One Wish

by Scribblestick

Grounded

“ALL RIGHT, WHICH ONE OF YOU BONEHEADS BLABBED?”

The Rainboom Squad stood in wide-eyed silence as Dash screamed. Stratus opened his mouth tentatively. “Ma'am?”

“One of you told a little filly from Cloudsdale that I'd be doing a Sonic Rainboom for her,” Dash shouted. “Now, fess up. Who blabbed?”

This was certainly not how they expected to spend their morning, but Dash had been planning this confrontation all weekend. She didn't have anything else to do, other than exercise and try to get in some flying. Fluttershy stood nearby in silence.

The three pegasi looked at each other, still confused. “Ma'am, none of us could have said anything,” Skypuff said. “You never said anything about doing a Sonic Rainboom.”

Dash groaned and started to pace. “Well, somepony did,” she said. “I bet one of you figured out why I've been pushing myself so hard, and couldn't wait to break the news to Cloudwing.”

“Who's Cloudwing?” Gale asked.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said softly, “maybe I should take it from here.” Dash nodded and stepped to the side, glowering at her team while Fluttershy spoke. “A little filly from Cloudsdale wrote to me a while ago, asking if Rainbow Dash could perform a Sonic Rainboom for her. Dash said she'd give it a try, but we decided it wasn't really feasible. I was going to suggest a different wish, but-”

“Except somepony told her I would, and now I'm stuck,” Dash growled.

A flash of realization came to Stratus's face. “Oh,” he gasped. “Uh...”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. “Go on.”

“Well... I was talking with my folks about how you've been teaching us to do the Rainboom,” he said. “They had some friends over, and they had a filly with them.”

Fluttershy pulled Cloudwing's photo from her file. “Did she look like this?”

Stratus's wings drooped as he looked at the photo. “Yeah. That's her. I swear, I didn't say you were doing a Rainboom, just that you were showing us how.” He put a hoof to his face. “That explains why she was so excited about it. I'm so sorry, I didn't know she'd take it the wrong way.”

“Yeah, well, now I have two weeks to figure out how to pull off a Rainboom without breaking my wings in half!” Dash yelled.

Skypuff stepped between Dash and Stratus. “It was an honest mistake, ma'am,” she said.

“I'm sure we can figure out a solution,” Gale added. “I have a good feeling about our chances. If we work hard the next couple weeks, I'm sure one of us will—”

“You don't understand.” Dash covered her head with her forelegs. “She wants me to do it. I don't know why, but it has to be me.”

The trio exchanged glances. “Ma'am, no offense, but that might kill you,” Skypuff said.

Rainbow Dash couldn't answer. Her rage was giving way to despair. “Now, there's no reason to panic,” Fluttershy said. “I'll go visit Cloudwing and explain that it was a misunderstanding.”

“No.” Dash picked herself up and faced the four staring ponies. “I can't let you do that. This kid needs me. I don't have to know why.” She took a deep breath. “Two weeks. I'll figure it out.”

“Training with us is a good start,” Gale suggested. “You're already doing that, and we'll have your back if something goes wrong.”

“I can help you with the recovery. I know that's the hardest part for you,” Stratus volunteered. Dash wanted to be mad at him, but she didn't have the heart. Skypuff was right. It was an honest mistake.

Fluttershy walked over and put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. “I know this means a lot to you,” she said, “but, please, don't make any rash decisions. I don't want to hear that one of my best friends hurt themselves for my initiative.”

“You won't, Fluttershy,” Dash said, despair making way for resolve. “You won't.”

---

“Absolutely not.”

Rainbow Dash and the Rainboom Squad stood across from Commander Winter Gust. His desk was meticulously organized, and his gaze was stern. “I'm not signing off on this,” he repeated. “Frankly, I'm shocked you're even asking.”

“I don't think it's so far-fetched, sir,” Gale spoke up. “Coach's flying has really improved over the last couple weeks. All we need is some space and time. We won't get in the way of regular practice.”

“This isn't about resources,” Winter Gust said. “Only two weeks ago, you just about ate the pavement on my runway with a reckless stunt. You really expect me to let you, a pegasus well past her prime, attempt a Sonic Rainboom after that?”

“This isn't about me,” Rainbow Dash said. “This is a kid's dream we're talking about.”

“A kid's dream isn't worth the risk,” Winter Gust said. “I understand your predicament, but I won't have a careless accident—or worse—on my hooves.” He gave Dash a pitying look. “I know this means a lot to you, coach, but you know better than anypony why I have to say no.”

Rainbow Dash hung her head. “It's not safe,” she mumbled. “But I'll have my team with me. They'll make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“It's true, sir,” said Skypuff. “We'll be with her every wingbeat.”

“Your loyalty is admirable, but my decision stands,” Winter Gust said. “I'm really sorry, coach. My answer is no.”

The four left his office in low spirits. “Thanks for sticking up for me,” Dash said.

“You sound like you’re giving up,” Gale observed. “That’s not the living legend I know.”

Dash let out a snort. “If only the commander would accept ‘living legend’ as a reason to change his mind.”

“The commander controls our training and the facilities. He doesn’t control you,” Skypuff said.

“And he doesn’t control what we do in our spare time,” Stratus added.

Dash’s mind filled in the gaps of what they were trying to tell her. “He’ll be furious if he finds out,” she said. “It could cost you your places on the team. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

“Then don’t ask,” Gale said with a smile. “We’ll meet in the cloud fields after dinner.” He turned to his teammates. “For now, we should get back to training. I’m sure coach has a lot of Rainboom-related tips to give us.”

Dash couldn’t help but grin. There was a certain thrill she always felt stepping just over the line. “Right. We have a lot of lost time to make up. Let’s go!”

