Falling Out
Chapter 7
Falling Out
"Welcome, Ponies and Griffons, to the Annual Flying Pairs Competition! My name is Clasko."
"And I'm Emma."
"And we'll be your commentators for the duration of the competition."
"This is going to be an exciting tournament, Clasko. We have several skilled fliers competing this year, at least two of which I've heard attended The Wonderbolt Academy, and more exciting still, for the first time in two hundred and ninety three years, an Equestrian Princess has entered the competition!"
"It is exciting, Emma, but remember that the princess has respectfully asked that we not dwell on her title, so she'll simply be Twilight for this competition."
"That's right, folks! The princess wishes to be treated no differently than the rest of us for the duration of the tournament. So, if you happen to come across her, we ask that you please respect her wishes."
"But back to the competition. As you may or may not know, this competition consists of three events that will take place over the course of two days. Event One, The Obstacle Course, will be starting in less than half an hour. One at a time, our teams will enter the course and will be judged on their agility, overall speed, and of course whether or not they can avoid the obstacles."
"And don't forget to mention that each team will be tied together, Clasko! It's imperative that the contestants work well as a team, or else this could be one brutal event."
"Event Two will be the Pairs Capture the Flag, in which teams will be randomly paired together and tasked with stealing the flag from one another. They will once again be judged on their agility, their ability to work together, and on whether or not they can acquire the flag from the opposing team."
"Finally, Event Three will be a freestyle round in which the teams will be able to show off their best moves. This is often the event that determines the victors."
"Too right, Emma! It's also the most exciting of the events. And doubly so this year. With so many experienced fliers here, I'm sure that we are in for one heck of a show tomorrow night."
Twilight turned away from the commentators and sighed.
She could feel the hundreds of eyes on her as she stood on the edge of the field among the other competitors. She knew that Gideon had meant well when he had asked the commentators to mention her, but it had just made her even more uncomfortable. Never before had she felt so out of place. All around her were excited spectators eagerly awaiting the start of the competition and determined athletes preparing to make a name for themselves. Everyone was thrilled to be here. Everyone except for her.
Twilight gazed up longingly at her friends seated on a large cloud beside Gideon and Overwatch. Forcing a smile and returning Pinkie's wave, she wished fervently that she could join them.
When Rainbow had asked her to enter this competition two weeks ago, the thought of performing in front of a crowd this large hadn't bothered her. She had stood before crowds much larger than this in Canterlot, and had even given a couple of speeches.
But things were different now.
Hans's words kept circling around her head. It was no wonder that he didn't respect her; he had spent a large portion of his life striving to reach his current position, and now he was supposed to bow to a pony who had become a princess overnight? She imagined that that would be like a slap in the face to someone as proud as Hans.
While her feats definitely deserved recognition and praise, they weren't enough to be crowned princess and put on a pedestal above her friends. She wasn't any better than them. She wasn't any better than anypony. So why had Princess Celestia chose her?
Pondering this, she stole a quick glance at Rainbow standing beside her, and found her friend was watching her.
"You cool?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm just feeling a little nervous," she lied.
"Yeah, that's pretty normal." Rainbow turned away from her. "You'll get used to it soon enough."
Twilight studied her friend for several moments. Finally, she asked, "Dash...are you still angry with me?"
"No. Well, uh..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. "I don't know." She shook her head. "I mean, I get what you're saying about standing up for yourself, and I feel like a really big chump for pushing you like I did, but I wish that you'd be a little bit more understanding about why I did it."
"I understand perfectly," Twilight told her. "I just wish our friendship didn't embarrass you around others."
"It's not that," Rainbow explained. "I just made it into the Wonderbolt Reserves, and I don't want them to think I'm soft. This is a huge event, and if anypony sees me acting soft here, the Wonderbolts will hear of it."
"I think the Wonderbolts have a pretty good idea of what kind of pony you are, Rainbow, and I don't think anything anypony will say can change that."
Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah...maybe."
Twilight frowned as she watched her friend turn away once more. Something had been bothering her since their last argument; a thought that had been swimming in the depths of her mind, refusing to surface. But now, as she contemplated what Rainbow had just said, she suddenly began to wonder if perhaps Rainbow had an alternate motive for bringing her to this competition.
