11 - The storm. Also, socks.
“Featherweight.”
“Featherless.”
“That’s still one more feather than you have.”
“Hmpf.” Spitfire fished for a retort. “I do-nut think your vision is right. Better get that checked.”
“Ha! That’s not going to work on me anymore.” Soarin’s arrogant tone clashed with his expression of intense concentration. Whoever scored the last point was the winner. “C’mon Spitfire, or should I call you Spitty because you’ve lost your edge?”
“It’s for your own safety. If I’m not careful, I’ll set all that hay up in your head on fire.”
“Hey, that’s my emergency supply for when you eat everything out of the kitchen.”
“Can’t have you going hungry now, can we?” Spitfire’s leg flexed out and she tapped him in the stomach.
“No. Who else is going to run this place?”
“Would you like a list? It’s a bit long.”
“I’ll listen just as soon as I’m done breathing.”
Spitfire’s gilded eyelids accentuated her sly expression. “Which would you prefer? A race with me will leave you breathless, or I can send for a certain somepony to come take your breath away.” Her eyebrows arched suggestively.
Soarin’ wasn’t about to fall for the Rainbow Dash trap. “I’ll take the race. At least I’ll be breathless knowing I’ve won.”
“Ha! The only race you’ll be winning is a race to the bottom. The thought that you can best me – I can’t tell you how ridiculous that is.”
“A bigger vocabulary might help.”
Spitfire didn’t have anything to say to that. Rapidfire looked from one contestant to the other and waited. Soarin’ went on, “Looks like all of Spitfire’s foals went out to play. Now she’s got no brains. We’d better come back later.”
The fiery pegasus laughed, knowing she’d lost. “Are you calling me a foals-for-brains? I haven’t heard that one before.” She narrowed her eyes. “How did you get good enough at this to beat me at my own game? You had help, didn’t you? Who was it? High Winds?” Her gaze turned to the referee. “Rapids?”
Soarin’ rubbed an ear. “Help? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Spitfire gave him a long, thoughtful look before she let it go. Rapidfire sighed hopelessly at his adversarial friends. The stormy pegasus didn’t even bother to try to get away before the other two started talking again. He knew Soarin’ and Spitfire would just come after him later to keep track of whatever game was next.
Soarin’ bet he secretly enjoyed it.
Spitfire rubbed her chin. “Alright Soarin’, since I lost this time, I finally get to decide what we play next.”
Fleetfoot trotted over. “Would you three hurry up and put your goggles on? We’re going to be late.”
~~~
“Fluttershy, I can’t see.” Rainbow Dash moved her friend’s head with a hoof.
“Oh, sorry, it’s just that I got so excited.” The young mare had stretched her neck all the way into Rainbow Dash’s space in anticipation.
All six friends were seated in one of the towering temporary stands on the outskirts of Ponyville. Normally this place was where the rodeo was held, as evidenced by the trampled dirt in the center of the makeshift arena. Unicorns had moved all the wooden fencing and bleachers and a special team of pegasi had brought in unwilling clouds from the Everfree Forest. Today the sticky puffs were a lovely, sickly orange color. They hung angrily around the outside of the stadium. Every so often a laughing parent would have to go pull a stuck foal from one.
The arena itself was a very wide circle ringed by seating, all decorated with checkered material to hide the wood underneath. Fifteen or so tall towers pointed to the sky, each topped with a box of prime seating. The towers were spaced at even intervals and a wall much lower to the ground connected all of them together. The whole thing looked like a castle decked in colorful checkerboard canvas.
“This reminds me of something,” said Twilight hesitantly.
“Must’ve been a book you read,” Applejack responded.
The only thing their box lacked was covered awning, much to Rarity’s dismay. Rainbow Dash had to explain to her that it would make it hard to see anything overhead with a roof in the way. It wasn’t the same as a derby.
The crowds were nothing like the Best Young Flyer Competition. There were tons of ponies here, not to mention a dragon or two, griffons, cows, mules, donkeys, and even the occasional as-
“Man, I hate crowds!” Pinkie Pie said with a swipe of her hoof. Her five friends looked at her in stunned silence. How could a pony love enormous parties and hate crowds?
“Hee hee. Gosh you guys, I can’t believe you fell for that. It doesn’t even make sense!” Pinkie didn’t make sense, but nopony was about to point that out.
Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to the ring. The announcer stood on a cloud at the center of the arena, where he seemed to be listening to something in his headset. He gave a swift nod, and then his cloud elevated slightly upward.
