Rain without Rainbows

by Leoshi

Two: Tryouts

Rain without Rainbows

Revised 9.25.11

Crazy funny pony hellspawn from the minds of two writers!
Author: Leoshi
Co-Author: Cyros Lugoth

!Disclaimer! You know that time you heard me saying “My Little Pony, My Little Pony?” Yeah, I was just quoting the show. It’s the title. I wasn’t claiming that these little ponies are actually mine. In fact, I never will claim that. Go call Hasbro for the right to that claim.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the latest product from the Leoshi factory. Recounting the last chapter, Rainbow Dash had an unsettling dream that shot her nerves, but she refused to let it get her down – despite her disappointment at her wish not being granted.

Moving forward, this chapter picks up days later, as she takes a rare opportunity to prove herself to her idols, the Wonderbolts! (Show of hands – who thinks something will happen?)

ACT I- The Paragons
Chapter two: Tryouts

It had been five days since Rainbow Dash suffered her unnerving dream. In the time since, she had managed to almost completely forget about it. The day after the dream, when the rain started to come down, she kept a wary ear out for growing sounds of thunder. However, the rain came and went without incident, and her fears went unfounded. She had slept peacefully since, not once enduring the dream again.

Not to say her days were uneventful; this day, in particular. Her unicorn friend, Twilight Sparkle, had called her into the large library on the town’s edge, stating only that she “had important news to discuss” with her. Unable to hide her curiosity, Rainbow bombarded her friend with questions, asking what the news was.

Naturally, then, when Twilight said “The Wonderbolts are in town, holding preliminary tryouts to join their flight crew,” it was all Rainbow Dash could do to contain her excitement. Actually, she didn’t contain it very well.

“Where are they? They’re here, now? Where are they?!? Have they prepared yet? Is my mane okay? Are all six of them here, or is it just one or two? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I don’t think I’m ready…no, no, this is my chance! I’m ready, I’m ready now! Where are they?”

She didn’t contain it very well at all.

The unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, calmly waited for her pegasus friend’s excitement to ebb. She knew that Rainbow Dash would become giddy from the news – the Wonderbolts being in town and holding open tryouts – but not this much. However, Twilight couldn’t blame her. She knew that this would be Rainbow’s biggest and best chance to win them over. Anypony who impressed them would be considered as a new candidate to join their flock.

“Okay, okay, Rainbow! Give me a chance to speak here!” Twilight laughed. “It’s hard to explain all of this to you when you’re flying around the library like that! Can you please come down from there?”

“I can’t help it,” Rainbow claimed, though she did descend to the library’s floor. “If they’re here, then I need to make sure they see me! For real this time – not like what happened at the Gala.”

The violet unicorn nodded her agreement, and spent a moment to reread her memo – she tapped into her magic, allowing the note to hover at neck-height. “According to this,” she began, “the official tryouts won’t begin until four this afternoon. All six Wonderbolts are in town, but they’re probably going to be out of sight until the tryouts begin. This is a surprise to everyone in Ponyville, and they use that to test the hopeful pegasus ponies who want to join. The tryouts are open to any adult pegasus, but they won’t be public performances – only the Wonderbolts and the candidates are allowed in.”

“But where are the tryouts held?” Rainbow asked. Actually, she rather demanded it.

“They are…ah, in a temporary cloudiseum just outside of Ponyville.”

After hearing the location, Rainbow didn’t care about the details. She leapt upward in the middle of Twilight’s sentence, launching herself out of the library’s balcony. She was intent on seeing this cloudiseum for herself.

Without noticing, Twilight continued. “It’s at ground level, so the clouds are more like thick fog...huh? Hey!”

The blue-coated pegasus flapped her wings, raising herself higher away from the giant tree-turned-library. She scanned the perimeter of the town, not daring to blink lest she miss the location. And she saw it – a towering wall of white fog, with a few curious ponies already near it.

“Oh, wow, they worked fast!” Rainbow declared. “That cloudiseum wasn’t there yesterday – they built that entire thing in only a day!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight had run outside, adamant to keep her friend from blindly rushing in. She flicked her head upward, but turned away – Rainbow’s frame was eclipsed by the bright sunlight, and the radiance blinded Twilight for a moment. She wondered if Rainbow had meant that as a prank.

