At the Heart of the Rainboom

by Harp's'ong

Pt 2

“—it’s not fair, though. I’ve known Scootaloo longer than Applebloom has.”

Rarity did not want to be reminded of that. The filly was an atrocious influence on her Sweetie Belle. Rarity frowned and examined the scarf in front of her. It was still too warm for scarves, but she wanted to wear more than just her hat. Rarity put the scarf away and faced her sister, “Just talk to her, dear. I’m sure whatever it is can be solved with polite conversation.”

“She won’t talk to no pony but Applebloom, though,” Sweetie Belle said. Rarity almost winced at the improper grammar, no doubt the influence of the other girls.

Rarity faced her sister, who stood at full height with a pout on her face. Rarity approached and nuzzled her. She said, “Then talk to them both. Now, I have to go watch Pinkie Pie.”

“Again?”

“We’re taking turns, and I volunteered for the first day so it’s my turn again,” Rarity said. “I’ll leave you the spare keys for the boutique, but I’d prefer if you locked up and spent the day with Apple family. Dirty as it can be—well you know I want you safe more than anything else.” Rarity took the robin’s egg colored hat from a nearby table and headed for the door. “Lock up when you leave darling, love you.”

Sweetie Belle’s answer was begrudging. “Love you too.”

Rarity walked along the public track of the park with Pinkie Pie. She said, “How’s your week been, Pinkie dear?”

“Fine, I suppose.”

“I heard Applejack and Twilight took you to a carnival. That must’ve been fun.”

“Oh we had a few laughs, I guess,” Pinkie Pie said. Gummy rode on the pink pony’s back. She walked at a slow lope and Rarity could not encourage her to travel faster. By now Rarity was used to the stench of her friend, she had not done a thing to take care of herself in the past week, but Rarity did not want to tell her otherwise. Without Rainbow Dash to reconcile, none of them were sure how to lighten Pinkie Pie’s spirits.

Rarity wound into a scowl. No this was not hopeless, nothing ever was, she just needed a plan of attack. A vector of subtlety only she could see…

Rarity scrubbed off her scowl before her friend noticed and said, “Pinkie, dearest. You know what I think?”

“Hmm?” Rarity’s tone made her finally look at the fashionista.

“Buck up. Come on,” Rarity reached over and made an awkward swing with her hooves. She smacked Pinkie Pie’s flank and said, “We are ladies of pride and dignity. And if you can’t get that silly old Rainbow Dash out you head then, well, don’t think of what she did, but what she would do if she were you. And you’d know what she would do? Why she would say, ‘I’m far too cool to let these trivial concerns ruin my mood.’”

Pinkie Pie became dubious.

“What?”

“Since when does Rainbow Dash use the word trivial?”

“Tsk. I think it’s trivial to wonder whether or not Rainbow Dash would use the word ‘trivial.’” Rarity flipped her mane and said, “The important thing is that you don’t linger on what Rainbow Dash did. If you can’t stop thinking about that, well, awful night, think about what you would do in Rainbow Dash’s place. There are a million things that she could have done to better handle things. It’s not your fault.”

Pinkie Pie glanced away and stared down the path. “Do what Rainbow Dash would, hmm?”

“Yes, now how about a trip to the pond?”

“Be nice to go for a swim.”

“That’s the ticket dear.”

Twilight said over her shoulder, “I’m going to visit Pinkie Pie, keep everything clean while I’m gone Spike.”

“Nothing else to do around here. See ya Twilight,” Spike said.

Twilight slipped on the satchel hanging beside the door and opened it.

Mrs. Cake was already on the porch. Hoof raised to knock. She put the hoof down and said, “Oh thank goodness. I hate knocking, and wouldn’t it be my luck that the door opens when I just work up the courage?”

Twilight frowned. “Something going on Mrs. Cake?”

“Wouldn’t ya just know it? Something’s always going on. Pinkie Pie didn’t wake up this morning when we opened the shop, so I trotted my little hooves up to her room, but she was gone. All she left was this note,” Mrs. Cake said. She reached behind her shoulder and plucked the note from where it sat snug between her coat and apron. Twilight took it off her with magic and levitated the note before her. “I don’t think it’s anything too dire, and we don’t need Pinkie Pie around right now. Just thought it might make more sense to you.”

Twilight scanned the note:

Take care of Gummy, don’t give him too many sweets though because his teeth are coming in and they can’t be falling out all over the place. I don’t think alligators have a tooth fairy. But I’m leaving to join the Wonderbolts, I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Twilight frowned.

“She does know she has no wings, doesn’t she?” Mrs. Cake said.

Twilight put the note aside. “I’m not sure if she does or not. But thank you Mrs. Cake, I’ll go round up the girls. I think I know what’s going on.”

Twilight passed the note to Applejack, who read it under her breath before Rarity took a look at it. Applejack scratched the back of her head and said, “She does know she doesn’t have any wings, right?”

Rarity passed the note to Fluttershy. Twilight said, “I don’t think that’s exactly what she meant.”

“Oh no this is my fault,” Rarity said. “I’m so sorry, I don’t think I can rectify this, either.”

Fluttershy finished reading the note. She scooted it towards Twilight and while Twilight set the note aside with her magic Fluttershy said, “I’m sorry, Rarity, but I don’t think we know what you mean. Well, I don’t, at least, I can’t speak for the other girls.”

“We don’t,” Twilight said. “What did you tell her?”

“Only that if she must think about Rainbow Dash she should think about what Rainbow Dash would do, not what she’s done.”

“Well there’s your problem right there,” Applejack said. “Ya can’t be messin’ with an earth pony’s head by askin’ her to behave like a pegasus pony.”

“I didn’t mean in that sense. I meant personality wise.”

“It’s okay, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “We know you didn’t mean to.”

“Pinkie Pie is just very literal,” Twilight said.

Spike came up from the basement with a set of saddlebags. With a huff, he dropped them beside the door and closed it. “You guys don’t actually think she wants to be a Wonderbolt, do you?”

“It’s written plain as day,” Applejack said.

Spike sighed. “Come on, you guys are thinking too much about what you’d expect her to do. She wrote it, but it’s not what she meant.”

“Explain it for us, then,” Twilight said.

Spike said, “Look, she wouldn’t say, ‘Be back as soon as I can,’ if she meant to become a Wonderbolt. Pinkie’s, well, she’s Pinkie Pie, but she’s not stupid. You guys do this all the time to her and just ignore what she’s trying to get at. Sorry to say that, but it’s true. I know she’s nuts, but she isn’t nuts nuts. She went to go get Rainbow Dash back. I mean, come on, duh.”

Twilight glared at him. “That was a bit rude, don’t you think?”

“Hey, I’m sorry. But somepony needed to say it,” Spike said. “I’ll go get some food from the pantry.”

“Just enough for Twilight and Fluttershy, honey,” Applejack said, which made all the heads in the room swivel to her. “And thank ya for your honesty, we do appreciate it.”

Spike said, “Aww, it was nothing.” Though his step became lighter.

Twilight ignored it and asked, “You aren’t coming with us?”

Applejack said, “Sorry, Twilight. Too much work still needs ta be done on the farm.”

“I must apologize too, but I can’t leave Sweetie Belle, and well I got a letter from Hoity-Toity this morning. He wants my line of dresses finished by the end of the month, and, well, afterwards he’s going to host a tour.” Rarity could not keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. “There’s going to be a whole set of shows in Canterlot, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia!” She stopped herself, “But this problem with Pinkie Pie is much more dire. I’m sorry I can’t go.”

“It’s okay, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “Congratulations on your shows. I’m glad you’ll be the star this time.”

“Thank you darling.”

Applejack ignored the two and asked Twilight, “So where ya thinkin’ on startin’. There’s no tellin’ where Pinkie might’ve gone.”