“Take your seats, because the pegasi you’ve all gathered here for are on their way this very moment. I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard an awful lot of rumors about what we’re going to see today, and I’m just as curious as you. As for special advice about today’s event, try to refrain from any use of magic until after the show. I hope you ponies brought your umbrellas.”
Applejack fidgeted. “Aw shoot, we were supposed ta bring umbrellas?”
Twilight opened her bag. “It’s okay Applejack, I’ve got you covered.” She passed an extra umbrella to her unprepared friend.
The announcer knew exactly when to go on without turning around to see the dot rapidly growing on the horizon. “Now, to introduce the most daring flyers in all of Equestria: the Wonderboooolts!”
Rainbow Dash felt like she could watch the Wonderbolts jet into a flight show over and over again and never get bored. In a single file line, the team whisked over the announcer’s head and broke into separate flight paths headed straight for the ground. They all landed at once, kicking up dust on impact in a broad circle with one pegasus at the center: Spitfire. Seven of her teammates were spaced out around her.
While the announcer entertainingly introduced each member of the team on the field today, the ring of Wonderbolts allowed themselves the brief moment to do whatever they wanted without leaving their spot. Lightning Streak, who was closest to their box, flashed his wings open and closed, taking bows for his hopelessly enamored fans. It was hard to make out from this distance, but Surprise was playing a trick with a bit, snatching it out of the air from apparently nowhere and spinning it on her nose. Spitfire’s hooves rapped the ground in precise beats as she trotted purposefully in place: one, two, one, two. That could only mean one thing.
Without warning, all eight Wonderbolts shot into to the sky. The seven from the outer ring smashed together right were Spitfire was about to be, kicking off each other’s hooves and sending silver sparks everywhere. Spitfire pierced the sky and a satellite of fire split the sparkling Wonderworks with a BANG. Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy and Twilight jump in surprise. Contrails of gray smoke chased the Wonderbolts as all eight rose above the stadium, still in the dotted circle formation.
Heat from Spitfire’s move washed over the audience. Rainbow Dash noticed that the change in temperature was causing the Everfree Forest clouds to expand outside the arena. Was this part of their plan?
“Psst, hey RD,” Applejack whispered from the row in front of the rainbow mare. The Wonderbolts were in the middle of a slower maneuver where they came together in one point and split apart, flying downward to create a weeping willow effect. “Where’s Soarin’? Is that him?” She pointed to a stallion with a dark blue mane and tail.
Rainbow Dash snapped out of her Wonderbolt-awe and realized one of the names the announcer hadn’t said today was that one. “No, that’s Wave Chill. Soarin’…” she squinted at the details of each flyer to be sure. “It doesn’t look like he’s here today.”
She puffed out her cheeks. He had some nerve to invite all of them to an air show and then not even show up.
Aw hay, who was she kidding? Watching the Wonderbolts was awesome.
Applejack adjusted her hat like she usually did when she was confused. “That’s a mite odd. Maybe he’s in the audience like us.” The sturdy mare turned back to the show, drawn in by the Wonderbolts branching off into separate paths. They slowly streamed down, drawing eight tassels of gray smoke out from the center smoke pillar. Fluttershy would definitely say it looked like a weeping willow. Pinkie Pie would probably call it a pom-pom.
“Ooh, look, a sea anemone!” the party pony cooed.
Or that.
The signature gray cloud trails switched off when the team moved to a new formation. In two groups of four, the Wonderbolts traversed the sky in coordinated loops before they broke apart and weaved an insane, living rollercoaster. It got faster once they’d set the pattern. All eight pegasi zipped through the sky in figure eights and waves and scribbles without hitting each other, even though at some intersections they could reach out and touch if they wanted. The whole move was a chaotic mess of knots, but somehow it made sense when you watched it.
The most famous flyers in all of Equestria pushed the tactic to its limit. At the points where they could touch if they wanted, they did. The sky above the arena became an out-of-control firecracker. Blue-gold blurs and colored Wonderworks shattered the air. Whipped by the strange wind patterns of the disturbance in the center of the stadium, the Everfree Forest clouds fought back by bulking up and entering the first stage that signaled a storm. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only pegasus whose ears perked up at this; Fluttershy was similarly tense. Only crazy ponies who thought they could take on magical hurricanes alone would even consider going near an Everfree Forest storm.
Rainbow Dash was ready.
So, apparently, was the lone pony galloping across the field. With broad, measured strides, the ninth Wonderbolt approached the center of the arena. His eternally windswept mane and tail streamed behind him. He was a magnificent sight.
How magnificent?
An “Oh…” escaped Rarity’s lips.
