were only a handful of students in the club, as Spitfire tolerated only those who took their training seriously.
Dash stumbled onto the field, gasping desperately after running what felt like a marathon.
Spitfire gave her a bitter glare. “Finally decided to show up, did you?” She stated, examining her watch. “You’re almost an hour late, practice will be over soon. I should kick you out of the club for such blatant procrastination.”
“N... no... please don’t...” Dash wheezed.
“Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”
“Because... I ran... three miles... just to get here...”
“Huh. I suppose that’s a little impressive. I guess I can let you off for now, since we don’t usually reschedule training on such short notice.”
“Thank.... you...”
“There’s some water by the bench, take a breather, but I want you doing laps around that field in five minutes, got it?”
“O... kay...”
Rainbow Dash sluggishly hobbled over to the bench and collapsed, still trying to catch her breath. After wiping away her sweat and taking a big swig of water she was slowly starting to recover, at the very least she had the energy to sit up. After finishing her own training, a fellow member of the sport’s club took a seat next to Dash for a quick break.
“Hey, Dash, you actually made it!” She congratulated.
“Are you kidding? I’ve done more running in the past thirty minutes than you've done all day, Fleetfoot.”
“You’re just lucky the coach has a soft spot for you, or you’d be kicked out of the club in record time.”
Dash grumbled to herself.
“Speaking of records...” Fleetfoot continued. “That Crystal Prep student is getting dangerously close to breaking your best, recorded times.”
“What? Who?”
“Her.” Fleetfoot pointed to a girl wearing a Crystal Prep jumpsuit, with turquoise skin and amber hair, stretching on the track.
“Who’s that?”
“Her name’s Lightning Dust, or the Golden Wind as she’s been called recently.”
“Why? She like beans a little too much or something?”
“Ew, no. It’s because, when she runs, you can almost feel the wind blow right past you.”
"Really..."
"And her hair looks golden, too."
"I gathered."
Dash was unimpressed by this so-called, “Golden Wind”, she sounded more like a load of hot-air. She glanced over at Lightning, who continued her exercises until she noticed Dash’s glaring. The two made eye-contact, only for Lightning to brush her off with a smug grin. Dash could feel it in her gut. The churning, sickening feeling of meeting someone more arrogant than herself, she could tell immediately, that Lightning was going to be a thoroughly, unpleasant person to put up with.
It was at this point, Rainbow Dash formulated a plan to put that cocky show-off in her place. It was simple, she’d use Ride on Time, to quickly drop a cup of water right on her head, that would show her who’s boss. She grabbed a cup and using her Stand she quickly and stealthily flew it over her head. The cup fell directly above her, it looked to be a direct hit, but at the very last moment, the cup swerved to the right and fell next to her, without Lightning even noticing.
Dash was puzzled, but that didn’t deter her efforts. “Must of been the wind or something, I guess this next one will have to be a little more direct.”
She filled another cup, this time Ride on Time flew directly at Lightning, hoping to swerve around to throw the water in her face, but as soon as it got close, a sudden gust of wind blew in from behind her. The wind’s strength sent Ride on Time spiraling over to Rainbow Dash, the cup of water flying right into her face, knocking her off the bench as she flailed helplessly.
“Yo, Dash. You alright?” Fleetfloot asked, looking down at Rainbow Dash, whose face skirted the line between bewilderment and rage.
“Oh, I will be...” Dash rolled up her sleeves, raring for a fight. She marched right over to Lightning who paid her no mind, much to Dash’s chagrin. “You gotta problem?”
Lightning continued her exercises, replying with a simple: “No.”
“Oh, I think you have a problem.”
Lightning turned around to face Dash, only to deliver an insult. “You’re the only one with the problem, Rainbow Trash.”
Rainbow Dash was appalled by such blatant contempt and right to her face, too, but this only strengthened her resolve, now it was personal. “That’s it! Race me! Right here! Right now!”
“Aren't you short tempered, but sorry, I’d rather not stoop to your level."
“Bet you’re just scared.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I know you've been trying to break my records, but you always fall short, don't you? And now that the real thing is challenging you directly, right in front of everyone, you're too scared to do it.”
“I'm not scared of you.” Lightning asserted.
Rainbow Dash could barely contain her smugness. Lightning’s response was exactly what she expected, only someone with great pride in their skills would even attempt to break her records. Trying to act cool about it only further proved Lightning's insecurities. Calling her a coward was the perfect way to get her to accept Dash’s challenge.
“If you’re not scared, then prove it! Race me!”
Lightning Dust clearly looked flustered from the constant badgering and quickly agreed to Rainbow Dash’s challenge.
First to run one lap around the track was the winner. As the two of them readied themselves at the start-line, Coach Spitfire set her stopwatch. Normally she would berate Rainbow Dash for letting her overconfidence get the better of her, again, but in this instance she decided to referee their race. Anything to get Dash to actually try at practice.
“Alright, you two. I want a good, clean, race. That means no name calling, Dash.” Rainbow Dash brushed her off, as if she’d do such a thing. “On your marks! Get set! GO!”
The girls rocketed out of the start line at full speed, with only one lap, neither of them could afford to hold back for even a moment. The two of them were neck and neck for a short while, but it wasn’t long before Lightning started to slowly trail behind. As the gap between them widened, Dash couldn’t help but sneak in a cheeky taunt. “Hey, Lightning, you’re name really suits you, because I’m about to make you eat my dust!”
For reasons unbeknownst to Dash, Lightning detested anyone making fun of her name, especially when she was concentrating on a race. She originally planned on beating Dash fairly and if she were to lose, she’d suck it up and accept it, but Dash’s needless insult made her snap. A sudden gust of wind blew from behind her and the resulting tailwind gave her the speed boost she needed to not only catch up to Dash, but completely bypass her.