“If she’s just following the Wonderbolts that means she’ll be following the path of their tour. If we discover where the Wonderbolts are going to be a few days in advance, we can go there and intercept them both,” Twilight said and glanced at Fluttershy. “You don’t mind coming along, do you, Fluttershy?”

“Me? Oh no, well, I do worry about Angel and all the animals at my cottage, but this is more important, isn’t it? Yes. We should definitely go with your plan.”

“Me and Rarity will find somepony to watch your critters, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “I’m sure if we spun it just right the crusaders would be eager to.”

Fluttershy cringed. “If they’re the only ones who can, I suppose that’s okay. But if you can, can you find somepony else, first, if it’s not too much trouble?”

Fluttershy and Twilight watched a pony dressed in a homemade Wonderbolt costume step up onto the small stage. “Welcome everypony, to the weekly Wonderbolts fan club. We have two new bolters wanting to join the club. Let’s give them our usual welcome.” They stood beside the stage. Everypony turned to them and raised a hoof and said, “Bolt-hoof.”

Fluttershy took a step back. Twilight resisted rolling her eyes and said, “Um… we aren’t actually sure if we want to join your club yet.”

Fluttershy told Twilight about the club, she knew it because Rainbow Dash was a part of it a long time ago. But she left because she said they were too… well she said some rude things Fluttershy knew better than to repeat. They met in a town south of Ponyville, and represented all the Wonderbolt fans in the area.

The leader nodded. “That’s fair, every future bolter feels a little trepidation at first. What are your names?”

Twilight didn’t wait for Fluttershy to work up the courage to give hers, so she said, “My name’s Twilight Sparkle and this is Fluttershy. We actually know one of the Wonderbolts, she’s a friend of ours.”

Somepony scoffed. “Everypony says that.”

“No, we really know her. Her name’s Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said.

One of the earth ponies in the crowd popped out of their chair and said, “So you think you know me, do ya?” She wore a Wonderbolts outfit with fake wings sewn on and dyed her mane rainbow.

Twilight said, “You can’t be serious.”

“Um…” Fluttershy whispered, “I think we should go, Twilight.”

Fluttershy peeked around the patchwork tent at all the stern faces. About forty ponies stuffed themselves under the fabric, the air was stuffy and hot. It smelt too much of sweat for her tastes. Many of the ponies wore Wonderbolts memorabilia, if they didn’t outright cosplay.

The Rainbow Dash doppleganger stamped her hoof. “More serious than you can ever be!” She shoved her way through the crowd. The doppelganger flared her nostrils and said, “Seems like there’s a neighsayer in our midst. I say a challenge. Anypony, Ask us both a question and we’ll see who the real Rainbow Dash is.”

Somepony said, “How long has Rainbow Dash been a Wonderbolt?”

Twilight shook head. “Are you ponies crazy? She hasn’t been one for more than a week and already you’re—”

“They made the official announcement a month and a half ago,” the doppelganger said. “I can give an exact date if I need to, but obviously she doesn’t know. But I was practically a Wonderbolt before that. They naturally let me do their opening act for two whole months.”

Twilight pursed her lips and held back a low growl. She said, “Fine, ask me another question.”

“Where was Rainbow Dash born?”

“Cloudsdale.”

“Too easy,” the Dash doppelganger said. “How about this? Favorite and least favorite food?”

“Um…”

“Wrong. Pumpkin bread and anything with blueberries.”

Blueberries. Fluttershy didn’t want to be reminded of that, it was the last straw, and it was her idea to put that straw there in the first place. Now it was all her fault these ponies bullied Twilight, she knew the answers to all these questions. And if they kept this up, well… well… she wasn’t sure what she would do, but she wouldn’t let them pick on Twilight.

Twilight grumbled, “I knew the last one.”

“You probably don’t even know what her cutie mark is, do you?”

“Now see here,” Fluttershy said. She fanned her wings out, her tail raised a little, but when every gaze turned to her she wilted. “Oh, I’m sorry.” No, she needed to stand up for Twilight, and for Rainbow Dash. “But see here. We do know Rainbow Dash, I’ve even known her most of my life. And I’m sorry, but you aren’t Rainbow Dash, she’s not quite so tall. You also haven’t talked like her at all, because, well because Rainbow Dash likes the words awesome and cool and fast and things like that and you haven’t used one. In fact, none of you probably know her catch phrase, and I’m not sorry, no I am not sorry that you don’t.”

She silenced the ponies in the tent. Then somepony demanded, “Rainbow Dash has a catchphrase?”

The Rainbow Dash doppelganger shook her head. “No. A Wonderbolt has an official catchphrase. You must tell us, please?”

Fluttershy looked at Twilight for answers, she leaned over and whispered, “Not until you meet our demands.”

“Umm… not until you listen to us.”

The leader still on stage said, “Absolutely friend of Rainbow Dash.”

“We want to know the best time and place to meet the Wonderbolts.”

“We were wondering, if you guys don’t mind, if you could tell us the best time and place to meet with the Wonderbolts.”

Somepony muttered, “Winnywood.”

This turned into a buzz of answers about Winnywood. Eventually the club leader, who Fluttershy supposed dressed like Spitfire, despite being a stallion, said, “Quiet down everypony. No pony can hear a dozen voices at once.” He turned on Fluttershy and said, “Every year the Wonderbolts hold a Q and A and for a select few a meet and greet in Winnywood.”

Twilight blanched. “Why Winnywood?”

“It’s where they got their start,” the Rainbow Dash doppelganger said. “They’re very loyal, and it’s sort of a festival down there.”

Fluttershy said, “Rainbow Dash has taken a few trips down there, Twilight. But you probably didn’t know because it was before you moved to Ponyville.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but the Spitfire impersonator said, “The catch phrase?”

Fluttershy said, “Oh, that, well all the time she says she can do things in ‘ten seconds flat.’ So I suppose it’s her catch phrase. But that all depends on what she thinks—”

The Rainbow Dash doppelganger jumped up onto the stage. “I think ten seconds flat is an awesome catchphrase. Bolt-hoof my bolters.”

“Bolt-hoof!”

Twilight said, “Come on. Let’s go, Fluttershy.”

“Wait, friends of Rainbow Dash. You must tell us more,” the Spitfire beseeched them.

Twilight turned on her hoof. “Sorry, but Winnywood is about twice as far away as Canterlot. We need to leave as soon as we can.”

“You can’t go, though!”

“Uh, yes, we can.”

“Um… Twilight? I’m sorry, but you really can’t.”

Twilight turned on Fluttershy. “Why not?”

“Well, because…”

“There’s only so much space at the festival,” the Rainbow Dash doppelganger said. “You have to reserve space ahead of time.”

“Fantastic. How much do these reservations cost?”

Several of the ponies in the tent laughed.

“They’re sold out. So are next year’s and the year after that.”

“But,” the Spitfire impersonator said, “if you join our club you may come.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Fluttershy said, “I’m sorry, Twilight. We just need to remember we’re doing it for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight ground her teeth, then sighed. “Fine. We’ll join you’re club.”

“Let’s welcome our new bolters!”

“Bolt-hoof!”

“Ugh. I’m going to regret this.”

This might be Super Sleuth Pie’s toughest case yet. The Case of the Furious Flying Filly was a caper with mystery, intrigue, and twists and turns even she couldn’t predict. Super Sleuth Pie was on the trail, prowling the seedy underbelly of Canterlot for clues.

“Hey, didn’t I see you earlier this year. Twilight Sparkle’s friend, right?”

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Yes. Two raspberry filled chocolate donuts, please.”

“Alrighty miss. I’ll give you a discount then. Three bits.”

“Three bits? Are you crazy, I wouldn’t spend three bits on my own poison.”

The pony behind the counter stared at her.

Pinkie Pie giggled, “Oh, I mean, three bits is fine.”