Wonderbolt blue and a lightning flash of gold gleamed against Soarin’s pearly coat. He slowed to a stop in middle of the stadium and fully extended his wings. The perfectly defined plumage shone like steel, each feather a brilliant blade. His stance practically screamed how dangerous he was. There was nothing about him that indicated he had so much as a speck of compassion, or anything other than raw power, at that moment. He’d completely let himself go. Soarin’ reared, ridden with unfettered wildness.
He owned the sky, and he wasn’t even in it yet.
The uncontrollable stallion brought with him a feeling of foreboding. Rainbow Dash’s coat prickled. A storm was coming.
The other Wonderbolts were now whirring in a circle overhead, as if they could draw water from a reservoir with only the eight of them. The darkening orange clouds started to move, funneled in and towards the ground. They massed in the center of the stadium until it was impossible to see the other side. Turning a blood red color, clouds pooled out and draped the sky above in all directions, casting a shadow over the land. Jolts of static electricity jumped around the rolling mass.
With slow, powerful wing strokes, Soarin’ took to the sky, leaving fans of dust in his wake. He disappeared into the cumulonimbus and darkness overtook the cloud from the bottom up, spreading like poison. The other Wonderbolts stopped spinning just in time to be absorbed by it. Eight paths of obsidian night shot in all directions, tearing the red with dark gashes. A warning rumble growled across the sky and the wind picked up, whistling in Rainbow Dash’s ears and trying to take her colors with it. Soon the only thing left in sight was a billowing storm blacker than Nightmare Moon’s soul.
“This… this can’t be possible,” Twilight distantly whispered to herself.
It was hard to hear her, because the only thing that existed was the Storm.
A thunderclap briefly illuminated the dark form of a pegasus with wings outstretched. Jagged bolts of chain lightning raced along the obsidian ceiling, leaping gaps in electric arcs. They channeled around the power-crazed pony at the center. Between flashes and thunder, glimpses of his outline dodged around the dangerous bolts like Luna at a Canterlot rave. The lethal energy was his to command, but it fought against him at every turn.
Soarin’ shot the lightning intermittently at the ground. Gaps between lightning strikes grew smaller and smaller until several constant rippling bolts touched the earth, fed from streams of electricity all the way at the distant reaches of the cumulonimbus. The earth turned black, a mirrored reflection of the destructive force above.
After a few moments the electric storm went silent. The air chilled, the wind died down, and the obsidian cloud let loose a downpour of rain. At some point Rarity had already prepared for this. Anypony who didn’t have their umbrella on scrambled to get it out now.
The rain was a wakeup call back to reality. Rainbow Dash let it plaster her mane to her coat. The arena was completely silent but for the shower of water droplets. Every creature there was Wonder struck.
The eight original Wonderbolts returned from the far reaches of the sky and clustered around Soarin’ as he descended from the storm, which was now fading to a complacent gray raincloud color. They landed together in a circle.
stamp – stamp – stamp – stamp – The sound of somepony’s slow clop echoed in the empty space. Others joined in. The applause grew in size and speed until the stands rocked with the sound of a stampede, drowning out the rain.
~~~
“Yo Soarin’. Hey buddy, snap out of it.”
They were standing in the middle of a blackened dirt arena, surrounded by checkered walls on all sides. The pony named Soarin’ fought to reign in its conscience. Him, that pony was him.
“Hate to do this to you bro, but I’ll be giving you a hoof sandwich in front of all these fans if you don’t come back to us, like, right now,” Wave Chill said.
Spitfire didn’t bother to wait and stomped on Soarin’s foot. Hard.
“OW!” he yelped, wings flipping open. “Geez, what was that for?” He massaged the injured foot against his good leg.
“He’s fine,” Spitfire told Wave Chill. “Let’s get out of the rain. The support team will take care of the clouds.”
Of all things, the Wonderbolts walked through the black mud out of the stadium. Soarin’ was fine with this. He wasn’t in any shape to fly again just yet. A covered pavilion outside waited for them, soon to be inundated by ponies wanting autographs and photos. Hopefully the downpour would keep some at bay today. They had a few moments to scuff the glop off their uniforms and shake the water from their drenched fur.
“Hey Spitfire,” Soarin’ said tiredly, “Next time, you do the incredible stunt.”
“And burn down an entire village?” She laughed. “No thanks.”
Surprise whapped her wet gold tail across Soarin’s face as she walked by. “All that extra training sure paid off. The day we stop impressing ourselves, that’ll be the day I hang up my thunderbolt.”