“You said four o’clock, right?” Rainbow Dash called down, still gazing at the cloud structure in the distance.

“Yeah, but-”

“And all six are here? The whole team?”

“Yes, the whole team, and-”

“This is so AWESOME! What are they judging? What tricks do you think I should do?”

“What? Rainbow, I-”

“Oh, maybe I should wear something! Maybe my Harmony necklace?”

“I don’t think they’ll be-”

“Nah, forget it, I’m good enough for them as I am!”

“Yes, but listen-”

“Oh, wait, what time did you say again? Four o’clock?”

“RAINBOW!”

The pegasus blinked, looking down. “Oh…what?”

“Will you please come down here and listen to me?”

“You mean you weren’t done? Sorry!” Feeling sheepish, Rainbow Dash dipped forward, lowering herself. She reached the ground in seconds.

Despite her annoyance, Twilight couldn’t help but smile. She had to admire her friend’s lifelong dream, and her dedication to making it come true. Despite everything that had happened to her in the past, she never once gave up hope on one day wearing the uniform of a Wonderbolt. Now that the first in a series of tryouts were beginning, she could finally begin reaching her dream the official way, rather than relying on tricks and impressions.

Twilight sighed, and smiled. “As I was trying to say,” she began, “the tryouts are held in the cloudiseum, and they officially start at four o’clock. But, the Wonderbolts have left a special request, involving you!” She called a different scroll out of the library with her magic, once again allowing it to float above the ground. She manipulated the ties that bound the letter, allowing it to unfurl in front of her friend’s eyes. “Here, you read it. They said it was for your eyes first.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, curious at her friend’s grin. She blinked at the parchment before her eyes, and read the message aloud. The further she read, the more her excitement grew.

“’Due to the outstanding feats already preformed by one miss Rainbow Dash, we the Wonderbolts have collectively agreed that she shall be the first pegasus pony to compete for a spot amongst our ranks. We ask that she arrive at three this afternoon, an hour earlier than the posted time, to complete her attempt. Her esteemed friends are encouraged to attend and support her. Upon completion of her attempt, the remainder of the tryouts will resume as scheduled.

“’Best of luck. Regards, Spitfire, Captain.’”

By the time she read the signature at the foot of the scroll, Rainbow couldn’t control her ecstatic breathing. ‘They want me to compete first! I’m going to be competing first!!!’ When she finally looked around the hovering parchment, her eyes were absolutely beaming. She hadn’t smiled this widely in months.

Twilight smiled almost as widely as she did. “I had a feeling it would be good news.”

---

Rainbow Dash felt that time had sped up dramatically. Three o’clock was arriving way too fast. She and her friends had only just arrived at the cloudiseum, and already it was past two-thirty. As the hour steadily approached, she felt butterflies take flight in her stomach. Their confidence in flying seemed to steal her confidence in her own.

“How ya feelin’, Rainbow?”

The blue-coated pegasus turned, seeing Applejack at her left. Clearly, Rainbow was still bad at hiding her anxiety – or perhaps her friends has grown wise to her nervousness. She adopted a grin that did nothing to hide her fear.

“I’m great!” she lied. “This is a dream come true, A.J. I feel just great!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “Listen, Rainbow,” she began softly, “there ain’t no need for ya doin’ anythin’ fancy while yer in there, okay?”

Rainbow’s sense of pride kicked in. “What do you mean, fancy?”

“You’re a bit of a showoff, sugercube. An’ there ain’t none of us wantin’ you to be doin’ anythin’ that’ll get ya hurt, or somethin’.”

“Hah!” Rainbow scoffed, puffing out her chest. “Me? Get hurt? Please…there isn’t a thing in the world that the Wonderbolts could ask me to do, that I can’t do!”

Applejack smiled. Just as she planned, calling Rainbow’s pride into the picture totally overshadowed her anxiety, and faster than she thought. “Yeah, you’ll be jes’ fine.”

Rainbow blinked. “What?”

“Oh, nothin’. Say, ain’t that Apple Bloom’s friend over there?”

