The Winning Failure

by marley

Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Rainbow Dash awoke earlier than usual the next morning, due at least in part to going to bed earlier than she normally did. It was cool, the pleasant sort of cool that felt refreshing but also made her appreciate her blanket. She snuggled deeper into her bed and alternately dozed and thought of the day before. There had been the dinner after the busy day of sorting mail and nearly disastrous encounter with W.C. Barleyfield's product. The posing in the the library still made her snicker to herself. The plot to track down Immelmane's friend occupied her mind for a while and made her wonder how she was going to pull it off.

After dinner, she had returned to the library with Twilight Sparkle and Spike. There she had dictated a few letters and answered some mail that didn't require any photos or hoof prints. Spike had promised to post them the next day. One of the more important letters sent was to Princess Celestia requesting information about the type and style of building they were planning. She also recommended Immelmane's architect and mentioned the possibility of a discount for herself should Celestia and Luna use Modern Cloud Homes if they chose to build quarters for pegasi. She wanted to be totally above board about any possible benefit to herself after the incident with Mayor Mare and Filthy Rich.

Rainbow Dash sent her last picture to Firelight along with a short note saying it was one of the better offers she had received in her first batch of mail. She also answered all of her proposals with terse 'noes' and repackaged Sky Poet's ring. Offers from Playcolt and other magazines of the sort received similar, if somewhat harsher, treatment.

Eventually Rainbow Dash decided to get up and face the day. She went to the cafe for breakfast, which she ate alone, and then went to the library to see if the Princess had responded to her letter. Rainbow Dash found Twilight studying in the library. She looked up as Dash entered.

“Good morning, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I was just doing a little research on that downdraft problem. I'm afraid there is no known spell for it but I have an idea I'd like to test out. When you get a little free time and the conditions are similar to the day of the celebration, I'd like to test it out.”

“That's great, Twilight,” replied Dash, “I'll keep an eye open or maybe the weather ponies can give us a heads up if they run into any. Have you heard back from the Princess yet?”

“Yes, actually,” said Twilight, “Spike got it just before he went to the post office with your mail. Speaking of mail, when are you getting this stuff out of here?”

“I'll take care of it this afternoon,” said Dash, “when I get back from Cloudsdale. I need to find out about getting pictures and stuff to send to my fans. I also want to see Spitfire again. I need to figure out how I should handle these weirdo's and the bad offers. I figured if the Princess had sent a response to my letter, I could stop by the architect's office while I'm there. I'll be as quick as I can. I want to get rid of this mail and go sky dancing with Fluttershy again.”

“Sure,” said Twilight,as she levitated the Princess's letter to Dash, “I don't know how you do it, Rainbow Dash. You always seem to be flying somewhere. I thought you might have been worn out by the tryouts but I guess that was really a break for you.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “I guess it was in a way. The flying was more strenuous but it didn't last as long and I had time to rest while other ponies worked out.”

Dash read the letter and looked at the enclosed drawing of the proposed retreat. It was massive. Rather than being a towering castle, the building was only three stories tall but it sprawled in wide arc reaching nearly a hundred pony lengths between the points of the arc. Centered in front of the home was a fountain set amid a garden. A road ran between the garden and the front entrance. In style, it was much like the homes in Ponyville, only the size would have made it seem out of place in the village.

“Have you seen this?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight shook her head and came over to look at the artist's rendering. “Wow,” she said, “it's huge but I like it. I was afraid it would look like a fortress or something.”

“I hope Charm can make my home go with this thing,” said Dash. “I'm glad it's not my job.”

“Who's Charm?” asked Twilight.

“Cloud Charm,” said Dash, “she's the main architect's daughter. She'll be designing my home. She seems nice. Smart, kinda out of touch, studious, you'd like her.”

“Yeah,” said Twilight, sarcastically, “I can hardly wait to meet her. Did the Princess say anything about building pegasus quarters?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “that looks like a lost cause. They're just building special rooms inside the main building and putting in cloud furnishings. Oh well, I guess I can always do the calendar picture to make up the difference.” She laughed.

“That was fun yesterday but I can understand why you wouldn't want to do it,” said Twilight. “I'm sure you have plenty of good offers to help pay for your house.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “and I'd better get going. I'll stop by as soon as I get back. See ya!”