Despite getting cheated at the local dive, Super Sleuth Pie accepted the exchange and walked out of the shop with bag held in her teeth. She took it to a nearby bench and examined the goods before she took a bite. “Mm… these were definitely worth the three bits.” Super Sleuth Pie finished her meal and quested further into Canterlot.

She came here looking for answer because she had nowhere else to turn. She only knew Rainbow Dash’s tour began here, but the pegasus was miles away now, in some other town, under the mercy of her captors. Well, Super Sleuth Pie wouldn’t stop until she uncovered the truth. One way or another she’d—

Pinkie Pie stopped when she noticed from the corner of her eye a maroon pegasus filly wearing a Wonderbolts shirt. Super Sleuth Pie had found the clue she needed.

She launched herself at the filly, who yelped when Super Sleuth Pie landed on top of her and said, “Hold it right there.”

The filly squeaked and kicked before she rolled into a ball and said, “I’m sorry. You can have anything, just don’t hurt me.”

“I want your shirt, punk.”

“My shirt?”

“Your shirt!”

“Okay, okay.” The filly scrambled out of the apparel. Super Sleuth Pie smoothed it out on the ground. On the front was a print of the Wonderbolts zooming out of a storm cloud, and when she flipped the shirt over she found exactly what she was looking for: a list of towns and dates for their tour.

The filly began to edge away, but Super Sleuth Pie said, “Don’t move a muscle.”

She scanned the shirt again and added dates in her head and decided the date in Winnywood her best bet. Finished, Pinkie Pie looked up and saw half a dozen stunned ponies watching her. Pinkie Pie said, “What? I just wanted to look at her shirt. Geeze, you Canterlot ponies freak out about everything. You really do need to lighten up more.” With a swift kick, Pinkie Pie flicked the shirt back over to the filly in a single smooth motion. “There you go.”

Super Sleuth Pie strode away from the stunned crowd. A scowl on face. She needed some gum to chew, or a toothpick to hold. Yeah, definitely a toothpick. More importantly she needed something else, something far more valuable. Something that could make or break this case.

“I need a map to Winnywood.”

Rainbow Dash’s mood for the week peaked after the Wonderbolt’s show in Manehattan. They just finished a killer show, and even now the crowd outside Manehattan made its way to their tent for autographs. Rainbow Dash was eager to give them, she didn’t wait to take turns with the Wonderbolts, she went out there every show. The fans reminded her why she did this, more than anything else those cheers reminded her why she was here. Why all of her hard work paid for this.

And her mood could only get better when the seven of them reached the tent. Rainbow Dash was the last one to leave it, and she would be the last one to enter. One of the security ponies yanked a rope and pulled the tent flap open. Rainbow Dash slowed her pace and watched the chatting Wonderbolts enter the tent, Tyco first. He tripped a fishing line. The line snapped and a bucket of coarse green paint fell from where it hung above the entrance. It missed bonking Soarin on the head. Misty yelped and security ponies rushed into the back while the pair at the front shoved them inside the tent.

Rainbow Dash took to the air before they could catch her. Ponies piled into the tent to protect their charges and the whole tent became a bubbling mass of panic while Rainbow Dash breezed over the mess. Ten poles lining the top of the tent held up the domed center, Rainbow Dash, landed on each one with speedy precision. Snapping them out of place before the tent came down on top the thrashing mess of ponies.

She landed in front of the tent and laughed. She said over their shouting, “Man I got you guys so good. It’s been forever since I got to pull off a prank like that.”

The thrashing in the tent stopped. Somepony said, “Rainbow Dash?” The pony near the entrance dug themselves out of the tarp. It was Spitfire, her mane and wings were a ruffled mess. But the scowl on her face changed Rainbow Dash’s outlook.

Soarin and several other ponies poured out the tent. Soarin chuckled and said, “That was pretty good, dude. Can’t remember the last pony who pulled one over on us like that.”

“Eh-yeah. Pretty awesome…” Rainbow Dash glanced behind her and realized a line of Wonderbolt fans watched the whole debacle.

“Pretty awesome?” Tyco came out of the tent. “You threw us for a loop, but don’t you know anything?”

Spitfire turned to Tyco, “I’ll take her aside.” She faced Rainbow Dash, “Fly with me.”

She took to the air. Rainbow Dash hesitated until she met the glares on half the Wonderbolts and all of the security team. She leapt into the air.

Her and Spitfire rose to a comfortable height. They rested on a cloud and for a time, Spitfire didn’t look at her. She sighed and faced Rainbow Dash. Her mane was the only thing illuminated the fading twilight. She said, “I like you a lot Rainbow Dash, I do. You’re a fantastic flyer, with a lot of potential, but this?”

Rainbow Dash flinched.

“You’re lucky I’m the one handling this. If it were Misty or Blast, they’d tear your wings off.”

“Yeah, I should’ve known better…”

“No, you couldn’t. You just wanted to have some fun, but you need to understand there are consequences here that affect all of us now. You can have fun with that stuff with your own friends.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her. “Hey, but we’re friends, right?”

Spitfire shrugged. “Not right now. We can be friends after the show, after all the fans have left and it’s just us. Most of the group liked you before tonight, but look. You embarrassed a lot of ponies with that stunt. I’m mad, they’re mad. Our fans saw it and now everypony’s going to know that the prank you pulled made us look like a bunch of fools.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at the ground. A handful of lights showed the figures of ponies setting the tent up again while a few Wonderbolts dealt with the crowd. She winced and said, “I’m sorry I screwed up. It won’t happen again. I guess… I just wanted…”

“Wanted what?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, “No, it’s nothing. I should help put the tent back up. And apologize.”

Spitfire studied her in the dark and Rainbow Dash shuffled her hooves. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t leave until she was ready, they were up here because Spitfire wanted to scold her, after all.

Spitfire said, “That’s probably for the best.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed the knot in her throat. “Yeah.”

The bolters adored Fluttershy. She sat on a cushion, in the back of wagon while they followed her on foot. Twilight walked beside the wagon, trying not to gag while Fluttershy said, “—and then Rarity flew up to the sun, but it was much too hot for her to be that high, and her wings evaporated! Poor Rarity just fell out the sky, but the Wonderbolts saw it and they swept down to save her, but, well Rarity was so frantic and she just flailed her hooves and kicked the other ponies. Then they were unconscious and everypony was really worried, until Rainbow Dash swooped down. And she was going faster and faster and thinking just about saving them and then…”

Twilight heard one of the bolters ask, “What? What?”

Several unicorns at the front levitated journals, quills, and ink and wrote down every word she said. They’d been doing that for the past day, everything Fluttershy spoke became Wonderbolt scripture.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together, but it was so soft Twilight hardly heard it. Fluttershy said, “Boom. She shot down and caught them and it was so amazing. Gosh, I hadn’t hollered like I did then ever since. But that’s where that story will end.”

Twilight rolled her eyes when she heard several, “Aww!”’s. The Spitfire cosplay pony, whose real name was silver Lining said from upfront, “Best if we do. I can see the Winnywood cropping up over that hill over there.”

Finally. Sweet mercy. Soon as they got there Twilight would ditch the bolters. Several of the ponies cheered. Twilight heard Fluttershy’s soft, “Yay,” tangled up in the noise. When they got the chance Twilight needed to remind her that they didn’t like her for her, but because of what she knew.

In fact…

Twilight dropped behind the wagon so she could see Fluttershy and said, “Fluttershy. You want to head into town ahead of them. See if we can’t find a certain pink pony around?”

“Hmm? Oh, of course Twilight.” She said to her admirers, “You guys don’t mind if we meet back up later tonight?”

Somepony said, “Just don’t keep us waiting.” It was the Rainbow Dash cosplayer. The dye in her mane faded into a tarnished mesh of colors. Twilight didn’t think she ever got out of her costume.

“Of course, um… we’ll be back in ten seconds flat? Bolt-hoof everypony!”