The wind caught Dash off guard. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance, not that it mattered, as Lightning has already crossed the finish line.
“We have a winner!” Cheered Spitfire, as the other students congratulated Lightning on her win. “See, Dash! This is what happens when you don't skip out on training! You don't fall behind!”
Rainbow Dash was livid, not just because she lost, but because of how she lost. No one else could see it, but she could.
“The wind.” She mumbled. “That has to be it, there’s no other way she could have caught up to me like that, so quickly.”
Rainbow Dash called out Lightning, with a bold accusation. “Lightning! You cheated!”
The students gasped in shock. They all knew Dash hated losing, but accusing someone of cheating was a new low. Dash would need some decisive evidence to back up such a horrendous claim.
Lightning was offended by her outlandish accusation. “Me!? Cheat!? That sounds like the desperate cry of a sore loser, Rainbow Trash.”
“But, you did! You used the wind, somehow...”
“W-what!? That’s preposterous!” Lightning stumbled in her speech slightly, but quickly regained her composure. “I would never cheat in a race!”
“There’s no way anyone could overtake me that fast!”
“Yeah, it’s called a second wind!”
“No, you used the wind, literally! You shot right past me like a freakin’ rocket!”
“Maybe, I’m just faster than you! I did nearly break all your records!”
“You can’t just go from nearly breaking my records to suddenly being twice as fast as me! Unless you cheated!”
"I don’t cheat! Even if I did, how would you plan on proving such a ridiculous claim? If the wind blowing behind me really did make me faster then you shouldn't you have been running faster as well?”
Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. She didn’t feel any wind blowing behind her, only from her side when Lightning passed by. She had a hunch earlier, but Lightning’s sudden nervousness and hostility cleared away her doubts. There was no way those gusts of wind from earlier were coincidental, Lightning had to be doing it on purpose and the only way she could be pulling those stunts was by using magic, or possibly, a Stand.
Unfortunately, not only did she not see Lightning’s Stand at all during the race, but even if she did, she would be the only one who could see it, thus making it impossible to prove that Lightning cheated, which only infuriated Rainbow Dash further.
Lightning proceeded to rub salt in Dash’s wound. “You can’t prove it, can you?”
Dash roared in exasperation, angered that she couldn’t do anything to prove she was right.
“Forget this, I’m going home.” She cried, storming off.
No one else said a word. Although, the whole situation seemed strange to the rest of the students. Dash didn’t usually get this emotional whenever she lost. However, Lightning Dust wasn’t quite satisfied yet, something still peaked her curiosity.
Dash sulked all the way home, giving attitude to anyone who dared cross her path. Something still felt off, however. She could still feel a breeze blowing against her every few minutes, even though it wasn’t windy and no one else seemed to notice. She felt like she was being watched and got home as quickly as possible. She had enough of mysterious winds and bizarre powers for one day.
Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the day moping in her room. She didn’t speak to anyone, not even her friends, she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Luckily, there were no further incidents with Stand users for the rest of the day, but there was always tomorrow.
Monday morning, the start of a new school week. Normally a miserable time for Rainbow Dash, but after dragging herself out of bed, washing herself and eating a hearty breakfast, she felt reinvigorated and ready for a new day. She barely even remembered why she was so irritated yesterday and began her journey to school with a spring in her step.
Then it poured with rain.
It didn’t look cloudy when Dash woke up, but the moment she stepped outside, the storm clouds gathered, with a blistering downpour. Dash had no choice but to run as swiftly as she could to school to avoid the rain. Once she arrived at school, she barged through the entrance, completely soaked. Her friends were at their lockers gathering the equipment they needed for their classes as Dash treaded toward her locker, leaving a trail of water in her path.
She dried herself off with her sports towel. “Man, crazy weather we had this morning, right?” She asked her friends.
“I guess it’s a little warmer than usual for this time of year.” Fluttershy replied.
“What? No. I meant the rainstorm outside.”
“Rain?” Fluttershy looked up at the skylight in the hallway, confused as there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
“What!? But they were right there!”
“Where?”
“There!”
“.......where?”
“But, I thought...”
Suddenly, a loud, exuberant laugh echoed throughout the halls of Canterlot High. A girl in a star printed cape and matching wizard hat strolled up to Rainbow Dash.
“Well, well, Rainbow Dash. I knew you liked to run, but you should look into getting some deodorant for that nasty sweat problem of yours.”
“Shut up, Trixie.”
Trixie gasped in offense. “How rude! I was just making a harmless, little observation. You probably just forgot to take your clothes off when you showered this morning.”
“Can you go ruin someone else’s day?”
“Hmph, well, I know someone who isn’t getting invited to Trixie's magic show after school.”
“No one cares about your dumb magic show!”
“Ooh, a magic show!” Rarity reacted. “I’d love to go, but I have a project that I must work on, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other students who will be interested.”
“Rarity!” Dash whined.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash. Did you accidentally shower with your clothes on again?”
“ARRGH!” Dash yelled in frustration. “Forget about the shower and the clothes and the Trixie! Can we talk about the magical disappearing rain instead!? I think that might be more important!”
Sunset Shimmer, overhearing their conversation, chimed in with her own thoughts. “That weird magic rain was probably caused by a Stand user.” She explained, gathering the remainder of her equipment.
“A what?”
“A Stand user? The guys we fought yesterday?”
“Oh... OH! Right! And I bet I know who it was, too! It’s a good thing I got gym class first!” With her soul brimming with determination, she stormed off leaving the rest of the girls puzzled as to who she was even talking about.