Rainbow Dash left the library and immediately headed to Cloudsdale. Her flight was fairly uneventful except for a small shower that blocked her path just before she arrived at the city. She climbed over it and used her increased altitude to descend rapidly to Cloudsdale. She could see the Wonderbolts practicing in the distance and desired to go and watch but she forced herself finish her business first and went to see Charm.

Rainbow entered the architects office and found the front office empty. Fortunately a bell on the door had rung when she entered and Charm had soon appeared.

“Good morning, Rainbow,” said Charm, “we weren't expecting you until Friday. Is anything wrong?”

“Hi, Charm,” replied Dash, “no, nothing is wrong. I sent a message to Princess Celestia and she sent back a drawing of her proposed building. The pegasus quarters are going to be inside the main structure so they aren't building any sky homes. Sorry.”

Charm sighed. “Oh well, I would have loved to have done something for the Princesses but I guess it can't be helped. I don't know why any pony with wings would want to live anywhere but in the sky. I just don't get that at all.”

“Me neither,” agreed Dash, “Canterlot Palace is pretty plush though and being on a mountain is almost like being in the sky.”

“Let me see what you have,” said Charm.

Rainbow Dash gave Charm the drawing which she placed on her desk. She studied it critically for a while. “This is quite a place,” she said at last. “It's not at all what I was expecting. It is beautiful, almost like a chalet but huge. I think I can work with this. Do you have any suggestions or is there anything you particularly like about it?”

Rainbow Dash looked at the drawing for a few seconds. “I like the spires. The ones on the Princess's building are very small though. Would it be possible to make them large enough for the bedrooms? Maybe you could put one on either side of the main part of the building.”

“Not bad,” said Charm, “I was thinking of adding them merely as decorations but yes, I could make them larger. They wouldn't look out of place either if you like what I did to the central section. Let me show you.”

Charm led Rainbow Dash into the back room to her drafting table. On it where a few sketches of what Rainbow's house might look like. She explained what they were.

“The center section includes the foyer which leads directly into the living area which is open to the ceiling. This has both stairs to the upper floors and open doorways near the ceiling if you just want to fly up. The kitchen and dining room would be to the left and there's a smaller, cozier room to the right. Straight back is a bathroom and a room you can use as an office. I was going to make the bedrooms in a more normal pattern with two on either side of the center section but it's no trouble to stack them. I'll bet you want the top one for the master bedroom?” Charm smiled.

Rainbow Dash smiled back. “I think I'd like that.”

“Now the upstairs bathrooms will be a little difficult to position but I have an idea of how to pull it off,” continued Charm. “I know you want a big picture window overlooking the forest and I can do that but I'm not sure about the exact design of the window yet. Now that I have a better idea of what you want, I'll need to fly down to Ponyville and check out your land to see how we should position your house. It won't be just for the best views from the house but also what it will look like as you approach it from the ground or the air. I suppose we'll have to consider what the Princesses will see from their home too.”

“It sounds like I'm in good hooves,” said Rainbow Dash. “I never even thought about most of what you
just said. I'll have a little free time tomorrow but I'll be spending the weekend here training. I'm free on Monday too. After that I'll be spending the rest of the week training with Frost and Firewing and then back here for more training on the weekend.”

“You certainly are staying busy,” said Charm. “We'll be expecting you Friday. Dad will have some numbers for you to look at. I should have a few sketches ready by then also.”

“That will be fine,” said Dash, “I really like what you've done so far. I have to check on offers I got in the mail. You know, endorsement deals. If they pan out, I should be able to afford this.”

“Like the factory calendar deal?” asked Charm.

“I don't know about that one,” laughed Dash. “I still feel weird about that kind of stuff no matter what Spitfire says. I'm more interested in the more normal ones.”

Charm laughed. “I guess you get a lot of offers no self respecting mare mare would accept. It's what comes with being a celebrity I suppose.”

“You have no idea,” said Dash with a laugh. “Thanks, Charm, I'll see you Friday.”

“Until then, Rainbow,” said Charm. She walked Rainbow Dash to the door and Rainbow Dash made her way to the Wonderbolt's compound.