“Bolt-hoof!”

Twilight almost face-hoofed. She trotted ahead of the group while Fluttershy floated over the wagon. They reunited in front of the wagon and made sure to keep a pace that would pull them away. Fluttershy said, “I really enjoy spending time with them. They’re all very nice.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, they’re nice alright… they’re a lot things, actually.”

“Like what, Twilight?”

“Eh…”

“Oh, if you don’t want to tell me you don’t have too. I don’t want to put any pressure on you.”

Twilight said, “Well, it’s okay. It’s just… sometimes I get sick of how much they obsess. If I were Rainbow Dash I’d be terrified to know ponies like that idolized me more than Princess Celestia.”

“Oh, but it’s all done in good fun, I think.”

“If you say so…”

They walked into Winnywood. It sprouted out of a forest that continued its sprawl to the west. They passed a small bunny farm, which Twilight had to drag Fluttershy away from. They entered the town on the south side, it sloped down gentle sweep of hill twice the length of Ponyville. Below this sweep the ground leveled out and Twilight could clearly see the carnival-esque festival rising from the ground. Along the town she spotted several more cosplaying Wonderbolts and a whole host of fans walking the streets. Twilight groaned. “How is anypony supposed to be found here?”

“If you want, I can fly up and look for her Twilight.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Well, it does make me a little nervous. I don’t want to get lost, but this is more important.”

“Okay, we’ll meet back here in an hour.”

“Okay… um… see you,” Fluttershy said. She took to the air and Twilight sighed. She glanced around the town, shrugged, and decided to start walking.

Most of the town was built in a T shape, with the top-bar running north to south along the forest edge. The town of course splayed out in more general directions, but Twilight stuck to the main roads, for the most part. She saw Fluttershy drift south, so when she reached the branching road, Twilight headed east. A slow frown stretched over her face. She paced to the edge of town, she scanned the road. And didn’t find a single pony at all like Pinkie Pie. Her eyes lingered on a sweet’s shop named Dough, Re, Mi, but became distracted when she heard a pony shout, “You. The lavender unicorn, over here.”

Twilight turned around and saw a small stall with an old brown unicorn standing behind it. He said, “Today’s you’re lucky day missy filly. Got deals out the wazzoo.” The stall held several books, most looked like old tomes no pony touched in years. He waved his hoof and said, “Come on over. I’m emptying out my personal library, and you look like a unicorn who could use something to read.”

Pinkie Pie said, “Ooh, these mint chocolate chip cookies look great.”

The pink pony behind the counter smiled. “They’re my brother’s specialty. Guaranteed to be good.”

“I’ll take three then,” Pinkie Pie said. While the pink pony retrieved them Pinkie Pie noticed the question mark cutie mark on her flank. She said, “Whoa, I’ve never seen anything like that. I mean, every cutie mark’s different, but most are just something simple, you know? Like a flower or piece of food, maybe a tool, but nothing ever so… different. How did you get it?”

The pink pony slid the bagged cookies across the counter and answered while Pinkie Pie dug some bits out of the satchel over her shoulder. She said, “My family bakes, but I’m not a baker. I’m secretly a detective.”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “A detective! I was one a couple days ago. It was fun, what do you usually detect?”

“Not much thanks to my brother. He keeps me chained behind this counter.”

“That’s horrible. If you want, I can sneak you a cake with a file in it,” Pinkie Pie leaned over the counter and whispered, “Bust you out of here, if you know what I mean.”

The detective giggled. “Oh I’ve already got plenty of cake, all I need is for you to bring the file…?”

“Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie. My name’s Cookie Doe, but come back in, sometime.”

Pinkie Pie took her cookies and nodded. She said around the bag, “Of course. Wouldn’t let a pony stay in a prison. Promise to be back with that file.”

Pinkie Pie bounced out of the shop. Across the street she spotted a stall where a lavender unicorn bargained with a much older one. Pinkie Pie thought for a moment it was Twilight, but that was just silly. Twilight wouldn’t come all the way out here unless Princess Celestia forced her. Pinkie Pie bounced down the road, zigzagging between buildings towards the festival.

Less a show than a burgeoning of force. What happened to the old days where the Wonderbolts stunned crowds with grace that matched their magnificence? For this pony, those days seem dead and gone with the Wonderbolts newest arrival. The rightly called “Sonic Rainboom” is a tour de force with its own raw beauty, but it speaks of laziness. The team does nothing with their new member and their new member adds nothing to the team, aside from a shock value that will dry up after ponies have witnessed it a few times.

Rainbow Dash nickered and shoved the column away. It was a review of their show in Canterlot, a special editorial from Equestria Daily.

“Told you not to read it,” Tyco said from across the room. He lounged in their tent, the farthest tent from Winnywood. Tyco lied on a plush mattress he always used when he read.

Rainbow Dash said, “What does some stupid unicorn know about flying, anyway?” Rainbow Dash said. “Bet she doesn’t know a single pegasus.”

“Easy, Dash,” Blizzard said. He and Misty played cards on a table not far from Tyco. “This is what happens. Doesn’t matter how good the show is, there will always be that one pony that’s going to say we’re bad.”

“I bet that’s easy for you to say. The pony’s not ragging on you, now is she?”

“Read the rest of the article,” Tyco said. “She has some choice words for all of us.”

“Except for Soarin. She’s in love with Soarin,” Misty said. She played her next card without watching it and Blizzard’s hoof slapped down on the small pile in the middle. “Darn it. This is what I get for trying to be a part of the conversation. You’re such a cheater.”

Blizzard said, “The game is slaps, not which pony can wait politely for the other to notice.”

Misty fumed for a moment then said, “Just play a card.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. She didn’t get to be part of the meet and greet or the Q and A, they excluded her. Part of her ongoing punishment for her prank. She wanted to go… flying… do something that got her out of the tent, especially after reading that stupid review. She could be tons graceful when she wanted. There was a reason she was a Wonderbolt, wasn’t there?

Rainbow Dash asked, “Hey Tyco?”

Tyco didn’t look up from his book. “Yes?”

“Can I do some warm-ups or something? I’ll do it north of here, where no pony will see me, I swear.”

“Antsy after that review, huh?”

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash’s tail flicked. “A little.”

“Get some air, clear your head. Clouds behind your eyes does no pony good. Especially one with a big show tonight.”

“Thanks.”

“Get going. Before somepony on security hears and tries to catch you.”

Fluttershy hovered over the festival grounds. Several clouds had been moved in place for pegasus ponies to rest on as well. She didn’t do that, they were much too crowded. She felt like a silly filly for searching this far, Pinkie Pie didn’t know any bolters, or shouldn’t anyway… No, she didn’t know any bolters, so she couldn’t be this far out. But she searched everywhere else across town and missed her.

Her gaze traced north to a large, solitary tent where she saw a pony fly away from it. They coasted low to the ground to avoid attention. If Fluttershy squinted she could see the flurried rainbow mane of the pony. She gasped and whispered, “Rainbow Dash.”

She hesitated. They came here for Pinkie Pie, but maybe Pinkie Pie already found Rainbow Dash and headed back to Ponyville, and if that was the case she should talk to her, but… oh she just didn’t like the idea of interrupting her. But she needed to, if Pinkie Pie did get sent back to Ponyville then it meant they ran a wild goose chase, and chasing geese could be just awful.

Rainbow Dash plowed through a set of clouds, she felt the moisture create a wet sheath around her. It soon slipped off under the speed of her flight and heat of Celestia’s sunlight. It hung high in the northern hemisphere and mocked Rainbow Dash because she knew she couldn’t fly into it.

She didn’t care some stuck up unicorn in Canterlot didn’t like the show. She didn’t care one of her pranks backfired and just made ponies embarrassed and angry. What it threw in her face, though. Well… it was like how impossible the sun threw itself in her face. All that heat and radiance and warmth, and no pony could touch it. She couldn’t touch it.