She had just been accepted into the Wonderbolt Reserves, and now she was about to compete in The Annual Flying Pairs Competition. And as Rainbow had just stated, it was a huge event. Not only were there experienced Pegasi here, but also many skilled Griffons from both Mt. Aerie and The Griffon Nation. Twilight was sure that every major flying faction, including the Wonderbolts, had their eyes on this competition. Did Rainbow see this as a chance to impress the Wonderbolts?
Another thought suddenly struck her. She was a brand new flier about to enter this huge competition with Rainbow, who had trained her. If they won, or even just placed, it would speak volumes for Rainbow's leadership abilities. But then, she had given up the prospect of winning when they learned that Hans would be joining the judge's panel.
For the first time, Twilight truly comprehended how hard that must have been for Rainbow, and it left her to wonder why her friend hadn't mentioned it.
Joining the Wonderbolts is very important to her, I've always known that. But she's in the reserves now. She's practically already achieved her dream, so why is she still so set on proving herself? Was there still something more that she was striving for?
Her frown deepening, Twilight followed Rainbow's gaze to Nasir and Krystle. Ever since their argument, Rainbow had been watching the little Griffon, and several times, Twilight had been pretty sure that she was smiling.
Twilight's mind went back to the day the two of them were lying together on that rock. Rainbow had said that she wanted to compete with her because they were close, and it would be like it had been with her dad. Twilight harbored no doubt that Rainbow had been sincere when she had made that statement, but now something was bothering her. Something that she hadn't thought of before.
Why hadn't she come back here again with her father?
As she considered all of this, Twilight watched Krystle zip around in the air while an annoyed Nasir repeatedly hollered at her to calm down. Without warning, Krystle swooped toward her father and embraced him, giggling as she nuzzled at the feathers in his neck.
Suddenly, all of the pieces shifted into place like the last dozen books slipped into their shelves on re-shelving day.
"She's cute, isn't she," Twilight said as she moved forward to stand beside Rainbow.
Rainbow wiped her face with her hoof in an attempt to hide her smile. "Yeah, I guess."
"She reminds you of yourself when you were here last," Twilight stated with confidence.
Rainbow nodded. "I was a couple of years older, but yeah...I acted just like her." Rainbow chuckled quietly. "And my dad acted just as annoyed with me."
Studying her friend intently, Twilight switched topics. "Why do you want to join the Wonderbolts?"
Rainbow blinked. "You know why. It's been my dream since I was a little filly."
"What's the other reason, Dash? Why did you become so upset when you believed that you'd never pass the Wonderbolt's history test?" Twilight gave her a meaningful look. "It's more than just a dream, isn't it?"
Rainbow stared at her for a moment, then glanced over at Krystle before returning her gaze to Twilight. Finally, she smiled and shook her head. "I knew that you'd figure it out if I brought you here. It was the biggest reason why I almost didn't ask you."
Twilight sat down. "I promised myself that I would never ask you about your parents. I figured that if you ever wanted to talk about them, you'd say something." She laid a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."
Rainbow gently removed her hoof and sat. "I never took my schooling very seriously. I was always sorta the class clown. I never did my homework and hardly ever studied for tests. I didn't believe that I needed to know any of it, I mean, come on, I was gonna grow up and be a Wonderbolt! All I ever wanted to do was fly and practice whatever new move I came up with the day before. Still, I always managed to get by with average scores.
"But then, I convinced my dad to compete with me here." Rainbow's ears drooped as she hung her head. "Dad still thinks it was the worst mistake he ever made. We placed third and it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. Everyone was ranting about how I was such an amazing flier for my age, and it totally went to my head.
"After that, I started to slack off at school more and more, and before long, I was skipping classes. I didn't have time for them anymore, I needed all the practice I could get if I was going to make it into the Wonderbolts. Then, during my final year of schooling, I started getting in trouble and was threatened with expulsion, and my pride took over and I quit."
"I'm guessing your parents didn't take too well to that decision," Twilight remarked.
With a short, bitter laugh, Rainbow brushed her mane out of her face. "That's the understatement of the century! Mom was really disappointed in me, and let me know it, but Dad was the real kick in the teeth. He told me that I needed to get back in school and get my education because my dream of being a Wonderbolt would never come true. When I refused, he yelled at me...told me that I'd never amount to anything. That was the last time that I ever spoke to him."
Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, I'm so sorry."
"I still remember the sting of his words. I turned and I ran away, and I never went back. I bunked up with some friends for a little while, and managed to get a job as a weather pony. They weren't too crazy about hiring a pony with no education, but once they saw how fast I could clear a sky and how I could handle anything their weather simulator could throw at me, they changed their tunes pretty quick.
"It wasn't very long after that I got transferred away from Cloudsdale. I kinda felt guilty about never saying goodbye to Mom, but I never wanted to see Dad again."
"Rainbow..." Twilight said hesitantly. "You understand that your father didn't mean it the way you took it, don't you? He just wanted you to go back to school."
"Yeah." Rainbow shrugged. "I figured that out over time, but I knew that I could never face him again. At least, not until I've become a full fledged Wonderbolt. Then I'll be able to show him what I've accomplished. I'll show him it was more than just a stupid dream."
"But Rainbow, you're ready to face him now." When Rainbow only stared at her, she continued. "You've accomplished so much already. You overcame the fact that you don't have an education. You managed to get one of the highest paying jobs that a Pegasus can get, you have your own home, and you're in the Wonderbolt Reserves! I know your parents would be very proud if they could see you now."
Rainbow sighed and kicked a rock. "You just don't understand...it's more complicated than that."
"It's perfectly understandable if you're a little afraid to face him again. After all this time, I'd be afraid too, but—"
"Afraid?" Rainbow suddenly stood and glared at Twilight. "I'm not afraid. I'd never be afraid of him." She snorted in frustration. "What do you know, anyway? You're good at everything. You've never disappointed your parents. You aced like every class you've ever been in, you got into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and even became her star pupil. Your parents must have been leaping for joy that they had you."
Twilight wanted to argue with her, to tell her that there had been times when she had disappointed her parents, but she bit her tongue. Her friend was feeling the pain of an old wound, and the last thing she wanted to do was unintentionally hurt her further.
After giving her friend several moments to calm herself, Twilight said, "I'm sorry, Rainbow. That didn't come out the way I intended. I know that you're not afraid. You're the bravest pony I've ever known."
"That's where you're wrong, Twilight," Rainbow mumbled. "If I really was brave, then I wouldn't have ran away to begin with."
Twilight watched her friend with a heavy heart as she hung her head. In all the time that she had known her, she had never seen Rainbow this despondent. It was as if she had become a different pony right before her eyes, and Twilight wasn't sure if she would be able to help.
Finally, Twilight said, "You made a mistake, Dash. You were young and you were hurting, and it took you a while to mature enough to realize that. It doesn't make you any less brave." When Rainbow only shook her head, Twilight punched her playfully in the shoulder. "Besides, what other pony out there would have kicked a dragon in the face?"
A small smile snuck its way into Rainbow's features. "Yeah, but that didn't end so well, did it?"
"It was better than over thinking it and doing nothing."
"Not really. You tried to reason with him. I just tried to brute force it." Rainbow sighed. "That seems to be all I'm good at."
"You might be a little headstrong sometimes, but I wouldn't consider it a weakness."
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "You wouldn't?"
"Nope." Twilight smiled. "It's like you said during our first training session. I act based off of this..." Twilight tapped her head with her hoof. "...and you act based off of this." She placed her hoof on Rainbow's chest. "Neither of us are wrong to do so, but both ways have their faults." Twilight removed her hoof. "So quit belittling yourself. Your strengths are no worse than mine."
"Yeah...I guess you're right." Rainbow smiled. "Thanks, Twilight."
"You're welcome." Twilight beamed as she started forward.
Rainbow quickly lifted a hoof and held her at bay. "Please, Twi...not here."
"Okay." Twilight flushed. "Sorry."
"No, don't apologize." Rainbow's tone was turning exasperated. "Just—"
"All righty, folks!" Clasko's magically enhanced voice suddenly echoed across the field. "What do you say we get this competition underway?"
"I'd say that's an excellent idea, Clasko!"
"Great! Because the weather specialists from Cloudsdale have arrived!"
Twilight looked to the opposite end of the field and spotted a half dozen Pegasi, each with a bulky squarish device strapped to their backs.