At the compound, Rainbow Dash was disappointed but not surprised to find that if she wanted photos to send to her fans she would have to pay for them herself. She ordered two hundred prints, smaller than the ones from the museum. She then went to pick up her mail which was thankfully much less than the last time having been only two days worth. Her business taken care of, Rainbow Dash flew out to the training area. As she neared the training area, two security ponies flew to intercept her but they veered away once they recognized her and she was allowed to land.

The Wonderbolts were working on a single synchronized move, repeating it over and over again. Rainbow Dash soon grew bored and began looking over her mail. Immelmane noticed her and walked over to see what she was doing.

“Not watching your friends?” said Immelmane. “You'll be doing these moves in a few weeks, you know.”

“Hi, Mr. Immelmane,” said Rainbow Dash, “I was for a while but then I got curious about my mail. I really need to talk to Spitfire about how to handle...this.” She flicked some of the mail with a hoof.

Immelmane chuckled. “You had quite a batch last time. What did you do with it?”

“I took it back to Ponyville and sorted it,” replied Dash. “I'll have to pick it up a couple times a week I guess. I don't want to do that again.”

“You flew back to Ponyville with all that mail by yourself?” said Immelmane. “We thought you'd bring some of it back here or hire a pony to help you. Looks like Soarin lost another bet.”

“Yeah, I got it back by myself,” said Dash. “Soarin bet I wouldn't fly it back alone? Hee hee Who did he bet against?”

“Frost and Spitfire,” said Immelmane. “He's out twenty bits; each.”

Dash laughed. “He really better get to know me before he goes broke. It was after dark before I made it home. My friends helped me sort it out. I came back to see about getting some pictures made and see Spitfire about how to deal with the offers and the weirdos.”

“Weirdos?” asked Immelmane.

“You wouldn't believe some of it,” said Dash. “I got twenty three proposals, one complete with a diamond hoof ring. I don't know how many offers to pose for pictures in magazines that I wouldn't touch and all kinds of strange things that I don't want to talk about. I really wasn't expecting this.”

“I know,” said Immelmane, “Windyday and Frost have been complaining too. I think we may delay our afternoon practice for an hour so Spitfire can meet with you three. You can pass the information on to Firewing when she gets back. She'll be staying here after her time with you and Spitfire can help her with anything you might miss.”

“That would be great,” said Dash, “I really appreciate this, Mr. Immelmane. By the way, that architect friend of yours was really helpful. His daughter is going to be the lead architect on my home.”

“Cloud Charm? It's hard to imagine her all grown up but I suppose it's time for her to take her place in the family business.” Immelmane sighed. “What sort of home are you building or is that still in the planning stage?”

“It's pretty big,” said Dash, “bigger than I had planned. The style is still a little iffy but since the Princess sent me a drawing of what she's planning to build at least Charm has something to work with.”

“You're alright financially?” asked Immelmane.

“I should be,” said Dash. “I had a little saved and with my pay and what I can get from endorsements, I should be fine. I'll probably still have to make payments though.”

“Well, be careful with your money,” said Immelmane. “If all goes well, you should have a long and profitable career but even the longest career isn't very long in this business. Take a look at the Big Wall and see how long most Wonderbolts last. You need to have a little put aside either to live off of or to start a business when your career is over. You might even have a foal or two to take care of by then. We have to get the next generation of Wonderbolts from somewhere.”

Rainbow Dash 's eyes popped at this last suggestion until she realized Immelmane was half joking with her. Still, it wasn't improbable that he was right. “I might get to that someday,” said Dash with a smile. “I did get a few nice letters from some of the guys I danced with at the Wonderbolt's Dinner. No hurry as far as I'm concerned. There's a lot I want to do first.”

“I suppose so,” said Immelmane, “and how is your flying coming along?”

“I've been so busy that I've hardly had time to practice,” said Dash. “I find at least a little time to practice a few moves everyday and I've been sky dancing on a regular basis with Fluttershy. I should get a good session in tomorrow and I want to do some flying when I get back this afternoon.”

“Good to see that you're trying to stay in practice but don't overdo it,” said Immelmane. “We'll have enough time to get you ready for your first performance. I want you to get here early on Friday and spend the day relaxing. It sounds to me like you can use it.”

“That's kind of what Twilight said. She said she doesn't know how I keep going the way I do,” said Dash. “I'll be here early. I do have to see Charm and her dad to check on the preliminary drawings and what kind of bits this is going to cost. Other than that, I can relax for the rest of the day.”