She knew the world didn’t work in rainbows. She knew she couldn’t just follow a path and reach some stupid pot of gold. That’s why she made the sonic rainboom hers, to prove she could make her own rainbow to whatever she desired, but now…

She didn’t know what she wanted.

Rainbow Dash hung in the air, floating there with the sun the only thing in the sky. She felt it shift, sliding across her, the rays slipping off her wings. She petered out and leveled herself, she flew so high the festival spilled out like a patchwork quilt. None of it made any sense to her anymore, but Rainbow Dash never knew a thing about stitching.

She coasted above safe altitudes and felt cool air slip under her wings while the sun heated her back. The air was so thin here that if she pushed herself it could get to her.

The altitude felt comfortable. For the first time in a long time she just wanted escape. She hadn’t forgotten, hadn’t forgotten for a second what she said to her friends, to Applejack and Pinkie Pie both. And she regret it, but she convinced herself she could make amends, or at least, they would understand.

And here came the question she found so impossible to answer. Did the one’s close to her matter as much as the desire she always harbored in her heart?

“Dash… Rainbow Dash…”

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her trance so hard she almost forgot to fly. She dropped in altitude, but with a panicked flurry of flapped wings she saved herself. Below her Fluttershy struggled to keep an altitude within shouting distance. Rainbow Dash gasped and swept around to her.

She glided past Fluttershy and said, “Let’s get lower.”

Fluttershy nodded and both circled down like spiraling hawks to a cloud drifting not far from the ground. Rainbow Dash landed and Fluttershy followed. Rainbow Dash asked, “What in the hay are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry it’s just—”

Rainbow Dash felt herself doing it again. She shook her head and said, “No, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry, okay? For what I said during the party. Now why are you here?”

“Well, me and Twilight came to the festival with the Bolters…”

“Bolters? Those guys are nuts. Even I don’t drool over the Wonderbolts like they do.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, um… I thought they were nice enough people.”

Rainbow Dash snorted and shook her head. “Gah, I’m sorry I’m so bad at this. The Bolters are fine. What did you come here with them?”

Fluttershy said, “It’s kind of embarrassing, but, well… you see Rarity didn’t mean to but she told Pinkie Pie ‘what would Rainbow Dash do’ so Pinkie Pie did what she thought you would do and ran away to join the Wonderbolts.”

“What!” Fluttershy flinched. “Join the Wonderbolts, doesn’t she know she doesn’t have any wings?”

“That’s what we thought, but then Spike came in and he scolded us for being plain silly before he told us Pinkie Pie was really looking for you. And so, we’re here to find her because we thought she would go where you went…”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Keep going.”

“Well, then I just saw you and I thought you must not want to be interrupted, but then I thought ‘What if she already found you?’ So I flew over here to talk to you and ask you if you might’ve already sent her home.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Fluttershy… I haven’t seen Pinkie Pie since that… night.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to have bothered you then.”

“No, it’s okay. Really, I’m glad you’re here. You and Twilight will be cheering me on tonight, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh yes, we wouldn’t miss your big night for anything.” She squeaked. “Oh my gosh. I was supposed to meet Twilight half an hour ago.”

Rainbow Dash said, “You better go. And I’ll keep an eye out for Pinkie Pie. Thanks for coming Fluttershy, and I’m sorry about what I said.”

“It’s okay, um… see you later, then?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Definitely.”

She watched Fluttershy go and sighed. As her friend flew away she felt her gut cinch in knots.

Pinkie Pie left Ponyville to chase after her, when she was the jerk to her? Rainbow Dash didn’t deserve a friend like that. She needed to find her. Needed to apologize and set things right. She took to the air and returned to the Wonderbolt’s tent.

Rainbow Dash trotted inside and found Spitfire, Blast, and Soarin waiting with the rest. Tyco said as she entered the tent, “See? Told you she’d be fine.”

Blast glared at the stallion before she faced Rainbow Dash. “You better have a good excuse for why you flew off like that.”

“Easy, Blast,” her cousin warned.

“No, it’s time we stop playing soft with her. You know how many ponies asked me how I felt about a tent falling on my head? That happened two days ago and already it seems like everypony knows about it. She made us all look like a bunch of dunderheads and now she thinks she can just leave? No.”

Rainbow Dash said, “I’m sorry, I just needed to clear my head.”

“There’s plenty to do in the tent to clear your head. Worse comes to worst I can kick you until you don’t have anything to think about,” Blast said.

“Blast!”

Soarin said, “Yeah, lay off her.”

Blast glared at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash flared her nostrils and said, “I’m sorry, okay? But it was important. And this is important to. I need to take the night off. Just the night—”

“Whoa, hey.” Tyco shut his book. “You can’t just ‘take the night off’ on one of our biggest shows of the year. There are ponies who’ve waited months for today.”

Spitfire shook her head. “He’s right, Rainbow Dash. We can’t close the show without you.”

Rainbow Dash nickered. “But this is important. Look, there’s a friend who may be out there and I need to find her before the show. I won’t get the chance tonight.”

Spitfire pursed her lips and turned away. Blast said, “Hey you can’t seriously be letting her go again, can you?”

Soarin asked, “How important is it, Dash?”

Rainbow Dash scraped the ground with her hoof. She said, “Before I left I said some things I’m not proud of. And now because of me there’s a pony who just uprooted her whole life to find me. And if she’s here, then I need to see her and set things straight.”

Everypony watched Spitfire, whose wings parted slightly, they quivered in the air before she pulled them back beside her. She turned on Rainbow Dash and said, “You can take the night off, but don’t expect security to let you back in.”

Blast stamped her hoof. “Thank you Celestia, some sense!”

Soarin mumbled, “But Spitfire…”

Spitfire kept her gaze on Rainbow Dash. “We are Wonderbolts. There are thousands of ponies out there who will be getting more than just their feelings hurt if somepony fudges our show. We can’t take responsibility for you, Rainbow Dash, not for what you’ve done. But we also can’t chain you down and expect you to perform for us when we release you. So if you walk now, you walk for the rest of your life. If you really think your friend’s here, you can look tomorrow morning.”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw hung open. Soarin gawked too. Tyco shook his head and went back to his book while Blast sneered and Misty and Blizzard pretended not to watch over their ongoing card game.

“I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is,” Spitfire said. She turned on her cousin. “Get that stupid look off your face.” She then said to them all, “We’ll go through some warm ups in an hour like we planned. To tease the audience. Whether or not there are six or seven of us, we will do a show tonight.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. Really. I lost track of time reading that book anyways,” Twilight said. The two walked to the festival. The Bolters long since set up their little camp. They spotted the patchwork tent used before and headed to it.

“I’m still really sorry to keep you waiting, though.”

“And I said it was okay. Did you find Pinkie Pie at all?

Fluttershy shook her head, “Oh no. But I did talk to Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight almost tripped. “You talked to Rainbow Dash and didn’t tell me first thing? Well go on, tell me what she said! Has she seen Pinkie Pie at all?”

“No, she hasn’t. I just told her about how we got here.”

Twilight frowned. “That’s it?”

Fluttershy stopped mid-nod. “Wait… no… she acted, well, sort of… funny.”

“Funny?”

“Funny.”

Twilight said, “Anything more than just funny?”

Fluttershy said, “It’s just hard to explain, I guess… I think it was like she wanted to hug me, but she couldn’t. I sometimes get that way when I see a cute porcupine all by itself.”

Twilight was sure Fluttershy tried anyway. She sighed. “That’s it?”

“She just said if she saw Pinkie Pie she would send her home. Oh, and I promised her we would see her show.”

“Guess we don’t have much of a choice there.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her suit. Soarin retrieved it for her, off the peg on the opposite side of the tent. He laid it out in front of her and said, “Warm-ups are in ten minutes.”