The rainbow-maned pegasus gazed at her friend for a moment longer, wondering what she had meant. After a moment, she dismissed the thought, instead focusing on whom Applejack was referring to. Sure enough, the over-eager Scootaloo was ahead of them, apparently trying to get past the doorpony who wouldn’t let her in.

“You’re mistaken, kiddo. Nopony will be here until four this afternoon,” he stated as calmly as he could. This obviously wasn’t the first time he had told her such.

“No way!” she shouted, jumping up to meet his gaze. “There’s got to be someone here! Haven’t you seen a pegasus with rainbow hair? She’s the best around – you must have let her in already!”

“Sorry. Haven’t seen anypony like tha- ah, nevermind. Here she comes now.”

Scootaloo was washed with confusion, until she finally noticed that he was looking behind her. She turned her head – and when she saw who was walking up, her eyes positively beamed. “Rainbow Dash! You’re here!”

Rainbow stifled a good-humored groan. She trotted up alongside her friends. “What brings you here, pipsqueak? You gonna try out too?”

The filly shook her head. “Nuh-uh. I came to watch you perform!”

“Me?”

“Yeah! I knew you would never pass up a chance to prove your worth to the Wonderbolts, so I decided to come on down and cheer for you!”

Rainbow gestured to the five ponies who were with her. “I sorta already have a cheering section, Scoot. Besides…” She trailed off, looking at Twilight for support.

“What?” Scootaloo asked. “’Besides’ what?”

Twilight looked from one pegasus to the other, finally stepping in. “It’s not a public performance, Scootaloo. The Wonderbolts are keeping the general public out of this, so they can make fair judgments.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Fluttershy added. “This is just the first of many tryouts, after all, so they can’t afford to hold full-scale shows at every location.”

The young pegasus’ smile deflated. “What?” she cried, not believing what she was just told. “When did they decide that?”

“It’s in the notice, squirt.” Rainbow pointed to the outside wall of the cloudiseum, where several dozen flyers were tacked up.

“But what about all of you? You’re going!”

Rarity pitched in. “We’ve been made a special exception, dear, as well as Rainbow Dash. That’s why we’re all here so early.”

“But…but!”

“Sorry, squirt,” Rainbow began, looking sympathetic for the filly’s sake. “Look, just go hang out with your friends for a few hours while I dominate this tryout, okay?”

The young pegasus tried one last time. “But, Rainbow!”

“Lemme make it up to you, okay? How about a few flying lessons?”

Needless to say, the prospect of being taught by her hero completely wiped all arguments from Scootaloo’s mind. “You…you mean it?!?”

“That’s a promise.”

The little filly sighed, defeated and excited at the same time. She flexed the tiny, underdeveloped wings she had, wondering what kind of lessons she could get out of her hero. “Well…alright, then. Since you promised.”

“Head on out, short stuff,” Applejack said, stepping forward. “You’d better get your rest, ‘cause I betchya Rainbow here is gonna run ya ragged.”

Scootaloo smiled, and took off at a run. “I can handle it! Thanks, everypony!” she called back.

The group of friends spared a moment to watch her go. Rainbow chuckled – she couldn’t help but see some of herself in that girl, so full of dreams and eager to impress.

The doorpony cleared his throat, rending the calm that had claimed the day. Rainbow’s ears flopped around as he spoke. “I take it you are miss Rainbow Dash?”

She looked back at the colt, Scootaloo forgotten. “Hey, yeah! Ya heard of me?”

---

The interior of the cloudiseum was absolutely stunning. Since it was built on the ground, the four non-pegasi were able to explore the stadium with ease. Twilight was awestruck by how cool the hallways and rooms were, which she attributed to the water vapor still trapped in the billows of cloud. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, seemed more concerned with why the clouds, which looked like cotton candy, had no flavor.

Rainbow led her friends through the white corridors, her excitement and anxiety growing with every hoofstep. She wasn’t nervous, no – at least not about the tryouts. She was nervous about how the flight team she idolized would treat her after the events of the Grand Galloping Gala. A few helper ponies who were in the hallways directed them toward the center of the structure, where the tryouts would be held.