“Aw come now Surprise,” Spitfire teased, “don’t you think you should give up your spot so somepony else can have a chance? I know plenty of young, inexperienced, rough-and-tumble colts that’d love to have it.”
“Hay no! They’ll have to beat me first.” She looked outside at the pouring rain. “But I do feel like this rain is missing something.”
The instant an opportunity for wordplay popped up, so did High Winds. “A bow.”
Yeah.
~~~
Her five best friends burst into excited conversation once they’d made it out of the stadium. Pinkie Pie tried to reenact the whole thing, much to everypony’s amusement. Even Rarity was okay with getting a little bit dirty from the mud the brightly colored pony kicked up.
“Oh my gosh Rainbow,” Twilight raved, “that was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen. I read about flying tactics like that in old mythical accounts of wars, but I didn’t think pegasi could actually do it. It looks like I need to reconsider which books are in the mythology section again.” Twilight bounced happily at the prospect of this new task.
Applejack noticed the uniquely colored pegasus wasn’t particularly talkative. “Hey RD, ya okay? Yeh been awful quiet since the show ended. And isn’ the Wonderbolt tent that'a way? We’re goin in the wrong direction.”
Fluttershy cut in, “She already has all of their autographs.” It was true. That wasn’t the reason she couldn’t face Soarin’ and the others right now, though.
She groaned. “It’s just… how am I ever gonna top that?”
Nopony had an answer to that. After all, they’d believed the Sonic Rainboom was the height of flying prowess, being earth ponies and unicorns and, well, Fluttershy.
Twilight surprised her, though. “I know you, Rainbow. It might take a while, but I’m certain you will come up with something. Remember when we undid Nightmare Moon? Or when we defeated Discord?”
How could she forget? First they’d blasted the mane off of Nightmare Moon, and after that they’d fixed everything Discord had done with a reversal spell that encapsulated all of Ponyville.
“Then there was the time Apple Bloom got into Zecora’s potions. Er, and the time I lent her that book about Hearts and Hooves day, though I guess you weren't here for that.”
Applejack secured her hat. “Ah’d prefer if we don’t remember that.”
“And then of course there’s Pinkie Pie.”
“Who? Me?”
Twilight continued, “My point is – there are all kinds of magic in this world. I think you’d be surprised if you would just pay a little more attention to detail.” She chuckled to herself, knowing that was Rainbow Dash’s weakness. “Besides, Soarin’ is the one teaching you, isn’t he? I’m sure he’s doing his best to help you out.”
“Mmmhm,” Rarity agreed. “I must say though, this drab weather and rain is definitely missing something.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash didn’t see how the performance could have been any better.
“A rainbow, of course.”
She laughed at that. Today had definitely been a lot of fun, even if it seemed like she was farther from her goal than ever before. Just you wait Soarin’. I don’t care how long it takes, but I’m going to knock your little pony socks off.
Tomorrow would be just the chance to get in some extra flying practice. Yep, another normal day in Ponyville.
Or not.
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I like the pic at the end it is so funny
More please!!!!! Love the pic
and even the occasional a-...occasional what? OCCASIONAL WHAT?!
“This reminds me of something,” said Twilight hesitantly.
scifiwire.com/assets_c/2010/02/SuperbowlQuidditch-thumb-330x201-33325.jpg
May hap it be this?
That was something else, I can see why Dash would be a bit concerned. While highly impressive in it's own right, the rainboom is rather immediate and brief, the rainbow trail not-included, Soarins move was dramatic and drawn out. If Dash could find a way to either draw out the rainboom, or combine it with another move perhaps (rainbow lightning storm anypony?) then she'd truly have something amazing.
1208891 Haha, and here I was wondering if anyone would get that reference!
Ass for the occasional (stops). Well, that typo explains your first question. High Winds is laughing at me now.
Very well written stunt there. Pretty cool.
And the pic at the end, lol, Is that the future??
bonus points for the bottom scribble!
Oh, that pic!
1208996
But you already said there were donkeys and mules...
"and even the occasional as-"
I think I took the emoticons too far... 
I get the ending picture.
Those are socks, huh? 
-sees sketch- Ahhhh, I gettit now! XD Awe-inspiring writing as usual. You really make a lot of other fanfics I've read look like crap. XD
What a show!
Quidich anyone?
SURPISE HARRY POTTER REFERENCE!
I love you, you marvelous muggle, you.
Another pic who makes me laugh!?
Damn, now that was another awesome chapter. Excellent job writing the flying show.
CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!
I actually want him to wear socks and have them knocked off..