“Good,” said Immelmane, “it's almost as important to take it easy now and then as it is to practice. Almost.”

Rainbow Dash and Immelmane shared a laugh. The Wonderbolts spiraled down and landed near them to take a break. Support ponies came over with water and snacks. Others helped to towel off sweat as they unzipped their flight suits and removed hoods.

“I'll be glad when the weather cools down a little,” remarked Soarin. “Maybe we should start practicing at night more often.”

“You'd like that, wouldn't you Soarin,” said Fleetfoot with a laugh. “That way you don't have to get up early the next day.”

The other Wonderbolts laughed. Windyday and Frost came over to Rainbow Dash and Immelmane.

“Back again, Dashie,” said Frost, “I think you should have just moved home and been done with it.”

“Wait until you see my new house,” replied Dash. “It's starting to look really cool.”

“I see you're going through your mail,” said Windyday. “I almost dread what I'm going to find when I open it.”

“I know what you mean,” said Dash. “Aside from the bad offers, the weird stuff really creeps me out.”

“What's your weirdest one so far?” asked Frost. “Mine was some nut that wanted me to take him flying, drop him and then catch him before he hit the ground.”

“Earth pony?” asked Dash.

“Yeah,” said Frost, “nice to know he has that much faith in me but that is stupid. Offered me a hundred bits though.”

Windyday shook her head. “I don't know if this one tops that but mine was...” She started to laugh. “Mine wanted me to pretend I was drowning in a swimming pool full of mint jelly so he could rescue me. I won't say what he wanted to do after that.”

“I think I have you both beat,” said Dash. “How about me in a pegasus guards uniform, singing lullabies while dancing on a guys face?”

Frost and Windyday collapsed in laughter. They noticed another, deeper laugh and looked up. Immelmane was still there.

“I think I definitely want Spitfire to talk with you,” said Immelmane after he got control of his laughter. “She can have as much time as she likes.”

“What do you mean?” asked Windyday.

“Rainbow Dash wanted to get some advice on how to handle her new celebrity status,” said Immelmane. “I thought she may as well talk to all of you at once. I was going to allow her an hour but she can have the rest of the day if she needs it. Excuse me, I'm going to go see her now.”

Rainbow Dash, Windyday and Frost sat and talked after Immelmane left. All had received offers from adult magazines and other private offers of a questionable nature. Windyday topped the list both in hate mail and in the number of marriage proposals. They all had some good offers but didn't know what to do about them. None of the mares had any business experience.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash, “have either of you got a bottle from W.C. Barleyfield?”

“I haven't,” said Frost, “who's he?”

“Me neither,” said Windy, “at least not yet.”

“If you do get some, be real careful when you try it,” said Dash. “I had one little glass and I could barely fly.” She went on to describe the incident with the potent liquid.

“That stuff sounds like fun,” said Frost. “Are you going to be their spokespony?”

“I might,” said Dash. “It's one of the things I want to talk to Spitfire about.”

“If I get that stuff I'll pour it over the edge of Cloudsdale,” said Windy. “It sounds dangerous.”

“No!” said Dash and Frost together. They looked at each other and giggled.

“I don't get you two,” said Windy. “Why would you want to drink something like that?”

“It's okay to get a little tipsy now and then,” said Frost. “I don't drink very often myself. Mostly cider though, not the stuff Dash had. I want to try it.”

“It's okay, Windy,” said Dash, “you just have to be careful with it. You can't just sit down and drink the whole bottle. I think it would be nice on a cold winter evening. It makes you feel warm inside.”

“What did your other friends think of it?” asked Windy, unconvinced.

“Applejack kind of liked it, Fluttershy was a no but she sure enjoyed herself after she drank it, Twilight is probably a hooves down, Rarity is a maybe and Pinkie Pie is a no,” said Dash. “I'm hanging on to what's left though, I can tell you that.”

“Hello girls,” said Spitfire, “I hate to break this up but Immelmane wants me to talk to you. Rainbow, gather up your mail and we'll go back to my quarters and have a little talk. Windy, Frost, we're taking the rest of the morning off so I can do this. Let's go.”

Rainbow Dash hastily gathered up her mail and they flew back to Cloudsdale together. Spitfire was silent throughout the flight and they wondered about this. Rainbow Dash couldn't take the silence and started talking to Frost.