Needless to say, when she turned the corner and saw the entire team of six out of uniform – she hesitated.
As the six friends entered the cloudiseum’s middle into the sunlight, the six Wonderbolts had not yet noticed them. The flight team was gathered in a circle near one wall, conversing among themselves. Two were hovering in place, one was sitting, another was consulting a memo pad held in the cleft of her hoof, and the final two were standing. It was clear that these two held the authority, but their conversation was light. A sound of laughter burst from them.

Rainbow recognized the two standing ponies by their manes alone. The one on the right was a strong navy blue, while the left had a flowing yellow and orange. Soarin’ and Spitfire, the two leaders of the group. Like their manes, their coats were of blue and yellow; very different than the uniforms Rainbow Dash was expecting

She blinked. ‘They look so…normal, without their outfits. I don’t think I was prepared for this.’

One of the ponies, the female with the memo, finally noticed the awkward six guests that had just arrived. She muttered something that Rainbow couldn’t hear, but it must have been important, because the four relaxing pegasi rose – or dropped – to their hooves. Spitfire and Soarin’ turned in unison, finally gazing upon the hopeful mare that so desired their attention.

The two groups of six walked toward the center of the cloudiseum; the Wonderbolts simply wanting to welcome their guests, while Rainbow was half-pushed forward by the five at her flank. The smile on Spitfire’s face was genuine, while Rainbow’s was forced. She was drawing a total blank. Of all the things she was prepared for, seeing her idols out of uniform was not one of them.

After a few seconds that felt like an hour, the two groups met in the center. Spitfire spoke first.

“Glad to see you could make it. Though you’re still a little earlier than we were expecting.”

Rainbow’s reply was immediate. “You look so normal!”

If the flight team had anything to say, their words died in their throats. After a moment to pause, a moment just long enough for Rainbow to realize just how silly she sounded, a moment made worse when even Pinkie Pie said “What are you talking about?”, the Wonderbolts broke into a fit of laughter. Soarin’ was loudest of the group.

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity all joined in the laughter. Rainbow forced herself to chuckle, while Pinkie seemed utterly clueless (nopony was surprised in the least). “What’s so funny, girls? …Giiiiiiirls?”

Spitfire wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, by the Steed…what, did you think we just never took off the uniform?”

Rainbow blinked. Her mind still drew only a blank. “Uh, well…that is…”

“I should hope not!” one of the fliers called. “We’d smell Soarin’ for weeks!”

“Hey, not saying we couldn’t try…” another one cracked, earning a laugh from Soarin’ and a wretched look from the female members of the group.

“Heheh…let’s try again, shall we?” Spitfire said, effectively bringing an end to the jokes. She turned her head back toward the group of six in front of her, extending a hoof to the blue-coated pegasus who stood numbly. “Welcome to the tryouts. Hope you’re prepared for a rough flight.”

Rainbow glanced at the hoof reaching for her, twitched, and raised her own. She shook, finally able to think on her own once more. “I hope you’re prepared for one, too!” she said, grinning widely.

Soarin’ smiled. “Since you’re all here, we might as well get started. That okay with everypony?” The eleven heads around him nodded at once. “Okay, you ladies wait here for a moment. We’ll go prepare ourselves for this ‘rough flight’ your friend promises us.”

With that, the team turned and trotted toward the far exit, where their uniforms were undoubtedly waiting. Fluttershy stepped forward, a wide smile on her face.

“Oh Rainbow Dash, I’m so happy for you! I just know you’re going to make an impression!”

Rainbow smiled back, albeit dumbly. “You think so?”

“Oh, without a doubt, darling,” Rarity added. “There’s nopony better at flying than you.”

“You betchya!” Pinkie jumped in. “Hey, think you’ll do another Sonic Rainboom for them? It would be the most coolest thing ever!”

“Ah-hah, I don’t think so, Pink. They’ve already seen one, remember? If I need to impress them, I’ll have to do something new,” Rainbow replied. She and her friends turned and walked back to the doorway they had come from. As she walked, she took the time to flap her wings, stretching the muscles loose. “I don’t even know what I would do, anyway. This entire tryout thing is very sudden.”