"Those are portable weather simulators," Rainbow told her. "They're nowhere near as big or as powerful as the weather simulators in The Wonderbolt Academy, but they can still create some pretty intense wind and lightning storms."
As the pegasi began spreading out over the field, a Griffon swooped down to land in front of them.
"Good luck, Your...er...um...Twilight," he said awkwardly as he gave her a slip of paper and flew toward the next team.
Bemused, Twilight watched him fly away before flipping the paper over. "It's just the number one."
"Figures." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "It means we're the first for the obstacle course."
Twilight's pulse quickened at the knowledge that she was going into the obstacle course blind. She had been expecting to closely observe the other contestants and study their methods in order to find the best route through. But now, all she would have were her poorly honed instincts and Rainbow's guidance.
Rainbow's brow furrowed. "You think Hans has anything to do with this?"
"I don't think so," Twilight replied as she gazed up at the panel and watched the ambassador smile and wave at his granddaughter. "He seems honorable enough. I can't imagine him stooping so low as to use dirty tricks."
"Yeah." Rainbow shrugged. "We'll just have to go out there and give it our all."
"The weather specialists are all set," Emma's voice boomed, "and we are ready to begin the two hundred ninety third Annual Flying Pairs Competition!"
"The order the teams will enter the course has been selected at random, and the teams all have their numbers. So, without further ado, let's call team TwiDash to the field."
Twilight swallowed hard as she met Rainbow's determined gaze, and then she followed her friend into the air. As a Griffon wearing a whistle around his neck tied a length of rope to both of their forelegs, she focused on what the commentators were saying in an attempt to ease her nerves.
"I was very excited when I saw Rainbow Dash signing up earlier this morning," Clasko was saying. "I was present in Rainbow Falls for the Equestria Games tryouts, and I'll tell you now, Emma, Rainbow Dash is definitely going to be one to watch in this competition."
"It will also be interesting to see how well she performs with Twilight, who has only had her wings for a few months. Let's hope that Rainbow is as good of a coach as she is a flier."
Her heart pounding in her chest, Twilight turned to Rainbow and found a large grin on her friend's face. "You ready to show them what you can do?"
Twilight bit her lip. "I hope so..."
Without warning, the whistle shrilled and Rainbow rocketed off.
Caught off guard, Twilight rushed to keep up. As she raced behind Rainbow, her eyes turned to the rope that linked them, and nervously watched as the slack slowly grew more taunt.
I knew it. I'm only going to slow her down. Any chance she has at impressing the Wonderbolts will be ruined, and it's going to be all my fault.
Suddenly, Rainbow was right beside her. "Windstorm! Flap hard and follow—" Her words were drowned out by the sudden roar of the wind as the powerful air currents sent Twilight reeling.
Despite her best efforts, Twilight felt herself being pushed backward. Struggling with all her might, her eyes fell to the rope as it went completely taunt. Without warning, she felt an unexpected surge of determination at the thought of her friend. Rainbow needed her. She had trained vigorously for the last two weeks, and now was the time to show everyone what she could do. She would not let her friend down.
Twilight gritted her teeth, and squinting her watering eyes against the harsh wind, she flapped her wings as hard as she could. Her chest heaving, her wing joints aching, and every muscle in her body straining, she began moving forward with increasing speed. As the rope began to slacken, she felt a thrill and forced herself to flap even harder, and abruptly entered clear skies.
Gasping for breath, she glanced ahead and found Rainbow grinning ear to ear at her. Beyond Rainbow, she could see several geysers of air firing from the ground high into the sky, and further still were numerous arcs of lightning streaking through the air.
"Stay close," Rainbow said as she started toward the first of the air geysers.
Twilight eyed the geyser ahead of them apprehensively as it sprouted another huge gust of wind. Taking a deep breath and pushing all of her worries aside, she focused on staying directly behind Rainbow.
"Left!" Rainbow suddenly shouted, and then banked to the left.
With a last, strong beat of her wings, Twilight tilted her body and curved just as a blast of air fired upward; missing her by mere inches and blowing her mane away from her face.
She felt her confidence grow as she followed her friend's lead and nimbly dodged several air geysers. She was doing it! She was keeping up with Rainbow, and better still, she was performing just as well!
The first bolt of lightning flashed toward her, but she quickly ducked below its arc. As she recovered, she saw a large tuft of clouds hurtling straight at her, and hurriedly rolled to her right.