“How's the sky dancing going, Frosty,” asked Dash.

“Better,” said Frost, “definitely better. I don't think Baryshneighkov is going to lose any sleep over me but I'm getting better. What you said about my wing angles was right. Windy here worked with me on the ground a lot yesterday and I think I'm starting to get it. I wish I had learned some of this earlier, maybe then I could have beaten you in the try outs.”

“Hah!” said Dash, “very funny. It would take more than a little sky dancing to beat my moves or Miss Perfect over here.”

“It couldn't hurt,” said Frost. “I'll bet I can catch up to your level of sky dancing after we practice next week.”

“Yeah?”said Dash, “how much?”

“Loser has to treat the winner and Firewing to dinner,” said Frost. “Firewing can be the judge.”

“You're on,” said Dash, “and you'll be able to afford it since you'll have the bits you won off of Soarin.”

“I forgot about that,” said Frost. “I told him you wouldn't think of asking for help to carry all that mail home.”

Spitfire perked up her ears at this news. “Poor Soarin,” she said with a laugh, “it's a good thing he flies better than he gambles. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, looks like I'm getting a few extra bits myself. I'll admit I was a little worried about you trying it.”

“I was a little worried myself about halfway home,” said Dash. “That stuff was getting heavy.”

“You'll never lose a bet on Dash if you count on her stubbornness,” said Frost. “I thought it was a joke by Immelmane when he sent that security pony after you with those bags of mail but I knew you'd try to do it.”

“I'm surprised you were able to do it,” said Windyday. “I think I know who I'm going to ask to help me move.”

Frost and Spitfire laughed while Dash shook her head.

“Have you girls gotten as much mail as I got?” asked Dash.

“About the same,I'd say,” said Frost. “Poor Firewing is really going to be in for a shock when she finally gets here. They've been putting it in her room. Imagine three weeks of mail like what we got piling up. She'll be lucky if she can open the door.”

“Wow,” said Dash, “I can't imagine having to go through all that. Twilight, Spike and I spent all morning going through mine and then Rarity and Fluttershy helped us in the afternoon. It took us almost all day. I still haven't answered much of it.”

“Lucky we don't have to answer a lot of it at all,” said Windyday. “I sent a lot to the incinerator.”

“Me too,” said Frost, “but I do have a lot left to do myself. It's slowed down a little, thank Celestia.”

“That's what we're going to talk about,” said Spitfire. “You girls need to find a way to treat the real fans right, take only the better offers and turn down the bad ones. You also need to have some free time. You can't work all day and then spend all your free time answering mail.”

The pegasi landed in the Wonderbolt Compound and Spitfire led them to her quarters. It was much larger than the rooms the other team members had. Part of it was a living room and there was another small room that served as an office. Spitfire led them in.

“Find a seat fillies,” said Spitfire, “Auntie Spitfire is going to tell you all about being a Wonderbolt.”

Once the three new Wonderbolts found their seats, the Captain continued. “I'm going to tell you a little bit about how I do things first. After that you can ask me questions about anything I don't cover or you're still unclear on. Let's start with all the offers you've been getting. I'm talking about the legitimate offers not the dirty picture ones or the ponies selling junk. Remember at your orientation before the try outs when I told you that we try to be not just the best fliers but the best ponies? That means I don't take just any offer that comes along. I have to have respect for the Wonderbolts legacy and respect for myself. Sure, I could have taken a lot of bits and posed for dirty pictures but I guarantee I wouldn't be Team Captain now and I probably wouldn't even be a Wonderbolt. I could have also taken every offer that came along and made money that way but the really good offers would have dried up when ponies realized I would slap my name on anything. There was this one soap that I was asked to endorse. I tried it and spent the next week scratching. Honestly, it felt as though my skin was crawling. It turned out that it contained a chemical that caused about a quarter of the ponies that tried it to experience what I did. I had been offered seven thousand bits for that one but I turned it down and I was right to do so.

“I told you the other day that I made some money for doing sexy poses. There's nothing wrong with sexy. Why in Equestria do you think they want you girls to pose in the first place? Do you know what I was advertizing when they took that picture? Beets! They took that picture of me standing in front of a giant picture of a beet with a few baskets of the things sitting in front of me. Three thousand the first year and they paid me another four the following year. I've done all sorts of things like that and sometimes, I'll admit, I felt really silly but I can still look at myself in the mirror and my bank account is just fine. I don't come cheap either. I won't waste my time on anything less than a thousand bits. Once word gets out that you won't take just any job, you'll have a lot less junk to go through.

