The Winning Failure

by marley

Chapter 15

Chapter15

Fluttershy arrived back in Ponyville Tuesday morning and went straight to Twilight Sparkle's house. She knocked on the door and Spike answered.

“Fluttershy!” exclaimed the little dragon in surprise. “You're back already? Come in! Twilight! Fluttershy is here!”

“Hi Spike, I have some news,” said Fluttershy. “Can you go round up the rest of the girls?”

“Sure thing Fluttershy,” said Spike. “but don't tell your story before we get here.”

“Alright, I promise,” said Fluttershy.

“Hi Fluttershy, found out something already?” asked Twilight as she cantered into the room.

“Oh yes!,” said Fluttershy, “but we should really wait until everypony is here.”

“You're right,” said Twilight. “Can I get you anything?”

“Some water would be nice,” said Fluttershy. “Even though I can fly better with this suit on, that was a lot of flying. I'm going to get Rarity to make me one that's more...me.”

“It makes you look sleek,” said Twilight, “but I guess the black is a little hot in this weather.”

“It's not bad in Cloudsdale,” said Fluttershy, “as long as I stay out of the sun. I found a nice cafe where I can watch the Wonderbolts come and go. It has a lovely view.”

Rarity burst into the room. “What did you find out?” she asked breathlessly.

“I promised Spike I'd wait until we were all here,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh! You didn't get caught did you?” asked Rarity.

Fluttershy giggled, “No. Oh! I can tell you I found two shops that might be interested in your flight suits.”

“Really?” said Rarity happily. “I made a few drawings, just playing around really. You can take them back with you. And make sure you take them to see Rainbow Dash in her suit.”

Pinkie Pie entered, bumping Rarity out of the doorway. “Did you see her? How is she? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

“We're waiting on Applejack and Spike,” said Twilight. “Be patient!”

“But Applejack lives so far away,” complained the pink pony. “It'll take Spike too long to find her.”

“Give Fluttershy a break!” said Twilight. “She just got here.”

“I'm sorry, Fluttershy,” said Rarity, “you must be tired.”

“Me too, Fluttershy,” said Pinkie Pie, “we'll wait for Applejack and Spike.”

While Twilight got Fluttershy a drink, Pinkie Pie and Rarity waited impatiently for Applejack and Spike to arrive. Soon they heard hoof-beats and Applejack burst in with Spike on her back.

“Whew!” she said, “we got here as fast as I could run. What's the news?”

“Come on Fluttershy,” said Spike, “we're all here now. How's Rainbow Dash doing?”

“Well,” began Fluttershy, “I found a hotel near where the Wonderbolts live and a cafe where I can see them come and go. I saw Rainbow Dash three times yesterday. When they came back at lunch time, when they went back out after lunch and again that evening. I was close enough to see her face. She looked happy.”

“I'll bet she was!” said Applejack. “Just flyin' with the Wonderbolts would do that.”

“She wasn't exactly with them,” explained Fluttershy. “She was flying with another contestant. She was wearing a flight suit and had a bright red mane and tail. I found out latter that her name is Firewing. They seemed to be talking to each other.”

“It's good to see she's making new friends,” said Twilight. “I was worried she might get so caught up in the competition that she might not enjoy the tryouts at all.”

“Yeah, that's good to hear,” said Pinkie Pie, but she didn't sound happy.

“The waiter at the cafe, his name is Weathervane, is helping me gather information,” continued Fluttershy. “He has a friend at the Wonderbolt's compound who told him some things. First, there was some sort of accident yesterday morning. A pony was injured and another was kicked out of the competition.”

“Oh no!” exclaimed Rarity, “I had no idea this was going to be dangerous!”

“Well they are stunt flying! Zoom zoom Boom!” said Pinkie Pie as she demonstrated by falling onto the floor.

“Now come on,” said Applejack, “Rainbow Dash is a great flier, she hardly ever crashes. Not that much anyway. Well, maybe a few times but she don't get hurt...too often.”

“Oh dear,” said Rarity.

“Rainbow Dash wasn't in the accident,” pointed out Twilight, “and she wasn't the one that got hurt. Applejack’s right, despite her being a little reckless sometimes, she can really fly and I'm sure she's being extra careful so she can win the competition. What else did you find out Fluttershy?”

“There are two top contenders besides Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy. “One is named Frost, she's from Cloudsdale and a local favorite. Everypony says she's a powerful flier. A friend of hers, Razor, is still in the running but isn't considered as good. The other top pony is Windyday, she's from Canterlot. From what my friend could find out, her techniques are supposed to be flawless. The other two that are left are Starshine and Firewing, they're considered long shots like Razor.”

“Sounds like Rainbow Dash has her work cut out for her,” said Applejack.

“Now we all knew this was going to be hard for her but she's still in the running,” said Rarity.

“What about the other ponies?” asked Applejack. “I thought there were ten.”

“Oh there were but there are only six left after yesterday,” said Fluttershy. “Two others were eliminated from the competition besides the one that was injured and the one that got kicked out.”

“That's a lot of news but we weren't expecting you so soon,” said Twilight. “Why did you come back?”

“Well, there won't be any more ponies eliminated until tomorrow,” said Fluttershy, “so I thought you might like to hear what I found out. The ponies that make it through the cuts on Wednesday go on to the finals on Friday. I'm flying back this afternoon and meet with Weather this evening.”

“That's an awful lot of flyin',” said Applejack. “Are you sure you're up to it?”

“I'll never be a Wonderbolt,” said Fluttershy, “but Rainbow Dash has been helping me and I've been practicing. I'm much stronger than I used to be. This new suit helps too. You've got to make me one Rarity, I'll come over as soon as I can and order one.”

“I'll be happy to do it dear,” said Rarity. “After you've rested and had some lunch, come by the shop and pick up the designs I've been working on. Maybe you'll see something you'll like.”

“Oh, I'm sure I will,” said Fluttershy.

“Are you coming back on Thursday with more news?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, I thought that would be a good idea,” said Fluttershy. “At least you'll know if she is going on to the final test on Friday.”