"Great job!" Rainbow called as she evaded two bolts at once.
Unable to help herself, Twilight grinned with self-gratification. She had never before felt so alive, so aware. For the first time, she understood why Rainbow enjoyed performing her stunts so much; it was euphoric.
"This is gonna be tough," she heard Rainbow say from beside her. "Swoop low and bank right when I say."
Readying herself, Twilight nodded.
"Now!" Rainbow cried, and the two of them swooped below the tuft of clouds.
But then Twilight continued to head straight for the two lightning bolts as Rainbow banked to the right.
There was a gap between the two bolts, just large enough for her to squeeze through. She had never been as good at banking and realigning herself as Rainbow, and knew that if she went straight through the obstacle, she would actually pull ahead of her friend.
Twilight smiled. Wouldn't Rainbow be surprised when she took the lead?
With a quick glance at the taunt rope, Twilight turned her body sideways and passed between the two arcs of lightning. Her ears flicked at the sound of the crackling energy and she felt the fur on her face and neck stand on end, and then she was through.
With a cry of elation, Twilight turned to beam at her friend, but was suddenly clobbered in the face by a cluster of clouds.
The force of the impact snapped her head back and caused her to spin out. Coughing to clear her throat of the wispy substance, Twilight managed to regain her equilibrium and straightened herself.
"Twilight!" Rainbow exclaimed as she pounded her hard on the back. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Twilight managed before doubling over and coughing again.
"We're right at the finish!" Rainbow gripped her hoof and pulled. "Let's go!"
"Wait...Dash..." Twilight said between huge gasps of air.
Rainbow snorted impatiently. "C'mon, Twi!"
Still coughing, Twilight flapped her wings when she felt her friend begin to drag her forward, and hurried their trek to the finish markers. As they crossed the two flags stuck in their small clouds, Twilight became aware of the crowd's cheering, and over it all, she could hear Pinkie yelling her praise.
"What a fantastic performance by team TwiDash!" Emma's voice echoed across the field.
"Let's see if the judges agree, Emma."
Twilight warily turned her attention to the judges as she landed. The two Griffons each held up a six, the Pegasus stallion held up a seven, and Hans held up a one.
"A one!" Emma's voice sounded surprised. "I don't agree with that at all."
"Well, Twilight did get hit by an obstacle, Emma. If any of the judges feel that she failed the course as a result, then they have the right to score accordingly."
Hanging her head, Twilight cast a sideways glance at Rainbow. "I'm sorry...that was stupid of me."
Rainbow was silent for several moments. Finally, she mumbled, "I just don't understand why you didn't trust me."
"It wasn't that," Twilight explained. "I didn't want to slow you down, and I thought that going through the lightning would be faster..."
"And you didn't notice that cluster of clouds." Rainbow finished. She scowled as she watched Twilight nod. "You should have known that I would have led you through the bolts if I thought that was the better way."
"I know..."
"You've got to trust me, Twi. I'm not gonna steer you wrong."
Clasko's blaring voice drowned out Twilight's response, and Rainbow turned away to watch the next team enter the field. Sighing as she stared at the back of her friend's head, Twilight silently chastened herself.
What could she have been thinking? Had she really thought that just because she had evaded a few obstacles that her judgment was better than Rainbow's? She knew that her senses weren't anywhere near as well developed as Rainbow's; so why hadn't she listened?
The two of them stood in silence and watched the next team traverse the course while listening to the colorful commentary of Clasko and Emma. Once the team had reached the end, received their scores, and Clasko and Emma commented on the judges' decisions, the commentators called up the third team.
Twilight began to feel marginally better as a team of sibling Griffons got blown off course and then pelted with tufts of clouds. Then better still as the following team got struck by lightning. Although she flinched as the two were zapped, Twilight couldn't help but laugh at Clasko's whimsical pun, and cheered with the rest of the crowd as the two recovered and continued on.
As team after team was foiled by the course, Twilight came to realize that they were the highest scoring team so far. But when she turned to Rainbow, her friend just averted her eyes and pretended not to notice her.
She didn't understand. This wasn't like Rainbow; they were the top team so far. Why was she still acting so unhappy?