---

The hours flew by quickly, and in the evening sun, Dash and the Rainboom Squad met in the cloud fields. It was an area filled with subpar clouds from the weather factories, which meant accepting a certain level of atmospheric unpredictability. It also provided ample cover from the Academy, so it was their best option for covert senior citizen Rainboom training.

“Let’s work on your recovery,” Stratus said as the four found a stable cloud to stand on. “Skypuff will guide you in a dive. Your job is to stick to her tail like stink on a diamond dog.”

Rainbow Dash ignored the repugnant comparison and nodded. “Don’t take it easy on me,” she said. “I only have two weeks to figure this out.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, coach,” said Gale with a mischievous grin. “Consider it payback for all those extra wing-ups.”

“Here we go,” Skypuff said. “Diving in three, two, one…”

Skypuff kicked off. Dash followed closely behind. She gave the younger mare a little space in case something went wrong, but not much, as Dash had no intention of letting anything go wrong. Dash kept Skypuff’s whipping tail in the center of her vision and watched her wings closely. She’d need to react fast to keep up.

A whoosh, and Skypuff’s wings flared. Dash mimicked the movement, straining against the wind. Her wing joints screamed in protest, but she held on, leveling off just a few trots below Skypuff, who had turned back to see how she fared.

“Not bad,” Skypuff said.

Not great, either. “Let’s do it again,” she said.

The two returned to their starting point. “I noticed a little misalignment in your secondary flight feathers,” Stratus said. “Get those in line, and you should be able to recover more quickly.”

Dash nodded. “Got it. Let’s go again.”

Again they dove, and once again Dash kept on Skypuff’s tail. This time, she was barely an inch below. She grinned. Grandma exercise has nothing on this.

Gale and Stratus were quick to compliment her when she and Skypuff returned. “You’re a quick learner,” Stratus said.

“Nah, just remembering my old tricks.” She stretched her wings, which were still stung a little from the last dive. “We should probably work on speed a little before we lose daylight.”

“Only if you’re feeling up to it,” Gale said. “You won’t be doing any Rainbooms on an injured wing.”

“Just a little practice,” Dash said. “I’m not going to bust out a Rainboom tonight.”

Gale nodded. “All right. Well, speed is a combination of wing power and form—not that I have to tell you that,” he added quickly.

Dash shrugged. “Never hurts to review the basics.”

“Uh huh. Let’s take a fly around the cloud fields and make sure your form’s still good. Then, we can focus on wing power.”

Dash nodded. “Solid plan, kid. Let’s give it a shot.”

Gale followed Rainbow Dash's pace as they wove through the clouds. Rainbow Dash kept an eye out for the clouds with dangerous defects—spontaneous lightning, high density, and the like. She did get too close to a windwarper once—clouds that alter windflow—but thanks to her years as a weatherpony, she recovered almost immediately. Gale, however, was caught off-guard and thrown into an excessively sticky cloud.

Dash couldn't help but laugh as Gale picked bits of cloud from his wings. “Gotta keep a sharp eye out in the cloud fields,” she said.

Gale rolled his eyes and grinned. “No substitute for decades of experience,” he answered. “Your form looks good. Let's pick up the pace.”

Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes. Speed was always her favorite aspect of flying. Her wings pumped harder, and soon her signature rainbow trail followed her through the cloud fields. “Not bad,” Gale said, keeping pace easily.

“You're not holding back on me, are you?” Dash asked. “Come on. This old race pony still has some fight left.”

Gale picked up the pace. Rainbow Dash fell behind him and beat her wings furiously to catch up. Her wings strained against the wind as they whipped past Skypuff and Stratus, who cheered them on. Slowly, the gap began to close. Dash focused all her attention on Gale. Her lungs burned. Her wingtips started to feel numb. She refused to slow. If she could catch him, she had a good shot at a Rainboom.

“Gaah!” Suddenly, her wing cramped—her left one this time. She reflexively angled herself for the nearest cloud—an over-damp one, by the looks of it—and braced herself for impact. The cloud absorbed most of the crash's force, and before the Rainboom Squad could come to her aid, she was shaking the water out of her feathers and tail.

“I'm fine,” she said before they could ask, stretching out her left wing. “Just a cramp. Nothing to worry about. It's not the first time I've had a crash.” Then she chuckled in spite of herself. “A rainbow crash... heh.”

The three hovering pegasi looked worried anyway. “Coach,” Skypuff started slowly, “are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Of course I'm sure,” she said. “I didn't become commander of the Wonderbolts by giving up just because things got hard. Now, what do I need to fix? Wing angles? Form?”

The three looked at each other. “Nothing,” Skypuff said. “Your technique is perfect.”

“I think I learned a few new tricks just watching you,” Stratus added.

“What you lack is endurance and flexibility,” Gale finished. “There's only so much we can do to help with that before Cloudwing arrives.”

“What you lack,” said a voice from above, “is stealth.”

The four pegasi turned to see Winter Gust hovering above them, a frown on his face. Rainbow Dash leapt forward. “It's not their fault,” she started, but Winter Gust held up a hoof.

“I thought you'd try something like this,” he said as he landed beside them. “That's why I followed you.” He looked around at the four pegasi, who each avoided eye contact. Winter Gust sighed. “I should have known you wouldn't give up just because somepony in a uniform told you no,” he said to Rainbow Dash.

“This was my idea,” Dash said. “If you want to fire me, fine, but don't take this out on them.”

Winter Gust shook his head. “All that means is you would keep trying on your own. I won't let that happen.” To their surprise, he smiled. “If I can't stop you, I might as well do everything I can to help. I'll draw up a schedule tonight.”

Rainbow Dash smiled back at him. “Thanks, Commander.”

He winked. “No problem, coach.”