“Now lets get to the wacko letters. I still get them, even after all these years. I don't respond to them at all. Occasionally I find one that might actually be dangerous and I'll report them to the authorities but most of them are just not worth the trouble. You'll always get the occasional hate letter too. Early in my career I got one saying how I was the worst flier ever and that the writer could out fly me on her worst day, blah, blah, blah. It made me mad so I tracked this hot shot down. It turned out that this great flier wasn't even a pegasus. He was a unicorn and the whole thing was made up. He was so terrified when he opened the door and saw me that he turned and ran to his room. He tripped on the steps and fell and broke his foreleg. His father was shocked when he came to see what the trouble was and I showed him the letter. He was furious with his son. It was satisfying to get back at him but I soon realized that it had been a lot of trouble for nothing. I wanted to have a flying contest with a loud mouth pegasus and instead all I did was injure and humiliate some dumb foal. It was the first and only time I bothered about hate mail.

Rainbow Dash started to laugh and the others snickered. “I wonder what would happen if I showed up at that weirdo's house in a pegasus guards uniform and asked for my five hundred bits. That might be a hoot!”

“What do you mean?” asked Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash told her about the 'request' she received for dancing on the guy's head. This was new even for Spitfire and she shook her head and laughed.

“That's what I mean,” said Spitfire, “I can almost guarantee that one is nonsense. Maybe not but it probably is. I guess you two have had similar offers?”

Frost and Windyday nodded.

Spitfire sighed. “I wish I could say they'll stop but they won't. I still get them. Sometimes they are good for a laugh but I just send them to the trash.”

“That's what I do,” said Windy.

“Me too,” said Frost.

“Ditto,” said Dash, “same with the obviously bad offers.”

“Good,” said Spitfire, “and how do you tell the bad from the good?”

“Well, some of them are for stuff I've seen or used before,” said Dash. “I got a couple that I knew were real junk. Others I just didn't feel right about or they didn't look very professional.”

“Yeah,” said Frost, “did either of you get one from Essay Goggles? I had a pair once. They look beautiful and they're well made too but they're not any good for flying. Essay represents the initials 'S' and 'A' and stand for Saddle Arabia. They're for protection against the sun and sand. They're great for that but if you fly as fast as we do they won't even last one good race. They fall apart.”

“Right,” said Spitfire, “and if it's something you're unfamiliar with you need to check it out. Either do it yourself or find a pony that knows something about it. After my experience with the soap, I found some good groomers that know about these companies and their products. No more experiments for me. Now most ponies know that I don't endorse garbage and if Spitfire says it's good then it is. That's another reason I can get more bits for my endorsements. Start off slow and only do sure things. You won't bring in as much initially but in the long run you'll make more.”

“Another thing you're going to want to do is check the contract before you sign it. Contracts are full of legalese gobblety gook and I can barely decipher it myself. You'll need to get a lawyer or some pony that can figure it out. You'll have to pay them but it's worth it. Demand final say on any pictures and don't just agree to any text they give you. I did a couple of contracts and they used some bad pictures of me. Not dirty but just plain bad shots. I never had any trouble with the text for the ads but some of the others have.”

“I think I'm getting an idea of what to do or not do,” said Windy, “but what about borderline stuff? I got one from a company that wants me to model nightgowns. I'm thinking of rejecting it but on the other hoof I was thinking it may not be that bad.”

“It depends on what they want,” said Spitfire. “If the money is right you can always investigate it further. Those sorts of things usually get a maybe from me. I'll respond and let them know my conditions. If they think they can agree to them, we can negotiate further.”

“I have one that's new to me,” said Rainbow Dash. “Ever hear of W.C. Barleyfield? They make this drink that's just super potent. I mean it will knock you off your hooves. It's not bad but you have to be careful with it. I was thinking of doing it but I'm not sure if it's good for the Wonderbolt image.. or mine for that matter.”

“You've had that stuff?” said Spitfire. “I didn't take you for a drinker. I tried it too. Quite a shocker, isn't it?”