"Up next is team...uh...Pony Princesses Are Pretty?" Emma paused until Nasir and Krystle entered the field, and then she laughed alongside most of the audience. "I guess we know which one chose the name."
"At least, I hope we know which one chose the name."
"Too right, Clasko!"
Twilight couldn't help but smile as she watched the Griffon tie the two of them together. Krystle was literally vibrating with energy and excitement.
"Woah, and Krystle just exploded toward the first obstacle the instant the whistle sounded!" Clasko announced. "I hope Nasir has what it takes to keep up with that little ball of energy."
"He looks to be doing all right to me. And here comes the windstorm."
"Oh, she's really struggling now! I hope this competition doesn't blow her away."
"Ugh...why did I take this job?"
"Quit complaining, Emma, and look! Nasir has caught Krystle's talon and is pulling her through the storm."
"And they're through. Poor little Krystle looks very disheveled, but ready to continue."
"There she goes! Rocketing off toward the next obstacle as though nothing happened back there."
"I don't look forward to her getting hit by one of those geysers. Clasko...do you think they turned the pressure down?"
"I think we're about to find...GREAT SPLITING FEATHERS! Did you see that barrel roll! She was so fast! What perfection!"
"That was amazing, especially for one so young."
"Check her out! She's navigating the obstacles like it's her normal morning routine!"
"Her father is doing pretty well too."
"Yes, yes, Emma. But look at her! Oh, that lightning bolt came awfully close!"
"And they're through! That was the quickest time any team has had so far today, Clasko."
"It was also the only flawless run of the day."
"Well, except for the windstorm. But it was still a very impressive run nonetheless."
"Apparently the judges agree, Emma! Four tens, a perfect score! They didn't even need to think about it."
"What a great start for little Krystle, the youngest competitor of the year."
As Krystle and Nasir landed at the edge of the field, Rainbow hurried over to them. A bit surprised, Twilight quickly followed.
"Those were some great moves, kid," Rainbow said, raising her hoof. Krystle giggled and slapped Rainbow's hoof, looking very pleased with herself.
Twilight smiled at Nasir. "Congratulations on the perfect score."
"Why thank you, Your..." Nasir cleared his throat. "...uh, Twilight."
"I'm sorry you got hit by those clouds," Krystle said, her wide eyes suddenly filled with genuine sadness.
Unable to help herself, Twilight smiled at the little Griffon. "It's okay. It was my own stupid fault anyway. I should've listened to Rainbow."
"Still, you deserved a higher score than a one." Nasir frowned. "I'm sorry that my father is giving you such a hard time."
Twilight shrugged. "He has his reasons, and they aren't without merit." She saw Rainbow give her a look from the corner of her eye, but whatever her friend must have thought of the comment, she kept it to herself.
Just as Nasir was about to respond, Krystle unexpected took to the air and excitedly began to flutter around his head. "Daddy, look! Pretzels! Can I have one? Please?"
"A pretzel?" Nasir repeated as he grabbed his daughter by the talon and pulled her back down to the ground. "Didn't you just have some cotton candy a little bit ago? You'll ruin your appetite before supper."
"But I'm hungry." Krystle looked up at him with large, pleading eyes. "I just worked really hard in that obstacle course. I have a huge appetite now! I can eat a pretzel and my dinner."
Nasir smiled and shook his head. "If I don't see you two again beforehand, good luck with the second event," he said, and then the two of them headed off toward the vendors.
Once they were out of earshot, Rainbow rounded on Twilight. "You don't really think you deserved that one from Hans, do you?"
Unsure if she was willing to discuss this with Rainbow right now, Twilight hesitated, and was saved from answering by Clasko's thunderous voice.
"Up next, we have team Lightning Dust!"
As Lightning Dust and Gilda made their way onto the field, Twilight heard Rainbow give a snort. "Seriously? Team Lightning Dust? She hasn't changed at all! She still thinks everything is about her. I can't believe Gilda agreed to that name."
Glancing over at her friend, Twilight found her grinding her teeth. "She's such a self-important, arrogant featherbrain!" Rainbow growled. "I can't wait to see her get blasted by one of those air geysers."
"Rainbow, that's a terrible thing to say!" Twilight exclaimed. "You've got to try and calm down."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed as the whistle shrilled and her two rivals dashed toward the windstorm. "Just look at her! This is why she got kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy! All she cares about is speed, she isn't even working with Gilda."