Rainbow Dash lied in the dirt, she wished Soarin hadn’t laid the thing right in front of her. She turned her head away and Soarin sat down beside her. He said, “I’m sorry about your friend.”

Rainbow Dash’s dry throat did not add any pleasantry to her voice. “Yeah?” She already cried, but never once did she get a drink. Now she wanted one, just something to soothe it. Then she’d lie back in her corner and not make a decision at all, because she couldn’t choose.

Soarin laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey. I know it’s not fair, but Spitfire’s right, you know? She didn’t want to tell you no, either. She went through a lot of the same stuff, if it hadn’t been for her cousin she would have quit.”

“So you’re saying I should just give up?”

“Not that, no. But Spitfire found out her friends just didn’t abandon her. She still had them after everything blew over.”

“Had?”

Soarin sighed. “It does weigh on you. Tyco has a saying from one of his books about all the world being a stage and everypony’s players and what not. I can’t remember it. But the gist of it is that ponies don’t see us as Soarin or Spitfire or Rainbow Dash. They see Wonderbolts, and the longer you’re a Wonderbolt the more the Equestria sees you as a Wonderbolt until even your old friends stop saying Soarin, and start saying Soarin the Wonderbolt.”

Rainbow Dash felt bile rise in her throat. She didn’t want to hear that.

Soarin kept talking. “I mean, if you told me four years ago that my best friend would be a pony who enjoyed books and planning tricks more than he did flying and that the only thing we had in common were our loves of puns and pizza, well, I would’ve laughed at you.”

Rainbow Dash said, “So you are saying I should just give up.”

“Gah—I’m awful at this, aren’t I?” Soarin stood up. “What I’m trying to get at is, there will always be somepony there who understands you. Don’t fret about that, it just depends on who you want that to be. If I were you, don’t throw this out just yet. Do the show, and tomorrow, when things are better, when Spitfire can’t threaten you, go.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at him.

He smiled. “Being a Wonderbolt means being a lot of things. But don’t stop being yourself.”

“Oh, there they go,” somepony said, and a whole clump of Wonderbolt fans went quiet to watch seven Wonderbolts take to the air. They glided over to the field and began to make formation runs, and a whole bunch of stuff Pinkie Pie didn’t care about. She could only see there little tiny figures swooping around.

“Still can’t believe they’re letting Rainbow Dash fly after the stunt she pulled,” one fan said to another.

Both stood at the back of the crowd, under the shade of a tree. Pinkie Pie bounced beside the one who spoke, a crimson unicorn with black hair. She said, “What did she do?”

The unicorn started and bumped into her smaller friend. A white pegasus who grunted. Both spun on Pinkie Pie and the unicorn said, “Who the hay are you?”

“My name’s Pinkie Pie. I’m a friend of Rainbow Dash’s.”

The pegasus snorted. “Please.”

“Please what?”

Unicorn shook his head. “Never mind. Are you supposed to be here? You don’t look like a fan of the Wonderbolts.”

“Course I’m supposed to be here. I’m standing here aren’t I? If I wasn’t supposed to stand here then I’d stand elsewhere, but I’m standing here so I must belong here. Can you tell me what Rainbow Dash did now, please?”

The unicorn shook her head, but her friend said, “She pulled a prank on the team in front of a bunch of fans.”

Pinkie Pie laughed while the unicorn swung her flank into the pegasus and glared at her. The pegasus muttered, “The sooner we tell her the sooner she gets off our back.”

Pinkie Pie frowned. “That seems silly. I’m not on anypony’s back. I’m on the ground, I am an earth pony after all.”

“Let’s just ignore her,” the unicorn suggested.

“But what about Rainbow Dash’s prank? I just gotta know what she did.”

The pegasus wheeled around on her and demanded, “If we tell you will you bug off?”

Pinkie Pie nodded.

The pegasus rolled her eyes and said, “Rainbow Dash collapsed the Wonderbolt’s tent on top of them and made everypony there angry because she embarrassed the team.”

Pinkie Pie asked, “What would they have to be embarrassed about? It’s all in good fun.”

Neither pony answered her. They refused to face her again and like all the other ponies around her they watched the Wonderbolts run zigzags across the sky.

Rainbow Dash had her flank in the air, her front hooves stretched out as far as they could go. She stretched her shoulders, and bounced low to the ground before righting herself. The flight did make her feel better, if it only distracted her.

She heard Spitfire say her name and turned towards the entrance to the tent. Spitfire stopped before her and said, “They’re setting up the field now.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, it meant half an hour before show time. Spitfire said, “You up for the show tonight?”

Rainbow Dash said, “Course I am. I’m always ready.”

“You don’t look very convinced.”

Rainbow Dash knew she didn’t. She couldn’t ply the lingering regret off her, and it crept along her features, hid behind her eyes and dragged in her throat, making her voice leaden.

“I can do the show.”

Spitfire studied her for a moment. Smiled and said, “Okay.” She approached Rainbow Dash and nuzzled her cheek. “I’m glad you decided to stay.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to say to that. It was the first time Spitfire showed any interest in friendship. She turned away and lifted her left hind leg, her right wing splayed out and stretched the opposite direction. She said, “No problem.”

“Tyco will escort you to the stage. I’ve got to go,” Spitfire said. She retreated from the tent.

Tyco sat on his mattress twenty paces away. He flipped a page of his book and said, “I’m not escorting you anywhere.”

“You haven’t yet.”

“She just needed an excuse to leave. Between the two of us? Spitfire was the one who pushed for you to be on the team. She likes you, really likes you.”

Rainbow Dash almost blushed. She stopped her stretching but did not look at Tyco. “I’m flattered, but…”

“Don’t swing that way? We know. She knows,” Tyco said. “But it’s why she gave you that ultimatum. She doesn’t want to see you go. Frankly, none of us do. Even though Spitfire pushed for you, if any one of us thought you didn’t deserve to make the team, you wouldn’t have.”

Rainbow Dash thought of Blast and said, “I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe what you want. I’m not here to change what you see, just what you think is the truth.”

Rainbow Dash glared at him. But Tyco refused to look at her. Twenty minutes later he got up and said, “See you in ten.” He left the tent, and Rainbow Dash was alone.

Twilight sat with Fluttershy in the stands, surrounded by bolters, many of which had their current affection riveted on her friend. Twilight ignored this and thought of spells she could use to mute all the noise so maybe she could sneak in a few pages of reading before the show got under way. It was an hour before the sun slipped off the western horizon, the stands ran parallel to north and south. The field stretched two hundred paces wide and eight hundred long. Along it twenty pegasus ponies busied themselves with setting up fogs and several other ambient clouds used for the show. Roughly half a hundred security ponies paced the grounds and stands to make sure no rogue pony ran onto the field and endangered themselves and the Wonderbolts. A few pegasus ponies floated in the air above the stands as well, to insure everypony remained seated.

On the northern face of the field waited a small stage. Twilight’s hopes of some mute spell became moot when the audience erupted. From a nearby tent emerged a single figure, who walked forty paces and took her place on the stage before the field. It was Rainbow Dash.

Shouting matches between various clubs emerged. Twilight’s ears rang with, “Bolt-hoof,” and a slew of other chants. The fans built themselves into a frenzy. Twilight turned on Fluttershy to ask if they could leave, but Fluttershy was too busy clapping her hooves and getting swept away in the building craze.

It seemed the whole world would go mad for one pony.

Rainbow Dash felt her knees wobble. She didn’t have an answer, to anything. The past three months weighed heavily on her mind. She thought about all the time she spent with the Wonderbolts, all the careful encouragement and support to groom her into one of them. And she let them because it was what she wanted.