Dash laughed. “Yeah, that's one way to put it. I drank it without reading the label completely and really got lit up. Fluttershy did too and then we tried to sky dance. We're lucky we didn't get hurt.”

“How much did you have?” asked Spitfire.

“A small glassful and then about a quarter of a glass after that,” said Dash. “The glass was about the size of that one.” She pointed to a glass on Spitfire's table.

“That's a lot,” said Spitfire. “I was feeling the effects after just a quarter of what you had. How long did it take you to drink it?”

“I just chugged the first glass down,” said Dash, “and sipped the second one. It was way too much.”

“I'll say,” said Spitfire, “it's a wonder you could still walk.”

“I couldn't walk very well,” said Dash, “that's why we flew.”

“Oh, good choice,” said Spitfire, with a grin.

“So what about something like that?” asked Dash. “Would that be okay to do?”

“Maybe,” said Spitfire, “but I'd want it only in magazines and papers that the kids aren't likely to read. I've done a couple of ads for that kind of product. How much did they offer?”

“They didn't say,” said Dash. “They want to discuss terms.”

“That's a good sign,” said Spitfire. “They're serious but not tipping their hand. They want to see how enthusiastic you are about it. Play it cool and agree to talk to them. Make them come to you. If they are willing to send a representative, then they really are serious.”

“How about doing a picture for a calendar?” asked Dash. “It's for the construction company that makes the clouds for cloud homes. Cloud Shaper said they would give me a discount for my home if I did it.”

“No, don't touch it,” said Spitfire. “They'll give you a discount but it's nowhere near what they should pay. Fleetfoot checked them out. They offered a ten percent discount to her on a ten thousand bit home. That's a thousand bits. Not bad right? Wrong. First of all, it doesn't cost them ten thousand to make the materials and build the house. It's more like two thousand for creation of the special clouds and another three thousand for building. That's a five thousand bit profit and that doesn't include the finishing. On top of that, they charge for those calendars and make one or two bits on each one. They sell a few thousand of them every year. Sure you saved a little but they actually made even more bits off of you. Not cool.”

“What a bunch of lowlifes,” muttered Frost, “I'm glad I found out about that one.”

“I think I'll make some outrageous offer just to tick them off,” said Dash. “Two thousand up front and free materials and delivery. See how they like that.”

“They'll laugh at you,” said Spitfire. “They're the only game in town and they know it. The only other factory is in Las Pegasus and the delivery charges would kill that deal.”

“Maybe not,” said Rainbow Dash thoughtfully. “It would be a feather in some companies cap to build the house next to the Princess's retreat. I just might have to fly out to Las Pegasus and investigate.”

“Let me know how that works out,” said Spitfire. “They make some really top notch materials there.”

“Most of my offers are from clothes companies,” said Windyday. “some look pretty good but they want to pay in free clothes.”

“No,” said Spitfire, “demand bits. They'll pay. They're just trying to play you as somepony that doesn't know what they're doing.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, “Rarity would do that for you and all she would want is credit for the design.”

“Now that isn't a bad deal,” said Spitfire. “You're not doing anything except having a line put in the program and you're getting some beautiful clothes from it. If she wants a little more then you should charge her.”

“I'm doing hers for free, well, sort of free,” said Dash, “but she's a friend and I owe her for some of the things she's done. I'll understand if you girls don't want to though.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” said Spitfire. “I've done some free stuff for friends and charities.”

“I'll at least talk to her about it,” said Windy, “those flight suits she's done are great and so was that dress you wore to the dinner.”

“I will too,” said Frost, “I don't have many offers except for some athletic things and food.”

“You'll get some, Frost,” said Spitfire. “Wait until you get out there and perform.”

“I have some from perfume and toiletry companies too,” said Windy. “I guess they should be alright.”

“For the most part,” said Spitfire, “but remember what I said about checking out the product and getting final release rights. Some of those ads can get pretty racy.”

“Okay,” said Dash, “you told us how to handle the bad stuff, what about the the good stuff. You know, from the real fans.”

“That's a little easier,” said Spitfire. “Generally I just send them a photo with a hoof print. Sometimes I'll jot a little note on it. At shows we often have an autograph session where the Wonderbolts sell the photos and then we sign them. You'll get paid a little for that but most of the money goes to the organization. There are only nine Wonderbolts now but there are four times that many support ponies. We need that extra cash.”