It was true. By the time the two of them exited the windstorm, Gilda had fallen several feet behind Lightning Dust. With the rope connecting them completely taunt, Gilda didn't have much room to maneuver as she strained to catch up with her teammate. Twilight cringed as she watched two tufts of clouds hurtling toward her, but then sighed with relief as Gilda managed a burst of speed that created just enough slack for her to deftly dodge the obstacle.
"Gilda is amazing," Rainbow stated, the affection in her voice unmistakable. "She can't keep up with Lightning, but she's too stubborn to allow herself to slow her down. And look how nimble she is, even with her restricted movement. Anypony else would be getting pelted up there." As the two of them finished the course, Rainbow kicked a rock. "I wish Lightning Dust wasn't treating her so rough."
Twilight studied her friend with a heavy heart. She wished that things could have gone differently and Rainbow and Gilda could still be friends, but she knew that as long as Gilda held onto her anger, that would never be possible.
Feeling helpless, Twilight turned her attention to the panel and saw that they had received two sevens and an eight from the judges and a six from Hans.
"Not quite the high score I was expecting for the fastest team yet," Clasko commented.
"They were fast, I'll give them that. But Gilda wasn't exactly agile. Not that she can really be blamed though."
"You got that right, Emma. It was all poor Gilda could do to keep up with her partner. That was definitely a bad judgment call on Lightning Dust's part."
Without warning, Gilda swooped low over their heads. "How about that, Dash? Completely flawless! I'll bet you wish you could say the same!" She cast a quick glance at Twilight, but swiftly looked away. "You don't stand a chance. You might as well quit now."
"You said it, Gilda!" Lightning Dust said from behind them. "Dash is so slow...if she raced a pregnant mare, she'd come in third!"
As the two of them guffawed at the crude joke, Rainbow sneered up at Lightning. "I might have been slower than you, but at least I treated my partner with respect."
"What the hay is that supposed to mean?" Lightning demanded.
"It means I didn't practically drag Twilight through the course."
"She didn't drag me!" Gilda protested. "I was pacing myself."
"Oh, quit being such a high horse," Lightning snapped. "We both know that you could never navigate that course going as fast as I was." With a nasty grin, she added, "You're just using your little princess friend as a reason to slow down."
Afraid that Rainbow was about to lose her head, Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Ignore them, Dash. They're only eight points ahead of us. We can easily catch them in the second event."
"Our lead would be a lot better if somepony hadn't 'paced' herself so much."
Although Gilda looked outraged by Lightning's statement, it was Rainbow who retorted. "The commentators straight up placed the blame on your shoulders. You knew G couldn't keep up with you, but you didn't care. Your inability to work as a team is why you scored low."
Gilda began to grind her beak. "I can keep up with Light just fine!" She moved to hover by Lightning's side. "You think you're so fast? All you do is hang out in a lame backwater town full of loser Earth ponies and Unicorns. You must feel pretty fast, if this..." She indicated Twilight. "...is all the competition you have."
Without another word, Gilda turned and rocketed off. With a smirk, Lightning gave a great flap of her wings, sending dirt and debris into their faces, before she too turned and soared away.
Suddenly, Rainbow took to the air. "C'mon Twi."
"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight called as she hurried after her.
"What?!"
"Where are we going?"
Rainbow angrily brushed her mane out of her face. "To practice. We're gonna need to be at our best to beat those two."
"But there are still teams competing," Twilight argued. "It would be rude to leave now."
"I don't care!"
"Rainbow, what's gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself at all."
"You wanna know what's gotten into me?" Rainbow's nostrils were flaring. "Fine. Not only am I losing to two of the biggest jerks that I've ever met, but my own partner doesn't trust my judgment."
"I told you that it was a stupid mistake, Dash!" She moved closer and looked her friend in the eye. "I trust you with my life."
Rainbow crossed her forelegs. "Prove it."
"Huh?" Twilight blinked.
"Do the trust fall. Now." Without waiting for her to answer, Rainbow dropped a dozen yards beneath her and held out her hooves.
Swallowing hard, Twilight gazed down at her friend's fuming visage.