“They always are,” Twilight informed, ever the voice of knowledge. “Back in Canterlot, the tryouts are only announced a few hours ahead of time, just like this one. You’re very fortunate to have been made this exception – it’s never been done before!”

“Ah’ll say!” Applejack stood crossed-legged like always. “Especially after that mess we all got into at the Gran’ Gala. Why, after all that happened there, I had us figured for being kicked outta events like this!”

“I know, me too!” Rainbow said, finally showing some of her excitement. “I don’t know exactly what I’ll do, or what the Wonderbolts will want me to do…but I know this is important, and I don’t want to mess up.”

Her friend nodded. Fluttershy spoke up again. “Um, Rainbow? If you do make it as a part of the team…what will you do?”
For the second time that day, Rainbow Dash drew a blank. “I…don’t really know, to be honest. I guess I might begin training with them, and I might need to move to wherever they go.”

“That would be Canterlot,” Twilight interjected. “Their headquarters aren’t far from the royal palace. I’ve gone inside it a few times while studying with the Princess – it’s breathtaking.”

But Applejack wasn’t listening. She had a question of her own. “You said you’d have to move? You’ll need to leave us?”

“…maybe. I don’t know.”

As the thought sunk in, unease settled among the group of friends. It’s true that Rainbow had never considered what she would do if ever she did make it into the Wonderbolts. Her thoughts were only ever consumed with the making it in, and never what came after. As they stood waiting, she imagined what would happen if she won a spot on the roster. Leaving Ponyville, performing large-scale shows, travelling to other locations – the thoughts scared her.

Twilight spoke after a moment. “They’re ready for you.”

Rainbow turned, seeing her idols as she knew them – blue uniforms with bolt marks on their flanks. Spitfire still had her goggles on her forehead, while her five teammates all had theirs over their eyes already. The team stopped in the middle of the cloudiseum as before, and calmly waited for their potential candidate to join them.

Swallowing a lump of anxiety, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and began to hover toward them. As she left, Applejack called out to her. “You can do it, Rainbow! Show ‘em what yer made of!”

The words of encouragement eased her nervousness as she landed near the team. Spitfire looked her up and down, finally scrutinizing her as a candidate. She had to admit, this weather mare had all the looks and tone – all she needed was the right ability.

“Well, now,” Spitfire began, lowering her goggles with a flick of her hoof, “let’s get started. We’ll do some basic flight exercises, then go right into the free-flight. How do you feel?”

“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” Rainbow replied.

“Well, alright then. Wonderbolts!” she barked. As one unit, the five members behind her lowered their heads, spread their wings, and focused. They stood ready, waiting the order to take off. Spitfire turned around, took her place at their center, and assumed the same poise.

“Wait a minute!” Rainbow shouted. Something didn’t seem right. “You mean you’re...”

“Going to fly, yes,” Soarin’ replied.

“And I’m…”

“Going to fly with us.”

Rainbow Dash stood stunned for a moment, but no longer. She smiled, and mirrored the position. She waited for the command to leap upward, which seemed to not be coming. Beads of sweat sprouted on her crown, and she was suddenly aware of how hot the sun was. She scanned each of her heroes before her – though impossible to read their faces behind the uniforms and goggles, she imagined at least two of them were stifling laughter. At what, she couldn’t tell.

Finally, after several moments spent in tense silence, Spitfire spoke once more. Her sentence was short, quiet, and strong. “Reach the horizon.”

In perfect unison, the seven pegasi shot into the air. The flapping of their wings was the only sound they heard as they gained height. After a few short seconds, the Wonderbolts moved inward, circling Rainbow as they rose.

Confused, Rainbow looked to one of the members as she came near. “What’s going on?” she called out.

“Just relax and follow our formation,” the mare replied. “You’ll see!”

And that’s just what she did. With Spitfire in the lead, the group of flyers began to take smooth, easy turns in the sky. She performed basic maneuvers, freefalling, rotating – all things meant to stretch out important muscles and focus their awareness of what they were doing.

After a few minutes, the Wonderbolt mare called out again. “Alright, girlie – let’s see what you’re made of!”