But she thought about what Soarin said and what she said to Applejack. She was a Wonderbolt now, and all these ponies, thousands of them screamed and hollered for her. For a Wonderbolt, there was no Rainbow Dash here on this stage. If she stayed a Wonderbolt, would the same happen in Ponyville? She thought of the distance already there, everypony treated her differently and she them and neither wanted that. The only pony who didn’t seem to notice a change was Pinkie Pie, and now…

Pinkie Pie could be anywhere right now.

She wanted to complete this show. She knew when she began flying her whole body would fill up with that poison. A noxious, horrible part loved the crowd too much. Showboating and arrogance was the only thing that kept her standing here. She wanted to run, but she reminded herself of everypony she disappointed by doing so. She had to do this, for everypony, for everything she gave up in the past three months.

She crouched low and fanned out her wings.

The volume of the crowd doubled.

Breathe, Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie tried to get around the large security pony, but he stepped in the way and said, “Uh-uh, no ticket, no show. Sorry miss.”

Pinkie Pie peeked over his shoulder out onto the field, where Rainbow Dash stood alone on the stage. “But I just got to see her. I came all this way—”

The stallion swung his green head into the way. “Hey, a lot ponies came a lot of ways to see the Wonderbolts, and you aren’t going to ruin it for them. You have two choices. You can go, or if you need help me and some of the boys will escort you back into Winnywood.”

Pinkie Pie glared at him. She knew she could outrun this bozo if she got past him. It would just take the right kind of move…

Rainbow Dash launched into the air. Pinkie Pie gasped and watched her shoot all the way to other side of the field where she twirled and became a spinning ball of rainbow color. She dove and glided along the ground and Pinkie Pie tried to run into her path, but the stallion and a friend of his blocked her way.

“Rainbow Dash!”

She was moving too fast to hear her, and those stallions blocked her from sight. In the blink of an eye she was in the field again, amongst the fog.

“That’s it, come on miss.”

Pinkie Pie almost struggled, but she saw they were bigger, tougher, and a dozen more ponies watched them to make sure she didn’t get away from them. She knew her best bet would be to wait when all eyes were on the Wonderbolts, then she’d make her move.

Pinkie Pie slipped out of the grasp of the green stallion and said, “Okay. Okay. I’m leaving, and I’m never coming back. I hope you’re happy.”

The stallion shrugged.

“Seriously. You’ll never see me again. So don’t bother trying to stop me because we won’t ever see each other. Ever. I won’t ever come back to one of these shows ever again.”

He turned away and Pinkie Pie spun around and bounced away. She fooled him. Her plan worked perfectly…

She made about twenty paces before the field lit up with the Wonderbolt’s lightning sun. The show had begun.

Breathe, Rainbow Dash.

“It’s all you!” Soarin shouted as he sped by.

It was the end of the show. The other Wonderbolts formed up at the south side of the field for some performance flying to distract the audience while she prepared. Rainbow Dash began to ascend.

The show had not changed anything. All the same feelings riled through her. She still did not know which path to take moving forward. Both sides were laced with their own triumphs, their own failings. She would disappoint ponies no matter what she chose.

She knew both could lead her to happiness. She remembered what Soarin said, and she knew the same could happen to her. Ponies lost friends all the time and moved on, but at the same time… Those five were her best of friends, the only real friends she ever had before, and she knew that like friends, dreams fade and change, too.

In the end, whichever choice she made would be like stepping into the heart of a rainboom. Destructive and beautiful, brief yet always permanent in memory.

She felt somepony rush beside her. She looked to her right and there flew Tyco. He shouted, “Call it off.” Rainbow Dash stopped her ascent, about as half as high as she needed to be. Tyco told her, “Somepony ran onto the field. It’s too dangerous.”

Rainbow Dash looked down. On the field scrambled dozens of tiny figures, they all tried to close on a pink dot, darting around the field.

“Pinkie Pie…”

“What?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t have an answer for the future. She was sure she would never have one, but she did know that she would never abandon Pinkie Pie or anypony ever again, not like she did that night.

Rainbow Dash dove.

Twilight yelled, “We need to save her before she gets hurt.”

On the field Pinkie Pie bounced into the air, landed on the shoulders of a stallion and sprung off. Confounding a swath of security ponies who thought her cornered. Twilight pushed her way past a pair of bolters and made for the stairs.

A pair of hooves grabbed her. They forced Twilight to turn around and in front of her was Fluttershy. She pointed a trembling hoof into the air and said, “Um… Twilight… she’s not slowing down…”

Twilight eyes almost popped from her skull. She gasped and said, “Celestia save us she’s going to be way to close.”

Fluttershy asked, “What can we do?

Twilight’s eyes scanned the crowd. No pony seemed to care, none of them really knew just how powerful the sonic rainboom could be. They couldn’t evacuate everypony there, not enough time. Rainbow Dash still picked up speed.

Twilight pursed her lips and said, “I’ll try my best, but…” she closed her eyes and began to focus her energies, “You may want to get down, Fluttershy.”

Shields were paltry magics. Usually placed around a single object to keep it from getting damaged. All it took was a picture in the mind’s eye of what needed to protect, and then coalescing one’s energy around it. She could see the field, the stands, but it was impossible to see everypony there, so she focused on the air above the stands. She shaped her energy around it, the height of a hundred ponies in the air, and began to stretch it from a single point across the whole field. Over it, forming a dome.

Only a few sharp-eyed unicorn ponies noticed the air ripple like it was in the throes of a heat wave, the magic remained invisible to other ponies. Some realized the danger, because Twilight felt small pockets of energy fill on her shield, perhaps two dozen unicorns pitching in. The effort of magic slowed down time, all they had to do was finish the dome and…

“Twilight!”

A bloom of energy, Rainbow Dash punched through the shield in an instant and Twilight screamed, it was like the pony punched through her own skull. The remainder of the rainboom exploded over her shield, it held the force for a moment, then a searing pain laced its way up Twilight’s horn until she could feel it on the border of cracking. She had no choice.

She released the magic.

She opened her eyes and felt the force of the rainboom shove her flat against the stands. She gasped and blinked, trying to regain her senses. Her ears popped when the roar reached her. Underneath them the stands swayed and rocked. She heard ponies shout and scream, the wonder gone. She fought for consciousness, but the pain that bloom in her horn now flushed through her body like a poison, and for a moment, she blacked out.

When the force of the rainboom hit, Fluttershy felt herself almost blown over, but the solid hooves of the bolters behind her caught her and propped her up. Fluttershy didn’t notice Twilight. For a moment she caught the sight of Pinkie Pie and several security ponies struggling to their hooves, but then Rainbow Dash was there. She went far too fast to sweep down, grab Pinkie Pie, and leave.

So she swept around them, went the length of the field before she could turn again and sped towards the party pony. But some of the security ponies piled on top of her, thinking to protect Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash changed her plans and swept around them, veering hard and sweeping into a circle. She orbited them faster and faster until every one of the ponies was lifted in the air.

Fluttershy felt a surge of wind tug on her mane, the stands creaked and leaned toward the twister Rainbow Dash created. But soon it wasn’t a twister, Rainbow Dash kept spinning and spinning around Pinkie Pie until the stallions fell to the ground, dropping a distance that wouldn’t harm them until there was just Pinkie Pie in the core of a balled rainbow. The pony barely visible through the vapored colors of light.

Then Rainbow Dash swept up, around, and the vortex suddenly stopped. Pinkie Pie fell an instant before Rainbow Dash sped through her own vortex and caught her. The vortex exploded and followed the pegasus in a long, narrow cone of multi-colored vapor trails that hung heavy in the air.

They sped straight, for the Wonderbolts tent and disappeared within it.

A pair of Wonderbolts followed, the face of the stands on the opposite end of the field collapsed. Ponies yelled warnings and began to scramble to safety, and Fluttershy finally remembered poor Twilight beside her. Groaning and struggling to come to her senses.

“Oh I know, Twilight. I’m sorry, but you just got to move, okay? It’s not far, and it’s just too dangerous here. Come on, ugh, move please!”