She didn't know if she could do it. The fall had been so intense last time; she worried that she would fail and permanently damage her relationship with Rainbow. But she also knew that if she hesitated for too long, she would miss her chance to prove her trust.
With a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and stopped flapping.
As before, she had the brief sensation that she was floating in the air, and then she plummeted toward the ground. Biting her lip, Twilight struggled to remind herself that Rainbow was waiting below as her mind began to scream at her to fly.
With her heart hammering in her chest, every muscle in her body tightening, and her wings unfurling seemingly on their own, she gave in to her panic.
Crying out in fear and desperation, Twilight began frantically flapping her wings. As she leveled out, she shamefully turned her gaze to Rainbow below her.
"Yeah...That's what I thought," Rainbow mumbled before turning and flying away.
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Poor Rainbow. Poor Twilight.
This was good.
New chapter!
!
Sheesh Rainbow. Way to end up disqualified.
I personally wouldn't trust Dash either.
She convinced Twilight to enter this competition as something of nostalgia and for fun.
Now she's revealing that she's doing this for the sake of her self-image and for reasons that are anything but "I just wanted to fly for fun with you".
rainbow is being such a jerk...
6017508
Oh Rainbow is certainly acting like a jerk, no doubt, but I feel that Twilight does not fully grasp the ramifications of her lack of trust in Rainbow. Being told, as the Element of Loyalty, that you cannot be trusted must strike and wound Rainbow's core. If you cannot trust the Avatar of Loyalty...
Good to see some more movement on this.
That better be a plot point and not some one-off reference. I also figured it might have been something Twilight would have keyed on sooner, so she can see how Celestia handled herself back then.
...This may or may not have been intentional, but I suddenly developed "voices" in my head for the commentators: Clasko and Elma, two of the Chocobo Knights from Final Fantasy X.
My gut is telling me that Rainbow Dash & Twilight are going to end up against Gilda & Lightning Dust.
Well I can certainly imagine it, especially with that gut feeling I had earlier...
I agree with
ElmaEmma's disagreement. I'd say that just about qualifies for a dirty trick.Okay, Krystle is adorable.
And awesome. 
And did I mention adorable? 
That was quite the revelation about Dash's past this chapter.
Even with as much of a jerk Rainbow was near the end, I hope that Twi and Dash can mend this rift in their friendship quickly...
6017857
I'm sorry, I think you misinterpreted something here...
The commentators are merely stating that the competition has existed for two hundred and ninety three years, but this is the first time a princess has entered. This would be a big deal for Mt. Aerie, and I can't imagine the commentators not mentioning it. Also, up to this point there has been nothing but negativity over Twilight's entering the competition, so I felt the commentators saying this would tell the readers that there are some who are very excited over her involvement.
6019169
Ah, I see now. Phrasing threw me, and I thought the competition was older than that. Had it been phrased something along the lines of "for the first time in the history of The Annual Flying Pairs Competition, an Equestrian Princess has entered!" or "never before have we had an Equestrian Princess enter the Flying Pairs as a competitor."
To me, when I read it, it just sounded like that was the last time it happened, because they dated it so.
6019217
Well, there is this:
But regardless, I can see how it threw you off. Sorry about that.
And thanks for clarifying!
6019271
No problem, not your fault. Should have paid more attention. Though looking at that chapter again, most competitions of that nature open with the announcers stating which year it is, so the opening line should read "Welcome, Ponies and Griffons, to the two hundred ninety third Annual Flying Pairs Competition! My name is Clasko." Then you could sub out the date for the line about Twilight, changing it to "for the first time in the history of the Flying Pairs, an Equestrian Princess has entered the competition!" and that clears it all up.
Heh, that or this is all just me trying to save face now.
6019333
You don't have to save face with me, I already know you're awesome. Loved your blog on the Griffonstone episode by the way. I wholeheartedly agree with pretty much everything you said. So much Gilda headcanon destroyed....
6019271 Uughh!!! The fells at the end.
6019467
Oh...
Well, thank you very much for that!
poor Twi, sucks to be her right now
New chapter Woo Hoo!!!
"It's not that," Rainbow explained. "I just made it into the Wonderbolt Reserves, and I don't want them to think I'm soft. This is a huge event, and if anypony sees me acting soft here, the Wonderbolts will hear of it."
The Wonderbolts are jerks so who cares?