“What about the ones that ask for advice or something?” said Dash. “I have a couple of those.”

“Those are a little more tricky,” said Spitfire. “There are the ones from foals who want to know how to become a Wonderbolt. I tell them the truth but I've gotten letters from angry parents who don't want their kids to be Wonderbolts because of the danger. I've also gotten some with questions about all kinds of stuff that have nothing to do with the team. Some ponies seem to think that if you're a Wonderbolt, you must be an expert on everything. One asked me how to make hay fries. How should I know? I don't cook! I guess the best policy is to be as honest as you can if it's something you feel comfortable answering. If it isn't, tell them to ask somepony else.”

“Yeah, I had a problem with that truth thing,” said Dash. “A little guy at the museum asked me how to become a Wonderbolt, how I did it. I couldn't tell him the truth. If another pony grows up like me or Frosty, they could be in for a lot of trouble.”

“And pain,” laughed Frost.

“So what did you tell him?” asked Spitfire.

“I told him to listen to his instructors, work hard and stuff like that,” said Dash. “I guess I did okay because his mom liked my answer.”

“That's good,” said Spitfire. “Tell me about the encounter.”

Rainbow Dash related her meeting Buzzwings and his mother. Spitfire was pleased with how she handled it.

“That could not have gone better,” she said. “We do have to respect the fans, especially the little ones. You not only made his day but also impressed his mother. That will translate into ticket sales and gives the kid a hero to look up to. He'll probably look at his dad a little differently now too. Those few moments of your time might have made a lifetime of positive effect for everypony. If you want to handle some of your mail that way, that's great. It can be hard to do though because of the amount of letters we get.”

“I hope I can do that well,” said Windyday. “I don't really know how to deal with the public like that. I tend to just switch off. You know, go back to the way I was. I don't think I'll endear myself to the public that way.”

“No, you won't,” said Spitfire, “but I think there's more to you than you know. We have a couple days off next week, why don't you spend them with your friends in Ponyville? Call it practice on getting to meet new ponies.”

“Really?” said Windy, her mood brightening perceptively.

“Sure, Windy,” said Dash, “It might be a little cramped but I can fit you in. I know the ponies in Ponyville are just going to mob you all.”

“Oh joy,” said Windy.

The others laughed at her lack of enthusiasm. Frost, however, believed that she had a point.

“I'm not going to be spending next week doing free shows and signing autographs, am I?” asked Frost.

“Maybe a few,” said Dash, “but I have an out of the way place to practice and we'll be staying at my place. At least only pegasi can get to us there.”

“Besides,” said Spitfire, “I'm sure your friends can use your help with their practice.”

“And so much for days off,” said Windy.

“We won't work you too hard, Windy,” said Rainbow Dash, “and I'm sure Rarity will steal you away for a while. You should have a good time.”

“I'm looking forward to meeting some of your other friends,” said Windyday. “Yes, this should be fun. I'd probably just spend the days off flying anyway.”

“While we're on that subject,” said Spitfire, “I know you love flying or you wouldn't be here, but there are other things in life and I hope you make time for them.”

“I didn't mean I'd spend them work flying,” said Windy, “I meant I'd maybe go exploring or fly home or something. Maybe try to come up with a new move. Just fool around.”

“That's fine,” said Spitfire, “but do you know what I do on off days? I meet up with a special pony and we go for a picnic or take in a show, go dancing and just enjoy...each others company. If we can't do that and I'm alone I just relax all day long and do nothing. Trust me, there will come a time when you need to forget the job for a while.”

“I've been doing a lot of flying,” said Dash, “but most of it hasn't been by choice. I think I could fly to Ponyville and back blindfolded. I've been flying all over Ponyville too. Sky dancing has been a break for me.”

“It will be better once you get settled down into a routine,” said Spitfire. “In about six months or so things will be slow and you can catch your breath. Your house will be built, your training will become routine and everything will be a lot more simple. Do any of you have any more questions? I'm about done with what I had to say.”

All the girls had more questions and Spitfire answered them as best as she could. It was nearly lunch time when they finally finished and made their way to the dining hall. They walked through the courtyard and met with other ponies on their way to eat. After a pleasant lunch they said their goodbyes and Rainbow Dash returned to Ponyville.