Before Rainbow could call back a question, a movement of darkness at her side caught her attention. Out of nowhere, tendrils of black stormclouds began to snake out behind Soarin’; Rainbow recognized it as the flight wake trail they were so famous for. Seconds later, the rest had begun to produce the same material, and Spitfire began to pick up speed. Before long, the herd of seven was flying so fast, tears began to sting behind Rainbow’s eyes. ‘Maybe I should have asked for a pair of those goggles…’ she thought.

As Spitfire led them through turns that grew constantly tighter, thoughts vanished from Rainbow Dash’s mind. Instinct took over, and her vision narrowed to follow the leading pony’s movements exactly. Which was just what she did.

Exhilaration filled Rainbow’s being to the brim as she flew better than she had ever flown before. Together with the Wonderbolts around her, they sped across the cloudiseum, leaving smoke and rainbow trails in their wake. For every tight turn the Wonderbolts made, Rainbow followed it perfectly by instinct. She felt more at home now than she had ever felt in her life. It was as though her mind was meshed with the minds of the ponies flying with her. Their thoughts were one, their movements fluid and perfect.

From the sidelines, the group of friends watched the show with rapt attention. Applejack, in particular, was amazed at her friend’s agility. It was easy to make out the form of the pegasi when they flew straight and true, but when they preformed their tricks and feats, the most she could easily see were the clouds they left at their hind hooves. The blonde earth pony could barely discern Rainbow’s wake that matched her name; the darkness of the Wonderbolts’ thunderclouds utterly obscured it.

As they came out of an impressive loop-de-loop, Rainbow Dash pulled ahead of the team for the first time. She spared a moment to gaze to her right. She could barely make out the stationary specks of color that were her friends, standing in awe as they watched the spectacle. Two of those colors – orange and violet, which were Applejack and Twilight – moved forward as she began to pass them. Soon, the other three moved forward as well, smiles of pride on all of their faces.

Rainbow blinked. As she drew closer, she noticed something. What she thought were smiles were something completely different. It was the eyes – there was panic behind them. Behind all of them. Rainbow barely had time to think ‘What’s wrong?’ before she heard her friends shouting.

No. Screaming.

“Rainbow! No!”

“Don’t stop, Rainbow – don’t slow down! Get away!”

“Rainbow…what did you do?!?”

“Oh no, look! It’s…!”

“Oh gosh, what is that?!?”

Rainbow forced herself to stop and turn, against the warnings of her friends. She looked behind her, expecting to see the Wonderbolts falling behind or coming in for a landing. But what she saw burned into her memory.

There was a dark something following her, not unlike the thunderclouds that the Wonderbolts used. But this mass was clearly different. Instead of yellow or white volts of lightning, it shot out bolts of blue, grey, and black. Two of those bolts has connected with Spitfire and Soarin’, sending them reeling. Four others had contacted the remaining Wonderbolts, but rather than being knocked away, they were held in midair. They struggled, clearly in agony.

One final electric black bolt of energy was loosed, heading straight for Rainbow. She never had a chance to fly away. It struck her in the midriff, spinning her in midair. The bolt utterly consumed her, and she shrieked in pain. Just once.

She heard the screaming of her friends, but they sounded so distant. She saw the hard ground rise to meet her, and she knew she should have felt her contact it, but darkness enveloped her senses moments before. The last thing she remembered were the screams. Screams of horror. Screams of agony.

End chapter two

Author’s comments: Took me long enough to get this one done, don’t you agree? I ran into some real-life trouble while this was being written, not the least of which is car-related. However, I’ve got the entire story planned out now, so these waits shouldn’t happen too often any more.

Anyway, I’ll keep this comment section short for two reasons. One, because chapter three will provide some much-needed answers to the main question of “What the hell just happened?”. And two, because my co-author is unavailable as I type this, so I’m having to move forward without his eye for detail.

Revision note: Document underwent revision to correct some syntax errors, and added the detail of Rainbow pulling ahead of the Wonderbolts. New version saved 9.25.11.

Next chapter: Rainbow wakes up from a nightmare, lying in a hospital bed. She is told exactly what happened at the tryouts, and it’s then she learns that she’s living a new nightmare.

Comments

[DJ Cobalt]

this is cool bro