Twilight felt somepony grab her and try to lift her onto her hooves, but when they released her her knees buckled and she fell again. “Gosh, I’m so sorry, Twilight. Here—” Hooves wrapped around her again, but they quickly let her go. Twilight heard a squeak. She tried to open her eyes and lift her head, but she couldn’t.

She heard, “She okay?”

“Oh… I’m not sure… um… she tried to… um…”

“Here, it’s going to be okay.” Twilight saw hooves land in front of her face, they were hidden underneath the familiar navy blue suit of a Wonderbolt.

A pair of strong hooves wrapped around her and lifted her into the air.

“Follow me, I’ll drop you guys off over there.”

Twilight’s head hung limp in the air. The stands swayed below her, shrinking away until she pitched left and glided over the air to where a crowd of ponies waited. But she stopped and her limbs swung in the air like pendulums when she heard, “Wait!”

“What is it?” the Wonderbolt asked.

“We’re friends of Rainbow Dash…”

She hung in the air, drifting up then down with the beat of the pegasus pony’s wings. “Hey, yeah I recognize you now. You guys are from Ponyville.”

“Yes.”

“Well, shoot. Follow me. I’ll get you to Rainbow Dash. I’ve got a feeling she’ll be wanting to see you guys to.”

Twilight swung around and the Wonderbolt carried her to the tent.

Rainbow Dash hugged Pinkie Pie and said, “What in the hay were you doing?” The two of them sat on Tyco’s mattress, catching their collective breaths.

Pinkie Pie coughed. Rainbow Dash let up her grip and she said, “I was doing what you would do.”

Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Don’t ever do that again. Obviously I’m not very smart.”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Whatever you say, Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash poked her in the ribs. “I mean it. You scared me senseless.”

Both ponies heard: “Senseless? I’ve got a lot words for it, and senseless is the nicest.”

Rainbow Dash looked behind her and started. In the entrance of the tent stood Spitfire and Tyco. Tyco with a scowl on his face and Spitfire a stern glare. Both approached and Tyco added, “We had a clear height you had to be for when you hit the rainboom. A clear one you had barely cleared when you began your dive. It’s only by sweet Celestia herself that no pony got killed. It was a miracle no pony should ever see again.”

Spitfire eyes flicked from Pinkie Pie to Rainbow Dash. “She was the friend you were talking about? Did you think she was in some kind of trouble when you made that dive? She wasn’t until you did.”

Rainbow Dash stepped between the two and Pinkie Pie. “I wasn’t going to abandon her.”

Tyco nickered. “I don’t care if it was Princess Celestia out there. You don’t endanger a thousand for one.”

Pinkie Pie spoke up, “Well did anypony get hurt?”

The flap came open again, and everypony turned their gaze on Fluttershy. Who squeaked and wilted away until Soarin entered the tent with Twilight draped across her back. Pinkie Pie gasped. “Twilight!”

Twilight groaned and tried to raise her head to face Pinkie Pie, but she couldn’t. Pinkie Pie rushed to her side while Soarin said, “She’s okay.”

Spitfire demanded, “Who are these two?”

Soarin looked at Rainbow Dash. “Friends?”

Rainbow Dash nodded.

With Pinkie Pie’s help, Soarin set Twilight down. The dazed unicorn leaned against the pegasus while Soarin said, “Fluttershy here says this unicorn’s the reason Rainbow Dash didn’t flatten the field.”

Twilight muttered something. Soarin listened, nodded and said, “She says she had some help.”

Tyco turned on Rainbow Dash. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips. She already said it all, and she still stood by it. Misty barreled into the tent. Fluttershy yelped and ducked. Misty said, “You guys should get out here.”

“What is it?” Spitfire asked.

Misty shook her head, “You need to see,” and she flew out the tent again.

Spitfire said to Rainbow Dash, “This isn’t over.”

Soarin and Pinkie Pie helped Twilight follow the two Wonderbolts outside. Fluttershy looked at her, opened her mouth then her ears perked and she said, “Hear that?”

Rainbow Dash did, at first it was indistinct. Fluttershy drifted outside, lured by the noise. A knot rose in Rainbow Dash’s throat, but she swallowed and stepped outside. And before the tent, amassed hundreds of ponies, a Wonderbolts flag waved over them, and she heard the clear chant now, “Dash! Dash! Rainbow Dash! Beats the best in ten seconds flat!”

Rainbow Dash barely heard Fluttery gasp. “The bolters!”

Out on the field, it still hung in the air, the torrent of colored vapors from her sonic rainboom. The burst dissolved overhead, below it, underneath the spot Rainbow Dash created her tornado hung the remains of the vapors, where she shot through it and stretched it over the field. The stands sagged, and looked they would collapse with the next breeze. But before her…

“Dash! Dash! Rainbow Dash! Beats the best in ten seconds flat!”

Her knees wobbled, and she felt the same emotion well up in her that Soarin left when he told her she would be a Wonderbolt. She felt Fluttershy beside her, she heard her friend say, “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I didn’t know if you wanted to—but I sort of told them your catch phrase.”

The crowd continued its chant. Pinkie Pie twisted around and waved her hoof. “Hello? Equestria to Rainbow Dash? Get out there, they want you, Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash took a few weak steps forward, at least until the crowd could see her clearly. The chant broke into raucous applause, whistles, hooting and hollering. Some sections swung back into their cheer. Her cheer. And she knew this moment… she’d felt it twice before a year ago and when she was filly… and now again…

Standing at the heart of a rainboom.

“We aren’t going to hold a double standard,” Spitfire said. All of the Wonderbolts stood behind her now, it was the morning of the next day. Rainbow Dash stood outside the tent with her three friends beside her. Spitfire said, “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but—”

“She did something super-duper amazing, though!” Pinkie Pie protested. “You can’t kick her out for that—”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No Pinkie Pie, it’s fine.”

Twilight said, “Are you sure?”

Rainbow Dash nodded and said to the Wonderbolts, “Spitfire’s right, there shouldn’t be any special treatment with the team. But more importantly, I’m not ready yet. I mean—I’m ready to be a Wonderbolt, I know I can do that in my sleep. But I’m not ready to give up everything, I don’t think I ever will be able to. If it makes any sense—I don’t know.” Rainbow Dash pointed at the Wonderbolts, “You guys can bet your bits I’ll be back though, and well, if I can’t be a Wonderbolt still then I’ll just start my own group and it’ll ten times cooler.”

Spitfire smiled. “I fear the day.”

Rainbow Dash did too. “Hey you ponies better. I’ll be shooting up the ladder so fast it’ll leave your heads spinning when I blaze past you.”

Soarin spoke up, “See you around Dash. Me and Spitfire may pay you a visit in Ponyville once we finish this tour.” And he winked, but it wasn’t directed at Rainbow Dash. She glanced over her shoulder and found Twilight blushing.

“See you guys!” Pinkie Pie said. “Let me know next time you guys are in town so I can throw a party.”

Spitfire chuckled, “Sure will, Pinkie Pie.”

“Thanks a bunch, then, Comet.”

“It’s Spitfire.”

“Spitfire, well that’s just silly—”

“Come on Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, “Before you embarrass us anymore.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Don’t you mean, embarrass you?” Twilight almost glared at her as they turned away. Rainbow Dash heard her say, “Oops, I’m sorry. That wasn’t too far was it? I just thought we were joking…”

Twilight said, “Oh, it’s fine. Coming, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash spared the Wonderbolts one last look before she joined her friends. “Course I am. I just figured you guys could use a head start.”

Pinkie Pie said, “Head start? I didn’t think were racing home.”

“Um… were not. I asked Silver Lining, and he was nice enough to let us travel back with the bolters,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight whined, “But I still have a terrible headache!”

Comments

[Ice]

It's good to see a new chapter for this